I was allergic to the Watchtower

by professor 18 Replies latest jw friends

  • professor
    professor

    As a boy, I would suffer severe attacks of sneezing, itchy eyes, and post nasal drip when I would read the Watchtower. It was especially noticable during our family Watchtower Study. I began to think it was the paper its printed on. Or perhaps my condition was induced by a subconscious trepidation of B.S. Any thoughts?

  • Tina
    Tina

    Hi Prof,
    Most assuradly,it was an olfactory assault :> regards,Tina

    Carl Sagan on balancing openness to new ideas with skeptical scrutiny...."if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense,you cannot distinguish useful ideas from worthless ones."

  • Scorpion
    Scorpion

    The Governing Body wants Gingers phone number.

  • hippikon
    hippikon

    I think you have a Freudian mother organisation complex. Lay down on the couch and tell me about your mother organisation. Was she domineering and unreasonable? Did she dominate the father and other siblings?

    "But it does move"
    Galileo

  • Flip
    Flip

    Prof, in your youth you may have had a legitimate allergic reaction to the Watchtower and Awake! Mags , because, "...In the past, papers have been bleached using hypochlorite(sic), chlorodioxide or chlorine gas in order to meet the demand for clean, white and biologically pure paper for writing grades and food and medical packaging. This process produces minute amounts of hydrocarbons and dioxins and has therefore led to the development of 'oxygen bleaching' techniques which are free of chlorine containing compounds.”

    http://www.sinclairdesign.com/paper3.htm

    It is most likely the WTBTS is now buying their paper from suppliers using recently developed ‘oxygen bleaching’ techniques.

    The questions are:

    How long have billions of previous Watchtower and Awake! issues been printed on hypo chlorite, chlorodioxide or chlorine gas produced paper?

    How much of a hand has Jehovah’s “esteemed” corporation, along with all of us as the WTBTS "delivery system", had in “ruining the earth” by their manufacturing processes and "delivery system" for over a hundred years?

    And as far as "ruining the earth" and Armageddon being "just around the corner", why should the WTBTS care for other than legal reasons?

    Flip

  • GinnyTosken
    GinnyTosken

    On the subject of "ruining the earth," I was quite pleased to find this statement at the beginning of The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say?:

    A TREE CLAUSE BOOK HarperSanFrancisco and the author, in association with The Basic Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is reforestation, will facilitate the planting of two trees for every one tree used in the manufacture of this book.

    A gesture like this is not what I was led by the Society to expect of selfish atheists and ungodly skeptics.

    If the Society did this, they could replant the rain forests singlehandedly.

    Ginny

  • slipnslidemaster
    slipnslidemaster
    The Governing Body wants Gingers phone number.

    Actually, if you've read anything on this board lately, the Governing Body wants the Professor's phone number!!!

    My name is Slipnslideius Masterus: commander of the armies of the North, general of the Felix legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius...

  • nojw86
    nojw86

    Professor it was the B S , that stuff always makes your eyes tear. nojw

  • Kismet
    Kismet

    Several brothers over the years in different Branches developed a sensitivity to chemicals after working in the PressRoom.

    Between the solvents used and the inks themselves it is likely many suffered from residual effects when reading/handling the mags.

    If you had such a sensitivity due to exposure to other chemicals etc then it is possible the mags did actually make you sick. There are many with environmental allergies that cannot read magazines, newspapers etc.

    Regarding the paper used, once they upgraded the Awake from the old newsprint (crappy) paper when they switched to 4 colours all mags in North America were printed on Fraser White Bond paper.

    I have never done any research as to their bleaching techniques but if that is useful then ... great!

    Kismet

  • Tanalyst
    Tanalyst

    Professor- you were quite an intuitive kid.I smelled something fishy also during the family Wt. study, and it wasn't just the newsprint.

    ps. Ginger I miss seeing your pretty picture!

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