In 1940, former zone servant Harvey H. Fink wrote that the WTS was "set up by presumptous men whose interest in spite of their pretenses to the contray, is primarily selling books for revenue.." and that the WTS demanded that books containing outdated doctrine would still "be sold to the people very definitely, because it wanted to get the revenue out of them in spite of the errors it willing admitted they contained."

Strong words, indeed. Is the WTS so currupt and greedy that they would knowlingly make their membership buy and sell books that contained ADMITTED false prophecies and outdated doctrines? Is the WTS so currupt that they would knowingly put the very salvation of interested persons in jeopardy just to get rid of book inventory?

But of COURSE they are!

After the early 1930's hardly any mention of Chuck Russell was made in the society's publications. Many of not most of Russell's most important doctrines had been changed, even demonized. While Russell thought the Great Pyramid was a monument to prophecy from Jehovah, Rutherford taught it was a monument from Satan the Devil himself. I could list literally dozens of Russell's beliefs that had been changed by the time Rutherford died in 1942. By 1938 Rutherford had re-organized his pet cult so thoroughly that it bore virtually NO resemblance to the way it was in Russell's day.

Yet the "Watchtower Cost List", dated February 1, 1944 (two years after Rutherford's death and twenty five years after Russell's death) offered all six volumes of "Studies in the Scriptures" in three editions: Cloth, Keratol and DeLuxe!

In April 1946 the society's "Informant" pamphlet (currently Kingdom Ministry) listed most of Rutherford's books as part of a literature campaign, even though they taught many things that were currently rejected by the society.

Among these things were that the "time of the end" began in 1799, Jesus' second presence began in 1874 and the "other sheep" were destined for heavenly life. Keep in mind that last doctrine was rejected eleven years BEFORE that literature campaign began in 1946.

This campaign to sell outdated literature continued for four years after Rutherford's death.

Ray Franz in his book "In Search of Christian Freedom" stated that often the book that was ordered to be studied in the congregation's book study was one that had a backlog of inventory at the factory. Being primarily a book-selling business, this makes perfect sense to Watchtower leaders.

Have any of you have wondered why the same book is often studied more than once at the mid-week study, several years after it was first studied? It's because the book is over-stocked at the factory, and the WTS knows that over a period of several years many dubs will leave their cult and be replaced by new suckers. New suckers have to buy the book in order to study it, while old suckers just might buy themselves another copy, too! And of course another campaign to "place" that book at the door is also instituted. Inventory problem solved.

I well remember having to study the 678,324 page book "Babylon the Grape Has Fallen" twice within a period of about four or five years. That book was so screwed up, we were only able to cover about 5 pages in a single study. Even then, NONE of us (including the study conductor) understood a damn thing Franz wrote in that piece of crap which masqueraded as "spiritually deep" understandings.

Can a religion be so detached from Christianity that they would place book profits over truth and the spiritual needs of their membership?

If that religion is the Watchtower Book Peddling Corporation, you can bank on it.

Farkel

It may not have been in the official Cost List, but I distinctly remember a letter posted on the information board in the late 1960's, when I first started attending the KH, that offered a number of publications still in stock that the WTS was trying to liquidate at reduced rates. There was at least one of the Studies volumes listed. by then, that information was really old light, but they were still selling it!

: but I distinctly remember a letter posted on the information board in the late 1960's, when I first started attending the KH, that offered a number of publications still in stock that the WTS was trying to liquidate at reduced rates. There was at least one of the Studies volumes listed.

Yes, I remember that also.

Farkel

Room, Are you trying to give people ideas????

 

: I well remember having to study the 678,324 page book "Babylon the Grape Has Fallen" twice within a period of about four or five years. That book was so screwed up, we were only able to cover about 5 pages in a single study.  Even then, NONE of us (including the study conductor) understood a damn thing Franz wrote in that piece of crap which masqueraded as "spiritually deep" understandings.

 

LOL@ Farkel

I hated that book, the 678,324 pages thing has me still laughing, and I thought War and Peace was long.

 

I'd like to add a point. JWs who have already studied the book once at the book study may want to get a new book to underline or highlight the answers again. If they start over fresh, they may actually understand it! What a concept! Didn't work.

Odrade writes:

Actually, that sometimes backfires on them.  The elders and book study conductors (and their families) are all more or less expected to set the example for the congregations by acquiring new copies of the books to be re-studied.  I remember the second go-round in the Revelation book, and my  husband and I did not get new copies.  We were the only ones in the study group who noticed the editing jobs that the Society had done in various places, because everyone else had the ones with New Light? in them.  That, along with the need to move inventory, is a huge reason why they want EVERYONE to get fresh copies every time they have a re-hash of old material.

Love, Scully

Farkel,

What commentary on the book of Revelation is going to clear and understandable?  The book itself is strange and filled with esoteric concepts.  Would you prefer reading the "Left Behind" series?

 

I can remember sitting on a folding metal chair and trying to balance a Bible, the book and the question book on my lap, a skill I never quite mastered. Just trying to do all of that took most of whatever intelligince I had and then we were supposed to understand the stupid book ?   Bug

I can't believe that the book is 678, 324 pages long!  At the rate of 100 pages per day, 7 days a week, it would take about 17 years to read it.  Did I calculate wrong?  I didn't think any book could physically be that big to hold so many pages.