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  • Immortality of the Soul
  • Watch Tower Publications Index 1930-1985
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Watch Tower Publications Index 1930-1985
dx30-85

IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL

(See also Eternal Torment; Nirvana; Purgatory; Reincarnation; Souls; Transmigration)

(Note centered heading below: Quotations)

Apocrypha: w60 84; w48 340

Augustine: g82 4/22 25; g65 7/8 15; g62 5/8 22; w61 132; g61 4/22 13; w58 363; rm 272-273; w46 118; tf 280

Babylonians: g77 8/22 9; gh 91-92; w73 605; w65 38; w64 375-376; g64 4/22 13-14; bf 43-44

basis for honoring dead: w78 6/1 5

Bible view: g82 4/22 26-27; tr 37; w79 7/1 13-14; us 16-17; g78 7/8 7; gh 92-93; g75 10/22 5-6; ts 37-39, 41-43; g74 6/8 28; w73 230-231; w73 550; g73 6/8 5-8; g73 7/22 27-28; g72 11/8 6; w71 47-48; ad 1534; w70 71-72, 133; w69 630, 693; g69 11/8 27; g69 12/8 28; w68 5-6, 390, 518-520, 659-661; g68 9/8 3-4; g67 1/8 28; g67 3/22 6; g67 4/8 7; w66 177; w65 59; w64 195-196, 327, 750; g64 4/22 26-27; w63 231-234, 378-379, 395; w62 541; g62 5/8 22; w61 583; g61 4/22 13-14; g61 10/8 17; w60 182-183; w58 345-346; g58 5/22 6-7; w57 286, 358-360; w55 120-121, 534-542, 560-562; dh 38-42; w53 70-71, 373, 444-445; g53 8/8 25-26; lg 66-75; w48 316-318, 340-346; g48 5/22 26-27; ci 50-53; w40 86-87; w39 189-191, 269-270; w37 29-31; de 4-5; wd 18-21; w30 13-15, 45-47

Buddhism: w78 3/1 13; g74 1/8 16, 19

Catholic Church: w81 4/15 11-12; w73 550

chart of religious beliefs: g52 11/8 13-17

clergy see error: w83 12/1 28; g82 4/22 26; w81 4/15 19; w79 7/1 14; g79 7/22 7-8, 15; w76 649-650; w75 357; g73 5/8 5; g72 4/8 30; g71 3/8 28; g71 8/8 26; w70 132; g70 4/22 17; w69 629-630; g69 4/22 31; w68 519; g61 8/8 8; w60 517; w58 355-356

Lutheran catechism admits doctrine founded on Platonic philosophy: w77 144

conflicts with teaching of resurrection: g79 7/22 15, 27; w78 9/1 16-17

discussion: g84 10/8 8-11; w82 4/1 14-19; g82 4/22 25-27; w76 649-653; w60 517-520; w55 534-542, 560-563; dh 22-43; lg 66-75; w48 339-348; w46 115-121

early Christians not believers in: w68 517; g61 4/22 13

Egyptian belief: g79 12/8 27; g78 6/22 10; g77 8/22 11; w65 365; g64 2/22 18; g61 10/8 17; g56 1/8 6; g54 9/22 13-15; g48 4/22 22; w46 117, 121

extent of belief: w81 3/15 5; ts 35-37; g64 4/22 13-14; g63 5/22 5-6; g56 1/8 6; g52 11/8 13-17; g48 4/22 21-22; rg 22-23

false claims: w75 356; ts 35-37, 43-46, 88-92; g72 11/8 6; w71 47-48; g71 3/8 28; w70 582; w69 734; g69 4/22 12; g69 12/8 27; w68 5; w63 732; g63 2/8 11; w62 454; w61 132; g61 8/8 5-7; w60 182, 517-518; g60 10/8 9; g56 1/8 5-7; w53 444; g53 8/8 25; w48 316, 340-341; g48 4/22 21-24; w46 117; w37 229

Graham’s (Billy) comment on: g79 7/22 27

Greek philosophers: w82 4/1 14-17; g82 4/22 25; w78 5/15 25; w76 652; w75 55-56; g75 10/22 6; ts 43-44; g73 6/8 5; ad 689; w69 629; w68 517-518; w65 38; g65 7/8 14-15; g61 4/22 13; w60 182, 231; w57 358; g56 1/8 6; g48 4/22 22; w46 117

Plato: g84 10/8 8-9, 11; g79 7/22 7; w78 5/15 25; w76 652; w70 71, 132; w68 5; w48 100, 339; g48 4/22 24; w46 118

