Excerpt from Awake!, January 2006

daniel-p

Last night I was reading the new Awake! magazine (no, I'm not a glutton for punishment), in bed with my wife sleeping beside me.
On page 5, I read: "Of course, some people see no good news on the horizon. Among them are prophets of doom who seem to take delight IN HERALDING AN APOCALYPTIC ANNIHILATION OF PLANET EARTH. Their view of the future has room for few, if any, survivors."

!!!

Has this writer even read the old literature? Has he (presumably he) even seen the pulp illustrations in EVERY SINGLE OLDER BOOK published by the WTS? Like how everyone is screaming, running around, clutching their babies as fire and hailstone rain down upon their heads? And how in the 'new system' someone is driving a bulldozer, scraping up all the residue of the past world in a huge heap....

When I read that, I let out a loud laugh and woke my wife up. She saw I was reading the new Awake, said something uninteligible, and turned away.

So on page 8 they have some pictures of walking soldiers, a woman crying, and a thin, boney arm holding a bowl with a few oats. On the facing page, they have an obviously middle-class woman holding out her Bible for a more "ethnic" woman to read. The caption reads "Jehovah's Witnesses are known for preaching the good news."

The logic, people, the logic of these writers defies imagination!
Oh and I LOVE this part: on page 10 they have an article about cutters ("self-injurers") and then on page 13 they have an article called "MOLD Friend or Foe!"

I do have a hunch, though, that they took on some new writers for the revamped Awake!. The prose, although watered-down and generic as ever, has the hint of newer blood.

For the love of Gawd....

Cellist

Daniel, are they saying that they don't believe there will be an earth-wide destruction now? I asked this question once before, because I had heard through the grape-vine that the JWs no longer believe that Armaggedon will be an earth-wide destruction.

Weird.

Cellist

Finally-Free

are they saying that they don't believe there will be an earth-wide destruction now?

They are trying to show the difference between true doomsday cults and false doomsday cults.

W

daniel-p

Any mention of Armageddon in the publications is just some little blurb about how "soon now, Armageddon will end all this suffering, pain, etc., and Jehovah will usher in a new paradise!"

There is no mention of what Armageddon will likely involve.
It's just "Armageddon is God's War to end all wars."
No mention of who the survivors will be, other than "worshipers of Jehovah," or those "fearing his name."

Erich

cellist

I had heard through the grape-vine that the JWs no longer believe that Armaggedon will be an earth-wide destruction.

Yes, what you`ve heard is right! (If Marvin Gay would be living yet, he would have heard it too;-)

E.

Cellist

OK, so it's status quo, sugar coated to disguise the unpalatableness of their teaching. Why does this not surprise me.

Cellist

Spectre

Don't leave us in the lurch now, is mold a friend or a foe?

luna2

I think this has been their stance on the Big A for a while now...soft pedal and sugar coat it until the ~~sucker~~ interested person has been brainwashed enough to swallow the unpleasant truth of what they really believe.

I'm quite interested in the mold question too. Do they quote any Bible verses regarding the subject? I thought the Awake was supposed to become more Bible-based or something....like a watered down Watchtower.

daniel-p

The last two sentences in the Mold: Friend of Foe! article:

"Of course, we still have much to learn about mold. But knowledge of God's amazing creations can only be to our advantage."
No scriptures in the main article, but there is a little box entitled "Mold in Bible Times?" with Lev. 14:34-48 cited.

Here are the subjects in the new Awake! in order of apearance:

1. Cover article; "What Will The Future Bring?"
2. Article on cutting.
3. Mold article
4. Canadian Geese article
5. The Bible's Viewpoint: Why Look to the Bible for Guidance? (because the Bible says we should)
6. Article on Michael Agricola and the Finnish Bible
7. One page article on how "marvelous" your red blood cells are
8. Real-life experience article of a young man who has Lou Gehrig's disease
9. From Our Readers (nothing but praise from people all over the world)
10. How Would You Answer (here's the cereal box part)

young hearts, be free..

On page 5, I read: "Of course, some people see no good news on the horizon. Among them are prophets of doom who seem to take delight IN HERALDING AN APOCALYPTIC ANNIHILATION OF PLANET EARTH. Their view of the future has room for few, if any, survivors."

.......Another exercise in reversing the psychological process, in particular feeding the JW defensive mind; instead of the Witness reading that and thinking "that's exactly what we believe and preach", they'll read it and think just how bad the ' world ' and it's leaders are, "what terrible views to hold...." It's totally obvious to the critical, analytical mind...but we know that dubs don't possess that type of mind do they !

Brooklyn says it, it must be from Jehovah...

Excerpt from Awake!, January 2006

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