Watchtower's new entrants get to hear the Governing Body share their qualifications

by Dogpatch 87 Replies latest jw friends

Yizuman

Randy,
What do you think will happen when all of the original members of the GB dies? What changes do you think or expect to happen then?
Yiz
Dogpatch

All the old GB are dead. The new guys seem pretty ditzy. I wouldn't expect much from them.
It's a dying organization - sure it will survive for years to come. But so does Christian Science! And how relevant is that to anyone? It's just there because of old money.
The bottom line is:
THEY HAVE NO APPEAL TO ANYONE ANYMORE - THEY ARE LIFELESS AND DEAD.
They simply have nothing to offer anymore, except as a club for those who have nowhere else to go.
"Where else can we go, if not to Jehovah's Organization?" who ELSE has sayings of everlasting life?
BURGER KING has more to offer than they do. What thinking person could find anything to attract them to this organization anymore?
How long they will last is a moot point. Their balls have been cut off. Knorr made sure of that - he was so jealous of losing his power he took the organization down with him - through putting Jaracz in charge.
Speaking of Jaracz, who is feeding the worms now...
Ted Jaracz' Influence On The Rest Of The Governing Body
One dissenter writes:
There is a big philosophical split between the Writing Dept. and the Service Dept. - liberals versus conservatives. The Writing Dept. (was) headed by GB member Lloyd Barry, who I've heard mixed reviews about. I've been told by people who know him that he's fairly hard-line or fairly soft-line. I suppose it depends on one's point of view. Ted Jaracz heads up the Service Dept. and those who have commented about him are unanimous that he's a hard-line (omitted). The other GB members call him "The Boss" and they aren't just making fun. Barry and Jaracz, and of course their respective departments, have major disagreements about how JWs should behave and how the JW organization should be run. The nasty, hard-line approach of the last 20 years is due almost entirely to Jaracz' dominance.

A couple of weeks ago when I was in New York I took some time and took the Bethel tours. While there I contacted the author of the Creation book. Naturally, I took him to task for the misrepresentations in his book, but was able to keep him talking for 1 1/2 hours. At the end, he told me that he (presumably this reflects the attitude of the Writing Dept. generally) was quite unhappy with how the elders in general don't follow the advice given in The Watchtower. It was surprising that he would admit this but no surprise that the Writing Dept. feels this way. It also shows the great gulf between the liberal and conservative camps, because the elders don't act just on what's in The Watchtower but on what they get from COs and in private letters from the WTS directly to elders. This all comes from the Service Dept. So whenever there are conflicting directions from the Writing Dept. in The Watchtower and from the Service Dept. via the CO and direct letter channels, naturally the elders will follow the privately-given instructions. This is how the elders have ended up with the extreme nastiness and conservatism of Ted Jaracz. The amazing thing is that the Bethel people like this author don't seem to understand this. They seem to think, in the usual JW fashion, that God will fix everything in due time. So this lunatic attitude on the part of the leading WTS "thinkers" filters down to the JW community and sets the tone... In my opinion we're going to see some big cracks open up within 2-3 years after 2000, with increasing unrest until then.
Jaracz, however, is one of the youngest of the GB members. Perhaps before his light fades away his rule will be toppled, much as happened to Knorr in 1975. All it really takes is a change of assignment, a tactic used at Bethel to move people in and out of key positions. Sometimes your greatest danger is from those you work alongside.
Ted Jaracz v Jack Barr - Governing Body Showdown
Barbara Anderson describes:
And Jack Barr, whom we considered a personal friend, was a kindly man but walked in Barry’s shadow and did his bidding. Unfortunately, he was weak—not the proverbial “iron fist in a velvet glove,” but a “limp fist ...”. Barr’s dispositional weakness became evident during a time when Lloyd Barry was out of town and it took three senior writers to put enough pressure on Barr, as next in command, to keep the factory press room from capitulating to Ted Jaracz’s orders not to print the April 8, 1992 Awake!, which contained material Jaracz did not support, although he was out of line by making such a demand. The job assignment of each Governing Body member was clearly delineated and Writing Department editorial decisions were not Jaracz’s business, just like decisions of the Service Department, under Jaracz’s command, were not the affair of Barry, Barr or Klein.
Ted Jaracz And Mental Health Counselors
Barbara Anderson describes
Another topic discussed in that Awake! was a strange occurrence commonly known as “repressed memories” and that subject did not sit well with many influential Witnesses. From what Lee said, and corroborated by personal letters from survivors of abuse and from their therapists, many Witness victims reported having memories of events of abuse which happened years before when they were children. The dependability of these “memories” became a center of debate and controversy among mental-health professionals, and, also, within the Watchtower organization. At headquarters, the congregations are supervised by the Service Department. It was men from this department, directed by Governing Body member, Ted Jaracz, who generally spoke in negative terms to elders who asked about the repressed memories anomaly. In fact, I was told Jaracz was a proponent for the Against Repressed Memories organization. It was not until Harry proved the Against Memories organization had been discredited by investigators that no more was said on the topic.
Ted Jaracz And the United Nations Scandal
Barbara Anderson describes:
It used to take about seven months, counting from the time a WT staff writer received a magazine article assignment until the printing of the actual WT or Awake!. Accordingly, we can assume that this UN/NGO matter was in the works from the beginning of 1991 or before. Whose idea it was, I have no way of knowing, but I will say that there had to be many people at the very top of the organization who were deeply involved. Although only the Governing Body Writing Committee (at that time made up of GB members, Barry, Barr and Klein), was required to authorize the writing of the articles on the UN, Ted Jaracz also had to know about this UN/NGO business, because one of the signatures on the UN/NGO agreement was Robert Johnson, who was in the Service Department, which department Ted Jaracz directs. Bob was and still is a very important man in the Service Department, and Bob Johnson takes his marching orders from Ted Jaracz.
Ted Jaracz And Child Abuse Policy
Barbara Anderson describes the day the helpers to the Governing Body were announced:
Later, I came to call that day ‘Black Wednesday’ because, if you will, just imagine the disappointment of the men who were not chosen! From the moment all the “mature overseers from the great crowd who have gained a wealth of ability and experience” in Bethel read that Watchtower in their rooms, they were anxiously awaiting the announcement to see if they were going to be one of the ‘selected few’ assistants to the Governing Body, and no more so than the senior writers in the Writing Department where I was assigned to work at that time.
On that special day in April, Joseph Eames, Robert Pevy, and Gene Smalley were appointed to be assistants to the Governing Body Writing Committee. Later on when I arrived at work, many of us were saddened by the behavior of some of the men who were not asked to be part of this privileged group. As an example, John Wischuck, senior writer, who held one of the most important assignments in the Writing Department as a Watchtower magazine compiler, was so upset he didn’t do a lick of work. He spent his day going from office to office with coffee cup in hand lamenting over his rejection and receiving soothing words from his peers.
Harry Peloyan was visibly upset because he wasn’t chosen. He went to Lloyd Barry and asked him face-to-face why he wasn’t appointed. Lloyd said that Ted Jaracz blocked Harry’s appointment. And Harry knew why. It was because of his doggedness to get the Society’s sexual child abuse policies changed.
Ted Jaracz On The Secret Child Abuser Database
BBC Panorama devoted an entire program to the problem of child abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses. This section of the transcript is Jaracz being 'doorstepped' by the program producer Betsan Powys:
BETSAN POWYS (BBC REPORTER): It was a long conversation and we asked if he'd be prepared to answer the same questions on camera. He refused. So it was back to America and back to a Jehovah's Witness convention in Tulsa. We'd been told we'd find a member of the Governing Body here. Ted JARACZ is one of the men responsible for the church's child protection policy. For more than two months we've been asking them for an interview. We want answers to some simple questions. Why do they keep their database of suspected pedophiles secret? Why don't they report all allegations of abuse to the police? Why do they send children back to the arms of their abusers? They refused to talk to us. But here at last we had our chance. Mister JARACZ, tell me about the database. How do you justify keeping a list of people, men in some cases who have confessed to pedophilia, but you have not reported them to the authorities. What justification is there for you to keep that list?

TED JARACZ (MEMBER OF THE SUPREME GOVERNING BODY OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES): You know, you're from Britain. You have a privacy law. You have a directive from the European Union. You observe that, don't you?

BETSAN POWYS (BBC REPORTER): So when allegations of abuse are made, is it alright to keep them private?

TED JARACZ (LEADING MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES): I think you were answered. That question was answered strictly to your satisfaction.

BETSAN POWYS (BBC REPORTER): Can you answer it now?

TED JARACZ (LEADING MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES): I'm not going to repeat. I'll just tell you exactly and you will see it in writing. It is all in print. You know the Bible says "Do not go beyond the things that are written."? We don't go beyond the things that are written.

