Hi Cathy, I appreciate your observations and in particular your reasoned and thoughtful comments. I do not have an axe to grind about Jerry Bergman's authorship (aka Havor Montague). However, I am sometimes disappointed that the exchange of views among posters has become very heated and personal and seemingly driven by emotion rather than reason - not unlike the reaction of the witnesses' attitude towards critics of the Watchtower.
Jerry Bergman on JWs destroying library books
by Dogpatch 67 Replies latest jw friends
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IT Support
Does anyone remember a comment I think someone made here years ago, about the Society destroying old WT literature?
Apparently they wrote to congregations and explained so many new congregations had recently formed and did not have a well-stocked library; so they asked congregations to send their old WT literature back to Bethel, where it would be passed on to these new congregations.
But allegedly the old literature was all burned when it arrived in Bethel ...
Anyone else remember this, or is it a figment of my imagination?
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Burger Time
I just want to ring in one more time, it should be noted that books such as COC could be stolen by active ex witness or just others who simply want to keep the book. Hell I've stolen a book from the library before because I liked it so much. Again no one has really offered any evidence that aside from anecdotal the Watchtower or Elders are trying to rid the world of apostate books. Perhaps after that article showing someone throwing away a book caused a bit of blowback for a bit, which I could see. However to claim that there is still this attitude among witnesses now I find very hard to believe. Sometimes they won't even buy stuff from yard sales for fear of demon activity so why would they actively go to a library and check out a book a to destroy it?
Also Gary you seem to be showing signs of active JW cognitive dissonance. Just my observation.
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cathyk
Does anyone remember a comment I think someone made here years ago, about the Society destroying old WT literature?
Apparently they wrote to congregations and explained so many new congregations had recently formed and did not have a well-stocked library; so they asked congregations to send their old WT literature back to Bethel, where it would be passed on to these new congregations.
But allegedly the old literature was all burned when it arrived in Bethel ...
Anyone else remember this, or is it a figment of my imagination?
See, this is the type of thing I heard over 25 years ago. I used to believe it. However, I now think that it's probably an urban legend, only it would be too far under Snopes.com's radar to bother about.
Unless someone has heard it directly from the Society itself (GB member, letter from one of the departments, etc. -- NOT "A friend heard" or "my brother says"), I tend to take that charge with a grain of salt.
Here's why:
Some assembly halls proudly display the old literature and Photo-Drama equipment in display cases. Lots of JW collectors get together to compare finds and to trade books and magazines and such, or scour the congregation for additions to their collections. There are collectors at various Bethels, including Wallkill, who make no effort to hide their collections from their superiors.
In fact, a newer problem for those in charge is dealing with unscrupulous JWs who dupe fellow JWs (especially the elderly "anointed") out of their books and magazines and tracts in order to resell them. I know of at least one JW in Europe who is currently facing disciplinary action for shady dealings on eBay.
I'm not at liberty to give details, but it's true. So they're definitely NOT burning their heritage.
The "Proclaimers" book is partly responsible for the upsurge in collecting. It provides lots of pictures and information about the older literature and other collectibles, and it also inoculates modern JWs against shock at finding things like 1874, not 1914, as the year of Christ's return, etc.
That's my take,
Cathy
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Solace1998
umm, a witness wouldnt even touch those books. It would be considered a sin anyway (which i never agreed with), so i really doubt it.
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Solace1998
and yeah, this bergman doesnt make sense anyway.
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cathyk
umm, a witness wouldnt even touch those books. It would be considered a sin anyway (which i never agreed with), so i really doubt it.
Solace, Perhaps most JWs wouldn't touch them. However, I could see a few doing it -- those who consider themselves "spiritually strong" or somesuch. Not all JWs stalk "opposers," but a few might. But that's a subject for another thread ... Cathy oldlighthousebooks.blogspot.com www.oldlighthousebooks.com
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Solace1998
yes, perhaps.
you are probably right :)
its just something i couldnt imagine from the ppl ive known :) -
Burger Time
You may be familiar with this cathy but in the Salisbury NC assembly hall they have some Rutherford memorabilia there. It even shows some of the pyramidology stuff. I wouldn't put a dub to destroy some books, but I just don't think it's as large scale as Bergman is trying to make it to be.
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cathyk
You may be familiar with this cathy but in the Salisbury NC assembly hall they have some Rutherford memorabilia there. It even shows some of the pyramidology stuff.
Hi Burger Time, Yes, that was the hall I was thinking of.
I wouldn't put a dub to destroy some books, but I just don't think it's as large scale as Bergman is trying to make it to be.
That's actually one claim I think might be corroborated by independent research. Bergman's books aside, titles like Crisis of Conscience, In Search of Christian Freedom, and other anti-JW works seem to become "lost" from public library shelves very frequently. Several posters who donate those titles to libraries note that they are constantly replacing them. One factor that might be responsible for the disappearance of some anti-JW (and a few pro-JW) titles which has not been mentioned is eBay. Beckford's Trumpet of Prophecy, Marley Cole's books, and quite a few of the pre-1970s books about JWs have disappeared from library shelves because they've got great resale value. Cathy www.oldlighthousebooks.com oldlighthousebooks.blogspot.com