Watchtower 2011 July 15 Study Edition: Are all study editions like this?

Tuber

So during my research on the WTS, I stubled across a link to the July 15th Watchtower.

http://download.jw.org/files/media_magazines/w_E_20110715.pdf

I'm assuming that the study editions are the ones that they only give to members/ those who attend meetings.

This is the first time I have sat and read through a full watchtower, and the first time I've laid eyes on a study edition.

I was pretty surprised by just how many chances they took to refer to apostates and disfellowshipping.

Do most study editions have this kind of "hidden message" (well, not so well hidden, as you'll see)?

Or are all study editions full of anti-apostate, pro-disfellowshipping propoganda?

I'll try to list as much of this as I can, as well as anything else that seemed to stick out to me.

"A Lengthy Legal Struggle Ends in Victory!"
P.4, Paragraph 1, Sentence 2: Second sentence of the first article, and already, the propoganda begins: "true Christians".

Throughout the whole first page of the article (page 4 of the magazine), anyone who opposes JWs is painted as being an oppresor of religous freedom.

P.4, Paragraph 4, Sentence 2: "... a group openly aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church filed a complaint accusing..." author is careful to note that the group is aligned with a church... dastardly christendom is up to no good again!

P.4, Paragraph 4, Sentence 3: "...claimed to be acting on behalf of family members who resented that their spouses or children had become witnesses" that group aligned with the church only CLAIMED to be acting on behalf of JWs' family members, and those family members didn't have any reasonable concerns about blood transfusion, shunning, nothing like that, no, they just down right resent JWs.

P.5, Paragraph 1: After 4 previous requests for a hearing are turned down, the granting of the fifth request is deemed "bizzare". Although it is a little unusual that the hearing was granted despite there being no evidence of criminal conduct, it may have had something to do with how persistently hearings were requested? Or with the fact that the JWs kept having these accusations pointed their way?

P.5, Para 2, Sen 2: "falsely alleged" assert means to assert without, or BEFORE proof. Maybe it's nothing, but that "falsely" doesn't really add much meaning to the sentence, just acts to give it a more pro-JW, anti christendom vibe.

P.5, Para 4, Sen 5: "...publications of the Russian Orthodox Church that severely criticize Jehovah's Witnesses" another jab at "christendom", no WTS publication would ever dream of criticizing other religions! /sarcasm

P.6, Para 2: This and the previous paragraphs paint the prosecution and its witnesses as inept an knowing little about JWS, obviously just out to get them, in cahoots with christendom etc. Sent 5 & 6 explain that a psychiatrist that had studied over 100 JWs found them to have perfect mental health, and that becoming a JW made them more tolerant of other religions. Do I even need to add a snide remark?

P. 7, Para 4, Sent 3 & 4: "...that announcement confirmed that members of the clergy were indeed deeply involved in the drive to ban the Witnesses" Fucking christendom, seriously, why can't it just leave those poor witnesses be?

P.8, Para 2: "A spokesman" for the Orthodox church admits that it doesn't like the JWs, and a "Muslim Leader" supports the ban. Would have been nice of the WTS to provide us with some names, so we could check the facts, but you know what they say about indepentant thinking...
And just look at the state of things, Islamdom and Christendom getting along, for once, just to drag the Witnesses down!

The rest of the article has a gem or two, but is mainly focused on the legal decision etc. Anyone who wants to do the last few pages is welcome, but reading it once was enough for me, trying to go through it twice is a struggle.

Next article in my next post.

moggy lover

Nope. They aren't all like that.

Some are worse.

hotspur

Some are worse? Is that possible? Why did you make me read that?

That font just makes me shudder... I remember now how much that made me hate it all... like a trigger! I have come to totally despise it. I see the font and immediately I go on the defensive - shut up shop to any of it's message (thank goodness!) Grrrr!

Tuber

"Will You Follow Jehovah's Loving Guidance?"