Pythagoras: g56 3/22 23, 25; w48 100, 339

Socrates: w78 5/15 25; g65 7/8 14-15; w46 117

Gypsies: g61 10/22 30

Halloween bonfires: g78 11/8 3

Hinduism: ts 36-37; g74 1/8 19; g66 2/8 27; g61 4/22 13

illogical: ts 45-46

India: g48 4/22 21-22

Islam: g61 4/22 13; rm 290

Japan: g52 5/22 16

Jews: w81 4/15 4, 6-8; g81 6/22 18-19; w68 5; w65 38; g62 12/8 30; g55 11/8 4; nh 140; g48 4/22 22-23

admission regarding: w76 649-650

sects believing in: w83 9/15 16

Judaism: w82 4/1 15

Justin Martyr’s comment on Christians who believe in: w81 10/15 10

Lateran Council: rm 294-295

Luther, Martin: w76 650; g58 7/22 15; w56 330-331; g56 1/8 7; rm 295

Nicaraguan Indians: g67 3/8 21

not proved by “afterlife” or near-death experiences: g84 10/8 4-8; w82 4/15 30; g79 7/22 3-12; w78 6/15 11; w77 519

Origen: rm 268; g48 4/22 23

Pharisees: w82 4/1 7; w53 462; rm 247; g48 4/22 23

pre-Flood belief: qm 268; w57 358, 575; qm55 268

reincarnation: g83 3/8 24-26

resurrection disproves: g84 10/8 9-11; g71 3/8 28; w70 132-134; w63 230-234; g62 4/22 5-6; g61 8/8 7-8; w58 355-356; w55 562; dh 43; w53 373-374; w49 116; w44 84, 122

scriptures misapplied to support:

Genesis 35:18: ts 42-43

Exodus 3:6: w60 427

1 Kings 17:21: ts 42-43

Ecclesiastes 12:7: g69 11/8 28; w63 241; w60 182-183; g60 12/22 27; g58 5/22 7; w48 343

Matthew 10:28: w82 4/1 27-28; w79 9/15 30; w64 750; w55 561; dh 40; lg 71-72

Luke 23:43: g73 6/8 6-7; g57 7/8 26; g57 11/8 4-5; w48 317

Acts 20:10: ts 42-43

2 Corinthians 5:1-3: w46 120

1 Thessalonians 5:23: g64 6/8 27

source of belief: w83 12/1 28; g80 7/8 3-4; g79 7/22 10-11; w75 55-56; w75 744; ts 43-45; qm 268, 270; w57 358-359, 575; g56 1/8 6; w55 572; qm55 268, 270; dh 62; g55 11/8 4; gn54 10; g48 4/22 21-23; w46 117-118; w43 140; s 36

spiritism: w56 110; w55 533; dh 21

Swedenborg, Emanuel: w57 714

Tertullian’s belief in: g82 4/22 25; g62 4/22 6

transmigration: ts 53-60

Tyndale’s (William) view of: g84 10/8 9; w76 649

Quotations

a Greek notion elaborated by Plato: g79 7/22 7

a matter of philosophical speculation rather than of simple faith: g79 7/22 8

a pagan philosophical dogma. It is sufficient to read Plato’s Phaedo to be convinced of that: g84 10/8 9

Bible does not state a doctrine of the immortality of the soul: g82 7/8 23

cannot be proved: w58 356

Christians regarded it improper in first centuries: w46 118

Christian view of the afterlife did not rest on belief in an immortal soul but in a body transformed through resurrection: w83 12/1 28

concept of immortality is a product of Greek thinking: w81 4/15 7

concept of “soul” separate from the “body” does not exist in the Bible: w82 4/1 15; g80 6/8 19

could not accept the doctrine: w55 451

crept into church by back door: w60 231; w57 582; g57 12/8 12

derived only from Greek philosophy: g82 4/22 26

distinction between the body and the soul is nowhere clearly stated in the Scriptures: g80 6/8 19

doctrine is a curious example of an opinion destitute of any foundation in the Bible: g82 4/22 26

does not come from Bible: w60 517

for two centuries unknown to the Christian church: g48 4/22 24

idea of an immortal soul is not Biblical, but is a Hellenistic idea that crept into Christian thought by mistake: w83 12/1 28

if the soul be in heaven, tell me what cause is there for the resurrection?: g84 10/8 9

if the soul is already blissfully in heaven, what need is there for anything further?: g79 7/22 15

immortality is not a present possession of all men: w82 4/1 21-22

in death mental abilities of a person automatically extinguished: w58 355

man does not have a soul, he is a soul: w79 7/1 14

no Biblical text authorizes: g77 8/22 11

nothing in Scripture to back up the idea that souls have an immortal subsistence: g79 7/22 7-8

notion of immortality is the product of Greek thought: g82 7/8 23

nowhere expressly taught in Holy Scripture: g79 7/22 8

pagan speculation: g48 4/22 24

phrase never occurs in Bible: g48 4/22 23

remains a non-Biblical belief: w81 10/15 10

seems we like to believe the first lie: g79 7/22 8

the Bible teaches that when a man dies, his entire person dies: w79 7/1 14

the New Testament does not teach immortality of the disembodied “soul” of Platonic thought: w79 7/1 14

this widely accepted idea is one of the greatest misunderstandings of Christianity: w79 7/1 14

under the influence of Platonic philosophy, the concept came to permeate the Church: w81 10/15 10

unknown to the Scriptures: w57 582; g57 12/8 12

unscriptural: g48 4/22 23

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