JWs and the making of many books

by Magnum 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Magnum

  Ecc 12:12 - "To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion [to them] is wearisome to the flesh."

  I just never could keep up with all the JW reading material. As a zealous JW, it was my desire to read every word published by the org, but I just couldn't do it. Even when I was a strong JW, though, I felt that I was wasting a whole bunch of time reading the same old thing over and over again and never really learning anything. And often, the material was outright childish and/or stupid.

  Now that I look back, I think the org wanted it that way. I think it wanted to keep us so busy that we didn't have time to study and learn anything outside what it presented to us. I think the Great Leaders knew what would happen if we had time to explore other material and really learn.

  It's ironic that the org always bragged about the great feast in the "spiritual paradise" and compared that feast to the "great famine" outside. I now see that the famine was (and, of course, still is) in JWdom.

  There are some foods that can be consumed in large quantities and give one a feeling of fullness, but at the same time leave him starving because they have no or very little nutritional value. JWs stuff themselves with all the junk food provided by JWdom. They feel full and brag about their "fatness", but they are starving. They supposedly study the Bible and are Bible scholars, yet they know very little and often can't answer even basic questions about the Bible and their own theology.

  I found trying to keep up with all the JW books and other publications to be truly wearisome. I think that devoting time to the "many books" of JWdom keeps JWs ignorant. They use their time filling their minds with fluff, when they could be really learning. I was a strong, studious JW for about 30 years, and I thought I really knew the Bible. But I now realize I knew very little. Thanks JWdom.
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  looter

  So very true. I recollect being in and always having the "responsibility" (guilt) of reading both the Watchtower and awake. When I had some extra time on my hands, never ever could I push myself to read the full magazines despite believing in it. But being young, you could never do that anyway. That is why so many older adults were and are in it so long in spite of the ever transmuting JWorg doctrine. There is always something to read to gain "spiritual alimentation". It never ends as a witness.
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  Magnum

  It never ends as a witness

  Ain't that the truth! Even when I tried to relax a little, there was always some unfinished thing that I felt I shoudl be doing. I just tried to keep my head above water - to keep from drowning. Never could get caught up and just relax.
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  Village Idiot

  I remember, as a teenager, being eager to read as much literature as I could. As soon as the Watchtower arrived in the mail I would take it out of its wrapper and start reading the Questions from Readers. That was the shortest section in the magazine and I would read the rest shortly after.

  The many books I could have read if I were never a JW.
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  out4good4

  The problems and dumbing down of the flock by inundating them with all that reading material is now further compounded by their encouragement to now print the magazines at home and study them.

  What a collosal waste of bandwidth and ink!!!
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  Magnum

  Village Idiot: The many books I could have read if I were never a JW

  I lament the same all the time.
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  Village Idiot

  At least, when I was in my 20s, I started reading books on evolution as well as watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos series. Not all was lost.
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  millie210

  Back in the 60s and 70s I felt I was learning when I read the literature. Of course, I was a teenager so there was a lot to learn in general and maybe that was part of why I felt I learned a lot from the publications. I remember looking up words in the "Babylon the Great" book that I wasnt familiar with.

  Raising a family later was a distraction but I still felt I gleaned good principles from the Bible chapters we covered as part of the Ministry School highlights and from the Watchtower study on Sunday. The Daniel book too, at the book study seemed deep enough to satisfy.

  Then at some point I guess maybe around 2000? I started to notice very definite copy/paste sentences and groups of sentences from older publications with a word or two updated. I remember asking a brother who was an avid reader if he noticed this also and he did but said dont say that to anyone!

  Eventually there was so much being recycled and spun just a tad differently that I had to quit studying before the meetings in order not to be bored to tears at the actual meeting, There just wasnt enough content to engage with mentally.

  Then the final insult was the absolute dumbing down of all material that followed. The Watchtower now is an absolute joke. What isnt written at the level of a small child is just copy/paste from other literature with a "the" taken out or a "as we see" inserted.

  They are cranking out new material but what is between the front and back covers isnt new at all.

  I dont think they have written any new material in years. I truly dont.

  There was a rumor that some of the writing committee had walked off the job. I would love to know if that is true and why.
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  looter

  The truth is that they had to dumb down the material to make more publications. In JWorg world, quantity is over quality for sure. With the delusion being that all the publications are in fact of a spiritually refreshing, high quality, divine, and top-notch literacy work is what keep folks so involved.

  Let's not forget that notion they instill that we must perpetuate to be reminded constantly about what we require to do in God's organization. That makes it all the more worth it to the ranks to read the illimitable bunch of literature. With that brainwashed feel that they require to read and perpetually be reminded is what keeps them reading. Luckily for you, you were able to see through the repetition, schemes, and control. It certainly is not a breeze to do.
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  sparrowdown

  Since waking up I have been binge-reading on all the books I missed out on whilst in my JW coma. I had forgotten how much I actually love reading and studying, after being force-fed JW's crappy publications for years I thought I hated reading. Turns out it was just the material that I hated. Go figure.