BETSAN POWYS (BBC REPORTER): And that was that. No doubt, no second thoughts. Just a simple belief that Jehovah will sort it out, a belief for which others, younger and more vulnerable, may continue to pay a price.
Dissent:
BILL BOWEN (JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ELDER 1984-2000): They're living in denial, denial of what's happening to their children, and it's not a matter.. you see, if they accept that, then they accept that there is a problem. So rather than admit that there's a problem, they will just let children go on and continue to be molested and not do anything about it. Silentlambs.org
[end]
__________________
Knorr was a mean bitch. I watched him a lot when I was there. He was a cold calculator!
Basically, their only hope is a new CHARISMATIC leader... but that will still fragment the organization and the new ones won't get any money from the old organization.
All of their latest policies are designed to make sure that when the Borg splits up, THEY are the only ones who will have any money, and they can loll in their penthouses in Patterson for years to come. They are worth billions of dollars!
Look at almost EVERY CHANGE they have made in policy in the last two years - they know fragmentation is coming. All the lifting of the 144,000/how many anointed are left, the stripping of power of the elders, the move upstate, the new elders manual, ALL of this stuff is for one purpose; their own survival and nest egg. I can almost guarantee you that every policy change they are going to make from now on will be about preparing for a split and making sure any new upstarts get no money or no power (from them).
The blood issue may or may not cost them a lot.
I'll tell you what I think, if there was a way to expose their financial dealings from an insider for the last 30 years, that would be the absolute worst nightmare they could ever imagine. I had an established filmmaker a while back who wanted me to work with him on exposing their finances, but he copped out for lack of funds. (He wanted ME to drum up the funds-right!). I still have his proposal. But he convinced me how exposing that would destroy them more than anything else. Nothing is more secretive than how they spend their money. Only people like Ralph Lindem and a few others knew those secrets.
If you want to read how they waste money by the millions, read on!
Dogpatch