This article didn't seem to have much in the way of propoganda or buzz words, but it lays the foundation for the next article, which is a different story entirely.

Please not that with the study articles, I won't be counting how many paragraphs are on a page and labelling things with "P.X Para X" like I did with the article above, rather, I will simply provide the little superscrpt number at the beginning the paragraph, and I will provide a page number for those who want to skip straight to it. So, for an imaginary example, 13 (12) would mean paragraph 13 of the article (found on page 12).

"Will You Heed Jehovah's Clear Warnings?"

3 (15) A warning against false teachers. Who are these teachers? Take a look at paragraph 4...

4 (15) Some false teachers may come from the congretation, these are APOSTATES. They're out to steal you from the congregation and turn you into one of their own disciples! Like "ravenous wolves", false teachers (and especially apostates) are out"devour trusting members of the congregation, destroying their faith and leading them away from the truth".

5 (15, 16) False Teachers (apostates) are cunning. They "sneak in" corruptive teachings. They are like smugglers, operating clandestinely introducing apostate views. They use "counterfeit words" and "false arguments" to try and pass off their teachings as "the truth". They spread "deceptive teachings" and "twist the scriptures".

6 (16) Avoid false teachers (and apostates, especially those damn apostates). Apostates are "mentally diseased" and actively try to "infect others" with their "disloyal teachings".

7 (16) Don't greet, allow visits from, read literature from, watch tv programs featuring, read websites by, or comment on the blogs of false teachers (apostates). We love Jehovah's ORGANIZATION. Don't be "soured" by anyone who would speak against the ORGANIZATION.

8 (16, 17) Stay loyal to the ORGANIZATION.

10 (17) Satan uses religous lies and godless myths to sidetrack the unsuspecting.

11 (17) Such lies include the teachings of Christendom, which pretends to be christian. i.e. the trinity, hellfire, the immortality of the soul. Christendom promotes pagan traditions.

Damn, time to leave work, will continue this tomorrow.

Listener

Isn't it ironic that the first main article declares the Court decision stated they do not break up families and then the final article discusses the rejection of a parent's only child. They must be laughing over the fact that they were able to fool the courts.

the-illuminator81

The funny thing is that witnesses always believe that persecution only strengthens them, but it doesn't if you look at the yearbook about Armenia. In the end there were only a handful left and they didn't practice. And especially the current crop of JWs, I don't see many of them lasting under real persecution.

I'm all for freedom of individual belief.. but I wish there were some rules regulating the power that organized religion can use on their followers. There should be limits.

Witness My Fury

Yes they's all like that, or worse. Obey, obey, obey, guilt, guilt, guilt, fear, fear ...well you get the picture.

But while under the mind control the fog is thick and the mind numbed, so these now oh so obvious control techniques (loaded language etc) pass mostly unnoticed.

punkofnice

I have avoided waschtowers for a year now so this is pretty much my only preview.

Did it by any chance end up with an advert to DO MORE DOOR KNOCKING! DO MORE GB BROWN NOSING! DO MORE MONEY GIVING TO THE GB! DO MORE WORSHIP TO THE WTB$......................or Jar Hoover will lovingly kill you SOON (Terms and conditions apply and are subject to 'overlapping')?

ambersun

Jar Hoover will lovingly kill you SOON (Terms and conditions apply and are subject to 'overlapping')?

I am collecting one liner comments to throw back at certain JWs I come in contact with who love to remind me how very close the end is now.

This one is now top of my list, it's brilliant! Thanks punkofnice

punkofnice

@ambersun - you're welcome. Mrs Punk was very angry with me when I used it on her as she's still asleep in dubby dreamworld!

I pity her having to sit listening to the above watchtower propaganda and convincing herself: 'My husband is a ''diseased apostate''. God will kill him soon. But that's OK because God will wipe out every tear from my eye! One less to cook for!!'

Watchtower 2011 July 15 Study Edition: Are all study editions like this?

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