Wow! I love all these replies. It's interesting what we all hold onto.
What piece of WT literature is worth holding onto, or have you kept? Why?
by losingit 53 Replies latest watchtower bible
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losingit
Wow! I love all these replies. It's interesting what we all hold onto.
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BackseatDevil
so you mentioned Ray Franz's "Crisis of Conscience". So I read that, maybe 6 months after being DF'd. And out in the world (in general and in the gay world) I was feeling pretty lonely in one regard... namely, I didn't think anyone could relate to me. I can relate to everyone, so I had many friends, but I couldn't find anyone to relate to me. So I bought his book... I thought I would give it a read.
Now, 6 months out, there are still SOME spiritual moorings tied down. So when I bought the book I was VERY much afraid. I paid with my debit card and I was afraid JW police were going to track me down and find out where I was located. It took me a week just to OPEN the damn thing for fear the demons were going to fly out of it like the opening the Ark of the Covenant scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
That didn't happen. In fact, I found it a very comforting read. After that, I ditched ALL my JW stuff, except the pioneer book which (i'm going to be honest) I didn't even know i had. Their dogma changes so often, no matter what material I held onto, it would be outdated in 5 years.
But anyway, I like this thread and that is my "Crisis of Conscience" story.
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Quendi
I kept all my copies of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, including the Reference version, the Kingdom Interlinear Translation, the Comprehensive Concordance, the 2007 Watchtower Library CD and the oldTheocratic Ministry Guidebook. I always liked the old TMS guidebook and I have learned that some outside the organization have developed an appreciation for it as a wonderful guide to public speaking. I believe I also kept my Pioneer Service School textbook, Shining as Illuminators in the World. I got rid of everything else.
There may be a few odd volumes still in storage, but I made a concerted effort to eliminate all the WTS literature I had. I kept the Bibles and have added other translations to my library as I have learned a lot by doing comparative readings of the Scriptures.
Quendi
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ablebodiedman
I would also recommend that people keep their; "Organized to do Jehovah's Will" book.
The profundities it contains are still not thoroughly appreciated.
Compare what it says in Isaiah Chapter 66 to what is written on page 154 of the book:
Isaiah 66:5
5 Hear the word of Jehovah, YOU men who are trembling at his word: "YOUR brothers that are hating YOU, that are excluding YOU by reason of my name, said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part, and they are the ones that will be put to shame."
There is only one end time world wide religion who exclude righteous men/women by reason of God' actual name!
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steve2
I am astonished no one has mentioned the pocket-sized blue "Truth" book that revolutionized the witnesses' approach to bible studies with potential converts. It's full title was "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life" - arguably the best PR titled book the Watchtower Society ever published. It is their biggest selling book ever. It was supposed to be the last ever bible-study book. It has a well written chapter on Why It Is Wise To Examine Your Religion - directed at non-witnesses of course because Witnesses don't need to examine theirs. Best of all is the chapter on the last days of this system of things which, in the early editions, had a very striking graph drawing attention to the then key teaching on 1975. Later editions left the graph out, including all references to 1975. Apparently, some Witnesses in positions of authority did examine their religion - well at least this embarrassing aspect of it.
The blue "Truth"book - the most memorably famous Watchtower publication, in terms of content, sales and impact on quickening the conversion process for hundreds of thousands who studied this slim 192-page book, were baptized and came into the organization.
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slimboyfat
Any books or materials that have restricted access would be worth keeping, from pioneer, elder, branch books, even kingdom ministries.
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cedars
I've kept a few books including the last decade of Yearbooks (handy for quickly checking on stats), the Concordance, the Proclaimers Book, my Insight volumes... most of these are available on CD-ROM, but books like the "Organized" book and my pioneer school book aren't. It's also good to have the illustrations in some of them. I don't believe in hoarding though. I used to have two shelves devoted to Society books, now it's just one.
Cedars
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Sammy Jenkis
My bible
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steve2
CD-rom material is necessary for showing how the writers alter key statements in later editions to re-write history. There is nothing inherently wrong in updating publications but there is an editorial standard of overtly recognizing corrections, additions, amendments and the like by explicitly stating they are later editions and to state selected changes have been made - an admission the organization would never have the humility to make.
For that reason selected hard original copies of publications are invaluable.
