What has the Spiritual Paradise of the WTS been over time

by blondie 20 Replies latest jw friends

  • blondie
    blondie

    The first mention I find in the WTS publications is 1958. Although the WTS says the Index goes from 1930 to 1985, nothing appears before 1958 a search only found by using the phrase "spiritual paradise" not in the index. In 2015 there was a clarification of the phrase "Of course, we should not conclude that the terms “spiritual paradise” and “spiritual temple” are the same. The spiritual temple is God’s arrangement for true worship."

    2022 EXPRESSION EXPLAINED: “Spiritual paradise” refers to the secure environment in which we worship Jehovah in unity. In this environment, we have an abundance of spiritual food that is free from religious lies and we have plenty of satisfying work to do in preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom. We enjoy a close relationship with Jehovah, and we live in peace with our loving brothers and sisters, who help us to endure life’s challenges with joy. We enter the spiritual paradise when we begin worshipping Jehovah in the right way and when we do our best to imitate him.

    2015 The expression “spiritual paradise” has become a part of our theocratic vocabulary. It describes our unique, spiritually rich environment, or condition, which allows us to enjoy peace with God and with our brothers. Of course, we should not conclude that the terms “spiritual paradise” and “spiritual temple” are the same. The spiritual temple is God’s arrangement for true worship. The spiritual paradise serves to identify clearly those who have God’s approval and who are today serving him at his spiritual temple.

    1983 “What do you mean by a spiritual paradise?” you ask. Put simply: An organization of Christians who have made over their personalities to conform to God’s requirements and who are united in his true worship may be said to be in a spiritual paradise.

    (oldest in WOL) 1958 Thursday afternoon the conventioners waited with intense interest to hear Brother Knorr speak on “Maintaining Our Spiritual Paradise.” \... Knorr told the vast audience of 145,488 persons that when the holy spirit was poured out on Christ’s disciples at Pentecost, making them spiritual sons of God, “a spiritual paradise had then been established.” (Notice that Knorr refers to spiritual sons of God—at that time only the anointed had the designation)

  • Atlantis
    Atlantis

    Blondie:

    Thank you Blondie! You have provided some excellent quotes on this subject. I remember all those discussions.

    Grandpa!

  • MissDaSilva
    MissDaSilva

    Thank you for your research.

    I hated that expression. 🙄

    Your life was crap but hey you’re living in a spiritual paradise. Utter bollocks.

  • Sea Breeze
    Sea Breeze
    “Spiritual paradise” refers to the secure environment in which we worship Jehovah in unity. In this environment, we have an abundance of spiritual food that is free from religious lies

    moody

    It wasn't much of a paradise for this elder (Arvid Einar Moody) from the Hyde Park Congregation on River St. in Hyde Park, MA. He believed the WT lie that he should not have a kidney transplant. As a result, he died in 1978. Too bad he couldn't make it two more years to 1980 when the WT lifted their ban on organ transplants.

    He wasn't free from religious lies was he?

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    Agreed SB ! if a doctrine is overturned, it was a LIE ! never mind the "Present Truth" * utter bollocks, to use Miss da Silva's excellent choice of word (Spoken like real Lady Miss d S !).

    I too knew a lovely guy who died around the same time, for the same reason. His wife would not speak to J.W's who later took a transplant, what her thinking was can be guessed at.

    * The other expression used to excuse this nonsense is : "It was our understanding at the time".................. utter Bollocks as well.

  • was a new boy
    was a new boy

    Phizzy

    The other expression used to excuse this nonsense is : "It was our understanding at the time"

    p 55 of Captives of a Concept (Anatomy of an Illusion) By Don Cameron

    lists 27 other expressions.


  • Duran
    Duran
    10 The expression “spiritual paradise” has become a part of our theocratic vocabulary. It describes our unique, spiritually rich environment, or condition, which allows us to enjoy peace with God and with our brothers. - w15 7/15

    When they mention “spiritual paradise” their most important date of 1919 is usually closely cited. Sure enough in the next paragraph it reads:

    11 How exciting it is to know that since 1919, Jehovah has allowed imperfect humans to work with him in cultivating, strengthening, and expanding the spiritual paradise on earth! - w15 7/15

    We know that 1919 is a lie, but it is a necessary one to fulfill:

    [8 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “‘For the reason that YOU men have spoken untruth and YOU have visioned a lie, therefore here I am against YOU,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” 9 And my hand has come to be against the prophets that are visioning untruth and that are divining a lie. In the intimate group of my people they will not continue on, and in the register of the house of Israel they will not be written, and to the soil of Israel they will not come; and YOU people will have to know that I am the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, 10 for the reason, yes, for the reason that they have led my people astray, saying, “There is peace!” when there is no peace, and there is one that is building a partition wall, but in vain there are those plastering it with whitewash.’11 Say to those plastering with whitewash that it will fall. A flooding downpour will certainly occur, and YOU, O hailstones, will fall, and a blast of windstorms itself will cause a splitting. 12 And, look! the wall must fall. Will it not be said to YOU men, ‘Where is the coating with which YOU did the plastering?’]

