:: I was forced to study that masterpiece of child-abuse known as “From Paradise to Paradise Regained”
Right on, Farkel, as usual--although that pinches.
For the record, Nathan Knorr wanted to release a book with illustrations (he had an attractive, talented new in-house female artist) for the huge double assembly in Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds, along with other literature--a "release" a day. It was to be a book for the Far East in particular, with no negative doctrines like Trinity to be discussed, analyzed and then "right" teaching presented. But the President vacillated and could not really make up his mind. His right-hand man Freddy Franz was, of course, too busy with the other publications, the Daniel book and the NW translation volume, and tepid to the project.
The then-editor of the publications told NHK that time did not permit what it would take to get the book through the factory, including writing the MS. Knorr the businessman decided to divvy up the book between several different writers! (If you have four writers, you can do it in 25% of the time, right? Groan.) Not all got the message. Some thought it was for children. If you have a copy, glance through it and you will see the differences in style, not to mention approach. Cf. the fire and damnation from heaven stuff.
When the final product was read from Chapter 1 onward in MS form, it was an obvious mess which a few thoughtful ones saw clearly. It was too late to do anything about it--a rewrite impossible; Colin gritted his teeth, and the book was mindlessly used as a children's book, despite "official" comments noting that was not its purpose.
It sure did influence young minds. And for many persons I've talked to over the decades, it elicited many nightmares.
Take-home thought to ponder: was this "food at the proper time"? A product from God himself? The r&f have this vision of saintly men praying and the holy spirit prompting their pens--the faithful slave dispensing food via the anointed-remnant GB. Hardly.
I enjoyed the thoughtfulness of your post, Farkel. The cauldron of pain has produced in you a unique combination of head and heart. You've helped so many.
Maximus