Watchtower Society Pressroom Proposal
The following information represents an ongoing proposal submitted by Thomas Cabeen, Pressroom Overseer to the Factory Committee at 107 Adams St. factory of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in 1979. After much hesitation and disbelief, it finally caught on that they would look very stupid for not taking these steps which would result in the savings of millions of dollars to the Watchtower. In reading the various stages of the proposal, especially the chart towards the end, one can get a good idea what the books and magazines printed by the Watchtower really cost them. At the time, the magazines were selling for 25 cents a copy. The markup was close to 500%. More of this story to come! Stay tuned. Thanks to Tom Cabeen for allowing this information to be divulged, though it has been in my possession for 17 years.
--Randy Watters
October 13, 1979
TO: FACTORY COMMITTEE
FROM: PRESSROOM
SUBJECT: A PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY
Dear Brothers:
As our phototypesetting project progresses, we must make a decision soon about our printing methods. It seems that offset printing is most compatible with phototypesetting and other photographic prepress processes. Tests show that we will not be able to achieve the desired level of quality in any other way except by offset.
The big question still seems to be: Which is better for us, conversion of our MAN presses to offset, or purchasing new presses? In view of the large outlays of money involved, it is important that we make a wise decision.
It seems certain that offset printing is going to cost us, signature for signature, at least as much as letterpress printing. However, if we make a wise decision, we have the prospect of reducing our personnel needs, improving quality greatly, and allowing for future quality improvements without major equipment changes.
Converting our MAN presses to offset offers the possibility of using some of our present equipment. We have invested quite a lot of money into these MAN presses and it would be nice if we could recover it by conversion. But we should weigh this idea very carefully. Although it may seem less expensive in terms of capital outlay, there are some less obvious factors which should be considered.
One factor is the MAN folder design. All proposed conversion packages retain the present MAN folder. These folders are heavily built. The machining and finish is of high quality. Yet there are several problems with the folders which might affect our desire to connect them with new or redesigned printing units. Thes are:
1. Web width capability limitations
2 Cutoff length
3. Mechanical complexity
4. Age
WEB WIDTH LIMITATIONS
MAN presses have 6 sets of impaling pins spaced approximately 2 7/8" apart. Harris presses, on the other hand, have 8 impaling pins spaced a maximum of 2 1/2" apart. This means that Harris presses can run a web of any width between 18" and 31s'. The minimum MAN chopfolded signature width without major folder modifications is 7". However, the Harris uses movable belts instead of pinchwheels. So we can run a chopfolded signature of any width between 9" and 15" (measured before folding).
The impaling pin configuration, plus the fact that the SUN press collects the sheets before folding, limits the web widths we can run through a MAN folder. If we run too much paper outside
EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY Page 2
the impaling pins, the edges fold over. This tendency gets worse with thinner paper. The following table shows the limitations in web width on a MAN folder:
Outside pins 14 1/2!'15"
Web off center 11 5/8 " 12 1/2 n
Inside Pins 8 7/8"9 9/16"
This limited range of web widths can prevent a sizable paper saving. For example, if we can run a 26 1/2" roll to produce a 13 1/4" signature when running pocket-size books, instead of the 29" roll we use at present, we can save over 9% on paper. Last year's pocket book. production amounted to about 17.5 million books. At today's paper prices, that would mean a saving of about $150,000. Yet we cannot run a 13 1/4 n signature through a MAN folder without extensive modifications. This will continue to hold true if we convert to offset on MAN presses.
CUTOFF LIMITATIONS
Another factor to consider is the cutoff difference between MAN and Harris. The cutoff on a MAN press is 19.685", compared to 19.375"on Harris. That 1.6% difference in cutoff also represents a sizable paper saving over a year's time. It would help to compensate for the higher cost of offset inks. The value of paper used on our letterpresses last year, at today's prices, is over $11,300,000. 1.6% of that represents a saving of over $180,000 annually.
MECHANICAL COMPLEXITY
Another factor we consider important is the tendency for misadjustment and mechanical problems on our MAN folders. The MAN folders are rather complex in design when compared with the Harris folders. A significant amount of downtime is spent on folder work. Due to the complicated nature of the adjustments required, it is more difficult to train operators and mechanics in troubleshooting, repair and adjustment.
AGE
Our new style MAN folders at Brooklyn are from 7 to 10 years old. Mechanical problems are beginning to show up on more and more of them. Our relatively inexperienced men have trouble correcting them. So we have quite a lot of nonproductive down time on our presses which is directly attributable to folder problems. This factor takes on additional significance when viewed in the light of the fact that it will take 3 to 4 years at a minimum to convert the MAN presses to offset. These folders will be more worn by that time unless we planned to do costly complete overhauls, replacing all worn parts in the folders as each press was converted.
ANALYSIS OF PRINTING COSTS
A breakdown of printing costs on letterpresses and offset presses helps point out how we could change to offset printing while maintaining relatively low costs. It also illustrates how conversion compares with purchasing new machinery in terms of waste efficiency. The cost to produce 1,000 signatures on different
EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY Page 3
press packages is presented on an accompanying chart. You will notice that we assumed that offset presses will run higher waste on magazines than MAN presses. We feel that this may be true because of utilizing offset's greater potential in terms of coverage and image quality. So the waste figures given are for process jobs run on our Harris presses. (My Book of Bible Stories) Harris offers equipment that they claim reduces such waste drastically, but since we have not tried this equipment, we used the figures from our Harris presses.
Notice also that if we run the presses on two shifts, the decreased production costs make the total costs on offset about the same as on letterpress, despite the higher waste. Also observe that on converted MAN presses, the greater paper waste due to the above-mentioned folder limitations makes paper costs per 1,000 signatures higher than on Harris presses.
Figures for conversion packages are given with two different waste percentages. One is the same as Harris, the other is our estimate on a converted MAN press. Since these presses will not have dryers, we feel that the need for shutdowns for cleaning will push the waste higher, to at least 158.
In view of the facts just presented, we feel it would be a mistake to try to keep our MAN folders and to convert the MAN presses to offset printing. It would be more economical and offer better quality potential to purchase new presses and new folders.
A PROPOSAL FOR CHANGEOVER TO OFFSET
We propose the following packages to handle all our printing at Brooklyn and Watchtower Farms. They offer, we believe, the greatest potential for quality and productivity for the least expenditure, and offer greatly reduced personnel requirements. This proposal is based on the production load for Brooklyn and the Farm over the last 12 months.
At Brooklyn, we would recommend these changes:
1. Add two printing units to Harris 1
2. Purchase 2 additional printing units for Harris 2
3. Purchase 1 additional 4-unit Harris M120 press
We would plan on running the two 6-unit presses on two shifts if necessary, depending on the workload. The 4-unit press would run on one shift nearly all of the time and be used mainly for Bible printing, filling in with book printing as necessary. The new press would have the same folder and general configuration as our Present Harris presses, including Tec dryer and Martin splicers.
The total cost for the basic package at Brooklyn would be:
1. Two units for Harris 1 on hand
2. TWO units for Harris 2 $ 192,632
3. One 4-unit Harris M120 852,480
TOTAL AT BROOKLYN $1,045,112
EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY Page 4
Afterburners, if needed, would add about S150,000 maximum to the price. A cross-bursting device, which would allow us to use our presses in conjunction with our new Harris burst binder, is to be released soon for the Harris press. When the price is available, we will request a quote. But we can order this option with the press we order for Brooklyn and also install it on our present presses soon.
If we decide to print process color jobs in quantity, we would also recommend purchasing Harris' Telecolor device to reduce startup waste, along with the accompanying Densicontrol device, which preadjusts the ink keys automatically. These presses should also be equipped with digital register devices. Presses to be used on book printing will need a Stobb bundling machine.
The cost for these options is:
1. Telecolor for two 6-unit presses $158,964
2. Densicontrol for 6-unit presses 85,000
3. Digital register devices 50,086
4. Stobb bundling machines 60,000
TOTAL FOR OPTIONS AT BROOKLYN $354,050
Personnel requirements at Brooklyn with this package would be as
follows:
1. Press crews for 6-unit presses
on two shifts 16 men
2. Press crew for 4-unit press on
one shift 4 men
3. Floor overseers (1 per shift) 2 men
4. Maintenance men (1 on second shift)
includes stock man for Bklyn, WTF) 4 men
5. Platemakers (1 on second shift) 3 men
6. Overseer and secretary 2 men
TOTAL PERSONNEL AT BROOKLYN 31 men
These 31 men would replace 98 men in the Rotary Pressroom, 6 men in Plate, 1 on the Mat press, and 1 on Magnesium etching, for a total of 105. However, 4 or 5 additional strippers would be needed in Photoplate. So the net reduction in personnel required would be about 70 men.
At Watchtower Farms, we recommend purchasing three 6-color Harris M120 presses without double parallel assemblies in their folders. To give us process color capability on our magazines, we recommend that these presses be equipped with Telecolor and Digital register devices. The cost for these presses so equipped would be as follows:
1. Three 6-color Harris M120 presses $3,098,409
2. Options for process ink and register 398,575
TOTAL AT WATCHTOWER FARM $3,496,984
Afterburners to control pollution, if desired, would add about S150.000 maximum to this price.
two of these three presses would run regularly on 2 shifts. The other would regularly run on one shift and would serve as a buffer in case of breakdown or schedule difficulties. Of course,
EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY Page 5
if necessary we could run any or all of the presses on three shifts. All of these presses would have the same configuration as those at Brooklyn, except for parallel fold capability. All would be equipped with Tec dryers.
Personnel requirements to run these presses are as follows:
1. Press crews for two presses on
two shifts 20 men
2. Press crew for one press on one
shift 5 men
3. Floor overseers (one per shift) 2 men
4. Maintenance men (one on 2nd shift) 4 men
5. Platemakers (day shift only) 2 men
6. Overseer 1 man
TOTAL PERSONNEL AT WATCHTOWER FARM 34 men
NEED FOR URGENCY
If we make recommendation to the Publishing Committee immediately, we can take advantage of a temporary lull in Harris press production to put our offset program into effect sooner. If we order by the first week in November, we can receive delivery of our first press by about June of 1980. That would produce the following changeover program:
January 1980 Install 2 units on Harris 1 Begin 2nd shift on Harris 2
March 1980 Start 2nd shift on Harris 1 if needed
June 1980 Delivery of 4-unit press to Bklyn
October 1980 Delivery of 1st 6-unit press to WTF
February 1981 Delivery of 2nd press to WTF
June 1981 Delivery of 3rd press to WTF
August 1981 Delivery of 2 units to Bklyn
Harris feels they can maintain the above delivery schedule. That would also fit well into our training program capabilities. If necessary, Brooklyn could train or supply men for Watchtower Farms to assure that they have qualified personnel to operate their new presses as they are delivered.
HOW DOES CONVERSION COMPARE WITH PURCHASING NEW PRESSES?
If we can successfully convert a MAN press to offset, and the converted presses run as reliably as our Harris presses, we will need a total of 22 such converted presses to carry our present printing load. Such converted presses would require splicers to improve their productivity and reduce waste. Assuming the cost of the conversion package at $250,000 (including splicer) the total capital investment would be $250,000 for the first press. Then, a year later, after testing, and assuming that all went well, the cost would be up to $280,000 per press (at 12% inflation per year).
The cost to convert the remaining 21 presses would then be up to $5,880,000, for a total investment of $6,130,000. The total cost
EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY Page 6
for the Harris package is substantially less than that.
If we decided to run the MAN presses on two shifts, only 11 presses would need to be converted, for a total cost of $3,050,000. That would be cheaper than buying Harris presses. However, the higher printing costs on the MAN presses mean that they lose between $300,000 and $850,000 per year over the Harris in printing costs. mostly in paper waste.
Another factor to remember is that, although the MAN presses, if successful, will be at the very limit of their capability, the Harris package, on the other hand, offers far greater capability in range of products and possibilities for improvement.
Since it is so hard to project productivity or waste on any conversion package until it is run in a production situation, we can't really tell what we will get with a MAN conversion package until we test it under those conditions. Our estimates are based on the possibility that the press will perform excellently. But before we invest millions of dollars, it will be necessary to test any proposed conversion in a production situation for at least 6 months at the very minimum. That means that the time needed to effect a conversion would be prolonged for at least one year. If problems are encountered and must be overcome, it could extend even longer.
On the other hand, we know the capabilities of our Harris presses. We know we can run them with relatively inexperienced men. We know their waste and quality potential. Their design is proven and reliable. There are dozens of these presses in use in the field, and the manufacturer has parts in good supply and a reliable service organization to back up their product.
Assuming all went well, though, how long would conversion take? Assuming 6 months for the first in a series of conversions and one month for subsequent conversions, here is a projected schedule:
June 1980 Conversion of 1st press completed
Dec 1980 Testing of 1st press completed
June 1981 Conversion of 2nd press completed
July 1981 " " 3rd " "
March 1982 " " 11th " "
Feb 1983 " " 22nd " "
Note that the Harris conversion would be completed by the same time that the 3rd MAN press was converted.
What about personnel? There is no doubt that converting MAN presses would also mean a reduction in personnel. But due to the uncertainty as to the efficiency and the performance of MAN folders on offset presses, we feel that the MAN package will require a minimum of 10% more personnel than the Harris package. And of course, the reduction in personnel requirements would come about over a much longer time.
SUMMARY
In summary: Harris presses offer the most realistic possibilities
EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY Page 7
for changing to offset printing while maintaining our present printing costs. MAN conversions will require at least the same capital investment, take much longer to accomplish, and require more personnel than a Harris package in conjunction with a double shift. A MAN conversion package will offer little improvement in printing capability, and will not offer upgrading possibilities. Such presses will be at the very limits of their improvement possibilities.
The Harris package we propose only requires that 12 men work at night at Watchtower Farm and 11 at Brooklyn. And it offers full 4-color capability if that is desired in the future. And if we desire to continue with 2-color printing, it offers even lower production costs that those presented. After much prayerful and careful consideration, the Pressroom highly recommends that we adopt this proposal.
Thank you for your attention.
Your brothers,
Pressroom
cc: L. Swingle
L. Barry
J. Booth
M. Henschel
February 19, 1979
FACTORY COMMITTEE. c/o M. Larson, Coordinator
RE: Our Printing Capabilities
Dear Brothers:
We in the Pressroom are concerned with the quality of our printing. We also know that press conversions have been proposed and are under consideration. To contribute to an accurate picture of our present situation and future possibilities, we have prepared this report for the benefit of you and the Publishing Committee.
The present situation in the Pressroom requires attention. We are unable to maintain printing quality on much of the artwork which is approved for publication. Even after many hours spent on makeready, we are unable to achieve good quality printing on this type of artwork. Our new papers and Nyloprint plates have not improved the situation. To date, we have as much trouble maintaining quality on Nyloprint as we do on stereo plates. Our new papers require heavy impression to print well.
The following report outlines our efforts to improve the quality to date. It presents a picture of our present capabilities and what we can realistically expect from press changes that have been proposed.
We also present facts about our present productivity on our MAN presses in comparison with our Harris presses. We compare the overall waste on both types of presses. The results may be used to compare the economic feasibility and practicality of proposed press changes. We feel that these facts should bear heavily on decisions being made now as to alterations to our MAN presses.
OUR PRESENT SITUATION
The last couple of years have seen some changes in our printing operations. As a result, we have a much better idea of our limitations and capabilities.
Due mainly to our Photoplate department, more complicated artwork is within our ability to prepare. Such artwork is now used regularly, particularly in our magazines, which have even changed their format to lend themselves to wider use of artwork.
In the last year we have moved into offset printing. We have learned much about this printing method, and printing in general.
Inexperience has been a problem we have had to face. Since January of 1976, over 120 men have left the Pressroom. Many of our more experienced MAN operators have been trained as overseers and to work on the offset presses. Most of our present operators have been at Bethel less than two years. We have tried to adjust to this situation with new training programs.
Our main problems on the MAN presses now are printing capability and productivity. Our main printing problems are with magazines.
We have been matting for some time off flat zinc and magnesium plates to produce more level stereo plates. Plate levelness has improved, but evenness of appearance has been a problem. We must still do makeready to produce
acceptable printing.
Printing Capabilities Page 2
We must still use relatively heavy impression to reduce streaking and smearing the ink in the folder. This is time consuming and reduces press productivity.
EFFORTS To IMPROVE PRINTING ON STEREO PLATES
To reduce time spent on changeovers, we have tried new packing elements. We have used limited amounts of Kimlon compressible packing for years, but increased interest in Nyloprint after we bought the WoodHoe press initiated many experiments so we would be ready to print on the new press.
In the last year we have used Kimlon and other compressible packings for most of the jobs we ran here in Brooklyn, with good results. We have reduced changeover time and improved the quality of printing. We can more easily train new man to use these packings, too.
We have had to learn to use plastic packing elements on our letterpresses. 13C Spherekote, which we used on color and #2 Black impression cylinders for many years, is no longer available, and we needed a cover with an oil barrier to keep the packing from getting soaked with oil wiper oil. So we used a piece of polyester under the 15D tympan cover which replaced 13C. The result was better printing, since we could increase printing pressure and reduce embossing. The polyester bridges the spaces between images and produces sharper printing.
We are still experimenting with various packing materials. Some show promise in terms of packing life and price, but we do not expect to find a packing material to use with stereo plates that will allow us to put the plates on the press and run them without impression adjustment. Even when Plates are even, larger images require more impression to print well.
In spite of these improvements, the trend in artwork has been more than we could cope with in many cases. Artwork looks bad when we exceed the limitations of our present equipment. As always, the two things that give us the most trouble are detail and overprint.
Detailed artwork in any medium; screens that are too fine, detailed pen and ink work, halftones with subtle tone variations, lose much in prepress and printing operations.
Since our presses are not equipped with oven-type dryers, we must rely largely on impression to control streaking of the freshly printed ink. We force the ink into mechanical adhesion with the paper. Chemical driers added to the ink do not dry fast enough to improve the situation. Setoff is a major problem on our MAN presses. Impression needed to reduce streaking causes loss of detail in the printing. It also speeds plate wear.
Overprint is another problem. When one layer of ink must be applied over another, the drying problem may be more than we can handle. We must remove impression from the color plates to reduce the amount of color ink applied to the paper, and heavily impress the black to force it into the paper. In the process, we may heavily emboss the paper, or black or color ink may strike through it. We may control streaking by these means, but we alter the appearance of the artwork. Often the results look poor in spite of our efforts.
Printing Capabilities Page 3
To sum up, our stereo letterpresses have limited capability in spite of improvements in prepress and printing procedures. Much of the artwork we try to print is really beyond our capability. The result is poor printing. Although we may be able to produce a few acceptable office copies, we cannot consistently maintain high quality throughout a long run. And good quality comes at the expense of much makeready time, which reduces the productivity of the presses.
WILL NYLOPRINT IMPROVE QUALITY?
