Do you remember this?

AK - Jeff

I used to go in service with a prominent elder in our area who would announce, regarding the 'Truth' book in the 70's:

"Would you like to know the truth and gain everlasting life in just one day? This book is divided into 24 chapters that can be studied in just an hour each. In one day you can be on the pathway to everlasting life."

WOW - how corny was THAT? Yet we bought into it, and hoped the householder would to. We thought him BRILLIANT for that approach.

I look back and wonder how I ever got caught up in such bullshyte!

Anyone else hear this 'presentation'? Or others just as cheezy?

Jeff

TOTH

He should have sold vacuum cleaners. He would have cleaned up and done a better service to god and the community...

Giordano

Well this shouldn't be off target it's an excerpt from'My Story' about pioneering in a rural community where the need was great circa 1960s.

http://www.freeminds.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2653:confessions-of-a-wayward-pioneer&catid=3:rank-file&Itemid=741

"One of my duties was organizing the twice a week door to door service. But our two older brothers, Hilly and Hoppy, kept ducking me. They went out on their own and they were placing like 300 magazines a month. Frank (Our presiding minister) was concerned that they might be dumping them in the woods or something. So he wanted me to check it out.

I had a hard time convincing H and H to let me join them in service, finally I dropped a few hints that I was a pretty laid back brother who didn't always follow WTBTS policy... which wasn't far from the truth. They finally agreed and off we went with an enormous stack of magazines. We headed to an area a little out of town where they liked to get started. I got the impression that they didn't go door to door. Hoppy's bedroom slippers was one clue. Hoppy's expertise was mailboxes. I was directed to pull up to a roadside mailbox and Hoppy slipped a magazine into it. "Don't worry", Hoppy said "we've got a standing order from these folks". I didn't realize it at the time but both brothers were in very bad health. Hilly had diabetes and Hoppy a weak heart but they were cheerful and enjoyed each others company and their version of 'field work'.

So we proceeded down the road shoving magazines into mail boxes and I came to the conclusion that it was really a very relaxing stress free way to do things and very effective, if illegal. About a half hour into this Hilly called for a coffee break.

"I hate to stop now I'm really behind on my time", I said.

"Don't worry about it the clocks still running!" Over coffee I learned that they preferred to get their time 'started' then enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee. This was a revelation to me! I honestly didn't know any witness that counted time like that.

"Does Frank (our presiding minister) know?", I asked. "Frank who?" they answered.

The next stop, after we resumed, was the local old age home, I followed Hilly inside and he directed me where to put a stack of the magazines. Then we drove to the local hospital, then a Lutheran assisted living facility which I thought was bold. Hilly and I floated in and out of the buildings never speaking to anyone. It was a very pleasant way to do things. Hilly explained, "I'm not good with words but I'm good at getting the magazines in places so that people can find them. Then it's up to the magazine to provide the words". I found no fault with that logic.

Frank called me later that day and asked what I had learned, "They're pretty amazing." I said. "they have a way of covering the territory that's unique". " Unique good or unique bad?" Frank asked. "Good enough", I replied, "but Frank, I'd keep the circuit servant away from them when he comes." Frank knew something was a little bit off but he went along.

Not too long after that Hilly's diabetes turned bad and he lost his leg. I visited him in the hospital and his spirits were good. Hoppy was there and he had brought a big stack of Awakes so Hilly could hand them out... He planned to get into his wheel chair and go bed to bed "there's a lot of turn over in this place," Hilly said. When Hoppy and I walked out together his eyes were moist, "He told me we had to trade names now".

They continued on for a while longer but health issues made it impossible. I was glad they never got hassled for doing what they thought was right. "

In retrospect I think they just enjoyed one another's company the message was never important to them, it was all about astounding the congregation and hanging out together.

steve2

Wow - does this thread bring back memories of all the sensationalists claims that were made about the pocket-sized "Truth" book. I remember my extremely zealous and pushy aunt taking me (a young boy) to her return visits in 1968 and declaring that this would be the last opportunity to enrol in a Bible Study because time was running out. She easily had more Bible Studies that everone else in the congregation - and it is easy to see why. The "Truth"book fed into her pushy personality. Of course, the fact that almost 45 years have passed since then is a bit of a nuisance. As is the fact that she died an old woman years ago. Still, she was one of the old breed of JWs. I don't think you get them like that any more: Brash, single-minded, way too confident, unbothered by the end not yet occurring (which led to them saying, that means itmust be really close - cause just when we don't expect it, it'll happen).

As much as one part of me is in awe of sucha confident, pig-headed outlook, another part of me is more savage: What pathetic idiots to have llowed themselves to have become sucked into a religion whose countdown to the end keeps getting re-calibrated.

My aunt is dead. And the dazzlingly blue nifty little "Truth" book has long gone into disuse. Oh, and many of her Bible Studies quickly came into the organization and became baptized, only to leave after 1975, as did I a few years later. At least some of is had active brain cells!

illoowy

@AK_Jeff

I was in Spain when the Truth Book was in vogue, it was all hush hush under Franco's regime, but some people were very interested in getting a hold of a book that the Catholic Church looked down on, even a copy of the Bright Green NWT. Other people acted like Satan himself was before them.

@Giordano

That's a great experience. I find it interesting how "Frank" sent you out to spy on these two publishers. But I'm glad they enjoyed their time and their brand of "witnessing", which I might add it's now quite common among some of the local friends I know.

Quentin

That was a refreshing story, and would say they had an effective way of covering territory...except for mailbox stuffing, evidently no one cared.

maninthemiddle

for Giordano's story.

THE GLADIATOR

I sat transfixed in the London assembly at Twickenham Stadium, as the speaker explained the reason for the book’s release. This small book had been designed so that a weekly study of just one hour covering one chapter a week would complete the book in six months.

All other Society books used in Bible studies with interested people were to be put aside. This was now the book to use. If those we studied with did not show definite signs of getting baptised after six months we were to forget them and move on. Why? Because time was running out - so many people to save and so little time!

Violia

I loved your story Gior. I knew folks like that, unique folks. I knew a missionary who worked the " colored side of town" by himself as no one else wanted to. Before you judge too harshly, ( this was many moons ago) unfortunately the colored side of town was were all the vice was, liquor ( town was dry)gambling, guns, prostitution (hookers on the street corners in daytime, drugs, you know, on and on.) The Congo used to work this kind of territory by getting as many publishers as they could and we blitzed the territory. We only went in once or twice a year. this was the way we worked high risk territory.

My missionary friend worked it anyway, and by himself. I wanted to go him but they had rules about that, m/f not married to each other.

Yes it is illegal to leave mags in mailboxes but I bet this happened a long time ago in a small town. Folks are less lawsuit happy there. I'm sure they did just enjoy spending time with each other . They sound adorable. I have known some amazing folks in my time too.

steve2

All other Society books used in Bible studies with interested people were to be put aside

.

I remember this Gladiator! My mother who was no where near as aggressive as her sister told her own Bible studies that they were now going to have to switch from the book "Let God Be True" to the brand new release "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life". One of her studies, an elderly man, complained that he found the "Truth" book simplistic and wanted to go back to the earlier book because it was a very indepth book. But my mother refused because we were so deep into the end that it was not appropriate any more to have long-winded Bible studies with people.

We were also told by the then Presiding Overseer of our congregation that he had heard from the New Zealand branch office that the "Truth" book would be the last Bible Study book ever published by the Society. Funny how easily the rank and file easily forgot all that when, years later, new study books came out!

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