i noticed that the german edition of the study watchtower for today didn't include the phrase about the husband "hitting" the sister.
instead it just says that he became ferociously angry, which need not imply physical abuse.
i wonder if the german translator altered it off his own back or was instructed, and how other language editions compare.
Was the article in German published on the same date as the one in English? If the English version was released earlier then it could have served as a Trial Baloon of sorts. Negative reaction by the english audience could have swayed headquarters into altering their orders to the German translators.
Fats
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
Hi SST,
Good observation about Rutherford. Only recently did I discover his admonition to youngsters from the pages of Watchtower that was contemporary to the 1942 book Children. There, he advised them to use the remaining days of school vacation following the convention to witness to and study with their childhood friends and acquaintences for some 6 hours per day.
Len
i received the following email today at my website, www.watchtowerdocuments.com.
please help this loving uncle with some advice:.
hello, i dont know if anyone can help me with this but i thought i would give it a shot.
Dear Loving Uncle,
By this time you've already received some very good advice. I don't want to overlook this piece -- an 11 minute read that will give her several things, quite easy to comprehend -- to think about. It's THE GREAT WATCHTOWER CONTRADICTION.
Wishing you the very best.
Len
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
Hi BOTR,
Do you mean he did it a very gruff manner?
I would have to say the word condescending would more properly describe his manner. Hey, he was the big cheese at that time. When you think about it, from the early 40's when he took over, there were very few people with whom he had a conversation that he would feel is at his level of intellect, power, prestige, etc.
Even before I left the org some 20 years later I'd heard of his public belittling of Bethel brothers at the dinner table where hundreds could listen in on his chastisement of some Bethelite for some rules infraction.
One thing I learned from my parents is they kept my own discipline private and at home.
Someone kept this all these years b/c it has Knorr's signature. Wow. Talk about sick.
Like I said earlier, Knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many Bethelites) as god-like.
Fats
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
Hi BOTR,
Sounds like you and I are contemporaries. I was baptized in '56. At the '57 District Assy in Baltimore I was gung ho and wanted to go to Bethel in the worst way. One brother Bobby Anneheim, from New Bedford, Mass, was working in Bethel at the time and heard about my feelings. He asked me if I'd like to meet Bro Knorr (knowing that I would hear the party line) and I was thrilled. He took this 16-yr-old (me) to one of those offices beneath the stadium seats and I had my 4 minute audience. Wait -- I was the audience and he was the speaker. "No", he said, "finish that last year of high school -- then send in your application." It was the harsh, scolding manner that he used during that meeting that I remember most.
Fats
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
Here's the only reference I can find to that assembly discourse. Beginning in September of 1970, it may have been given for the following six months.
A new circuit assembly program is scheduled to begin in September. We believe you will find it most informative and upbuilding. The public talk will be “Who Will Conquer the World in the 1970’s?” Our Kingdom Ministry, 7/70 p. 3 Announcements
As to Knorr and his little buddy, they were both still going strong in early 1971 as noted by the following:
In this country of about four million people, 80 percent of whom are Moslem, 178 of Jehovah’s witnesses carry on their preaching activity. The assembly was not advertised, but was in the nature of a private gathering. The peak attendance was 325. Both the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, N. H. Knorr, and the vice-president, F. W. Franz, appeared several times on the program, speaking through interpreters. The Watchtower, 1971 2/15 p. 123 Is Unity Possible Among All Ethnic Groups? Fats
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
Hi VM,
If I hear from that person again I'll try to remember to ask that question. However, several days ago I asked a few other questions via return email but have not heard back.
Fats
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
Hi donny,
That date, 1977, gave me a few chills. In those early months I had resigned as elder but hadn't yet given notice of quitting altogether. When the presiding overseer, a nice fellow, came to me, last minute, about giving a talk at a nearby congregation (Ames, Ia) I tried to back out. I re-looked over that outline, however, and since it was one that didn't offend me at the time I consented. I went by myself, not bringing my family -- who, by the way, didn't know of my feelings at that time -- and gave the talk with horrendous guilt feelings. It was the last time I set foot in a kingdom hall.
for what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so i can't testify to its authenticity.
she (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket.
at that time, the early 70's, knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many bethelites) as god-like.
For what it's worth, the following image was sent to me in an anonymous email so I can't testify to its authenticity. She (or he, since it wasn't signed) says he/she was one of the Bethel housekeepers and spotted the name tag in a waste basket. At that time, the early 70's, Knorr was regarded by many, including this person, (though disliked by even many Bethelites) as god-like. The person said that he/she had thought for the last few years of placing it on eBay to fetch a few bucks. Instead, the person thought it would be of greater service to simply share the scanned image. This person left the organization completely as his/her contract expired a few years later. Fats.
Don't forget an easily overlooked fact -- Number 1 was not Russell.
Len
