"Captives of a Concept" (Anatomy of an Illusion)

by Cameron 11 Replies latest jw friends

  • Cameron
    Cameron

    NOTE: This upcoming book presents my attempt to help the reader understand why Jehovah's Witnesses think and act the way they do - (why many of us use to think and act the way we did when we were captives of a concept). The following "Contents" will give you an idea of the approach the book takes. It is written with the non-Witness primarily in mind. It says a lot of things that have already been said, but it says them differently. - The book should be available in a couple of months or so. Don Cameron

    Captives of a Concept

    "Understanding The Illusionary Concept That Holds Jehovah's Witnesses Captive"

    "There is only one thing that needs to be known about the Watchtower Society and there is only one way to know it."

    Contents

    Important Terms

    Foreword

    CHAPTER 1

    The Concept That Holds Jehovah's Witnesses Captive
    • What Makes Jehovah?s Witnesses ?Tick? - Raymond Franz
    • The Dominant Controlling Force That Nobody Notices
    • ?Come to the Watchtower Society For Salvation?
    • The One Question Everything Always Comes Down To - Peter Gregerson
    • The Only Thing That Needs To Be Known
    • The Only Way the Watchtower Society Can Be God?s Organization Today

    CHAPTER 2

    Matthew 24:45-47: Most Important Scripture in Watchtower Theology

    • Understanding Their Interpretation and Holding Them To It
    • Jesus? Decision in 1919 - The Most Important Event in Watchtower History
    • Using Watchtower Standards To Judge Watchtower Teachings

    CHAPTER 3

    50 Teachings Jesus Examined
    • #1: Second Coming of Christ ? 40 Years Too Early Then 29 Years Too Late
    • #2: "We Are Not Your "faithful & discreet slave"
    • #3: Christ?s Thousand-year Reign & The Sewing Machine - 1873
    • #4 "Millions Now Living Will Never Die"
  • #5-44: 38 Dates/Events That Didn?t Happen
  • #45-48: Christmas, Birthdays, The Cross, Great Pyramid of Gizeh
  • #49:"End of the Gentile Times" In 1914?
  • #50: The 1,200 Furlongs of Revelation 14:20 ? Scranton, Pa to Brooklyn, NY
  • Romans 13:1 ? A Special Case
  • Thousands of Portions of Wrong Food Served Millions of Times!

    • CHAPTER 4

    The Most Important Event In Watchtower History
    • The Society Admits to Being in Satan?s Organization from 1914 to 1918?
    • Why Russell Should Have "Let the Very Stones Cry Out"
    • Jesus? Decision In The Spring of 1919

    CHAPTER 5

    The One Mistake All Jehovah?s Witnesses Have Made
    • How Their Free Bible Study Causes This Mistake.
    • How To Avoid Making This Mistake
    • "God?s Organization" Exists Only in the Minds of Jehovah?s Witnesses
    • Why Their Interpretation of Matt. 24:45-47 Could Not Have Come From God

    CHAPTER 6

    Who Is "God?s Organization"?
    • The Men Hidden Behind "God?s organization"`
    • The Illusion vs. The Reality

    CHAPTER 7

    No False Teachings or Prophecies ? Why Not?
    • Removing the Word "False"
    • Removing the Word "Prophecy"
    • What Their Teachings Are Called When They Start Teaching Them
    • What Their Teachings Are Called When They Stop Teaching Them
    • The Word "False" Is Reserved For All Other Religions
    • Watchtower?s Definition of False Prophets = Russell & Rutherford
    • What The Watchtower Society Has Never Been Able To Admit
    • Do Their Motives Matter?
    • The Kind of Prophet The Watchtower Claims To Be Does Not Exist
    • They Are Unable To See What They Are Saying
    • Changing Matthew 7:15-20 From "False Prophets" to "The True Religion"

