While being an active JW, did you throw away Watchtower literature?

by JH 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  JH

  I remember that magazines and books came in faster than I could read, it was accumulating fast. In my first years, I didn't dare throw away anything. Even later when I was starting to cool down, I still had mountains of books, magazines and brochures. Finally I threw most of it away. I said to myself, "even if I ever go back, I wouldn't need those books anyways".

  All I have left now is a bible that I rarely look at, and maybe 2 or 3 books.

  I wonder if most active JW's keep all their JW literature, or do they throw away some now and then?
• 

  Gill

  Very discretely!!! And only if the overflow got toooooo bad!

  My mum once told me that my father had found a box of literature down at the tip and the books had the names of the bros who owned them in.

  She said: "We know who they are! We could report them to the Elders!'

  Yes Well!!! What can I say. My parents house and loft is packed tight with JW literature. That's why the WTBTS printing figures are such BS! All that crap is quietly sitting in peoples homes collecting dust, or rotting down at the tip.
• 

  blondie

  As a JW I threw away:

  1) My loose copies of the Awake/WT when I got my bound volumes

  2) Any damaged publications that I could not place; some of the older ones had cheap paper and yellowed.

  3) Any excess but unmarked publications I took to the KH and quietly left on the literature counter (for the pioneers)

  Now I store away my hard copies that are on the CD but keep out the ones that never were on it or have been dropped from it with a new version. Now I worry if I throw away a publication that some idiot who picks up trash might read them.

  Blondie
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  Pleasuredome

  i threw them away when after watching the panorama programme on child abuse in the JWs. i would collect them, and then just throw them away. thinking about it, they really should have gone in the recycling bin. nevermind.
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  lovelylil

  Yes. All the time but against my hubby's wishes. I live in a small home and the mags would collect fast. I usually gave mine out because I had a huge magazine route but hubby who by they way was a MS and almost never went out in service - used to have huge piles after a few months. I kept telling him to lower the amount he takes but he did not want to look bad. As, he should have only taken his study set and maybe one more because he never placed anything. The only thing on his sheet used to be the family study and the kids HATED it. My hubby was the real serious type when doing the study and would turn it into a lecture all the time, telling the kids how bad they are.

  Its funny now as he used to compare his "spirituality" with mine. Of course that meant he went to all the meetings, etc. But since we left, he seems to have lost all his zeal. He has no interest in God at all and lives a totally "live for the day" lifestyle. He has taken up drinking and gambling and other bad habits. Not that I care - but it goes to show you how fake many witnesses act on the outside. I found out he was gambling when he was a MS. Surprise, surprise! Lilly
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  looking_glass

  Yes. My mother is pack rat, so I knew if I ever needed anything book/mag/brochure wise, I could always go to her. As for certain books that were heavily studied, I kept that. I have all the bibles I have ever had in my life time (which is only three).
• 

  Moomin

  I was told by an elder's wife that I shouldn't throw them away. I had only been a year and I had so many bursting out the cupboards. We live in a small flat and my husband was getting annoyed seeing them scattered about and squashed into cupboards and draws.

  My study conductor's husband kept trying to give me new books and mags to give to my husband (books and mags that I already had!) But looking back I realised he was just doing it so he could say he has placed them.

  At the 05 assembly he asked me 2 times if he could offer the 'What does the Bible Teach' book to my husband (even though I had picked up one for myself). I told him I'd rather he didn't as I know it would cause embarrassment. He ignored me and planned to give it to him anyway but his wife talked him out of it. I was so anoyed that he had to be talked out of it and not just respect my wishes in the first place.

  I remembered how the speaker had said so pompously that the book had already been placed by some of the witnesses and I think thats what got him going as he always wanted to be better than most :(

  After that my guilt eased and I could quite happily throw out the older mags.
• 

  lonelysheep

  No, I kept everything. One of my conductors said it was best to keep them since you never know when an article could be of use to someone else.
• 

  JH

  One of my conductors said it was best to keep them since you never know when an article could be of use to someone else.

  Thats why i kept mine so long, and they never became useful....lol
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  moshe

  yes , I threw out magazines and quite often just dumped them at office waiting rooms- to be counted as placements of course.