The last year has taught us much about Nyloprint. We know that Nyloprint plates can hold a good image. But the plates are sensitive to impression. Heavy impression distorts the image. To date we have not been able to print a good quality image on Nyloprint on our MAN presses except by an experimental dry offset process, and by letterpress on coated paper in sheet form.
The Beach saddles on MAN 20 may be too uneven to produce low impression printing. Unable to achieve good print quality with low impression, we have been using Nyloprint on MAN 20 in much the same way as stereo plates, with about the same amount of impression. The results show that unless we can achieve good image quality by low impression, Nyloprint will not improve print quality over stereo. Some images do not look as good on Nyloprint as on stereo, since stereo plates can withstand heavier impression without losing image quality. The Nyloprint plates lose as much or more quality in the Plate-to-Paper ink transfer as the stereo plates do in prepress operations.
Since we have not yet achieved good image quality with light impression in a production situation, we cannot determine conclusively whether light impression printing on Nyloprint will necessitate oven-type dryers. But all our tests indicate that streaking will be a problem with light impression printing. On our experimental dry offset tests on MAN 28, we did achieve good ink transfer and good print quality, but streaking was a problem. "Quick Set" offset inks did not help. We only ran the press at 4,000 IPH and had no overprint al all. Smoother or coated papers, which promise to improve image quality, will be even harder to print on without streaking.
Extensive testing does not seem to indicate that we can develop an ink that will dry on our new papers without oven-type dryers. We have performed tests on Harris 2 by putting "Quick Set" ink in the fountain and running the press without the dryer or chills operating. We could not control streaking even at low speeds. Considerable testing on all our presently used papers offers no promise in this area.
Unless we can make a press print with light impression with Nyloprint plates, and control streaking of the ink, we gain little quality from Nyloprint.
WILL OUR NEW PAPERS IMPROVE QUALITY?
Our new papers are much whiter and do not turn yellow when exposed to sunlight. They are stronger and have a nice feel to them. Because of this, they improve the appearance of our publications.
From a printability standpoint, though, the new papers do not increase our printing capability. Some things do not print as well on our new papers as they did on newsprint and groundwood papers. Since the new papers are less absorbent than newsprint, halftones and detailed artwork look slightly crisper on the new paper, but solid areas to not look as even.
Printing Capabilities Page 4
The harder surface of the new papers require much heavier impression to control streaking and smearing. This reduces plate life. Plate life at Watchtower Farm is about 500,000 impressions for plates with artwork, about 750,000 impressions for plates with type only.
In tests on our Harris presses, though, the new papers, basically offset papers, print well. The image quality is good, ink receptivity is good, and they ran well on the presses in tests.
WHAT ABOUT DRYING?
A serious consideration of our future needs should include attention to one of our main problems, ink drying. A quote from InlandPrinter of Nov. 1978, Page 60, is of interest:
"Except for the very lowest of printing quality levels, ink on paper must be set or dry before the printed sheet or web of paper can be further processed. We all know the pitfalls of handling a press sheet with ink that has not completely dried. Offsetting, smearing, scuffing these are some of the problems resulting from processing wet press sheets. Also, the rate at which the ink dries is frequently the controlling factor as to the running speed of the press.
"Ink drying techniques may be grouped into two very broad categories that can be described as passive and forced. Passive drying can occur in several ways, such as absorption, evaporation or oxidation. Very simply, absorption means that the ink dries by being absorbed by the paper. For absorption to work effectively, a porous paper such as newsprint, uncoated text or cover paper is required. A coated sheet or an uncoated sheet with a hard surface is not able to absorb ink adequately."
Dryers are used with chill rolls as a "package". The same article explains why: "It should be noted that all web press applications of heat responsive forced drying methods also require the use of chill rolls. Chill rolls perform a dual function: They cool the heated web of paper after it leaves the dryer, and they aid the setting of the inks. In addition, chill rolls can help maintain web tension and feed the web into the delivery system.
Graphic ArtsMonthly of September, 1978, page 146, adds some interesting details:
"Heatset inks dry be being subjected to high-velocity hot air or flame impingement as the web passes through the dryer. The heat causes the solvent to evaporate from the ink, and the high-velocity air breaks up the laminar flow of the solvent, which wants to follow the web. Once most of the solvent has left the ink, it is now ready to be dried. Actually, the word heatset is a misnomer, because, even though the ink by not has very little solvent left in it, it is still quite tacky. This is because the resin is thermoplastic and has been heated above its melting point. Thus, when the heatset ink emerges from the dryer, it remains wet until it hits the chill roll, when its molten resin is cooled to its solidifying point, below 80° F."
What about infrared drying? Infrared drying for web presses is rather new in the printing industry. According to the January, 1979 issue of AmericanPrinter, there are only 18 web presses in the U.S. equipped with infrared dryers. Of these, 16 are used to print single color, mostly text, with black ink on uncoated paper. The infrared units are used to soften the
Printing Capabilities Page 5
ink and accelerate its absorption into the paper.
Infrared drying differs from conventional heatset drying in that the ink is responsive to the frequencies of radiant energy emitted by the electrically powered heating elements of the dryer. This speeds drying and less solvents are needed in the ink. So pollution is cut down somewhat. Web temperatures are in the same range as standard dryers, though, and chill rolls are required. Infrared dryers are slightly smaller than gas fired dryers, although the overall length is about the same. Operating costs are reported to be slightly higher than with gas fired dryers.
Forced drying by any means offers several important advantages from a printing standpoint. It allows heavy ink coverage necessary to print color and black inks one over the other. It allows for light impression needed to print detailed artwork with a minimum of distortion. Light impression produces the best quality printing, as well as lengthening plate and machine life. Forced drying also allows higher web speeds, and so increases production. Ink buildup in the folder is greatly reduced. Such buildup causes fold problems.
Our Harris presses have given us a good idea of the pros and cons of forced drying. A dryer/chill roll package represents a fairly sizable investment, but they are relatively maintenance free. We initially had some problems with air pollution, but most of them have been resolved since we developed low-smoke inks.
OUR OFFSET PRESSES
The decision to purchase two web offset presses appears to have been a wise one. The last year has taught us much about the advantages of offset printing. We have run over 42 million signatures on offset. We have trained many new men to work on these presses. In spite of mechanical problems and inexperienced crews, these presses have proved very productive. More importantly, the print quality is excellent. Little time is spent getting jobs ready to run. Overprint and detail print well. The presses can hold register closely due to the short web travel between printing stations. Our only limitation on our offset presses is paper smoothness. Although Nyloprint is only rated to 133 lines per inch, offset can hold a screen as fine as 300 lines per inch. Plate costs on offset presses are low, averaging from two to seven dollars per plate. A plate can be made in as little as ten to fifteen minutes.
The offset presses are versatile, as well. They show promise in areas other than just offset lithography. We printed signatures recently by the "dry offset" method, sometimes called letterset, using Nyloprint plates. This process is more expensive than offset lithography due to higher plate costs, and detail is not quite as good, but BASF, who manufactures Nyloprint, claims run lengths in excess of 15 million impressions with Nyloprint on offset presses. This process would be practical for us mainly if we had long runs or if we could cut running waste substantially by using Nyloprint plates, thus avoiding the need to maintain ink/water balance as with offset lithography. Relief plates, though, will probably wear the blankets on long runs. So blanket costs will probably have to figure into cost comparisons between letterset and offset lithography.
Direct lithography is another process we have tried recently. After running successful tests, we intend to run magazine jobs on the Harris Presses as the schedule allows. These jobs will require laying down one
Printing Capability Page 6
color by direct lithography and two colors by offset lithography. We are sure the quality will be acceptable. But plate life is still a question. When we begin running magazine jobs on the Harris presses, we will find out how long the plates will last. If this process proves practical, it will make our presses much more versatile. We could, for example, print 4 colors over 2 on one web and 1 over 1 on the other web, using only four printing units. With five units, we could print 3 over 1 on two units and 4 over 2 on the other three units. This would add versatility to our publication layout possibilities..
OUR PRESENT PRODUCTIVITY AND WASTE
A study of 30 book and Bible jobs (involving 224 changeovers and 85,500 hours), 22 magazine jobs (involving 264 changeovers and 13,800 hours), and 6 offset jobs (involving over 75 changeovers and 2,200 hours) reveals some interesting facts about waste and productivity here at Brooklyn and Watchtower Farms.
On Bible presses, we spend an average of 25 hours on each changeover. That's about 70% of our total production time. Our total productivity on Bible presses is about 2,800 signatures per hour.
On short run book jobs (under 20,000) we spend an average of 10 hours on each changeover. Our productivity is about 1,000 signatures per hour. Long run book presses average about 5,700 signatures per hour.
Short run magazine presses average about 1,300 signatures per hour. Long run magazine presses (over 20,000 per issue) average 8,100 signatures per hour.
Our offset presses average 2.75 hours per changeover and average about 17,200 impressions per hour.
Productivity is figured by dividing the total number of good signatures produced by the total number of hours charged against the job. To improve productivity, we must reduce changeover time, run the presses faster, or both. Short run presses become more productive mostly by reducing changeover time. Long run presses become more productive mostly by increasing press speed and reducing in run downtime.
The overall waste on most of our letterpresses is rather high. This is due in part to shorter runs, but probably is due mostly to inexperienced operators using too much paper to line up jobs. We have significantly reduced makeready time by using compressible packing materials, which has kept these figures from being even higher, especially on Bible jobs.
The lowest waste on our letterpresses was on long run magazine jobs. The average over a six-month period was 6.5%. We generally keep track of running waste only rather than total waste, including lineup and running waste. These figures represent total waste. Our highest waste was on short run magazine presses. It averages 34%. Bible jobs average 25%, short run books 26%, long run books 14.4%.
The overall waste on all the "BibleStories" book jobs run to date is 15%. If we don't figure in the first job on Harris 1, when we were Learning to run the press, it averages 13.4%. On the Japanese edition, which ran 500,000 copies, it was 9.8%.
Printing Capabilities Page 7
With these figures in mind, proposed changes to our presses should be made with a view to increasing productivity as well as improving printing quality and capability.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
To plan wisely for the future, we need to know now what we want our publications to look like in coming years. Will the present trend in artwork continue? Where will it lead? Once this decision is made by the Governing Body or their representatives, we can find the most practical and economical way to produce the desired level of quality.
We cannot substantially change the printing quality on our MAN presses without major equipment changes. But improving overall productivity wouldalso seem like a goal if we change our equipment.
As a result of our tests to date, we can realistically project what equipment changes will do for us in terms of print quality as well as productivity. Then we can analyze the real cost of any large-scale conversion. Of course, the more productive new or modified presses are, the fewer presses need be converted.
An accompanying chart entitled "Equipment Options" gives a breakdown of what changes in our equipment would offer. The chart illustrates the effects of changes in two main areas printing capability and productivity. Based on our present press use, an estimate of how many converted or new presses we would need is included. These estimates are based on our productivity studies for about three months, and are fairly accurate. But we could estimate our needs more accurately if needed, by studying our production for a year or more.
Estimates for productivity of converted presses are based on present productivity on our letterpresses and offset presses. MAN presses converted to Nyloprint are assumed to need little makeready (although we have not been able to do this to date on production jobs), so estimated productivity increases are derived from combining MAN production time with Harris changeover time. All MAN presses with driers are assumed to run at 15,000 impressions per hour, and to need splicers, since changing rolls would create problems on a press with a dryer. High speed presses assume Harris capability.
Quality estimates are based on present capabilities on our Harris and MAN/Nyloprint presses.
Please note that the number of presses that would need to be changed to carry the present load assumes that we would change our presses entirely to a new process. In actuality, that may not be needed or practical. Some presses might be changed in one way and others in other ways. The production of the WoodHoe press is not considered in these estimates, since there is at present no way to project its productivity or quality.
A PROPOSAL FOR PRESS CONVERSION
Here is one proposal that illustrates the use of several types of press conversions for different types of printing.
Our main printing problems at present are with magazines. So a press conversion proposal should first consider the needs in that area.
Printing Capabilities Page 8
The English Watchtower run is about 3,250,000. The Awake run is about 3,180,000. That averages just under 3,000,000 magazines per week. A Harris press can average about 145,000 impressions per shift. (We did it on Harris 1 for two months last fall.) Four such presses could run 3,000,000 magazines a week. So they could handle all the English magazine needs.
How many high speed presses would be needed to run the remaining magazines? A Harris press can run about 764,000 magazines a week. The Spanish magazine runs are around 1,000,000, One press could not handle this load, but two presses would handle it and have time to run another half million magazines, 250,000 apiece. All the other Watchtower runs combined total less than 140,000 copies. They could all be run on the Spanish Watchtower press. All the other Awake runs total about 165,000, sothey could be run on the Spanish Awake press. So 6 high speed presses could handle the Farm's magazine load. Bear in mind that these figures are based on production during our first year of operation. With more experience, our productivity will grow and waste will be reduced.
What about conversion here at Brooklyn? Over 80% of our production time is spent on books and Bibles. Magazines account for only about 10% of our production time. We could possibly carry the load for magazine production, as well as some songbooks, written reviews, and talk outlines, on our Harris presses. This would depend on offset jobs planned for the future and the rate of translation of "my" books and brochures.
Over half of the book jobs we run here in Brooklyn are already set up for stereo production, either as plates in vaults, or as casting mats in the Rotary Plate Department. Since our present MAN presses can easily run these jobs, there doesn't seem to be a need to change the majority of our presses over to anything else right now. Our major printing problems come from magazine printing. As new books are prepared for printing, many of them could be prepared for offset. As our offset presses were loaded to capacity with work, one press at a time could be converted to offset until most jobs were run on offset. With that approach, we could still get good years of production out of our MAN presses without need for major expenditures to convert them. Of course, if the WoodHoe press proves productive and practical for short runs, it is possible that one more press here at Brooklyn, either a new offset press or a MAN converted to offset, could handle all our printing needs for quite some time.
CONCLUSION
Right now we can test virtually any proposed conversion possibility under a production situation. We have the equipment available to test many possible combinations o£ printing methods, papers, use of dryers, special inks, etc. We strongly recommend such tests before a final decision is made as to the best approach to changes in our equipment. Even if it means delaying the decision somewhat, we feel that evaluating proposed changes under production circumstances will avoid later disappointment.
We are happy to help in any way possible to evaluate the possibilities as well as to make needed tests. May Jehovah bless our efforts to print Bibles and other publications needed to acquaint others with Bible truth and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Your Brothers,
[pressroom signatures]
Accompanying chart:
October 23, 1979
Lyman Swingle
Publishing Committee
RE: ESTIMATE FOR WORLD OFFSET CHANGEOVER
Dear Brother Swingle:
Here is the information you requested about the cost for changing to offset printing in our printing branches.
The figures are based entirely on what we presently print at each printing location. If we want to redistribute some of our printing, costs wouldn't change too much.
The press packages presented on the chart are based on the number of different issues printed in each country and the run lengths. We could possibly design a better package for some locations if we knew what other work is done or will be done in each branch. For example, if a branch is to print books, that might influence whether they need a web press or a sheetfed press. But still, overall costs would not change substantially.
Two sets of figures are given for the offset changeover. One set assumes two-color printing on every page of a 32-page magazine. (Indicated by 2/2 on the chart.) Sixteen or 24-page editions would not substantially alter the picture. The other set of figures assumes capability to print 4 colors on half the pages of a 32-page magazine, and 2 colors on the other half. (Indicated by 4/2 on the chart.)
Most sheetfed presses in a size that is practical for magazine printing are 28" X 40" or half that (20 1/2" X 29 1/8"). This includes Miller, Planeta and Heidelberg. This will require that magazines printed on such presses be trimmed 1/4 n narrower than at present. (6 7/8" X 9 3/16" instead of 7 1/8" X 9 3/16".) The smaller size is not noticeable, and will actually save us much paper, especially if we trim the magazines we print on web presses to the same size.
Heidelbergs were chosen for sheetfed applications. They are extremely well built, easy to operate and have excellent service and parts organizations. They hold their value well over many years. We assumed that the presses would run at 808 efficiency (including changeovers) which is what we average here at Brooklyn on our sheetfed offset presses.
Sheetfed presses require folders, stitchers and perhaps sheeters as a package. But they offer extremely low waste, great versatility and high print quality. Manpower requirements for a sheet
Lyman Swingle October 23, 1979 Page 2
fed press package are generally equal to or less than for webfed press packages.
Harris presses were chosen for webfed applications. Their 19 3/8" cutoff is ideal for us. They are versatile as well, and are more productive than presses that collect sheets in their folders, such as the German Koenig & Bauer and the Japanese TKS. Although Harris presses are not built as heavily as the German and Japanese presses, they should last us many years. They are easy to work on, extremely versatile and relatively easy to learn.
The chart shows each printing location, the number of different magazines printed there, the total weekly printing requirements and the cost to purchase printing equipment. Price quotes are from September 1979 for Heidelberg presses and from October 1979 for Harris. The cost for platemaking and other support equipment is listed separately.
Next to each press package description is a percentage which shows how much of the normal production capacity is used to carry the printing load. That can help you see how printing might be consolidated for better efficiency, and how fully the equipment will be used. For example, note that the web presses in Italy as well as Switzerland are loaded to less than half their normal capacity. That could mean that it might be better to consolidate the printing in one location. Or it might mean that we could print books on those presses, as well as magazines. Or it might mean transferring printing from another location to help "fill up" the capacity of the presses.
You will notice that the large capacity of the Harris presses make certain proposed changes unnecessary. For example, all the present printing load in the British Isles can be easily handled by one Harris press. That may make it unnecessary to establish a printery in the Netherlands, which is planned at present so as to relieve London Bethel of the heavy printing burden of Dutch magazines.
I should stress that it would be best if these factors could be studied by someone with access to facts about local situations which might influence our overall printing goals. Mailing costs, import duty, paper availability and other items should be considered before we finally settle on a specific package for each branch. But overall changeover costs will remain much the same as those presented here.
A list of presses considered in this study along with their costs and production potentials is included. It may be helpful to you. If there are any questions, please call me.
Your brother,
Tom Cabeen