    CHAPTER 8

    Using the Bible to Keep Themselves Captive
    • Proverbs 4:18: The Society?s 2 nd Most Important Scripture
    • The Second Coming of Christ ? Change of date from 1874 to 1914
  • The Superior Authorities of Romans 13:1
  • Matthew 24:36: No Difference between Jesus, Russell and Rutherford?
  • The Watchtower?s Spiritual ?Light Switch?
  • Acts 1:6: Jesus? Disciples, Russell & Rutherford Made the Same Mistakes?
  • Using the Bible to Prove Anything They Want It To ? James Penton
  • Why The Governing Body Cannot Present a Candid History

    • CHAPTER 9

    Watchtower Propaganda Keeps Them Captive
    • ?Tricks and Tactics of the Cunning Propagandist?
    • "Apostate" - The Governing Body?s Favorite "Name-Calling" Label
    • The Governing Body?s ?Brick Wall? of Propaganda
    • The Witnesses? Inner Wall of Willful Blindness
    • Overcoming Watchtower Propaganda and Willful Blindness Is Difficult To Do

    CHAPTER 10

    Why Jehovah?s Witnesses Have Unity of Belief
    • 1954 - Walsh Court Case ? Former Vice President Hayden Covington
    • Enforce Acceptance of False Prophecy
  • 1980 ? September 1 Governing Body Letter
  • 1986 ? April 1 Watchtower
  • Playing by Watchtower Rules ? Or Else!
  • Illusion vs. Reality

    • CHAPTER 11

    The Final Authority of Watchtower Teachings
    • 2 Timothy 3:16
    • Only Those Submissive to the Governing Body Can Understand the Bible
  • Their Non-Existent ?Chain of Command"
  • Illusion vs. Reality

    • CHAPTER 12

    What They Say Is Not What They Always Do
    • "What Does It Mean To Be Honest?"
    • The Difference Between Making a Mistake and Being Dishonest
    • August 30, 1914 "The World Magazine"
    • June 1, 1997 Watchtower
    • June 15, 1964 Watchtower
    • The Watchtower?s Greatest Enemy - Leonard Chretien
    • How The Society is "Shamelessly Dishonest" ? Carl Sagan
    • They Have Fallen In Love With Their Illusion

      • CHAPTER 13

      Who Molds Their Thinking?
      • Listening To Those Who Are Misled and Corrupted in Their Thinking
      • Lacking Information and Receiving Misinformation About Society?s History
      • The Illusion vs. Reality

      CHAPTER 14

      "Slaves of Men or Servants of God?"
      • Who Have Jehovah?s Witnesses Been Following?
      • Why Studying The Bible Is Dangerous For Jehovah?s Witnesses
      • Illusion vs. Reality

      CHAPTER 15

      Bible or Watchtower Trained Conscience ? Which?
      • "Happy Anniversary" ? Yes / "Happy Birthday" ? No
      • Alternative Civilian Service
      • The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

      CHAPTER 16

      What If This Was Another Religion?
      • Their Concept of "the organization" Makes All the Difference

      CHAPTER 17

      No Honorable Way Out of the Watchtower Religion
      • Why Witnesses Cannot Just Say, "I quite"
      • 2 John 9-11 ? No Difference Between the Teaching of the Christ and the Teaching of the Watchtower?
      • Keeping God?s Organization Clean?

      CHAPTER 18

      The Internet ? The Watchtower?s Worst Nightmare

      CHAPTER 19

      The Key To Their Escape

      CHAPTER 20

      Evidence Alone Is Not Enough
      • Unequivocal and Undeniable Evidence
      • Jehovah?s Witnesses and The Mexican Army First Reserve
      • "I Might As Well Eat, Drink and Be Merry"
      • "I Would Rather Go To My Grave Being Deceived"
      • "They Can?t Tell Us the Truth."
      • "I Can Wait 30 Years For God To Straighten Things Out"
      • "I Don?t Care If Every Member of the Governing Body is Apostate"
    • When Ten Thousand Words Won?t Make Any Difference
    • The Different Kinds of Jehovah?s Witnesses
    • Those Whom God Chooses to Help

