Watchtower cleans out Kingdom Hall Library's ...

by RR 68 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  JWoods

  In some cases it is reported that books of a questionable nature have been put in the Theocratic Ministry School library. It would not be appropriate to include fictional material, Bible commentaries that highlight higher criticism, or books on philosophy or spiritism.

  Except that I still suspect that the WTS has a special "for research only by approved persons" library in NY Bethel that has exactly this kind of literature. (they did when I was there in the 1970s at least) Not to mention whatever library references they needed into the UN for...

  I don't think that the idea of cleaning out "old literature" has ever been put in print, but it certainly has been encouraged by certain people in leadership from time to time - it is a common JW trait to avoid older WTS writings.
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  deep-blue-sea

  I don’t know if at present in my (ex) kingdom hall still have a library. All what I know is that, all the old books have disappeared. The Watchtower tries to hide his history….an embarrassing one!

  At the image of “1984” from Orwell!

  A few years ago, when he was doing some research in the old literature, my husband had the brilliant idea to ask for those old books to an old sister whose father was a young JW men in 1914. He was anointed. When my husband asked his old daughter if she could borrow some books, she said: "I don’t have them anymore!!!!! What!!!! My husband said, haven’t you thrown them away in the trash? She said: ‘No, no, 2 brothers came from Bethel (2h drive) and took them, they said they needed them………

  Do You understand? It is like if the CIA comes over to clean after a crime in order to leave any proofs…….

  rgards, Claudia
• 

  observador

  This issue of old literature laying around in a Kindom Hall is real. Some elders are very concerned about this. I can confirm because a brother of mine is an elder and he mentioned this very problem.

  Here's my take: as someone has pointed out, in most cases, the library in a KH is just for decoration. They are never seriously used for research. The problem happens when a member really wants to check things out because of something he/she read online, for example. In that case, the elders WILL NOTICE the activity in the library, and then attempts to hide things will take place; meetings will be held; deliberations taken...

  So, this issue is not an automatic thing, or a constant. Just because the library in a given Hall has books dating back to the 1940s, it doesn't mean that it's all good, or that the WT is all OK with that. Just wait and observe what happens the first time someone checks them out...

  Observador.
• 

  4mylove

  I was at an antique store with a friend that is a witness. I found her pondering a book that was an original rutherford book. I was suprised to see the masonic emblams they deny all the time. She looked so pensive. It actually had a pyramid picture with graph explaining various levels of who knows what.

  Maybe something rattled the brain there for a bit.
• 

  4mylove

  Rusell, It was actually Rusell. I think it was dated 1914? I'm contemplating going back to purchase for a bit of devil's advocate research for my active inlaws.
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  hemp lover

  I buy up the old stuff wherever I can find it, usually at estate sales, and resell it for a profit on ebay. It's wanted by both JWs and non-JWs. The JWs sometimes try to witness to me when they buy it. I've had to come up with a generic, nonthreatening line to use so they'll continue as my customers.

  My latest find was a box full of Consolation magazines from the 1930s that I bought for $2. There's a lot of political stuff in them, including swastikas on several covers.
• 

  4mylove

  hemp lover,

  Thanks for the heads up!
• 

  LongHairGal

  I am not surprised. History tells us that repressive political regimes have resorted to book burning. Leaders must figure that people have a short memory and if something once printed is not still extant then it is not provable that they taught something different and they killed dissenters. Thankfully, we don't live in the age of the Inquisition and this 'religion' has no power - although it wishes it did.

  Many years ago a woman I studied with gave me one of the JW religion's books from the early 1900s. I decided to 'donate' it to the kingdom hall library. Here I was so proud that I obtained this old book and I felt the hall would be glad to possess it. I knew it wasn't for current study but was merely for historical value. Well, it wasn't so very long after that I noticed it was 'missing'. I assumed somebody took it and read it. A year or so later I still noticed it was missing. I guess it had a date with the incinerator or paper shredder somewhere in the bowels of JW headquarters.

  They have finally resorted to confiscating and destroying old literature because they simply do not want to be 'called' on their old shit.

  This is the biggest reason why they are in love with CD roms instead of bound volumes (less paper trail). This way they can slip in their changes and say the new CD is 'improved'. And all but the most astute of the rank and file JWs will swallow this.
• 

  leec

  I really beleive that anyone wishing to find real reasons for JWs today to question their teachings needs to look at the teachings of today, taken at face value.

  The fact that 100 years ago the organziation said that heaven was located in the Pleiades doesn't really help anyone understand what is wrong with what they do say today. 100 years ago mainstream medicine advocated ingesting mercury for medicinal purposes. The fact that they later contradicted themselves and now admit that mercury causes far more harm than good does not invalidate or undermine the practice of medical science in general.