The Reasoning Book

by Magnum 40 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Magnum

  The book Reasoning from the Scriptures was released in the 1980's, and it was used at virtually every meeting for service, every Service Meeting, and every Theocratic Ministry School meeting thereafter. Many JWs had copies bound together with their Bibles. It was huge in JW land back then.

  At that time, with the Reasoning book, JWs were trained to keep conversations going in spite of objections, to almost stick their feet in people's doors to keep conversations going, to defend "the truth," to argue doctrine, etc.

  Compare the situation today with that of the 80's. Now JWs run from challenges and deeper questions, can't defend their doctrine, simply point to their website or play a video, etc. They no longer seem to want to reason from the Scriptures or, for that matter, reason at all.
  

  So, what is the status of the Reasoning book now? Is it still published? Do JWs still use it? If it has been abandoned, then I take that as an indication that at least some of the higher-ups know that JW doctrine/policy is flawed.
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  careful

  I'm not really joking when I say that the "reasoning" employed today in the upper levels of the org is quite a step down from what it was back when that book came out. It itself was a revision of the Make Sure of All Things book. While other factors are likely at work, don't you think that the lack of intelligence among the current GB and their devotees is one reason why it's gone out of print and stayed so? I mean you have to have some intelligence to realize that old book's considerable value.
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  Magnum

  careful, so, it really is out of print? I was wondering.

  Oh, and I well remember the old Make Sure of All Things book, also, Bible Topics for Discussion, which was kind of simplified outline.
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  Ron.W.

  Great topic.

  I remember they said at first it was 'like having a circuit overseer in your ministry bag'..

  Then as the years rolled on and it became so doctrinally out of date in parts it was an utter embarrassment - I remember as a pioneer thinking " If taught the householders what is in this book in it's later years I would be booted out of jw land for apostasy!!

  Does anyone know how the 1985 and 1989 versions differed??

  
  
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  ElderBerry

  Yes I had one bound in my Bible

  a sister in Bethel did for £16

  yes this just shows the drastic difference today. Most JWs don’t actually talk about Bible interpretation or anything like that. Not told to reason on the scriptures anymore these days.

  it’s all about look at the website

  But the even larger change is that not much door to door work is done anymore. Sat morning is just a social get together with informal witnessing an excuse for a walk around shops or park, the directions are these days just try to chat to people not even trying to talk about the Bible or anything.

  then the coffee break at someone’s home and we all take it in turns, everyone brings something often homemade.

  it really is just an excuse for a social club and the doing away with the reasoning book is just more proof.

  I honestly dont mind I prefer the org these days compared to what it used to be. These days many are choosing JWlite and ignoring all the calls asking “can you do even more” the answer is yes we probably all could but we don’t believe anymore
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  Ron.W.

  The 1985 edition:

  
  
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  Magnum

  Ron.W., I used to well know the differences in the '85 & '89 versions and had them marked. I work out of town during the week, so I don't have access to my copies now, but I'm curious to go and look and refresh my memory.
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  LeeMerk

  I studied that book hard for the ministry. I remember giving talks out of it also. What a waste of time.
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  Phizzy

  I am that old, born just after the Second Boer War, ( I jest, just after the Second World War actually), that I remember the precursor to those two Books, called "Equipped for Every Good Work", which was a heavier work than the later two, which were successively dumbed down.

  I remember being on a "Bible Study" with a young feller, when I was about 12, taken by a very young Pioneer girl 16/17, the young feller's mum had asked the local Vicar to sit in on the "Study", afterwards he attacked what the young Pio. had been "teaching" and I looked up the pertinent pages in the "Make Sure" Book for her to use, and passed it to her, she didn't have the nous to use what I gave her, and to the young feller's mum, it seemed as though we as J.W's were beaten by the Vicar. The "Study" was stopped. Looking back, that young Pio. girl, by being ill-equipped did him a favour !

  Years later, a Bro. and I were doing "Street Witnessing" in a local market, we started doing that long before the Org. advocated it, and I had a run-in with a Catholic Priest, I showed him in the "Reasoning" Book the bit about Apostolic Succession, he glanced at it, and said "I can show you quotes from many Scholars that disagree with what those Scholars say quoted in there", I was stunned, I thought what I had shown him was a clincher ! and that should have been the start of "waking me up", sadly, it was not, but it did put doubts in my mind about quotes used by the org. !

  Those Books were only of use with uneducated members of the Public.
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  cofty

  I hated that book. I knew how to answer questions from the bible and objected to being told to get the book out and read the answer. I never used it.