Now this whole thing was so absurd, I HAD to do a cartoon of it while I was a floor overseer working with Cabeen. Next!
Dogpatch

This part is too graphics heavy, but the link to the cartoons mocking this ridiculous charade is here:
http://www.randallwatters.org/aftrhour/convert.htm
Also read this:
Major Proposal Reveals Watchtower Magazine Cost
One of the major projects I worked on at the Watchtower's world headquarters in Brooklyn during the 1979-1980 era was that of testing and cost-accounting the web printing operations, in order to determine the feasibility of converting our 60 MAN-brand letterpresses to offset printing. Each press already represented an investment of $250,000 - $450,000, depending on their age, so this was no small proposal!).
The project was headed by Thomas Cabeen (pressroom overseer). Jim Petrie (offset floor overseer) and myself (Bible and Bible-paper publications floor overseer) were asked to assist Mr. Cabeen in this extensive project.
For those not familiar with the unlikely project, it would be the equivalent of converting a tractor to a sports car (sixty of them, to be exact). About a year earlier, hordes of Japanese businessmen toured Bethel, taking extensive pictures of all the printing equipment. The Factory Committee at Brooklyn then requested a proposal to the Japanese for converting 60 MAN letterpresses to offset printing, which included 40 presses in New York and 20 overseas.
For fear that they were going to go ahead with such an industry-unheard-of plan, not to speak of the tens of millions of dollars it would waste (and make our jobs MUCH harder), Tom received permission to do a cost study on the conversion prior to its implementation.
As part of our work, we were allowed to tour the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. and a couple of other large printeries. Months were spent in preparing the study, only to have it sit on the desks of the Factory Committee officers, who were intent on proceeding with the conversions. N.H. Knorr had been very much against offset printing, for reasons not fully understood. Tom Cabeen speculates that he did not trust a process that he could not "see" or fully understand, whereas in letterpress printing you could "see" and feel the type embedded in the paper, at least. Much of this prejudice rubbed off on the other older members of the Factory Committee, who also resented new ideas proposed by "young whippersnappers" such as ourselves.
Though we were never given credit for saving them tens of millions of dollars (not even a thank you!) we took payment in humor. We learned to enjoy life in spite of their resistance, and yes, even life at Bethel.
life is to short

