I am going to read every Watchtower and Awake! magazine

slimboyfat

I am not doing too well at the moment with my UC and am practically housebound. So I have decided to do something productive and finally read all the magazines the Society have ever published. I remember Greg Stafford claiming that he has read all the Watchtowers and thinking that was a good idea to get a real overview of the Witnesses' history and development of theology and ideology.

I thought about doing it chronologically, but I think that would get me down, so I am going to jump around the decades a bit and keep a record of what ones I have read. Along the way I might as well make some notes of interesting things I read. Particularly I am going to keep a note of all discussions of the Nazi persecution since I am especially interested in that subject. Also I am going to make a note of all the instances where the Witnesses overtly interact with opponents in their literature, like mentions about Moyle, Walter Martin, Catholic opponents and the like. The reason I want to do that is because I find it very interesting that, whereas in the past the Witnesses were not afraid to name their opponents and take them head on, nowadays interactions with opposers are much more obscure in the literature and you really have to read between the lines to see who exactly they are responding to at times.

Has anyone any suggestions about other things I should take a note of along the way. I want to keep my list of things to note down quite short however, or else I will make little progress actually reading. But just a few important things so that I actually have something to show for it at the end of all the time spent researching.

I have all the bound volumes from the 50s onwards available and I have the Watchtowers on CD ROM before that. MY main problem now would be to access the earlier Consolation and Golden Age magazines. I know there was talk on this forum about the Golden Age magazines coming out on CD via apostate channels - did anything come of that. Does anyone know where I can buy a CD with all the Golden Age magazines?

blondie

1879-1916

This is where you should really start.

http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbnon/links.htm

slimboyfat

Blondie,

I have those magazines on CD anyway. Do you know where I can get my hands on the complete volumes of Golden Age magazines?

Keyboard22

Hi

There it is going to take u years to get through all that and time consuming, but good luck to you.

blondie

I am looking myself for the Golden Age. Perhaps we could find someone who has it in their personal library that could be helped financially to put it on CD or online.

Have you read 1879-1916?

slimboyfat

Have you read 1879-1916?

No. So far I have only read the 1996 Awake! bound volume.

As I say, I don't want to do it chronologically because that would get quite depressing. I can only read so much of the old stuff at a time. Besides, I think there is something to be said for jumping across time when reading through the literature so that your mind doesn't get bogged down into a particular mode of thought and can instead comprehend the development as a whole, easily adjusting to absorbing information from one period, then another.

If I read 1879 through continuously, by the time I get the recent magazines I will have forgotten how things were expressed in the old magazines, and the changes may be less apparent if only apprehended gradually as they naturally unfold chronologically.

Having said that, I will read some of the early stuff next, when I am finished with the Awake!s I am currently on.

James Free

Read one years WT and you have read 10!. This is because they recycle the same old stuff, only interrupting the cycle if they change their minds on something.

Every 3 or so months you will find an article on obedience to the Organization.

Each year all the main talks from the previous year's convention are recycled just in case your brain forgot something.

Every few articles, expect lots of praise for the 'faithful and discrete slave' - the same humble ones who approve the articles that are praising them.

The study articles will include endless reminders to what makes a good Christian - attending meetings, being seen on the ministry. Once every two or three years or so you will find a cycle of articles on the fruitages of the spirit and how you display them by, yes you guessed it, attending meetings and being seen on the ministry.

And so on. There are many cycles and patterns at work. Maybe others have noticed them too. That's why you can miss a couple of year's meetings, go back, and it is like you were never away - though they will tell you it is vital not to miss a single meeting.

joelbear

yikes, what an utter waste of time. read the encyclopedia or the great works of literature instead.

sweet tee

slimboyfat - to make it truly worthwhile, why not do a bit of fact checking along the way. Take random statements and verify dates, people, places, pictures, quotes, Bible quotations etc. Take time to think critically about what you are reading. Ask yourself questions as you go along and search for credible sources to answer those questions - that is, if you are interested in taking in 'accurate knowledge'. If you just want to re-indoctrinate yourself to the witless dogma then there's really no need to create a plan of strategy. Just eat up!

Warmest,

sweet tee

blondie

Slimboy, take brief notes, such as publication, page, and comment that seems to be a 180 or different from what you hear today. You will be kept busy unless you very ignorant of what the WTS has taught in the past 10 to 15 years.

Blondie (known elders who didn't have a clue)

I am going to read every Watchtower and Awake! magazine

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