I NEED ADVICE ON WHAT TO RECOMMEND

by ElderBarry 39 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Stealth453

  I would avoid books like Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave by Schnell and Awake to the the Watchtower! by Doug Harris, or anything by Jerry Bergman, Walter Martin or the other hacks providing hatchet jobs on the Witnesses.

  I have pretty much flown the same line as you, on most of your posts. This one however, puzzles me. The author's account of what they had experienced, is just that...their experience. It is up to the reader to make a decision as to the validity and substance of the story as told...

  My opinion only...
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  LovesDubs

  Crisis...hands down. Also she NEEDS TO SIGN ON HERE and get some real answers! This is the quintessential horse's mouth.

  Dont panic.
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  JamesThomas

  The idea of telescopes and nature and actually reading the Bible

  One of these offers insight that is unrestricted, real, vast, and true. The other goes out of it's way to see how small, foolish and mythological it can make the divine.

  An old American Indian was know to have said to a Christian (who was likely trying to give him a Bible): "Your God lives in words on paper which come to nothing in the wind and rain. Our God lives within the wind and rain."

  To each his own.

  j
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  Fe2O3Girl

  What she is getting out of this is a false sense of comfort and hope in these crazy times with a nut in the white house bringing us closer and closer to nuclear war! All this end of the world junk is a "prophecy" that is coming true because people BELIEVE it and so unconsciously they act in ways that will bring it about. Spooky and crazy.

  So, we are getting somewhere. Here is a person worried by world events, looking for reassurance. The JWs are telling her that this is fulfillment of prophecy, God will sort everything out Real Soon Now, just join our club and you'll be safe..........

  So,

  Are things really worse or better now? How do life expectancies compare now and a century ago? Now and five centuries ago? Have we had disturbing international events before? Black Death? First World War? Second World War? Cold War? Cuban Missile Crisis? Suez? Are we still here?

  Was Jesus talking about events millenia in the future? Were his comments fulfilled in the first century?

  Not everyone who watches the news joins an end-times cult, so what is it in her personality that makes her swallow a camel to get a gnat of reassurance? Why does she need that comfort so much? That is a big one!
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  greendawn

  I would also say crisis of conscience, it's a classic book written by someone who was behind the scenes and even participated for a time in their workings. It totally exposes the WTS as a manmade organisation that has committed a lot of errors and deception eg decisions made by the GB after voting can not possibly be God inspired since there is no unity of mind.
• 

  Flash

  Here is the "Resurrected" Quotes.Watchtower.ca web site. If she wont read it herself perhaps you can print out some information about the reversals they have done over the years on the subjects she is being taught. You could also be more informed and ready to intelligently unmask the WTS.

  http://www.reexamine.org/quotes/admin-site-map.htm

  Please caution her to be very careful to distiguish between what is truely Divine law and the Rules imposed by the WTS disguised as Divine Law!
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  M.J.

  Ok I know of a study who agreed to read COC last year. She's still a study and is probably an unbaptized publisher by now.

  Don't make the mistake of thinking that her reading that book (or any other book for that matter) will work some kind of magic.

  Additionally, someone who is just studying with JWs will probably not grasp all the implications of COC.

  I liked Slimboyfat's suggestions. Most of all you need to analyze what about the JWs is really "doing it" for her. There is no cookie-cutter approach.

  For yourself, I would definitely read "Combatting Cult Mind Control" to better understand the phenomena involved. Have a non-judgmental talk with her on what she likes about the Witnesses and if you can understand which areas provide the most doubt for her that is key.

  If you have no time to spend on her and she won't read anything, a good cassette for her to listen to is Randy Watters' "What Happened at Bethel in 1980?" available at http://freeminds.org

  Read Jgnat's topic.

  We "Unbelieving Mates" deal with this crap every day of our lives.
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  XJW4EVR

  What book should I recommend? I hope there's a consensus view. I know about a few, like 30 Years A Watchtower Slave, but thats just too old.

  That would be one book that I would not under any circumstance recommend do to its rather bitter writing style.

  I think that David Reed's book Index of Watchtower Errors or something to that effect would be a good read.
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  Genesis

  Garybuss : Witnessism is an awesome treatment for loneliness. Witnessism is attractive to shy people and people with a social anxiety disorder.
  
  Its so true, Ive had a friend that I apostatised but stayed anyway cause he knew he would never be able to make a social circle in the normal world...
  
  So sad.
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  drew sagan

  "Crisis of Conscience" you won't need another book after that one.

  
  
  I would go one step further. In search of Christian Freedom by Raymond Franz. This book is twice the size and it's main focus is on DOCTRINE. Once she reads it she will be hooked and move over to CoC.
  
  In the end, either of the 2 are the best quality books you can get to someone in her position. There is also Johnssons books "The Gentile Time reconsidered" and "The Sign of the Last Days, When?"
  
  After thinking this over I can actually say that you should find out the reason why she is interested in the JWs and give her the according book.
  
  Good Chrisitan Behavior - Crisis of Conscience
  JW Doctrine - In Search of Christian Freedom
  End Times Prohecy - Gentile Times or Sign of the Last days
  
  Find out what will work the best and go from there.