Wow that brings back memories. I swear that was the video they showed us when we were fist were at Bethel in 1991. Does anyone else who was at Bethel around that time remember it. At the time I thought it was the "truth" and I was so happy to be there.
I still have some fond memories from Bethel, they were not all bad. Oh how I wish I had never been involved with this religion, I wish my parents had not tried to be JW's.
For those who have not been at Bethel, who have not lived there worked there, ate there, slept there it is strange but to those of us who have gave part of their lives it changes you. We gave up a huge part of our young lives. To what?
LITS
Dogpatch

Of course, this all happened right before the GREAT WITCH HUNT of 1979-1980, when we dared to read the Bible in secret rooms after the Monday night Family Watchtower Study:
[PREVIEW BELOW] (pictures left out here)
whole story (sit back with a beer and read this)
http://www.randallwatters.org/aftrhour/witchnt1.htm
part I: the Bible becomes "suspicious"
One might wonder, why all the fuss about reading the Bible?
Especially at the headquarters of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, one would think that Bible reading is encouraged.
It is.
Within certain limitations.
Preferably the New World Translation, and NOT with the aid of commentaries produced outside of Bethel.
What happened when small, disconnected groups of Bethelites began a systematic reading of the New Testament, particularly Romans and Galatians, to find out more about the possibility that the Governing Body's interpretation of it might be possibly just a teensie weensie bit off?
Spies were selected and recruited by the Watchtower's Service Department to ferret out such "independent thinkers." Like stinking weeds corrupting a beautiful bed of flowers, they were to be uprooted and destroyed.
Why?
Because it was happening simultaneously to the unwelcome discovery that the Watchtower's whole system of chronology was not historically based and inaccurate.
So what?
Well, since they base their entire authority as the chosen "faithful and discreet slave" of Matthew 24:45 on this chronology, the discrediting of it would mean that Jesus Christ did NOT choose them at all, and they are impostors and even worse, false prophets deserving of death. NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Their solution?
Quelch and destroy all dissenting voices before the rank-and-file discover the truth. How? Get them out of Bethel, and make it "apostasy" worthy of disfellowshipping to even talk to such dissenters.
Now, the dissentees were not stupid. After a few "spiritual lynchings" of their buds, they got wise. Bible readings and discussions were soon held in private rooms right after the Monday night family Watchtower studies. Watchtower magazines were brought along with their "other" Bibles and commentaries (such as Barnes' Notes on the New Testament), just in case their rooms were "raided" by their neighbors who wanted to "borrow" some cream or who used some other excuse to spy them out. Spies came in numerous and unexpected shapes and sizes...
more PREVIEW of part 1 of The WITCH HUNT: [see whole article for full pictures and text)
sample:
Suddenly, the Bible took on ominous overtones. Bethelites started leaving their Bibles in their rooms, carrying only the Watchtower magazines to family studies. Non-Watchtower Bibles were boxed up, and commentaries by Christendom were hidden away. The irony of the matter caused some to quietly leave Bethel.
The evil, wretched apostates! They should have been satisfied with their provision of spiritual food! They were not of the anointed, they were only the "other sheep."
Those of us who knew what was going on and decided to stick around for a while learned to keep our mouths shut about certain doctrines...
We noticed that the Governing Body began to respond by printing certain articles in the Watchtower that put us in our place, so that none might think that they didn't belong in this sorry sheep pen!
Why, Jehovah miraculously saw to it that the articles even correctly identified three of the major "apostates"! (We called them well-rounded B.A.'s - affectionate term for those with a "bad attitude" towards authority, though an exaggeration). GB member Bert Schroeder was chosen by Jehovah to give the terse dressing-down of those BA's at each meal, so as to aid in our digestion of the food. Ed Dunlap, Ray Franz and Rinehart Lingtadt were served up for breakfast.
Yet, the effect of absorbing the TRUE message of grace and salvation as taught by the apostle Paul had a kinder effect on us B.A.'s than it did on the rat finks, who just got nasty. We, on the other hand, were thrilled to know the Word in such a new way, that had already been known by other Christians for nearly 2000 years!
The rat finks got jealous, and were about to mob. We started making up reasons to leave Bethel without being discovered or disfellowshipped.
But some were not so fortunate...
They were victims of the Bethel Inquisition!
Now read PART II of the Bethel Inquisition:
http://www.randallwatters.org/aftrhour/witchnt2.htm
Dogpatch

