"A Tremendous Teaching Tool!"

under_believer

The above is the title of the "article" on the back of the April 2007 Awake! magazine. What follows is the body of the "article."

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That is what a full-time minister of Jehovah's Witnesses in Panama wrote regarding /What Does the Bible Really Teach?/--a colorfully illustrated, 224-page book now being widely used in Bible study. "It is unbelievably concise, coherent, and convincing," he wrote. "The innovative way references and appendixes are employed instantly encourages investigation."
A Bible teacher in Missouri, U.S.A., observed: "I love the simply manner in which it is written. The progression of subjects is presented in the most logical manner I have ever seen." As soon as the /Bible Teach/ book became available, the teacher took it to a woman who had previously tried to study the Bible but had become discouraged.
"She had not finished reading the first chapter," the teacher related, "when she called to tell me how much she was enjoying it." The student said that she felt as though the book were written just for her and that she wanted to resume her Bible study. The teacher noted that after they had finished studying the first ten chapters together, the student's joy over what she was learning was absolutely delightful to see.
Although the /Bible Teach/ book has been available for less that two years, over 50 million copies have already been printed in more than 150 languages. You may request a copy by filling in the accompanying coupon and mailing it to the address provided or to an appropriate address on page 5 of the magazine.
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They've always been like this. I used to buy into it in the past. This is propaganda of a particularly tawdry sort. Note the use of hyperbole--exclamation points, superlatives like "unbelievable," "innovative," "logical." Note how vague the account is of who exactly they are quoting. Why do they say "Bible teacher?" Why aren't they specific about it being a Witness?

Note also the self-aggrandizement they heap on themselves in the last paragraph--we are so RAD because we have shat this thing out in 150 languages!

And have you ever heard of ANY religion sing the praises of their own literature in the way? Don't most Christian religions save text like this (probably better written) for the Bible? And not some simplistic, fourth-grade-reading-level, deceptive, incomplete "Bible study aid?"

Arthur

The Ford Motor Company also praised it's own product called the Pinto.

dedpoet

It is unbelievably concise, coherent, and convincing

To me it's just unbelievable, like all the rest of their publications.

Alligator Wisdom

Don't forget that the WTS is a publishing company with many departments. One of them, the Writing Department, has a small group within. This small group of brothers are basically involved in marketing and advertising. They are the ones that produce the back page articles.

Alligator Wisdom (aka Brother NOT Exerting Vigorously)

Pubsinger

When did they every publish an unfavorable critique!

Can you imagine - I much prefered the 'Live Forever Book', it was so much more attractive than the "Knowledge" book.

Editors Note: Thank you brother for that honest appraisal of our new book. We'll be sure to bear you're constructive comments in mind. Here at Brooklyn Bethel we WELCOME your viewpoints. Thank you - your humble servants, The Writing Committee.

NOT.

Honesty

They'll stoop to any level in order to draw the little lambs away from Jesus and to themselves.

OnTheWayOut

Don't forget that the WTS is a publishing company

A publishing company tries to determine how many books they need to print. They
don't just crank out the books one-at-a-time as they need them. I used to think that
WTS was only changing the main study book every-now-and-then because the times
were changing, and they determined that a new book could be more effective. Now
I understand how the publishing company works.

A publishing company runs so-many books off at once. To save money, WTS prints
a whole bunch of one book while the presses are set for that book.
The articles says:

over 50 million copies have already been printed in more than 150 languages

In WT language, that means they are in storage, ready to distribute. If they had
50 million copies "sold" or "distributed" (okay- "placed") they would have said so. This
will be their main study book for the time it takes to distribute 50 million of them. If they
move the book fairly well, they will have a few million more run off. If they think that there
is more money in something new, they will change the main study book and run off
50 million or so of the next book, releasing it at a convention. Many dubs only go to the
convention because the newly released books are revealed. If things aren't going well
with books, then only tracts and brochures are released, and they are encouraged to
"sell" the old books for another year.

If these BIBLE TEACH books don't place very well (20 million collecting dust) then they
will study it at the book study a 3rd and possibly 4th time in the years to come, even if they
have moved on to a different main study book. Many rank-and-file will get a new one, donate
money for it.

There are bookstores like BOOKS-A-MILLION that sell overruns. They purchase new books
that had their Best-seller run and there's still plenty of books left. They pay less for these
and are able to charge less for these. WTS doesn't have independent bookstores so they
use the independent book "placers" to move the product, asking them to focus on this book
or that book, this brochure or that tract. If they are still stuck with books, they try to get the
"placers" themselves to use the books. Could you imagine a publishing company telling
BOOKS-A-MILLION, "Perhaps your employees can read the books, why don't you purchase
more?"

Terry

I'd praise it by pointing out that the title is more pithy than, Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, or, Babylon the Great Has Fallen--God's Kingdom Rules!"

Rank and file JW's are an automatic sale. So, who are they aiming these gushy blurbs at, anyway?

metatron

Sorry to be repetitive but this book is a fraud. It encourages people to request baptism without

teaching them about disfellowshipping.

metatron

ninja

if they had to sell a dog sh*t...here would be their approach...."friends from round the world have been praising dog sh*t....the moist yet firm consistency coupled with the brown/beige colour has been remarked upon favourably from all quarters...one sister who was fortunate enough to stand on one remarked..."it really complemented my shoe colour...and made me the centre of attention at the kingdom hall when I trampled it all over the newly laid carpet...prompting many comments from even the quietest of sisters"....while another brother said..."it really is a conversation starter"...it really is a tremendous conversational (s)tool!!!

"A Tremendous Teaching Tool!"

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