Watchtower – Independent Analysis of its History?

by Marvin Shilmer 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  aristeas

  I've been reading Garbe's book. For what it's worth, I wonder whether his comments re: the O being more open to outside researchers is not a bit of a ploy on his part for the GB to take his reproof of them seriously. You know, "I'll be nice to you" (set the stage) and then make his oblique suggestion to them on 539-40. Of course, I am NOT saying that this is his only or even a major motive, but one thing about these sociologist types, they are no dummies when it comes to dealing with people and seing the dynamics involved. He may be playing a bit nice to try and reach them. Surely this 'worldly' guy has seen the foibles of the WTS and would lke to see them lighten up.

  One surprising thing I see in this book is that a SISTER translated it, includig all those refs. to Ray Franz, Jim Penton, and the chiding of the GB above.

  Does anyone else find this odd, or even potentially a problem? What does SHE think of being exposed to all this stuff—and having to translate it all from German—no slight reading!?

  BTW slimboyfat, YOU HAVE A PM.

  Cheers.
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  slimboyfat

  Yes I noticed that it was a sister who translated Garbe's book. I guess certain passages may have been uncomfortable to translate, but overall Garbe is positive on the story JWs have to tell about their experience in Third Reich. The passage I quoted above is not from Garbe's own book, but is from an essay he wrote for the book Persecition and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi Regime 1933-1945 (2001) edited by Hans Hesse. In that essay Garbe indicates that Jehovah's Witnesses have been more cooperative with outside researchers in recent years. In the passage in his own book that you referred to Garbe points out that despite now being more open about their history in general, the Watchtower Society has still not acknowledged their attempts to adapt to make themselves acceptable to the Nazi regime in 1933. That is a separate issue from allowing outside researchers access to Watchtower archives and he does not address that point in that passage. I don't think it is necessary to impute an ulterior motive to Grabe for stating that the Watchtower Society is now being more open with outside researchers, simply because what he said is demonstrably true. Since the early 1990s Jehovah's Witnesses have engaged with outside scholars in conferences and Witnesses such as Johannes Wrobel, Wolfram Slupina, and Jolene Chu have written articles about Watchtower history for academic journals. The Watchtower also embarked upon a campaign to make the general public more aware of their history during the Nazi regime using exhibitions, videos and even educational materials designed for use in schools. Garbe makes no bones about it that this radical departure in the Watchtower's approach to sharing their history with outsiders was motivated by a desire to promote a more positive image of Jehovah's Witnesses in Europe, especially at a time when the religious character of the organization was being called into question by various states. I believe Garbe is correct in that analysis.