The last time I ever set foot in the kingdom hall of an English-speaking congregation was in 2012. It was an excruciating experience.
I was fully awakened, and attended only in an ultimately-vain attempt to quiet some of the gossip already circulating that I was a dreaded “apostate.”
The gossip was merely a product of sincere, albeit ill-advised efforts on my part to reach out to a few old friends and explain the reasons for my inactivity. By that point I was already learning there is no graceful way to distance oneself from “Jehovah’s organization” without being subjected to relentless character assassination. The JW grapevine can be merciless.
One of the abiding memories of my final meeting was the congregation study of a newly-released book about Jeremiah. I recall feeling somewhat embarrassed as I was handed a copy on dad’s tablet so I could follow along. Using flashy technology in a meeting felt alien to me.
God’s Word for Us Through Jeremiah was released at the 2010 district (or “regional”) convention – the last convention I attended as a believing Witness. I confess to never giving the book more than a flick-through, because by that point my indoctrination was disintegrating rapidly.
But any lingering pangs of guilt at not giving the book a fair opportunity to impress are now fully vanquished.
A letter has recently been posted to kingdom hall noticeboards notifying Witnesses of a long list of publications that are either being completely discontinued, or will not be available in print for the foreseeable future.
One of the casualties of this purge is, you guessed it, the Jeremiah book. After less than six years, the book I never made time to read has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Governing Body itself.
To download the document, please click here.
I have already written extensively on the organization’s downsizing as Watchtower scrambles to shrink itself to proportions better suited to the internet age without too much fuss. But even I am surprised at the extent to which the organization is slashing its printing commitments.
It seems cutting magazine printing by 57% since 2005 simply isn’t enough. Now even books that were released as recently 2010 must be jettisoned from the printing roster for the organization to balance its books. ‘Spiritual food’ has never had such a short shelf life.
More predictable victims of this “old light” purge include the highly-discredited Creation book, the All Scripture Inspired book, the Kingdom Interlinear, the Comprehensive Concordance, the Insight volumes, and the demonstrably-ludicrous Revelation Climax book (which was never even made available on JW.org).
The Reasoning book is also finally being retired, having been a mainstay of any self-respecting publisher’s literature bag since 1985.
Even though certain features of the new 2013 revised New World Translation are reminiscent of the Reasoning book, they don’t come close to tackling the range of topics covered by the silver sword’s diminutive brown, hardcover predecessor. It seems the Watchtower of the 21st Century is no longer interested in “reasoning” with potential converts. Either you surrender your thinking faculties to the Governing Body, or you don’t.
More recent titles deemed surplus to requirements include both Isaiah’s Prophecy volumes (2000 and 2001), the Creator book (1998), the Jehovah’s Day book (2006), the Draw Close to Jehovah book (2002), the Daniel’s Prophecy book (1999), the Worship the Only True God book (2002), the Bearing Thorough Witness book (2009) and the Come Be My Follower book (2007). All of these titles are either permanently out of print, or Watchtower is ceasing printing and not making any promises about their return.
Yes, I’m sure many of these titles will continue to be available in digital form, but the point is this: “spiritual food” once important enough to be printed in the form of books or brochures is now being consigned to digital purgatory, and all the evidence points to drastic cost-cutting as the main factor in this decision. The fact that these publications contain varying degrees of “old light” cannot be the only explanation.
The Reasoning Book, with its frank explanation of the 1914 “generation” teaching on page 200, was still in print and being widely circulated long after the Governing Body’s “overlapping generations” eureka moment.
So, if you happen to be a Jehovah’s Witness reading this, it is worth taking a moment to ponder the whole concept of spiritual food. If the material published by the ‘faithful slave’ is really new light from Jehovah, how is it so quickly deemed obsolete? Does the unending torrent of colorful shelf-fillers disgorged by “Jehovah’s organization” year after year, decade after decade, speak to genuine enlightenment – or a human organization that makes it all up as it goes along?
If nothing else, next time you find yourself in attendance when a new book or brochure is being released with much fanfare, you are well within your rights to ask: how long before some letter gets quietly posted to our congregation noticeboard consigning THIS ‘new light’ to Watchtower’s growing scrapheap?
Further reading…
Related video…
If everything goes digital, will it not make it easier for them to change information whenever it pleases them? Who will know if its not in written form?
I am curious about this.
Watchtower can alter its publications whether they are in print or not. The Truth book, first released in 1968 and re-released in 1981 is a good example of a book being edited to get rid of unfortunate material (speculation about 1975).
My personal experience in this regard was with the Live Forever book. When we got to the section on the resurrection of those in Sodom and Gomorrah during my studies, the copy I had stated they would be resurrected, but my study conductor’s said they wouldn’t. Of course, I had the 1982 edition, he had the later updated one (1989 I think?) This was one of the things I decided to revisit a couple of years ago when I began to reappraise my beliefs, and helped lead to my awakening. It turns out they have flip flopped on this teaching about 8 times (new light/old light/new light/ old light etc.)
Actually, it’s quite a funny story just how I came to be in possession of this 1982 edition in 1991 rather than the updated 1989 edition. Originally I was contacted at the door by a pioneer and took the “Look!” brochure. I then sent off for the Live Forever book from the back page. But instead of receiving the book, I got a letter from Bethel (Australia) pointing out that I had not included the $2.25 for the book and asking if I could send the money before they sent me the book! This is no word of a lie, I so wish I had kept the letter. It should have been an early warning sign that they were more interested in collecting $2.25 than saving a soul. Anyway, the result of that was that the pioneer sold me an old copy of from his library, so I read that one instead of the updated version I would undoubtedly have received from Bethel. And so the seeds of doubt were planted right there at the very inception on my study!
Speaking of which Lloyd, have you read this gem from the March 1st 1981 Watchtower, page 24, under the heading “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?”