So this is how Bethel works. It's all about politics and power.
Don't think so?
Notice the arrogance of the statements made in the Watchtower magazine in the years after the Franz incident! Just like we see now only on a smaller scale with the new GB. I have never read anything more arrogant in my life than their silly childlike grabs for power.
Check it out, and I'll let you go to bed and give it a rest. :-))
The Governing Body's Famous Sayings of the 80s
(The following are sample quotes taken from the book by Randall Watters of the same name as above) Everything quoted directly from Watchtower publications. Famous Sayings of The Governing Body in book form.
This is an excerpt from the book with the same title. These are the statements that, due to their irony and manipulative nature, will be most remembered in future generations. These are a collection of psychologically abusive statements intended to correct and mold the thoughts of Jehovah's Witnesses en masse, as dictated by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Words in bold and surrounded by brackets are key words or phrases used by our editor to summarize the quote, followed by the quote in plain text, then ending with a reference to the Watchtower magazine and date of publication. (WT 11/15/88)
["Jews" = anointed praisers of Jehovah]
..."It will be in those days [yes, in our time] that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew [anointed praisers of Jehovah], saying: `We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.'" WT 4/15/86 p. 20
Those who despise Jehovah's teaching include individuals who criticize and complain about Jehovah's clean organization and its rules for maintaining peace and good order. There is only a fine line of demarcation between such and those who are outright rebels. Korah and his supporters found that out to their complete undoing when they dared to be hasty in speaking against God's servant Moses. (Numbers 16:1-40) On this same subject, Proverbs 29:20 states: "Have you beheld a man hasty with his works? There is more hope for someone stupid than for him." WT 5/15/84 p. 17
[1 Jo 2:26 on why the anointed do not need apostates to teach them]
To walk in divine light and not be misled by apostates, we need proper spiritual instruction. (Read 1 John 2:26-29.) Spirit-begotten ones have an "anointing" by holy spirit, have come to know God and his Son, and "do not need anyone [an apostate] to be teaching" them. By his anointing spirit, God "is teaching" spiritual Israelites "about all things" needed in order to worship him acceptably. (John 4:23,24; 6:45) We are delighted that as Jehovah's Witnesses we receive such spiritual instruction from God through "the faithful and discreet slave." WT 7/15/86, p.14
[sipping poison]
Therefore, resolve in your heart that you will never even touch the poison that apostates want you to sip. Heed the wise but firm commands of Jehovah to avoid completely those who would deceive you, mislead you, turn you aside into the ways of death. If we love Jehovah with our whole heart, soul, and mind, while loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, we will leave no room for penetration by apostate thinking. (Matthew 22:37-39) We will not "allow place for the Devil" and will have no desire to look elsewhere. We will not `be quickly shaken from our reason' by some counterfeit teaching. 2 Thessalonians 2: 1,2. WT 3/15/86 p. 20
[don't purchase or read writing of apostates]
We have been forewarned that there will be apostates and people who just like to have their ears tickled. Counsel such as at 2 John 9-11, 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 and 2 Timothy 3:5 allows no room for associating with those who turn away from the truth. Nor do we purchase or read their writings. WT 12/15/84 p. 19
[requirements to be a JW]
What is required if one is to become an approved associate of Jehovah's Witnesses? Such a person must accept the entire range of Bible teachings, including those Scriptural beliefs that are unique to Jehovah's Witnesses. WT 4/15/86 p. 31
[work out salvation]
God has arranged for the "good news of the kingdom" to be proclaimed so that each individual will have opportunity to work out his own salvation. WT 2/1/85 p. 5
[mediator for not ALL men]
What, then, is Christ's role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all." 1 Tim.2:5,6. WT 11/15/79 p. 26
[other org. stuff]
Often coupled with `disregard for lordship' is an independent and rebellious spirit that ignores the fact that Jehovah is directing his organization. WT 6/1/85 p. 18
If we always remember our loving God and act in harmony with his Word, we will maintain strong confidence in his unfailing leadership. (Proverbs 22:19) To turn away from Jehovah and his organization, to spurn the direction of "the faithful and discreet slave," and to rely simply on personal Bible reading and interpretation is to become like a solitary tree in a parched land. WT 6/1/85 p. 20
[what not to say in prayer]
Are there things that we should avoid saying when we pray to Jehovah?
Yes, there are. We should avoid saying things in our prayers that sound overly familiar and suggest to others (in public prayers) that we are being disrespectful. Such expressions as "Good afternoon, Jehovah" and "Give our love to Jesus" are not fitting, nor are humorous comments or even jokes in our prayers. Why?
For one reason, when such expressions are used in public prayer, they are likely to shock or offend those listening. (Romans 14:21) But there is a deeper reason why like expressions should be avoided, even in our private prayers. These are expressions that we use in conversation between equals. When used in prayer, they suggest a lack of reverence and respect, and they give the impression that the one thus praying has forgotten his total insignificance in comparison with Jehovah. Genesis 18:27; compare Luke 18:9-14. WT 6/1/85 p. 31
[independent thinking]
How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization. For example, God's organization has from time to time given warnings about listening to certain types of immoral and suggestive music, and about frequenting discos and other types of worldly dance halls where such music is played and people are known to engage in immoral conduct. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Yet certain ones have professed to know better. WT 1/15/83 p. 22
Fight Against Independent Thinking
As we study the Bible we learn that Jehovah has always guided his servants in an organized way. And just as in the first century there was only one true Christian organization, so today Jehovah is using only one organization. (Ephesians 4:4, 5; Matthew 24:4547) Yet there are some who point out that the organization has had to make adjustments before, and so they argue: "This shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe." This is independent thinking. Why is it so dangerous?
Such thinking is an evidence of pride. And the Bible says: "Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling." (Proverbs 16:18) If we get to thinking that we know better than the organization, we should ask ourselves: "Where did we learn Bible truth in the first place? Would we know the way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really, can we get along without the direction of God's organization?" No, we cannot! Compare Acts 15:2, 28, 29; 16:4, 5. WT 1/15/83 p. 27
[out of context isn't honest]
Popular Misconceptions
Many people, particularly in Protestant lands, claim that the Bible is like an old fiddle that can be used to play many tunes. They feel that the Bible can be used to prove many conflicting doctrines. They say: `It all depends upon the way you interpret it.' Is this correct?
Admittedly, the Bible can be quoted in attempted support of differing viewpoints. But if statements are taken out of context, cannot the work of any author be made to appear to contradict itself? Would this be honest, though? Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that an honest reading of the Bible does not allow for conflicting interpretations of key doctrines. WT 6/15/85 p. 3
[JWs recognized as excellent Bible students]
Jehovah's Witnesses, who are recognized even by their critics as excellent Bible students, have found that the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures admirably meets the requirements of clarity and accuracy. WT 6/15/85 p. 5
[Catholic "Bible study aid dilemma"]
Where can such Bible study help be found? In recent years Catholic authors have published many books ostensibly meant to help Catholics in their Bible reading. But such authors find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. If such authors truly help Catholics to understand the Bible, the latter quickly discover that much Catholic dogma cannot be found in it. On the other hand, if the authors justify Catholic doctrine, they undermine the readers' confidence in the Bible because they subordinate Scripture to church tradition. Compare Mark 7:13. WT 6/15/85 p. 7
[restored 1st century Christian administration]
So important is it never to raise the voice in bitter criticism of the Lord's organization or its appointed representatives. Jehovah is the omniscient Judge before whom accounting must be made for these and other unprofitable sayings. Matthew 12:36, 37; Leviticus 19:16; Jude 8.
[apostates and opposers]
Is it not true that those who have gone out from us over the years because "they were not of our sort," and who try to induce others to follow the same life-imperiling course, have cut themselves off from the source of solid spiritual food and refreshing spiritual waters? (1 John 2:19) And these senseless ones, far from being generous and openhanded toward those of mankind who hunger and thirst after righteousness, do not see any urgent need for an organized preaching work in our time. They would allow each one to be guided by his own private reading and interpretation of the Bible instead of being brought into a unity of people trained to live and act according to the lofty principles and reminders of God's Word. WT 5/15/84 p. 18
[We can expose lack of logic in false teaching]
With accurate knowledge of God's Word, we can puncture and cut down false teachings, exposing their lack of logic and, in particular, their conflict with the Holy Scriptures. (2 Corinthians 10:4) We do this not out of pride but out of humility and love for God, truth and our fellow man. Happily, with the help of true Christian publications, we can get " a tight grip on the word of life." Philippians 2:16. WT 10/15/84 p. 18
[Predestination is selective]
Predestination, therefore, runs counter to what the Bible actually teaches about God. `But would not limiting God's knowledge of the future undermine his almightiness?' you might ask. Not at all. At Titus 1:2, for example, we learn that "God...cannot lie." But does this undermine God's almightiness? No, rather, it highlights God's truthfulness.
The apostle Paul counseled Christians endowed with the gift of prophecy: "Gifts of the spirit of the prophets are to be controlled by the prophets. For God is a God, not of disorder, but of peace." ( 1 Corinthians 14:32, 33) Such prophets would not speak out indiscriminately but would share their prophetic messages in an orderly way. To do this, self-control was needed. Certainly, then, God is also able to use his foreknowledge selectively, using it only when there is a reason or a purpose for doing so. Compare Genesis 22:1, 12. WT 7/15/84 p. 4,5
[new light on sheepfold-apostates gnash their teeth, but we are not disturbed]
Are we here identifying the "sheepfold" of John chapter 10, verse 1, with the Mosaic Law covenant arrangement? Why, yes! The former explanation of the sheepfold as being the Abrahamic covenant was based on the view that John chapter 10 mentioned directly only one fold, and if that were so, then the Abrahamic covenant would be its logical meaning. However, further study of this chapter showed that Jesus actually spoke of more than one sheepfold. Thus, as we will see, an adjustment in explanation proved fitting.
Such adjustments become necessary from time to time, for Proverbs 4:18 tells us that "the path of righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established." Oh, apostate opposers of truth "gnash their teeth" at such progressive revelations, but this does not disturb us. (Acts 7:54) Rather, we thank Jehovah that "light itself has flashed up for the righteous one, and rejoicing even for the ones upright in heart." (Psalm 97:11) We are confident that you will rejoice to know just what meaning Jesus' illustration of the sheepfolds has for you and all others of Jehovah's Witnesses today. WT 2/15/84 p. 11
Observe from this passage that Jesus speaks of himself as the door of the sheepfold he now mentions, the door into this sheepfold of the Supreme Shepherd, Jehovah God. WT 2/15/84 p. 13
But with this new sheepfold under the Fine Shepherd in mind, note that in John 10:16 Jesus said: "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring." Does this not indicate that he would have another, a second, fold for which he would serve as the Fine Shepherd? WT 2/15/84 p. 15
[former partakers become "readjusted" to being onlookers]
There is another important difference in viewpoint that the "other sheep" class have come to appreciate. Instead of partaking of the bread and the wine as many of them formerly did in some church, they now find their situation "readjusted" to that of onlookers. Why is this so, and do we have Scriptural support for a procedure that allows for onlookers as well as partakers? 2 Corinthians 13:11; 2 Timothy 3:16,17. WT 2/15/85 p. 16
[skipping meetings snubs the gods]
Christian meetings are a way by which we can maintain proper esteem. Since Jehovah and Jesus are present invisibly at these gatherings, grateful Christians will not snub them, as the apostates do, but rather do all they reasonably can to attend regularly. WT 12/15/85 p. 7
["holding to the word"]
..."An overseer must be...loyal." Such loyalty is demonstrated by "holding firmly to the faithful word" as expounded in the publications of Jehovah's modern Christian organization. Titus 1:69. WT 2/1/83 p. 14
[no human is our leader]
A third factor that unites us is that all of us benefit from the same spiritual feeding program. We recognize "the faithful and discreet slave" as the agency that Jehovah is using to provide spiritual food at the proper time. (Matthew 24:45-47) There is no question in our mind that this "slave" is made up of spirit-anointed heirs of the heavenly Kingdom who are found today only among Jehovah's Witnesses. We appreciate what that "slave" and its Governing Body are doing to care for our spiritual needs. And we thank God for the abundance of fine spiritual provisions we have. (Isaiah 65:13, 14) Are we also taking sufficient time to instill appreciation for this arrangement in persons newly associating with the congregation?
A fourth unifying factor, indeed a vital one, is that Jesus Christ, and no human, is our Leader and the one through whom we all approach Jehovah in worship. WT 2/1/84 p. 19
[changes:new light]
Meditation can help you through tests of your faith. For example, occasionally there are changes in our understanding of certain Bible passages or prophecies. "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established," says the Bible at Proverbs 4:18. Some, however, are disturbed by these refinements. But the "righteous ones" take the time to meditate and absorb these new Biblical truths, instead of hastily concluding that the `faithful slave' has erred. WT 2/1/84 p. 29
[Critical looks from other Witnesses may be discipline from Jehovah]
Discipline may come from someone else. It may come as a look, a frown, a word, a gesture, a verbal reproof. Jesus gave Peter a look that reminded him of the prediction of his grave sin, and he went out and wept bitterly. WT 10-1-87, p. 18
[On questioning the directives of the Governing Body of JWs]
Back in early Christian times, some decisions made by the governing body may have been hard to understand at the time. This was doubtless the case when Paul was sent back to Tarsus or when he was sent to the temple after his third missionary journey. (Acts 9:30; 21:23-25) Yet, Christ was actually behind such decisions. (Acts 22:17-21; 23:11) Today we can be confident that whatever Christ allows to occur among his disciples on earth has some lofty purpose behind it, even as in the first century. WT 8-1-87 p. 20
[On the wicked, filthy, vile opposers of Jehovah's Mighty Organization]
Apostates often appeal to the ego, claiming that we have been deprived of our freedoms, including the freedom to interpret the Bible for ourselves. (Compare Genesis 3:15.) In reality, these would-be defilers offer nothing more than a return to the nauseating teachings of "Babylon the Great." (Revelation 17:5; 2 Peter 2:19-22) Others appeal to the flesh, urging former associates to "take it easy" because the humble work of witnessing from house to house is "unnecessary" or "unscriptural." (Compare Matthew 16:22,23.) True, such smooth talkers may look outwardly clean in a physical and moral way. But inside they are spiritually unclean, having given in to prideful, independent thinking. They have forgotten all that they learned about Jehovah, his holy name and attributes. They no longer acknowledge that all they learned about Bible truth - the glorious hope of the kingdom and a paradise earth and the overturning of false doctrines, such as the Trinity, the immortal human soul, eternal torment, and purgatory - yes, all of this came to them through "the faithful and discreet slave."Matthew 24:45-47.
Interestingly, a circuit overseer in France observes: "Some brothers are deceived because they lack accurate knowledge." That is why Proverbs 11:9 states: "By knowledge are the righteous rescued." This does not mean giving apostates a hearing ear or delving into their writings. Rather, it means coming to "an accurate knowledge of the sacred secret of God" through diligent personal study of the Bible and the Society's Bible-based publications. Having this accurate knowledge, who would become so curious as to pay any attention to apostate mouthings? May no man "delude you with persuasive arguments"! (Colossians 2:24) False religious propaganda from any source should be avoided like poison! Really, since our Lord has used "the faithful and discreet slave" to convey to us "sayings of everlasting life," why should we ever want to look anywhere else? John 6:68. WT 11-1-87, p. 19,20
[On why theologians do not agree with the Watchtower (because they don't go house-to-house)]
It should be kept in mind, however, that for the most part, the theologians of Christendom do not go from house to house, and many Bible commentators tend to interpret the Scriptures in the context of their own experience. A more objective consideration of Jesus' instruction indicates that he was speaking about his disciples' searching out people individually, either from house to house or publicly, and presenting to them the message of the Kingdom. (Matthew 10:7) Their response would indicate whether they were deserving or not. Matthew 10:12-15.
This is seen in Jesus' words at Matthew 10:14: "Wherever anyone does not take you in or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off your feet." Jesus was speaking about his disciples' making uninvited calls on people to preach to them. WT 1-1-88, p. 23
[Rutherford decides they will be called Jehovah's Witnesses, by God's direction, of course]
As time passed, the Bible Students became even more closely identified with Jeremiah when, in 1931, at a convention in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A., it was announced that the Biblical name for this courageous group of Christians should be "Jehovah's Witnesses." (Isaiah 43:10-12)
...Therefore, it was appropriate that at God's due time, his people should finally qualify for this divinely appointed name"Jehovah's Witnesses." WT 4-1-88, p. 23,24
[Jehovah doesn't illuminate individual Christians]
Jehovah does not illuminate each Christian individually. Rather, Christ appointed the "faithful and discreet slave" class to provide Scriptural study material and timely counsel to Christians throughout the world. WT 8-15-88 p. 28
[Jehovah rides the organization]
The chariot Rider was a glorious representation of Jehovah. How well the chariot represents God's angelic spirit organization! (Psalm 18:10; 103:20, 21; Daniel 7:9, 10) Jehovah rides it in the sense of dominating these creatures and using them according to his purpose. WT 9-15-88 p. 11
The Watchtower is once again instructing Witnesses to brainwash themselves.
Check out this from the 2/1/96 Watchtower:
"Fight the tendency to doubt...If some some tinge of doubt about Jehovah, his Word, or his organization has begun to linger in your heart, take quick steps to eliminate it before it festers into something that could destroy your faith...do not hesitate to ask for help from loving overseers in the congregation. They will help you race the source of your doubts, which may be due to pride or some wrong thinking. Has the reading or listening to apostate ideas or worldly philosophy introduced poisonous doubts?...act quickly to rout out of the mind any tendency to complain, to be dissatisfied with the way things are done in the congregation. Cut off anything that feeds such doubts."
OK now I'm done. I think I'll have a Margarita.
Merry Christmas y'all!
Thanks Simon for putting up with me all these years, and for all your hard work.
Randy
factfinder

