Does Bethel have a library? Is it open to you?

by Fatfreek 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • jayhawk1
    jayhawk1

    My Kingdom Hall must not have received the memo to "burn the old books!" At least as of 6 years ago, they still have a set of "Studies in the Scriptures."

    Ra the sun god never shined more brightly!

  • mrsjones5
    mrsjones5

    I understand that Blondie. I didn't really take what he told me as being a organizational wide directive (and he never said that it was), just something that happened in his neck of the woods. When I said "org" I should have said the elders of his congregation. I had been in the chatroom with him when other chatters said that nothing like that ever happened in the org and I distinctly remember him saying to the contrary that it did. I guess it comes down to how fanatical the elders are and how they influence the congregation.

  • johnny cip
    johnny cip

    i think you guys are getting the wt's call for jw's to send in old books to help out in africa. maybe 1980's . then hearing that the wt it self was burning many of these books and not sending them to africa etc. is what you guys are talking about. there were dozens of threads about this directive from the tower to send older books. and a date and page maybe km. you guys are losing your memories john

  • mrsjones5
    mrsjones5

    John, do you remember Snitch from the chatroom? The guy with the lovely deep voice from Indiana. That's who I'm talking about. I wish I still had contact with him.

  • johnny cip
    johnny cip

    Mrs. jones. i remember his name . was a smart guy. we had some good people there. and some nuts but it was fun. john

  • blondie
    blondie

    But JWs were not being told to burn their books but to send them in to be used in other KH libraries. If the WTS burned them, they did it without fanfare and knowledge of the rank and file. I would imagine that these would have been older books in the inventories of KHs not the single copies of books in the KH libraries and personal libraries.

    I did find this Question Box from a 1970 KM.

    *** km 9/70 p. 4 Question Box

    What can be done with older books on hand in the congregation literature supplies?

    As a first suggestion, perhaps you would like to obtain some of these publications from your literature servant. If you have one or more with you in your witnessing case, you will find appropriate opportunities to offer them. When working in rural territory or other territory not often worked, you might choose to include one of these older publications in your offer. Feel free to do so.

    It would be a fine thing, also, to encourage those on whom you are making back-calls and with whom you are conducting studies to read some of these older publications. Such reading will be of great benefit to them spiritually.—Prov. 1:5.

    If you are newly associated with Jehovah’s organization, how many of these older publications have you read? Check with your literature servant to see what publications are available. You may wish to add some of these to your library and read them as you have opportunity.—Prov. 9:9.

    Circuit servants can take note of congregations that have stocks of older books and make this information known to nearby congregations as they visit. Literature servants may feel free to inquire of nearby congregations and of their circuit servant too.

    Congregation servants should use good judgment in ordering literature supplies. Do not guess in ordering. If you will check your progressive literature inventory to see how many of the same kind of books were placed during previous campaigns, you will be in a better position to determine how many will be needed for coming campaigns.

  • cyberguy
    cyberguy

    When I was in Brooklyn Bethel, 1978-1980, most of the books the Writing Department had access to were readily accessible to all Bethelites. There was just about every Bible Commentary and a huge number of different Bible translations. However, I understand that shortly after the big blowup in 1980 all the non-JW, Bible reference works were removed and placed in an area only accessible to the Writing Department.

  • joenobody
    joenobody

    I seem to remember in around 79 a directive in the Kingdom Ministry to the literature servants to destroy all copies of "Your Lamp is My Footstool" or some such book. I was young, but I remember being really bothered by that. Never did figure out why they directed that.

  • Fatfreek
    Fatfreek

    Hi Joe,

    You were close on that name. The following link shows most of the WT pubs by name

    http://www.freeminds.org/sales/wtpubs.htm#gb

    1967 Your Word Is a Lamp to My Foot 224 pages [yl]

    Using that in the WT 2005 lib CD yielded several hits from the Kingdom Ministry. All I could find re the English versions was this announcement:

    *** km 5/72 p. 3 Announcements ***

    · Out of Stock in U.S.A.:

    "Your Word Is a Lamp to My Foot"--English

    Fats


  • blondie
    blondie

    I still have my copy (Your Word is a Lamp to my Foot--better known as the Lamp book) and that was the book that was used when I was baptized. No one has ever asked me to turn it in or burn it. It was replaced by the first green Organized book which was updated and replaced as well. Never was asked to turn those books in or burn them.

    Blondie

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