“Witnesses of Jehovah understand that the “slave” is comprised of all anointed Christians as a group on earth at any given time during the 19 centuries since Pentecost. Accordingly, the “domestics” are these followers of Christ as individuals.
Some readers may feel that this is a rather sectarian view of matters. Or they may object to the idea that the “slave” and the “domestics” represent the same class, one as a composite body and the other as individuals. The objectors may argue that not all of Christ’s anointed disciples have a share in preparing the spiritual food, so that perhaps the “slave” pictures only the leading ones, and the “domestics” those they serve in the congregation.”
So, basically, what was considered the apostate teaching of “objectors” in 1981 is now the official definition of the FDS as of 2012 – namely that the “slave pictures only the leading ones.” Anyone who had argued this back in 1981 would have been disfellowshipped, and vice versa. It raises the question, whose direction have JWs been following all this time?
It also makes me wonder if they will eventually use this “new light” in 2012 to distance themselves from everything published prior to that. Wouldn’t that be a convenient flash of light if they could say in the future that the FDS was actually appointed in 2012? Maybe they could start “this generation” from then too and reset everything, but I don’t want to give them too many ideas. It doesn’t matter, they’d still be teaching BS.
As I read your last paragraph I thought ‘don’t give them any ideas!!!’ but then you said it yourself. Gave me a good laugh. And yes, BS is correct.
I never lapped up any new light. The more new light there was the more I thought – this just means they were wrong, how could the holy spirit directing them, make them write down something incorrect?
So glad to be out of it. I didn’t find any of the study books interesting.
@Ocma
“New Light” teachings had the same effect on me. How can you call something that is constantly changing “truth”? The constant changes drove me to start looking at what they had said early on, so I read many of the pre 1914 publications and what I found out really blew my mind.
WS
Exactly, the Holy Spirit doesn’t change it’s mind. You can’t say it’s “the light getting brighter” if it is just wrong. The truth should never be feared. Untruth should be because it is a misleading lie.
@Pburford – spot on, Pb, because in digital format, you have lowered cost and can update any digital publication and republish it in seconds. Since there would not be a published DVD or CDROM containing this library, no worries about “change control” from meddling dissenters, or obsessive r/f, comparing and nit-picking over changes. In conclusion, it will require ever more vigilence on our part, and that of genuinely observant JW’s, to catch these changes.
But, going back to my early awakenings and informative readings on how information deluge tends to numb the senses, I can tell you that the average JW is numb to these changes. Some JW’s stumbled through the date chronology proving 1914 and took it on “face-value” at best, so the finer points of debate which swept many of the astute to note Freddy’s Fumbles were met with curious stares. Given the rapid-fire pace of going through study books, many JW’s just read and read to “get through it all” without much integration of the material for logical sense; it’s there if I need it. Hence, the latest S&M approach to ministry–S&M? yes, “stand and model” (at the kiosk/bookstand)?
All that assigned Bible reading–the truth being laid out repeatedly before your eyes, but contradictions never registering because the magicians have you distracted with their authorized “questions” for this session, so I, and others, never formed legitimate inquiries with OUR own minds. It’s only when a break from this hypnotic barage of information allows clarity of thought, that some can “do the math” and begin to unravel this doctrinal “house of cards”. And, some would credit a Higher Power for that enlightment.
But going back to the digital format–a locked-in flock, nudged to “tithe”-til-it-hurts, no whining people at Bethel requiring funded shelter and food costs, a “loyal” brain trust to generate more digital content (regardless of the quality), and a captive audience viewing centralized videos and audio, programmed to donate “gifts”. The model is straight from televangelism, but less-costly than when the business model required leasing a satellite connection and buying syndication time in various markets. Now, the satellite is replaced by internet connections and Roku or Flash video hosted at website, and the cost is on each congregation to acquire internet connections and big screen televisions to host the program.
Law suits may make a dent in profitability, but the structure is in place for this group to make money–and fistfuls of it. There will always be that percentage of persons willing to accept the belief system regardless of cost; those who feel they have nothing, and this group offers them a chance to belong to something greater than themselves. Yet, not realizing the greater cost to themselves.
Where can you get unaltered CD/dvd’s of old material?
They already do it. You can see it in the JW Library app. From time to time there are updates for existing books. And they don’t disclose what’s been changed.
this is interesting, as just last week, my mom and I were doing our usual ‘last minuet before I leave’ debating, and she says ‘ they did not change anything”.
lol well I know exactly how she will interpret this,’ to save money, not because they ‘cant afford’ it, but because ‘we all much move ahead with modern technology because that’s what we need to do to reach people’
lol, i can hear her say it now. but Id love to have a copy of the little ‘insert’ that was made for the revelation book,in the mid 80s I believe, that had ‘adjusted thinking’ …. and that she could not deny.shes older and wont change, but sometimes I just want her to stop talking about it to me, but they dont know anything else to talk about.
Sometimes people have been so indoctrinated that they will believe and do anything that someone or it’s leaders tell them. (I.E Jim Jones, Hitler)
A good book to read since your both fading out is “combating cult mind control” by Steve Hassan.
Also I don’t know how old your mom is or what her state of mind is but sometimes folks don’t like change and are content to stay in their circumstances because that’s all they know.
Trinity brochure also out of print has been for awhile and was the JW greatest tool for the doors. yeah they really did misquote many in that brochure, any wonder the creation book is gone to they did the same.
but you see one can still get them online and check for themselves.
awake, awake, awake, probably be gone soon to.
Next thing you know they are going to discontinue the Bible itself and come out with a totally revised and snazzy version!
The ability of the internet to stop the Witnesses re-writing their history will eventually kill their religion!… and the sooner the better!
In other words, they will only reprint what they want and need you to remember. Anyone new coming in will only see the portions that look good and therefore not question the hidden additives of past mistakes and propaganda. Any ‘history’ will be more ‘dumbed’ down in the hope no one looks too closely and begins asking questions…..