  • NotFormer
    NotFormer

    'The other expression used to excuse this nonsense is : "It was our understanding at the time".................. utter Bollocks as well'

    Did they ever adopt an "It is our understanding at this time" phrase, in the face of potentially fatal new doctrines? Kind of a CYA strategy. I suppose there were other phrases that meant "this looks voluntary, but woe betide if you do it/don't do it!"

  • Vanderhoven7
    Vanderhoven7

    I thought this ex-JW's experience worth repeating in answer to my question: Is the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses a spiritual paradise?...

    "I’m not sure that there is such a term in scripture as a “spiritual paradise”. Christianity is not about feel-good. Actually there are many more metaphors in the scriptures that describe spiritual warfare than spiritual paradise. The psalmist, David, described his peaceful relationship with God like being led to quiet pastures where his soul was replenished, but this was not a permanent situation. David went through many ups and downs spiritually, but his personal relationship with God (except for when he had sinned seriously) was something he described as a very pleasant and intimate reality.

    The organisation of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a different case in point. It can offer a feel good factor if one is totally in harmony with the leadership. But if you accept that being at peace with one does not equal being at peace with the other, the organisation will always feel spiritually uncomfortable. My eventual feeling was that I didn’t really belong there.

    I was a JW for many years and I did experience joy in the ministry and a feeling of community and belonging in the congregation, but this was something that proved to be a bit of a fool’s paradise eventually. When I could no longer squash doubts concerning the claims their governing body were making about their divine appointment, my faith came under duress. I was not spiritually happy for a good number of years, more time than I care to think about. I should have examined my faith then, and maybe listened to so-called “apostate” arguments. But it was difficult at that time to even acknowledge or think about because you are conditioned to think that you will be turning your back on God if you leave or doubting him if you doubt “his” organisation. But eventually it was not just the accumulation of gnawing doubt that critical thinking began to hatch in my mind like some strange and scary alien, but real indignation that finally forced me to wake. The fact that these men in Warwick were trying to tell me that their every word was direction from Christ and that we should therefore obey them unquestioningly was something I’d heard before, but it never struck me as blasphemy until I realised that they were actually claiming they were mediators between us (as “other sheep”) and Jehovah. That’s Christ’s position, and I knew then that they were imposters and as a body, a false prophet.

    It took a while for the penny to fully drop to the bottom of the tin because I did appreciate a lot about the WT - the JWs did furnish my faith in the scriptures (albeit through some mistaken interpretations of prophecies), I did learn a lot more about the scriptures, which I didn’t have when I started studying with them. I did learn to appreciate the Creator to a much greater extent through JWs. So I’m not speaking out of bitterness. But I did experience a conflict in my spirit. The Witnesses constantly describe the organisation and what it teaches as “The Truth”. But when I realised it wasn’t the truth I knew I had to get out.

    Today I don’t live in a spiritual paradise. I don’t always feel peaceful and I experience conflict with other Christians. But what has changed is that my understanding of the scriptures is now far greater and my relationship with the Father and with Christ goes from strength to strength. Before I was in a spiritual prison where I was limited in all sorts of ways, but especially in understanding the truth. I admit that the truth is not a comfortable or secure place to rest, but it galvanises one to action and deeper study. But I have no regrets leaving the WT, I experience horror at the thought of going back to that stifling old box! But at first it felt like freedom because I was breaking free from false beliefs. I was, but that journey never seems to finish. Except when you allow your mind to be parcelled up and controlled by an educating body that permits no challenge to its status quo, and believe me, that state of affairs does not only exist in the WT.

  • NotFormer
    NotFormer

    I wonder what a genuine conversation with a JW about this would be like. Firstly, I doubt that it would come up with a householder when they're out in field service. The "spiritual paradise" is, as I understand it, internal jargon used for mutual encouragement. I'd have to raise it as a subject.

    Then, both those words would need defining. First, what do they mean by "spiritual"? The term itself is somewhat nebulous. Is there some sense of euphoria, of being closer to God, when they're in the Kingdom Hall? Or does "spiritual" mean "figurative"? In which case the "real" paradise would have to be defined. What is it like*? And how is the "spiritual paradise" like "actual paradise"?

    I actually kind of miss the days when you could have a conversation like this with a JW at the door.

    ETA: I should have read through the thread before posting the above. It seems that they have a definition in the literature, even going so far as to say that it is part of their "theocratic vocabulary"**. It doesn't preclude the above hypothetical conversation, however. I genuinely don't know the minutiae of their doctrine, and I doubt someone at the door will have that stuff memorised.

    *For all those pictures of paradise published in their literature, what it entails is not very well defined.

    ** Remember the argument that the word Trinity doesn't appear in the Bible, so the doctrine must be false? I don't remember seeing the terms "spiritual paradise" nor "theocratic vocabulary" either. 🙄

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