Can you be Objective about the Watchtower Society's Literature? (page 2)

parakeet

"Can you separate yourself momentarily from the Watch-tower Society to comment objectively about the literature?

I've separated myself PERMANENTLY from the Watchtower Society, so I'm eminently qualified to comment objectively about the literature.

"What did you think about the Awake magazine?"

Some of the articles are relatively informative for readers on a fourth-grade reading level. For my own part, I occasionally read the Awake for comic relief. Then I shred it.

"What about the Society's other literature including the Bible?"

I enjoy the occasional Watchtower for the same reason I enjoy the Awake. I don't read any WT books because I value my time. I don't consider the Bible as the Society's "other literature." The Bible belongs to everyone.

jimbo

Hi The wanderer!!

I used to read the Awake mag faithfully. My efforts should have earned me a college degree by now.

When they started publishing it only once a month I decided that my education could stand a little expansion. From reading additional information,(some scientific, some history, some just thought provoking logic) I have decided that WT literature is adulterated bs, and some outright lies.

Hopefully by next year I can afford to go back to school and get the real education that the cult has kept me from for the last 45+ years.

Watchtower literature should be outlawed for children and the weak minded like I was. I think someone already said that.

I am ready to burn all of my old wt literature. Does anyone else want to have a bonfire???

I think it was in the 1980's that the local congregation had a book burning if incriminating older books. Does anyone remember that? It's time for another one!!!!!

jimbo (of the get a real education class)

OUTLAW

Crap,crap and more crap!..Did I mention it`s all crap?!...OUTLAW

jimbo

Hi The wanderer!!

I used to read the Awake mag faithfully. My efforts should have earned me a college degree by now.

When they started publishing it only once a month I decided that my education could stand a little expansion. From reading additional information,(some scientific, some history, some just thought provoking logic) I have decided that WT literature is adulterated bs, and some outright lies.

Hopefully by next year I can afford to go back to school and get the real education that the cult has kept me from for the last 45+ years.

Watchtower literature should be outlawed for children and the weak minded like I was. I think someone already said that.

I am ready to burn all of my old wt literature. Does anyone else want to have a bonfire???

I think it was in the 1980's that the local congregation had a book burning of incriminating older books. Does anyone remember that? It's time for another one!!!!!

jimbo (of the get a real education class)

jgnat

I can comment, but my answer will be subjective. I have very strong preferences on what constitutes good or bad writing. My opinions are based on a lifetime of reading all kinds of literature, and the principles drilled in to me by Zinsser in his book, "On Writing Well."

Q: What did you think about the Awake magazine?

A: I've looked at it, maybe, three times in the past six years. It's fluff. It's imitation writing, styling itself as a Reader's Digest lite. But they are not nearly as diligent as Reader's Digest in verifying their sources.

What about the Society's other literature including the Bible?

A. The Watchtower is the congregation's weekly lectionary or reading, as it would be referred in other denominations. I read the weekly study regularly. This way I can keep up on my JW husband's latest attitudes, behavior, and fears, as directed by the society. The writing is loaded with unnecessary fluff. I liken it to cotton-candy. Any unpleasant direction is couched in soft or loaded language.
The bible was an ambitious re-write in to modern English when it was first published, but has been surpassed by modern translations. The NWT carries it's own bias in favor of JW doctrines.

And a minor point about your quizzes. Please stop predicting controversy. It's annoying. So far I find your questions mildly interesting, but in no way controversial.

BizzyBee

The Awake
Personally, I enjoyed the short stories in the Awake magazine.
This included the science articles, the human interest stories
and the watching the world articles.It was a clean style and
format and it was appealing to read.

However, the sources where the magazines received its info-
rmation still raises questions regarding credibility.
You are laboring to say something positive and diplomatic about these magazines which are, by any objective standards, lame excuses for writing, editing, journalism and information. Why?

I agree with Katie - if you want in-depth information about a topic, why waste time reading an Awake? With the exhaustive information at one's fingertips through the Internet, the Awake is a huge waste of cheap paper, not to mention manpower, gasoline and shoeleather expended to carry it to householders who clearly don't want it.

And, of course, all the information is biased as hell in the WTS "literature." Now that most of us here are released from the brainwashing, we can be quite objective about the value of the WTS drivel.

Spectre

"It was a clean style" What the hell does that mean?

Little Bo Peep

The problem with nearly all of the literature, it has underlying motives. Everything is said and done with the intent of getting one interested in becoming a JW.

Even funeral talks are used for this purpose. When my father in law recently died, we discussed with my mother in law, that we'd like to have a fair amount of time spent on the kind of person he was, and some of his experiences. We timed it, 5 minutes tops were dedicated to him, the rest was about the JW ressurection hope. The out of town, non JW family were so very disappointed, they cried. The 5 minutes were discussing the obituary from the newspaper!

Sorry, I got off the subject. I think anything that the WT produces should be read with care, as they have ulterior motives!

Peep

TheKings

i'll take it page by page using the september 15, 06 WT

front cover... "Are We Living In 'The Last Days'?" An emaciated woman and child stare out at you tearfully with a building destroyed in the background, presumably by an earthquake.(a subtle reminder that we are getting more and more earthquakes no doubt, which is not even factual) Okay... i really don'y like someone trying to target an emotive response to feed me their doctrine. "do it for the starving children'. the people on the magazine are prolly muslim so Jehovah will kill them anyway, right?

*flips pages*

blah, blah, blah, doom,...more doom, starving children, wife beaters, holier than thou jdubs save the day...

- "We Cannot Stop Speaking About Jesus"

(or rather, we cannot stop making it look like jesus chose us, enough about jesus, let's talk about why you should do exactly what we say.)

- "They Called Together The Sanhedrin"

(to make this article?)

- "A Seal Belonging To Jucal"

(who the fuck is jucal? anyway...this is interesting because it's about the destruction of jerusalem by nebuchadnezzar but they totally leave out 607 and just write "in the seventh century B.C.E.".)

- "Jehovah's Word Is Alive- Highlights From the Book of Proverbs"

(immorality. OH NOOOES! you better do what the jdub's say or god will hate you.)

- "Show Love And Respect By Controlling Your Tongue"

(no oral sex! *rolls eyes* ... of course the only way to save your marriage is by reading the bible and talking to the elders. why, that's the answer to everything!')

- "Rejoice With The Wife Of Your Youth"

(more of the same ... my brain is now starting to melt.)

- "Questions From Readers" - What is the congregation's responsibility if a christian driving an automobile has an accident tht results in the death of others

(well little johnny, since this christian in his automobile is no better than anyone else, i'd say he'll serve time for involuntary man slaughter. There is no scripture about disfellowshipping someone for accidentally killing someone unless you go back to the old testament where someone could flee to the city of refuge but that has no bearing on our time...'course this has never stopped them from adding on principles to the bible...so why not?

ask a stupid question...

- "His Delight Was in the Law of Jehovah"

(Albert D. Schroeder of the Governing Body kicked the bucket. Does anyone care?)

- "How I Do LOVE YOUR LAW!"

(back page- law meaning what the WTS says in jdub speak. you're gonna be controlled and you're gonna like it!)

Can you be Objective about the Watchtower Society's Literature?

The Awake

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