A few years ago I saw the strong correlations between the organization and the “Ministry of Truth” in George Orwell’s 1984. But changes like this are bringing them even more closely in line with such a regime. They endeavor to erase all vestiges of their prior history in favor of their own concocted version.
WS
What will they do with older ones like me in since 60s and remember all the changes . Exept im fading and hope to be gone .
@Johnshipl
They will try to sell you on the light got brighter or they will try to convince you of their spin on the history through constant repetition. If you still do not accept the changes, in true Orwellien fashion you will become an unperson.
WS
What will they do with older ones like me in since 60s and remember all the changes . Exept im fading and hope to be gone .
Write down and pass on to others what you have learned?
I find myself both very much agreeing and very much disagreeing with this topic. Agree, a shame that ,many of what appear to be the ‘deeper’ books have gone e.g. Jeremiah. And have you ever read really old JW books like the 1960s ‘Two Babylons’ – really deep stuff. And why ditch the ‘Reasoning’ book, a really good reference. But I must take issue that the ‘Creation’ book is poor – some inteersting arguments for creation here. Personally, what backs up creation is a pre-life argument – how come the physical laws of the Universe are just right for life, e.g. the balance of nuclear and gravity that makes stars, the existence of carbon, which depends on the 2nd electron shell having just 8, no more or less, spaces. As scientists today say, you either buy a multiverse (seems unlikely to me) or you buy a creator. Still believe in Jehovah though disappointed with the Witnesses.
Peter, it sounds like you still have some digging to do. The link I provide to the essay debunking the Creation book is a good place to start.
People should do a detailed search of how the name “Jehovah” was brought into existence. For those in the organization are serving men under the guise of that name. Do your own personal research and you will be sure to see new light on the beginning of this name.
The Two Babylons was written by the Scottish Reverend Alexander Hislop in the 1860s and was published, inter alia, by Loiseaux Brothers.
The WTBTS has very, very, very few scholars and their distinguishing skill seems to be their flair for misquoting, misappropriating and regurgitating the learned thoughts of others to prop up their heretical and esoteric doctrines.
In other words they baffle people with B.S.
I was just going to type the same thing. They had a love affair with that book. Almost every hall I went to had a copy of it in the library. Also, the watchtower has ZERO scholars currently. A trend that will continue as long as they hate on higher education.
Peter- Watch the netflix series “COSMOS” it dosn;t touch on the beginning of life, science admits they don;t understand that yet… but evolution is pretty clearly spelled out. And the formation of the laws that govern planetary movement? Its well explained in laymens terms how we can calculate, and predict and prove, much of what we know about the formation of the Cosmos.
Yeah, is that the one with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson? He’s awesome.
Some may get a kick out of this, if u can handle the swearing. lol
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=idiots+react+to+cosmos
Peter- When I was a teenager I thought I was clever using arguments from the “creation” book to prove the need for a creator….
Please understand that the creation book MISREPRESENTS what evolution actually teaches…. and a lot of the info in it is downright false.. and its easy to prove how false it is.
First of all I will never ever step foot in a Kingdom Hall again PERIOD!
Secondly after being out some 25 years and Occasionaly reading recent articles by the watchtower that have been brought to my attention by this website I have come to the conclusion it’s the same old same old rethoric.
The only thing their liteture is good for is starting campfires.
Don’t forget, toilet paper too!
too rough a4, too ruff..
I let my one year old granddaughter play with my song book…. it is now an ex song book… oh dear, how sad, never mind :)
…such a loss…all those beautiful (nauseating) tunes.
Before, the third and fourth assignments allowed one’s own personal touch. It allowed the publisher to express the material with whatever creativity they had. However, this most recent change in 2016, the format of the new “school” doesn’t allow the speaker to deviate from the source. I attended my first weekday meeting after ages of not going to the meetings, and I swear it was dreadful watching the brothers convey the contents of the meeting word per word.
It was like watching a wild horse–that inner stallion that yearns for freedom–being strapped down to haul away that burden of a wagon, and blinded with blinkers, forcing him to look ahead without questioning what the rider has in mind.
Roman, my sentiments entirely after just watching the sample video online. It felt as if they were all reading off cue cards. There were no screaming babies or wrestlers toddlers running around. It certainly could not be described as ‘Messy Church’.
This feels like a circling of the wagons, waco-ish, movement. Get rid of everything superfluous to just existing til the current GB die. There will be less and less pesky Kingdom Halls and more talking heads on screens. Unapologetically get rid of old useless Bethelites with a letter. Burn the errant false prophet’s history. Show videos instead of talking at doors, publishers, cuz you’re too dumb anyway. Push the “Return” brochure to ferret out opposers. Destroy all evidence in files that could incriminate the WTS in court in the burgeoning molestation case files. The list is endless. And seems so obvious.
What surprises me the most is the not printing the Insight on the Scriptures books anymore. Maybe they weren’t getting enough money for them from the donation boxes. At the cost of most reference books these days, they would probably cost upwards of $75 U.S. in stores for something like that and I can’t imagine Witnesses putting that much in the contribution boxes for them.
When the Society put a price tag on the literature at the magazine counters, at least they would have broken even on them.
I think where they made the most money was that at the literature counter, we had to pay a certain price for the literature and then when we “placed” it at the door, we charged the same price as we had paid at the literature counter but we couldn’t keep the money. We had to put that money in the contribution box towards the world wide work so the Society was getting paid two times for that literature.
With the literature being produced with slave labor, they could produce that literature a lot cheaper than most book publishing companies so I think that’s where they got the money to buy all that property in New York and around the world for the branches etc. but now that most places, the Witnesses don’t ask for money up front but mostly just give it away, the Society is losing money on the printing of all that literature because the Witnesses only put in the contribution boxes, what they think the literature is worth.