      • CHAPTER 21

      Helping Some of Them Notice What the "Proclaimers" Book Says
      • Teaching Themselves The Truth ? Romans 2:21
      • Watchtower History Study
      • Proclaimers of God?s Kingdom ?
      The Book of Watchtower History
    • The Best Way to Get Along With Jehovah?s Witnesses
    • The Starting Point ? Matthew 24:45-47
    • Russell, Rutherford, 1914 and the Second Coming of Christ
    • ?We are not your faithful land discreet slave."
        • "Millions Now Living Will Never Die"
          • "The World Magazine" Insert on Page 60
          How Would l Have Reacted?
        • How Will Jehovah?s Witnesses React?
        • Once the Bell Has Been Rung They Cannot Unring It
        • What Will Bring Them Back To Their Proper Senses?

          • CHAPTER 22

          When Illusion Meets Up With Reality

          • John 6:68: Nowhere Else To Go?
          • Switching From Going to a Person to Going to an Organization
        • An Alternative to "God?s organization" ? Ron Frye
        • "Beware of ?organization.?" - Charles Taze Russell
        • Captivity to the Christ Instead of to "God?s organization"
        • In Conclusion

          • REVIEW

          APPENDIX

          • The Watchtower?s 1914
          • The 1 st Watch Tower Magazine ? July, 1879
          • "Knowledge" Book: Page 161, paragraph 4
        • shotgun
          shotgun

          I'll check it out....

        • DevonMcBride
          DevonMcBride

          This sounds like a great book. I can't wait to read it.

          Devon

        • onintwo
          onintwo

          Please keep us posted on this!

          Onintwo

        • link
          link

          Hi Cameron,

          I have to agree, it does sound like a great book. Would you like to tell us something about the Author? I'm sure most people like to get this information before buying a book on-line as it helps to define which direction the material is comming from.

          Thanks.

          link

        • Guest 77
          Guest 77

          The word illusion is good enough for me to buy the book. I have often said on this forum, 'welcome to the world of OZ'

          Guest 77

        • peacebaby
          peacebaby

          Uh-Oh ..... Chapter 18 : The Intenet - The WatchTower's Worst Nightmare [!] You know what curiosity did to that one cat!= !

          LOL! It's not available yet?

          p-baby

        • Cameron
          Cameron

          About The Book

          "You?ll never get sick. You will never grow old. And you will never die."

          Although the above words come from the movie "Cocoon," they could have come from the Watchtower Society because this is exactly what they have been proclaiming for years as part of "the Creator?s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things."* This very appealing prospect attracts many people to begin to study the Bible with Jehovah?s Witnesses. It then sustains them as they eagerly wait for the fulfillment of this promise.

          But during the course of their study they imperceptibly get drawn into an illusionary concept involving the Watchtower organization that gradually takes over their decision-making process and even their conscience without them realizing it. It happens because of a mistake that everyone makes before they decide to become a Jehovah?s Witness.

          Captives of a Concept identifies both the concept and the mistake that has caused millions of people people to become captives of it. The book also offers a few suggestions about how to go about helping Jehovah?s Witnesses teach themselves the truth about their religion.

          __________________________

          * See the masthead page of the Awake! Magazine

        • garybuss
          garybuss

          Thanks Don, I'm happy to see you posting this information.

          To all, I have previewed the book and it's a must have. It's written in an easy to read format and is bringing a fresh perspective to understanding the Witness movement from a pragmatic point of view. There is ample deadly ammo here for people who need to make a Witness back up a couple steps, from readily available sourses. It'll be a big help in exit counseling too.

          It's a great piece of work and it is needed. I look forward to it's release.

          Don, where will we be able to buy the book?

          GaryB

        • Carmel
          Carmel

          Will it be on Amazon?

          carm

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