NOTE: This upcoming book presents my attempt to help the reader understand why Jehovah's Witnesses think and act the way they do - (why many of us use to think and act the way we did when we were captives of a concept). The following "Contents" will give you an idea of the approach the book takes. It is written with the non-Witness primarily in mind. It says a lot of things that have already been said, but it says them differently. - The book should be available in a couple of months or so. Don Cameron
Captives of a Concept
"Understanding The Illusionary Concept That Holds Jehovah's Witnesses Captive"
"There is only one thing that needs to be known about the Watchtower Society and there is only one way to know it."
Contents
Important Terms
Foreword
CHAPTER 1 The Concept That Holds Jehovah's Witnesses Captive
What Makes Jehovah?s Witnesses ?Tick? - Raymond Franz
The Dominant Controlling Force That Nobody Notices
?Come to the Watchtower Society For Salvation?
The One Question Everything Always Comes Down To - Peter Gregerson
The Only Thing That Needs To Be Known
The Only Way the Watchtower Society Can Be God?s Organization Today
CHAPTER 2 Matthew 24:45-47: Most Important Scripture in Watchtower Theology
Understanding Their Interpretation and Holding Them To It
Jesus? Decision in 1919 - The Most Important Event in Watchtower History
Using Watchtower Standards To Judge Watchtower Teachings
CHAPTER 3
50 Teachings Jesus Examined
#1: Second Coming of Christ ? 40 Years Too Early Then 29 Years Too Late
#2: "We Are Not Your "faithful & discreet slave"
#3: Christ?s Thousand-year Reign & The Sewing Machine - 1873
#4 "Millions Now Living Will Never Die"
#5-44: 38 Dates/Events That Didn?t Happen
#45-48: Christmas, Birthdays, The Cross, Great Pyramid of Gizeh
#49:"End of the Gentile Times" In 1914?
#50: The 1,200 Furlongs of Revelation 14:20 ? Scranton, Pa to Brooklyn, NY
Romans 13:1 ? A Special Case
Thousands of Portions of Wrong Food Served Millions of Times!
CHAPTER 4 The Most Important Event In Watchtower History
The Society Admits to Being in Satan?s Organization from 1914 to 1918?
Why Russell Should Have "Let the Very Stones Cry Out"
Jesus? Decision In The Spring of 1919
CHAPTER 5
The One Mistake All Jehovah?s Witnesses Have Made
How Their Free Bible Study Causes This Mistake.
How To Avoid Making This Mistake
"God?s Organization" Exists Only in the Minds of Jehovah?s Witnesses
Why Their Interpretation of Matt. 24:45-47 Could Not Have Come From God
CHAPTER 6
Who Is "God?s Organization"?
The Men Hidden Behind "God?s organization"`
The Illusion vs. The Reality
CHAPTER 7
No False Teachings or Prophecies ? Why Not?
Removing the Word "False"
Removing the Word "Prophecy"
What Their Teachings Are Called When They Start Teaching Them
What Their Teachings Are Called When They Stop Teaching Them
The Word "False" Is Reserved For All Other Religions
Watchtower?s Definition of False Prophets = Russell & Rutherford
What The Watchtower Society Has Never Been Able To Admit
Do Their Motives Matter?
The Kind of Prophet The Watchtower Claims To Be Does Not Exist
They Are Unable To See What They Are Saying
Changing Matthew 7:15-20 From "False Prophets" to "The True Religion"
CHAPTER 8 Using the Bible to Keep Themselves Captive
Proverbs 4:18: The Society?s 2 nd Most Important Scripture
The Second Coming of Christ ? Change of date from 1874 to 1914
The Superior Authorities of Romans 13:1
Matthew 24:36: No Difference between Jesus, Russell and Rutherford?
The Watchtower?s Spiritual ?Light Switch?
Acts 1:6: Jesus? Disciples, Russell & Rutherford Made the Same Mistakes?
Using the Bible to Prove Anything They Want It To ? James Penton
Why The Governing Body Cannot Present a Candid History
CHAPTER 9
Watchtower Propaganda Keeps Them Captive
?Tricks and Tactics of the Cunning Propagandist?
"Apostate" - The Governing Body?s Favorite "Name-Calling" Label
The Governing Body?s ?Brick Wall? of Propaganda
The Witnesses? Inner Wall of Willful Blindness
Overcoming Watchtower Propaganda and Willful Blindness Is Difficult To Do
CHAPTER 10
Why Jehovah?s Witnesses Have Unity of Belief
1954 - Walsh Court Case ? Former Vice President Hayden Covington
Enforce Acceptance of False Prophecy
1980 ? September 1 Governing Body Letter
1986 ? April 1 Watchtower
Playing by Watchtower Rules ? Or Else!