I remember when I was still going to meetings, that for our congregation, the amount for the world wide work used to be between $500-$600 a month but when I was last attending, it was only about $350 a month. I think most pioneers don’t put much money into the contribution boxes for literature either. The pioneers got their literature at a very reduced rate when we had to pay for it upfront, so they probably still have that mindset and don’t put that much in the contribution boxes for the worldwide work.
It’s all about the money. Can they make money on it or not, and obviously not. I love it.
Way back in the 70’s Watchtowers and Awake were what 10 cents each. A NWT Bible like $1-1.50 each. Each publisher had standing orders for magazines for service. Everything got paid for.
Pure Digital won’t work ask the music performers about streaming. Who pays for the internet and controls it? This is a dark path. Watch a small fee for Digital in the future. It’s the new generation the GB is going for, and this generation pays for Apps.
In Australia in the 90’s we experienced a new tax. It was called the GST which put a 10% tax on everything excluding food. Just before this tax came in, we were told that we no longer needed to pay for our literature at the literature counter anymore. That we had to put the money in the kingdom hall box for the worldwide work. It seemed awfully coincidental at the time that Watchtower was exempt from paying any of this tax because they were regarded as a religious organisation. Watchtower at least in this country were trying to work out how not to pay the GST tax. I know someone who left because of this reason.
That Isaiah Book 1 and 2 were awful. It was so full of types and anti types. Here is what Israel did – here is how Jah was patient – here is how it pertained to the Bible Students. Every damn chapter. Over and over and over. Its hard not to be a bit cynical when you see everyone all happy at a convention with their new “release” knowing its just going to repeat history. It will be discontinued and recycled again in another ten years. Think of all those Books Lloyd has on his shelf that are so far off from the current “understanding” that are laughable – yet at the time they were part of Jesus choosing the Bible Students. Utter nonsense.
On a side note I also as a JW was confused by books that were printed but never really used at Book Study to my knowledge (the Mankind Search for God – I think was the title – had a really gory picture of a Mayan holding a human heart inside it). I also didn’t recognize some of these brochures and books. What an odd time in my life and upbringing. I am going to the beach today and will be listening to David Bowie. So good to be free of this dreck.
I don’t know of any other Christian religion that focuses so much on the Old Testament (except the basics like Garden of Eden, Flood, 10 Commandments). What’s the point? It’s just weird. It’s pure drivel, fodder for the rank & file to chew over & over & over again, like cud.
If they had truly believed and followed what the scriptures say that “all scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching… so that the man of God may be completely equipped…”, they wouldn’t have produced mountains of material containing their own interpretations. Instead, they would have just used the Bible.
If they had done that, then donations could have gone to the impoverished, as Jesus directed, instead of being used to building a vast publishing empire.
I am not being mean or anything, but that would make a lot of sense if they weren’t a PUBLISHING COMPANY. If this PUBLISHING COMPANY only published BIBLES, they would have out of business a long time ago. A great business decision for a PUBLISHING COMPANY is to come up with a whole lot of books that will sell, sell, sell!
I just took a very interesting Comparative Religion class, and the way that our Professor described what a “Cult” was: A sect that has “added text” outside of the Biblical sources used in their religion. With that she said, that the Jehovah’s Witnesses use a lot of extra books and thus it subjects people to additional secular teachings. She said that even though we were studying it in class under Christianity, she said that this sect is so far removed from the original text, it is debated if they can still be defined as “Christians”.
@michele
Your professor is correct in calling the JWs a cult, but I don’t 100% agree with her definition of a cult. From my research into cults, publishing extra-biblical texts alone does not necessarily define a cult. It is usually defined by undue influence and control of its members. Steve Hassan proposes the BITE model which involves exessive control of behavior, information, thinking, and emotion. The publishing of extra-biblical texts may be part of information control, but I do think that it alone is enough to define a cult. Perhaps your professor will elaborate on her definition of a cult. It also may be that I look at cults from a psychological and socialogical perspective, whereas your professor is solely viewing them in comparison to mainstream religious philosophy.
WS
As long as we’re talking Comparative Religion, I would say, Compared to other religions, the Jehovah’s Witness religion SUCKS.
@A4
I agree with that assessment 100%.
WS
Oh the dilemma! I collect old book…. now the box of wt books at the door, ready for recycling could hold hidden ‘treasures’ when I need a good laugh. I have, for some reason, three copies of the bright pink children’s book – forget its name. I have a number of the old books…. the ones without pictures that seem dry and dusty – these were way before my time.
A few months or so back…. I was being asked if I really wanted hard copies of ‘examine the scriptures daily’ or could I put them on my ipad… I told the brother that when the GB buys me an ipad I will down load the stuff ( not actually going to happen). I got a few strange looks from people for that one.
To me it seems the Borg are destroying all damning info as quick as possible. No reference to their lies….. maybe I will just pop the recycling back under the stairs for a while.
I remember that pink book, I think it was called ‘Listen to the great teacher’ ??. My brothers and I all ‘studied’ it in the early 80’s.
My mother passed away just over a year ago, and we have all her old hard cover JW books. My dad and I were clearing up the back shed where these and other things are being stored, when we opened this box of books, dad and I said at the same time ‘they can go on the trailer for the dump’.
@Tara
“To me it seems the Borg are destroying all damning info as quick as possible. No reference to their lies”
Spot on! That’s one reason I hang onto all my old JW books – EVIDENCE. Digital media can be altered. What’s more, when you are trying to show someone the truth about the organization’s past statements, they can argue that digital media may have been changed.
I have a nice collection of old JW books, including watchtowers back to the 50’s (and a few late 40’s too, I believe) as well a a near complete set (one volume missing) of Studies In The Scriptures that came from my great-grandparents. I’m glad my great-grandmother was a such a horder.
WS
Thank you for this article Lloyd. Your website is my favorite recently.
