Books I read when I deprogrammed

by OrphanCrow 46 Replies latest jw friends

  • OrphanCrow
    OrphanCrow

    Blondie suggested someone start a thread with a list of books that are valuable to read when exiting the JWs.

    I will start.

    I left the JWs way back in the early 70s and didn't actually deprogram until into the 80s.

    One of the first books I read was "The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses" by Gary and Heather Botting. Canadian exJWs from Calagary. An excellent book and one that still resonates with young people today. With anyone, actually.

    And I read James Penton's book "Apocalypse Delayed" when it was hot off the press back in 1985. I haven't read his new editions. Penton's book was my bible for many years. I had a lot of respect for the book and for Mr. Penton. Still do.

    There were other books - the public library had some 'apostate' books. Schnell, I think? I read several more but just can't think of the names at the moment.

  • jookbeard
    jookbeard
    Carl Olaf Jonsson has to be up there
  • Crazyguy
    Crazyguy
    2001translation.org of the Septuagint and their article's got me really thinking and researching the JW doctrine.
  • Mephis
    Mephis
  • Ruby456
    Ruby456

    yes, Captives of a Concept - excellent. Couldn't wait to start reading it immediately.

    a course with the open university - sociology is great - somebody made a comment on another thread about having to get used to living in a world where unity of opinion no longer counts and fighting your way in it.

    level one sociology in your free time can help.

  • Muddy Waters
    Muddy Waters
    So obvious, but must be mentioned: "Crisis of Conscience" & "In Search of Christian Freedom" by Ray Franz.
  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    The Trumpet of Prophecy by James Beckford

    Millions Now Livng Will never Die: Study of Jehovah's Witnesses by Alan Rogerson

    Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement by Andrew Holden

    Expecting Armageddon by Jon Stone

    Three Dissertations on the Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses by Greg Stafford

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat
    Muddy, Orphan forgot to actually mention it in the OP, but reading between the lines, I think the implicit point of the thread is to highlight books other than CofC and ISoCF because they are not readily available any more.
  • Sabin
    Sabin
    Exiting the jw cult, Bonnie Zieman. 1st book I read & found really helpful in understanding that what I was going through was normal after leaving. No I wasn't going mad.
  • The Rebel
    The Rebel

    One of the books that helped me "deprogram" was Defying Hitler, by Sabastian Haffner, The book showed how Hitler by beginning in such small ways, turned a civilised, intelligent people in to a helpless, penned in flock of sheep . And this really bought home to me that all I was doing on the ministry was exploiting people's psychological weaknesses,

    Another book The Captive Mind by Czeslaw Milosz gave a truthful account of a totalitarian culture equal to Orwells 1984 classic. From this book I learnt not to regret my time spent as a witness, but rather to learn from it, and be grateful I could now see the organisation for what it was. A man made totalitarian government pretending to be under the leadership of Jehover.

    Havng left the Witness mindset I now admire people who spend there life's collecting stamps or growing tulips, they do less damage to the world than i ever did as a Jehovers Witnesses.

    The Rebel.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit