by irondork 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I understand the WTS encouraged or instructed the congregations to dispose of all books printed before the year ???? . They didn't want this old light (aka. apostate literature) floating around their libraries.
Did these instructions come via a WT article or was it a letter to the elders? Maybe a backroom suggestion from the CO?
Anyone have copies, scans, links?
I have been going to the KH since 1955 in various KHs and never saw this officially in writing or state from the platform. It was such a statement on the John Ankerberg show that got me checking the older KHs in my area and found that very book in their library, not removed (The Way to Paradise by VanAmburgh). I found it in the personal libraries of older jw relatives and asked them if they had been told to toss it. They were surprised that anyone would every ask that of them. I even checked the library at Brooklyn Bethel and Wallkill and found copies there, with access to all Bethelites (and me a non-Bethelite).
I could imagine some elder or BOE independently making such a statement but attributing it to the WTS, hmmm, pretty gutsy.
PS I was in charge of keeping the library up to date (under the TMS overseer's supervision) for years. Never saw any publication tossed unless they had several copies and some were not in good shape. Even those were offered to new jws who did not have them in their libaries.
*** km 11/02 p. 2 Very Good Reading! ***
Would you not agree that the following titles of past Watchtower articles sound like very good reading?
“God Knows and Protects His Own”
“Progress Toward Taming the Tongue”
“When Christianity Went Underground”
“Preaching Effectively at the Doors”
“Answering the Question, Are You Saved?”
These articles and scores of others appeared in The Watchtower during the years 1951 and 1952. Are they too old for us to benefit from them now? Far from it! You can still obtain Watchtower bound volumes in English for the years 1951 and 1952. (Some English bound volumes for the years 1953 through 1959 are also available.) Any publishers who desire these Watchtower bound volumes may now request them through the congregation literature servant.
The Theocratic Ministry School overseer should check to see if any bound volumes are missing from the Kingdom Hall library and order accordingly.
There are letters and instructions for books that should be tossed from the magazine counter for distribution. Sometimes they make an announcement 'if anyone wants these books for their personal library'. However, over the years most of the old books have been tossed and are no longer available. If you're interested in a specific book, I can check, I have most of them on PDF.
There are letters and instructions for books that should be tossed from the magazine counter for distribution. Sometimes they make an announcement 'if anyone wants these books for their personal library'. However, over the years most of the old books have been tossed and are no longer available. If you're interested in a specific book, I can check, I have most of them on PDF.
Still have Millennial Dawn volumes and Rutherford's books in our congo library.
It sounds like my understanding was wrong. I thought I heard they wanted all the old stuff out.
Still, what good would it do to have copies of The Finished Mystery on the shelves, knowing all the incriminating poop it contains?
In my house all WT publications (except for those recently used by my JW wife) have been tossed in a dumpster...I told my wife that these old publications were what caused me to stop believing in the WT and if anyone held what they contain as the "truth" they would be labelled as apostates and disfellowshipped! But as always she heard what I said but her mind has been programmed to block anything that is a threat to her faith.
Back in 1978 we had an elder who came back from the two week elders school with information regarding the Kingdom Hall library. He claimed that the instructor said that only Watchtower publications should be in the KH library. I had attended the same school the year before and no such instruction was given. Having been the TMS overseer I had placed a number on non-Watchtower Biblical and historical reference works in the KH library. I guess I was pretty liberal for a JW back then as I placed Hugh J. Schonfield's "The Passover Plot" in the KH library.
Well this elder, claiming a mandate given him by the recent elders school, purged the library of all non-Watchtower publications. Fortunately there were several JW families who were more enlightened than the elder and they took in all the purged publications and were thankful to have them. I left the JWs in 1984 so I don't know if these families are still JWs.
However, a couple of years after the KH library purge a CO said that non-Watchtower publications of Biblical and historical value could be included in the KH library. Though I doubt that he would have approved of "The Passover Plot." But anyone who has served on the BOE knows there is always that hot shot elder who takes any instruction from the GB to the extreme.