All of the large print articles point to only money saving, as there are some that cannot use electronic devices because of age, neurological problems or other problems. So they are left in the lurch, according to a witness point of view. Another example of avoiding helping the elderly, and infirm.
Also, the “date” is November 2015. Was this circulating around to prominent people so they can get what they want before us “little puppies” got the scraps?
No, apparently the list was posted on the noticeboard at kingdom halls – although arguably it deserved more fanfare.
Sorry for the delayed response! I just looked again at the letter and saw that the instruction was to only post it on the board. However, they did announce it at my congregation two weeks ago. I didn’t notice it on the board before that. Anyway… Maybe they changed their mind, and cobe got an email telling them to do a quick announcement? Or my elder was acting independent? Oh well, no biggie. Thanks for pointing out that there was no instruction in the letter about any announcement.
They have been trying to drill into us to look at the board, but end up announcing lots of things from the stage because we just don’t look at it. The announcements are late, like the elders notice we don’t know something, so it forces them to actually make an announcement. It takes time out of the parts. Ha!
Here is a section from the now defunct Jehovah’s Day book (2006, revised in 2014) chapter 5, paragraphs 8-9:
“Consider a phrase used in the book of Amos: ‘cleanness of teeth.’ Through Amos, God warned His people: ‘I also, for my part, gave you people cleanness of teeth in all your cities and want of bread in all your places.’ (Amos 4:6) That cleanness was not from brushing. It was from having nothing to eat, suffering famine. Moreover, it was a warning of ‘a famine, not for bread, and a thirst, not for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.’—Amos 8:11. Spiritually, what Amos described finds a fulfillment in the sad condition of Christendom. In contrast, ‘the floodgates of the heavens’ are open for God’s people worldwide. They are blessed with spiritual provisions aplenty. (Malachi 3:10; Isaiah 65:13, 14)”
The irony
The changes that they are making going from printing to the digital age should have happened many years ago. I used to work for a local newspapers back in the late 80’s and early 90’s and even then our Advertising Manager said that the internet would take over from the printing age. Rather than embrace Technology they just kept printing all the books and magazines at the large volume – it was like business as usual until they got threatened with tax! They tried donations but that did not work.
I do think that as a lot of the GB in the past were very old and had been there since the early 1970’s ie John Barr – this may have also had a massive contribution to the lack of changes that should have happened a very long time ago.
Also today younger generation do not really read paper books but use the internet to read anything. Why would you want to be involved with a religion that puts a lot of emphasis on publication that are on paper which choose to advise member “ignore the internet”.
All of a sudden changes have been made and now they are really having to take a sudden u-turn and adapt. It is a case Change now or sink without trace!
It does not surprise me about the changes that they have made but they sure took a long time to make the changes.
They have made sudden u-turns in the past – like in the Southern States of America – when most of the Southern States had stopped practicing Segregation – they did not make any changes until the very late 70’s or early 80’s when most of the USA had ended these practices in the late 60’s / early 70’s.
They chose to isolate themselves from the world and this is the price you pay. Mind you they have done very nicely with selling property! One area they have got right!
What makes me laugh about this is the way they have always promoted themselves as being innovators and at the cutting edge of technology, one step ahead of everybody else. The digital/internet revolution has transformed many industries from book publishing to newspapers, photography, banking, music etc. They were slow to get onto the digital revolution, no doubt wary of the real threat the Internet poses to their cult. But now they have finally joined the digital revolution, launching jw.org and the the JW app, they present this as further evidence of holy spirit directing them!
In truth they have just realised two things – firstly that they can’t stop the digital revolution (oh if only they could control the Internet!) and the end still hasn’t come so the Internet is here to stay whether they like it or not, and secondly there is money to be saved (and made) by switching to digital.
Vikki, Balance is the word. Just because the younger generation doesn’t like the printed page; well it doesn’t correspond to them being right. Locally we have the young getting killed cause they can’t walk across the street, drive while texting. I’m writing an article on it, but sadly, I consider them the lost generation.
Digital books and brochures will be fine for 10% of the
of 8 million worldwide.(exclude Europe and US from that percentage) The other 90% do not have a clue and neither do most people that live in the countries where they preach. SO, I wonder, what really is their plan?
Everything seems to be going down really fast.
Very true! Sometimes we forget that the 8 million witnesses are not all in developed countries. They still have to print for those areas because there is no way that they are providing free electronics for all.
I know the COs receive a projector that you can attach a USB flash drive to for showing JW.org videos. In Africa at least. It does make you wonder though. Their recent shenanigans make it seem as if they WANT to be attacked so that they can duck and run. Then say “wait on jah friends! In the meantime we’ll post vids in secret and you can keep donating into our overseas .org account”
Sad to see the Revelation Book go. It was that book that really got me asking questions. It made no sense what so ever!
I have wondered at times about the possibility that some of the money woes may be due to ‘skimming and laundering’ in case things get legally dire with legal cases. If the UK law about shunning being abuse leads to tens of thousands of claims/cases the GovBod may want to ‘take the money and run’. Has any investigation been undertaken about income and outgoings and ‘investments’ (like the Caymans?) by journalists?
As Deep Throat said in Watergate… “Follow the money. Follow the money”.
I have a theory as to why funds are drying out. I don’t think the economy has anything to do with it, as I remember an elder attending some special meeting at Bethel (a year or 2 after the economy collapsed in 2007/8) and said one speaker was boasting the WT was not affected, and that donations were actually increasing. Now, as the economy has generally recovered, the money is disappearing. My theory has to do with a comment once made by Tony Morris. He acknowledged that there were some big doners to the organization (though it was in the context of “but we’re mainly supported by small donations from average publishers”). My guess is some of those big doners woke up to what they were really funding, especially since the child abuse scandal emerged. Without those major contributions, the organization had no choice but to make drastic cuts.
Heh heh. They were previously generously funded by spandex, who “reconsidered their investment” in the light of recent “events…”
…and in the breakfast hall at Bethel, Steven Lett leans over to Tony Morris and mutters: “Nice job, you idiot.”
Some of these books are offered regularly to begin bible studies, is the door to door work stopping as well? I really hope that this is the case.
At least they save some trees. Non sense in digital format is more environmentally friendly.
Half of these books contain old light and prophecy. The watchtower society doesn’t care anything about saving trees, or mother earth or any of that crap. They care about saving money and not confusing the brain washed sheep. That would only cause them to do research…which is now incredibly hard to do considering the entire Watchtower Index has been replaced. You can’t research back to the 50’s anymore on their new databases. Too much old light.
Hopefully, any JW’s reading Lloyd’s excellent articles can see the hypocrisy of all this and wake up.
Absolutely….they are dumbing down the meetings…no more thinking or research required just blind obedience far too dangerous to let use use our cognitive reasoning or our critical thinking!… The videos and direction from the big screen are all we need…watch a film called ‘The Giver’…. scarily true….and the shunning … well that is the shackle that binds us all.
I just got home from work and signed on here to read poster’s comments. Then I see todays article, New light scrap heap. I learn something new every time I log on. Good job. Thank you, now I have something to use to try to reason with that dumb idiot of a sister of mine.
C/O’s used to say that the internet was very dangerous. Now the Watchtower is going all digital. What a stupid religion.
The great thing is, the internet still IS dangerous to cults like Watchtower who rely on controlling information to keep members in the dark.
Yet the march of progress demands that increasingly, Watchtower will have to live and operate online, in an environment that is inherently hostile to them, if they wish to stay even slightly relevant.
It’s going to be a train-wreck….and it’s already started :)
@airborne,
Hey, it’s new light.
1990’s: Internet BAD
2000’s: Internet GOOD
Is God just really bad at giving the GB signals or are they just really bad at reading them? With such poor reception you would think God would find another channel by now. LOL.
WS
As the comedian Ron White states, “You can’t fix stupid”.
I keep some old books for reference and evidence. Every one has some hidden gem that can be used to condemn Watchtower. I think this is why they are removing them from production, and of course, to save money!
Hard copy is evidence as to their deceptive influence on peoples minds.
I have found the Society’s own publications condemnatory. When I first started to wake up, I looked up so many references to 607 in the publications. Dates were carefully manipulated in the ‘Insight Books’. 607 was stated as a ‘historical fact’ in ‘Live with Jehovah’s Day in Mind’. There was some pretty dodgy artwork in the ‘Revelation Book’.
With all these publications out of the way, the whitewash can continue.
Following on Lloyds theme – it appears that the ‘spiritual food’ has now become ‘junk food’. Of course, we now know that it always has been!
Great job Loyd!! The revelation book! Haha. What a ludicrous piece of garbage. I remember studying it at the book study when I was about 11, surrounded by adults, and thinking ” is anybody really believing this crap??” United Nations is the wild beast! 7th trumpet blast was an assembly in Cedar Point Ohio! Hahahaga Seriously, it’s like it was written on Lsd!! I’ve never understood the organisations’ obsession with making these kind of bold predictions. What is the point? There’s absolutely no added value to the bible’s message. These bold statements are like digging a hole, just so you can fall into it eventually. Simply from a managerial and recruitment perspective you would think someone at the top would think it be better just to stick to the basics and not say any crazy stuff! I guess they just can’t help themselves!
Amazing how the info in the ‘Revelation’ book applied to the Society; as you say the seven trumpet blasts being Conventions!
The ‘Jeremiah’ book should have definitely been applied to them and yet they just could not see it.
All the denunciations were for those who claim to be in a dedicated relationship with God!
@ KI
“I guess they just can’t help themselves.”
Interesting point. I developed kind of a morbid fascination with psychopaths / sociopaths / Narcissists awhile back, and did some reading on the Net. I found a few constants among those individuals, 1 of which is the inability to know when to shut the f*** up! I mean, people like that LITERALLY cannot shut up to save their own lives. Hitler was the obvious example of a Blowhard. But look at Charles Manson. Whenever he comes before the Parole Board, & knows the cameras are rolling, he simply CANNOT resist the temptation to PREACH to them!!! Even though just shutting up & at least PRETENDING to be the least bit penitent, would do him a LOT more good. Just check out clips of Saddam Hussein’s trial on YouTube. My God! Here was a man who spent some time in Law School! I wouldn’t have hired him to help me beat a Parking Ticket! What a buffoon & blowhard! He literally told the Judge (often referring to himself in the 3rd person), ‘I am not here to defend Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein is TOO GREAT for even Saddam Hussein to defend.’!!! Like WOW man! No bloody wonder they hanged him!
It does remind me, however, of 1 of the very few actual nuggets of wisdom found in the bible, perhaps in Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. Something about someone who can ‘control their tongue’ being ‘stronger than a mighty man’, & someone who knows when to shut the f*** up being ‘mightier than someone taking a city’.
@John Baptist-Interestong you say that. For all who don’t know, “Jehovah” is actually not God’s name, let alone a creation of any Witness. In the original transcript of the bible, Latin scholars discovered the ‘Tetragrammaton, the original and true name of God. This tetragrammaton was eventually translated to ‘YHWH’. One man, I forget who, started pronouncing it as Yahweh, even though the original greek language had no vowels. So YHWH is actually the closest translation, if not the ascertain translation of God’s name. Actually I believe the letter ‘J’ wasn’t even part of that alphabet. So Jehovah is a long shot, disrespectful term for God. This is why he said that he didn’t say his name because it would be slandered. Interesting slso how he never said it and translators still defame his name. In one of the JW Broadcasts I believe that one of the GB said God’s name was Yahweh but Jehovah is a name we use because of how the letters were originally pronounced. Honestly, if a religion claiming to be this and that for their god but defames such god, how can they be viewed as ‘the true religion’. Any witness on this site that reads what I said go ahead research it. This is what caused me to open my eyes back in 8th grade and eventually convinced me this religion was far from the truth. Too bad my family believes we are only a few years from the great Tribulation and Armeggon. This is why now I just call him “Lord”.