Illusion vs. Reality
CHAPTER 11
The Final Authority of Watchtower Teachings
2 Timothy 3:16
Only Those Submissive to the Governing Body Can Understand the Bible
Their Non-Existent ?Chain of Command"
Illusion vs. Reality
CHAPTER 12
What They Say Is Not What They Always Do
"What Does It Mean To Be Honest?"
The Difference Between Making a Mistake and Being Dishonest
August 30, 1914 "The World Magazine"
June 1, 1997 Watchtower
June 15, 1964 Watchtower
The Watchtower?s Greatest Enemy - Leonard Chretien
How The Society is "Shamelessly Dishonest" ? Carl Sagan
They Have Fallen In Love With Their Illusion
CHAPTER 13
Who Molds Their Thinking?
Listening To Those Who Are Misled and Corrupted in Their Thinking
Lacking Information and Receiving Misinformation About Society?s History
The Illusion vs. Reality
CHAPTER 14
"Slaves of Men or Servants of God?"
Who Have Jehovah?s Witnesses Been Following?
Why Studying The Bible Is Dangerous For Jehovah?s Witnesses
Illusion vs. Reality
CHAPTER 15
Bible or Watchtower Trained Conscience ? Which?
"Happy Anniversary" ? Yes / "Happy Birthday" ? No
Alternative Civilian Service
The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights
CHAPTER 16
What If This Was Another Religion?
Their Concept of "the organization" Makes All the Difference
CHAPTER 17
No Honorable Way Out of the Watchtower Religion
Why Witnesses Cannot Just Say, "I quite"
2 John 9-11 ? No Difference Between the Teaching of the Christ and the Teaching of the Watchtower?
Keeping God?s Organization Clean?
CHAPTER 18
The Internet ? The Watchtower?s Worst Nightmare
CHAPTER 19
The Key To Their Escape
CHAPTER 20 Evidence Alone Is Not Enough
Unequivocal and Undeniable Evidence
Jehovah?s Witnesses and The Mexican Army First Reserve
"I Might As Well Eat, Drink and Be Merry"
"I Would Rather Go To My Grave Being Deceived"
"They Can?t Tell Us the Truth."
"I Can Wait 30 Years For God To Straighten Things Out"
"I Don?t Care If Every Member of the Governing Body is Apostate"
When Ten Thousand Words Won?t Make Any Difference
The Different Kinds of Jehovah?s Witnesses
Those Whom God Chooses to Help
CHAPTER 21
Helping Some of Them Notice What the "Proclaimers" Book Says
Teaching Themselves The Truth ? Romans 2:21
Watchtower History Study
Proclaimers of God?s Kingdom ?
The Book of Watchtower History
The Best Way to Get Along With Jehovah?s Witnesses
The Starting Point ? Matthew 24:45-47
Russell, Rutherford, 1914 and the Second Coming of Christ
?We are not your faithful land discreet slave."
"Millions Now Living Will Never Die"
"The World Magazine" Insert on Page 60
How Would l Have Reacted?
How Will Jehovah?s Witnesses React?
Once the Bell Has Been Rung They Cannot Unring It
What Will Bring Them Back To Their Proper Senses?
CHAPTER 22
When Illusion Meets Up With Reality
John 6:68: Nowhere Else To Go?
Switching From Going to a Person to Going to an Organization
An Alternative to "God?s organization" ? Ron Frye
"Beware of ?organization.?" - Charles Taze Russell
Captivity to the Christ Instead of to "God?s organization"
I have to agree, it does sound like a great book. Would you like to tell us something about the Author? I'm sure most people like to get this information before buying a book on-line as it helps to define which direction the material is comming from.
"You?ll never get sick. You will never grow old. And you will never die."
Although the above words come from the movie "Cocoon," they could have come from the Watchtower Society because this is exactly what they have been proclaiming for years as part of "the Creator?s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things."* This very appealing prospect attracts many people to begin to study the Bible with Jehovah?s Witnesses. It then sustains them as they eagerly wait for the fulfillment of this promise.
But during the course of their study they imperceptibly get drawn into an illusionary concept involving the Watchtower organization that gradually takes over their decision-making process and even their conscience without them realizing it. It happens because of a mistake that everyone makes before they decide to become a Jehovah?s Witness.
Captives of a Concept
identifies both the concept and the mistake that has caused millions of people people to become captives of it. The book also offers a few suggestions about how to go about helping Jehovah?s Witnesses teach themselves the truth about their religion.
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Thanks Don, I'm happy to see you posting this information.
To all, I have previewed the book and it's a must have. It's written in an easy to read format and is bringing a fresh perspective to understanding the Witness movement from a pragmatic point of view. There is ample deadly ammo here for people who need to make a Witness back up a couple steps, from readily available sourses. It'll be a big help in exit counseling too.
It's a great piece of work and it is needed. I look forward to it's release.