Thank you for posting this Randy. If I had seen this video back when I was first starting to sit in on my brother's bible study I would have been repelled by so many old, decrepit looking leaders that I would never had continued with it.( I can imagine though that as you stated, some of these were nice brothers. I heard from my brother that Dan Sydlick was nice, and I did meet Ted Jaracz but could not really say what kind of a person he was just from meeting him at the hall.)
The printing information is of some interest but due to its age (circa 1980) I find it irrelevant today. The society has continually changed and upgraded its printing operations since that time. As for the costs, the figures the articles cite are LOWER than the figures brothers I knew at Bethel gave me about the cost of the presses and bindery equipment. For example, I was told each Harris Press cost $1,000,000. And the shipping costs were always far higher then the actual printing costs.
I loved the burstbound hardcover books the society made on the kolbus/smythe equipment. The new perfectbound hardcovers made on the muller martini binding line is not as good imho.
I'd love to have detailed reports on the book production now, especially yearly reports on how many books and bibles each printing branch produces. In wallkill it is some 28 million a year and it must be close to that in the germany branch which provides all of the congs in europe (except the UK) with their books and bibles. But to reach the 100 million mark there have to be large amounts produced in Brazil, Mexico and Japan and South Africa, Britian and Australia also print and bind books. In 2008 the total production was over 108.6 million books and bibles. The society keeps this info out of the yb and magazines, wanting to either downplay it or hide it altogether. Beginning in 2005 they removed the edition figures from the books. I wonder why?
Anyway, thank you very much for sharing all of this info!
MrMonroe

Others have already highlighted some gems. My favourites:
"I started off in the bindery, stitching booklets. The brother told us to hurry up and put the covers on the booklets because Armageddon was coming. So we hurried up and got the covers on. And Armageddon hasn't come yet, so ..." (6.04) And that doesn't make you wonder if it's all bullshit?
"When you receive a direct invitation from Jehovah through his organization, this is the place he wants you to serve." (Barr, 17.45) So a letter from the branch headquarters is actually a communication from God?
"There's nothing here on this earth to compare with God's organization. There's never been anything, even in Bible times, to compare with what Jehovah has now or what he is doing." (Barry, 18.54). Moses parting the Red Sea, amateur stuff! Manna? Don't make me laugh! Jesus and the apostles healing the sick and raising the dead? Pretenders!
factfinder

LadyLee- I thought it was very interesting that the brother admitted that they were waiting for armageddon which was coming so soon-and it did not arrive! He was being very honest.

Watchtower's new entrants get to hear the Governing Body share their qualifications

Ted Jaracz v Jack Barr - Governing Body Showdown

Ted Jaracz And Mental Health Counselors

Ted Jaracz And the United Nations Scandal

Ted Jaracz And Child Abuse Policy

Ted Jaracz On The Secret Child Abuser Database

part I: the Bible becomes "suspicious"

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