I’ll bet it’s really Yahooweh. That’s my theory & I’m sticking to it. lol
Speaking of scrap heap. Isn’t this interesting? BOE ordered to destroy all meeting notes;
http://youtu.be/vabrD9wUuZ0
Can this letter be turned over to the authorities? That is against the law, especially if someone has already filed suit alleging that they have been molested or sexually abused. There are many that have already filed suit against the organization.
Pow
Newsflash: warwick n.y.
Prominent members of Governing body (aka..faithful slave, John class, jehu class, 144k, 24 elder,ect).have seen startling cloud formations over new world headquarters and have determined that there’s only 42 months till ARMAGETTON so Now is the time to send in all your unrighteousness riches, (CASH that is).
Back in the late 50’s and early 60’s I remember studying in some of the outlandish books and going to the eight day International Conventions (that’s right Sunday to Sunday) in New York City. We were at Yankee Stadium and the convention was held simultaneously at the Polo Grounds (where the N.Y. Giants played baseball).
I remember the release of “Babylon the Great Has Fallen-God’s–Kingdom Rules” book and question booklet that accompanied it. This was released in 1963 and was followed by “Then is finished the Mystery of God” book. Both of which have been long out of print. Next on the list of Watchtower Revelation interpretation literature that is now defunct and unavailable is the “Revelation- Climax” and its updated paperback version.
The Catholic Church, unlike the Watchtower, makes no bones about the book of Revelation and has wasted no time or monies on trying to understand it. They say it is a “mystery” people aren’t meant to interpret it or understand it and let it go at that. How long before the Watchtower comes up with another ludicrous publication interpreting the book of Revelation? I wait with baited breath, LOL.
All during by childhood I remember my mother telling my brother and me “you won’t graduate school and Armageddon will be here.” Latter on her mantra was “you won’t get married and Armageddon will be here” followed next by “you won’t have children before Armageddon will be here”, ad nauseam. She finally shut up after becoming a great grandmother with her Armageddon delusion dying with her, like all of Watchtower promises–unfulfilled.
Truly, a sad commentary on a life wasted reading, hoping and listening for literal fulfillments from a book written in symbolism which has been interpreted seven ways from Sunday by nearly every televangelist in the world. Pathetic only begins to describe it. Poor deluded sheeple, what a pity. Anyone still active with Jehovah’s Witnesses and who believe their interpretation of Revelation do well to follow the angel in mid-heavens advice; And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”. –Rev. 18.4 AV
@Big B our childhoods seem very similar. I was told when I was about 4, not to even worry about starting school because Armageddon would have been and gone and I would be in paradise, playing with lions. Then I was told not to worry about going to high school because Armageddon would happen before I was old enough for high school. Then don’t worry about dating & getting married, then don’t have children in these last days! Now I am middle aged and losing some elderly relatives, and my JW family are saying “Armageddon is so close we will be seeing them again so soon”, I just can’t believe they talk like that decade after decade.
I am so glad my children don’t have to worry about all of that rubbish!
Yes, it’s mind boggling how they can keep saying that it’s right around the corner for years and years. How are their powers of reason so impaired? I guess it comes down to cognitive dissonance again – they have so much invested in this philosophy that they can’t bring themselves to admit it was all for naught.
My parents were both born in this religion and are now in their 60’s. I have noticed that they talk less about the nearness of the end. My mother even speaks of dying. But if you point out that this means that the org was wrong, their cult programmed thought-stopping kicks in and they revert to all the typical watchtower arguments about the last days, 1914, etc.
WS
In my teenage years and early twenties, the generation that can visibly see the difference between pre and post 1914 was drummed into me at every opportunity. It was almost blackmail.
I spent those years petrified that I would probably die any day because of the things I was doing and thinking, like not enjoying field service and wanting to join sport clubs like my “worldly” friends at school did.
Me too…I would never go to ‘big’ school… I would never leave school…I would not get married in this system…I would not have children in this system…WHY are you being so foolish to have children in this system…your children will never go to school in this system…your children will never leave school in this system…your children will never get married in this system…your children will never have children in this system….WHY are your children so foolish to have children in this system…and on and on and on 57 years later I finally wake up!
What a waste.
My mother was told by her relatives and my grandparents that she would not be in high school and that she would be in the new system. Today my mother is 65 years old and my two sisters and I all finished high school. In addition, I finished college with a bachelors degree and now work full-time as a software engineer.
Big B, Wow!!!!!!
“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”. –Rev. 18.4 AV
Powerful statement to follow these instructions. I get mad every time I think about how I was forced to tell people in field service about who Babylon the Great was supposed to be, only to find out a couple of years ago that the witnesses were members of Babylon the Great for about 10 years!! What? Really?
I to, was so sick of hearing that you shouldn’t go to school because you should be a special pioneer, or you shouldn’t study anything in the medical field because Jehovah is going to cure everything in the New Order, or you shouldn’t participate in extracurricular activities because all your extra time should be informing people about the “Great Tribulation” which is right around the corner. Every time the government would hint at a new treaty or peacetime, I would hear that scripture recited in 1 Thessolonians 5:3 “While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ” Scare tactics!!! I can’t believe that I allowed someone to penetrate my brain like that!
They are still according to their own definition members of Babble on the great.
They use different corporations to keep from being quickly identified. An example can be seen in the list of NGO’S for the OSCE (organization for security and cooperation in Europe). This a political organization with goals akin to the U.N. In the list appear “European association of Jehovahs Christian witnesses” with Paul Gillies as representative and the IBSA House in the UK as the address.
