First time researching the WT organisation

oscartheduck

I've not researched the organisation before in any true level of detail.
I left it about eight months back, after coming to my own conclusions regarding the accuracy of lots of things it has released. I simply believed that it was no longer printing anything worthwhile, really. It had contradicted itself too many times.

I was brought up in the religion, and was baptised at 14, and afterwards stayed in it for three years. So you can imagine that it was difficult for me to come to these conclusions that went against my upbringing.

I wanted to give it some time before I researched, though, so that I knew my conlusions were definitely my own and not belonging to some website I'd read, simply repeated verbatim as I wa encouraged to repeat WatchTower doctrine verbatim.

Having satisfied myself, I looked around today. There's some fascinating stuff that's gone on in the history of the organisation. Obscure things, too, like the Russel Pyramid...

I've ordered Crisis of Conscience through my library already.

Just wanted to thank everyone out there for making information available in the public domain that the Organisation itself likes to brush under the carpet.

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The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126 "As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible "

ZazuWitts

Welcome, Oscartheduck

Glad you ordered COC - you will learn SO much from it - believe me it will be hard to put it down! Also, if you haven't done so yet, check out the links at the bottom of this thread, Freeminds, WT Observer, Silentlambs, etc. Plenty of information on all these sites. Thanks for joining us.

larc

Welcome Ocar,

Zazu the Wit is my wife. She gave some good suggestions. You will have a full plate for awhile. Later on, you may want to look at Penton's book, "Apocalypse Delayed". Penton has a PhD in religious history, and left the Witnesses about the same time that Ray Franz did. Two books by Martin Gruss are useful as well. You can read about them at the Freeminds site.

Hope you stay with us and share your thoughts on a regular basis.

COMF

You've come to a good place, Duck. As you learn and adjust, you can talk about your thoughts and feelings here, among folks who understand what you're talking about. Welcome.

COMF

Fredhall

Duck,

Don't forget to read:

Proclaimers Book

Faith On The March by Alex McMillian

Jehovah's Witnesses by Marley Cole

1975 Yearbook Of Jehovah's Witnesses

Nathan Natas

All of the titles Fred suggested above can be found in the "False Prophecy" section of any good bookstore...

Francois

It's a good think you're doing. I've found that pursuits like yours are sped along at highest efficiency by the words of the witnesses themselves. And, IMO, the best source for research into the witnesses and their strange, Orwellian minds is their publication from the late fifties or early sixties titled "Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose."

It's actually a JW apologia and - far from working as an apologia - they predictably shoot themselves straight through the foot. Y'see, a book like that requires someone who swallows their B.S. hook, line, and sinker already. An independantly-minded person takes one look at its contents and is compelled to murmur, "yeah, right" to themselves.

Among the topics covered are: the Miracle Wheat scam, Rutherford's pedophillia, the splintering off of some of the original folks, how leaflets handed out in Philly constitute fulfilled prophecy about fire raining down on the heads of false religionists. It's a hoot. In an attempt to explain away these things, the WTBTS merely wallows in quicksand and thus sinks deeper.

It's one thing to read a book in which Mr. Penton says, "The JWs are nuts. Read this." It's something else again to read a book BY JW's and THEY'RE saying, "We're nuts. If you don't believe it read this."

I have a wholly different image when I hear them quote the scripture "by their fruits you shall know them," as I hear "by their fruits, flakes, and nuts you will know them." And I do.

Francois

hillary_step

Tabby,

Faith On The March by Alex McMillian.

I would not encourage him to read that book as it does not exist.

Perhaps you meant, 'Faith On The March', by A.H.McThousand.

HS

WildHorses

The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126 "As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible "

That's funny. I remember the WT claiming that there were no mistakes in the Bible. Only variations in spelling.

[8>]

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"

Eleanor Roosevelt

waiting

Howdy Oscar,

I wanted to give it some time before I researched, though, so that I knew my conlusions were definitely my own and not belonging to some website I'd read, simply repeated verbatim as I wa encouraged to repeat WatchTower doctrine verbatim. - oscar

Fine idea. To be able to base your conclusions on your own study. Remember the Boreans? They were commended for looking up the information they were told - to "make sure" of things. Of course, the WT now says that it really doesn't mean to confirm everything we're taught by them - they've already made sure of it for us.

If you'll remember, in the WT & Awake mags, there are usually articles encouraging worldly people to look closely - study their religious backgrounds & teachings. Of course, it doesn't say "worldly people" - but jw's know that it doesn't apply to "themselves."

But it should -- we should "make sure of all things learned" -- just like the WTBTS encourages their readers, because that's what the Bible says.

Welcome to our forum - hope you hang around.

waiting

First time researching the WT organisation

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