behind the curtain: literature offer for the month

Magnum

I was an extremely sincere, zealous pioneer. I really cared about the people in the field. I thought their lives were in danger. I wanted them to get the best witness possible. Therefore, I cared what the literature offer for the month was.

Back in the late 80's and maybe early 90's (and maybe later; I don't remember), from time to time, the offer would be any of the older 192-page books. That disturbed me. Most of the people I talked with in the ministry knew very little about the Bible and needed publications that taught the basics. These people had short attention spans and needed books they could easily comprehend and that would keep their attention. A lot of the older 192-page books were not good for placing in the field; they were more for JWs who had some grounding in JW theology.

That's what disturbed me about placing the older 192-page books with new people in the field. I saw many really good calls who were left with publications that would do them no good. I wondered why, if the preaching was so important, we were placing those older books with people who were supposedly in danger of losing their lives. It kind of seemed to me that the org just wanted to move those books. I never could shake that feeling.

Then, in the last year or two or three I read an online account of a Bethelite who was shocked to find out the truth about the offer for the month. If I remember correctly, he said something to the effect that he had always thought that the GB prayerfully and seriously gave a lot of thought to what should be the offer for the month, basing their decisions on what would be best for the field. Then he was working behind the scenes at Bethel and was shocked to find out the truth - that the offer was just determined by some brother in charge of literature stocks, and his decision was based on what needed to move - what they needed to get rid of. My gut feelings were right; the org just wanted to get rid of certain publications.

I'm sure I have that account or a link to it copied somewhere on my computer in one of the many folders containing JW stuff that I need to process. But I can't find it now. If anybody knows what account I'm referring to, please direct us to it. Or if anybody is aware of any similar accounts, please relate.

Did anybody else ever have bad feelings about the offer for the month?

rebel8

My take on it as a teenaged pioneer was the old geezers thunk them up with no concept of what would really appeal to or be useful to non-jws at the door. I found the choices a little irritating--wondering if they'd make the same choices if they were the ones who had to peddle them. Some of them--omg, Revelation books? Give me a break. That just makes dubs look batsh!t insane.

Wasanelder Once

I never did comply with those recommendations unless it was the "Truth" book or something practical like Family happiness" or the like. It was obvious that most books would be repellent to most people. Always thought it was a way to clear the book room shelves.

sparrowdown

OMG yes!

And those small old hardcover books were the worst. So obviously a clearance of old literature dressed up as direction from holy spirit.

Wild_Thing

I always thought they were just trying to get rid of their excessive inventory from the '70s. Those books were awful!

smiddy

Looking back in hind sight , just how gullible I was .We supposedly had the current "truth" and were instructed to place literature with "old truths" in them with householders.

What logic was their in that ?

That`s right I forgot it is a book selling publishing firm .

smiddy

FayeDunaway

Yup, I always knew it was to get rid of them. Funny thing is, aren't they basically banning those books now? Or are they still pushing them to get rid of them? Surely the doctrine isn't 'correct' anymore.

The Searcher

FayeDunaway -

the Reasoning Book and the Insight Books contain "false prophecies & apostate reasoning" - if you started quoting them in J.W.'s company.

e.g.

rs p. 234 Last Days
Definition: The Bible uses the expression “last days” to refer to the concluding time period leading up to a divinely appointed execution that marks the end of a system of things...... The present wicked system of things, which extends worldwide, entered its last days in 1914, and some of the generation alive then will also be on hand to witness its complete end in the “great tribulation.”

CloseTheDoor

The Insight volumes, published in '88, say that the Sodomites will be resurrected, which is not in line with current wishy-washy Org. teaching.

Zoos

The Insight volumes, published in '88, say that the Sodomites will be resurrected, which is not in line with current wishy-washy Org. teaching.

So... they used to believe that arrogant, overfed and unconcerned people who didn't help the poor and needy could be resurrected but now they think not?

That's weird.

Ezekiel 16:49, NIV - "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

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I always thought they shifted the monthly literature offer around to keep us polished on the material and presentation techniques so we didn't get stuck in a rut.

behind the curtain: literature offer for the month

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