Their hypocrisy is MIND BOGGLING! They will lie right to your face all whilst smiling. “We were never NGO’S :)”
What really burns me up is the fact that many of us attended a book study every Tuesday night to study the now obsolete Revelation book. We didn’t go over this book once but about 3 times at least!! Each time with new and changed information that we had to insert into our old books because the “light got brighter”. Apparently the light has gotten so bright that that they are blind because that book that we painstakingly studied has gone into the abyss.
Jehovah’s Witnesses…….the religion that flies by the seat of its pants………what is truth today may not be truth tomorrow.
From a long time ago, there were Christians who believed that the book of Revelation should not have been included in the Bible.
Early Christians who rejected/doubted the book of Revelation include:
-Dionysius of Alexandra, a Catholic Bishop, c190 – 265AD
https://www.umass.edu/wsp/philology/gallery/dionysius.html
-John Calvin, the founder of Presbyterianism and Erasmus another Protestant scholar doubted Revelation
-The greatest name in the records of the Protestant church is Martin Luther. He is generally recognized as its founder; he is considered as one of the highest authorities on the Bible; he devoted a large portion of his life to its study; he made a translational of it for his people, a work which is accepted as one of the classics of German literature. With Luther the Bible superseded the Church as a divine authority. And yet this greatest of Protestants rejected Revelation. He said: “I can discover no trace that it is established by the Holy Spirit” (Preface to Edition of 1622)
http://freethought.mbdojo.com/canon.html
Views of some contemporary Christians regarding the book of Revelation:
http://valerietarico.com/2009/07/08/the-book-of-revelation-prophecies-hallucinations-or-history/
http://www.christian-community.org/library/revelheresy.html
From a long time ago, there were Christians who believed that the book of Revelation should not have been included in the Bible.
Early Christians who rejected/doubted the book of Revelation include:
-Dionysius of Alexandra, a Catholic Bishop, c190 – 265AD
https://www.umass.edu/wsp/philology/gallery/dionysius.html
-John Calvin, the founder of Presbyterianism and Erasmus another Protestant scholar doubted Revelation
-The greatest name in the records of the Protestant church is Martin Luther. He is generally recognized as its founder; he is considered as one of the highest authorities on the Bible; he devoted a large portion of his life to its study; he made a translational of it for his people, a work which is accepted as one of the classics of German literature. With Luther the Bible superseded the Church as a divine authority. And yet this greatest of Protestants rejected Revelation. He said: “I can discover no trace that it is established by the Holy Spirit” (Preface to Edition of 1622)
http://freethought.mbdojo.com/canon.html
New light, what sort of nonsense is that?
Consider this thought, if you believe the bible is the word of God, if interpretations belong to God then the bible should interprete itself.
Everything else therefore is control
‘Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive’.
“The JW grapevine can be merciless.”
That is the best sentence ever. I never encountered anything like it anywhere else.
It is interesting to see all these books being jettisoned. I was a JW when the majority of these books came out and they were the mainstays of the bookstudies for the whole of my JW life.
I see though that they are moving towards a more emotion-based faith. Your latest rebuttal showed an African guy who converted to JW just because he liked the sound of the name “Jehovah”. This is a far cry from the processes which brought me into the religion in the late 90’s!
What about “Yahooweh”? I like the sound of that. Think I’ll go out & start my OWN religion. LOL
While we’re at it, we could start the First Church of Arthur Fonzerelli. Not sure if anyone gets the satirical show I am referencing, but it was a great episode about religion. Fonzi Be Praised! LOL!
I remember. That would be Yahweeeeeeehhh, while holding 2 thumbs up. lol
“The amount of wisdom contained in a piece of advice is inversely proportionate to the volume of the verbiage comprising that advice.”
2500 years ago a Chinese general named Sun Tzu wrote Art of War, a Tactics & Strategy manual for warfare. It is still studied in Military Academies like West Point today, but is also applied in politics, business, psychology, sports, economy, etc. It is hardly even a manual or book. More like an extended pamphlet consisting of 13 short chapters. It can be completed in an afternoon. I have read the Bible. I have read Art of War. As far as practical wisdom goes, there is no comparison. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
PS For anyone who hasn’t read Art of War & is interested, I believe u can find it online. If u look for it in the bookstore, don’t be fooled by the size. Most copies of ‘Art of War’ are the size of a dictionary, but that’s only because it’s full of commentaries & analyses by professors, analysts, etc. For some reason, when it comes to Sun Tzu’s classic, everyone wants to put their 2 cents’ worth in. The actual A of W is usually at the end, & comprises only about 10% of the whole book.
I tried talking to my sister about the discontinued literature and the false reasoning behind the idea of new light. Jws tell themselves what they want to believe. She has to tell herself they’re right to make everything right. As far as my sister is concerned The GB is right when they’re wrong and when they’re wrong they’re still right. I got no where so we went shopping.
Too bad u can’t buy people a new brain.
Watchtower Babble and Tract Society need an expiration date on their publications.
I agree with John Cedars about the Creation book. Scientists were appalled at the various inaccuracies made by the “Life, How did it get here by Evolution or Creation” book. I remember trying to give this book to my biology teachers and they rightfully refused the book. After doing much careful research, I found this book should have been placed on the tabloid rack at the local grocery store immediately.
I feel bad that I pushed a book with scientists often misquoted and misrepresented. I am truly sorry.
It is my understanding that many of the arguments in the creation book are no more than a regurgitation of the pseudo-science published by known creationist proponents.
WS
Pulp fiction, lurid, badly written, repetitious and churned
out to order for each assembly.
Touted as gifts from God and accepted as such by the
assembled crowds.
“There is nothing so easy as by sheer volubility to deceive
a common crowd or an uneducated congregation”. (Jerome)