Jehovah's Witnesses Redefended

Methods Used to Draw Witnesses Away from their Faith Part I

2011-11-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

This post is a spur of the moment, mainly experience based look at some of the methods that opposers of Jehovah’s Witnesses use to ‘break’ their faith and get them to leave the group. This author thought that it would be an interesting discussion, mainly because most of these methods are inherently hypocritical when used by an opposer who publicly espouses perfectly contrary principles, and because these methods almost never rely on any actual discussion of the Bible or doctrinal points and yet are effective at destroying faith anyways (in fact, most opposers will outright tell you to completely avoid discussing the Bible and its doctrine with Witnesses until after they have already destroyed the Witnesses’ trust in his friends, family and congregation, while the Witnesses themselves always begin the teaching and conversion process with Bible discussion).

Here are two things that an opposer will tell a weak or fading Witness very soon after their first encounter:

Step 1: Do NOT tell any other JWs about your doubts.

Ah, the classic “don’t tell anybody anything or they will turn on you and attack you” demand. The purpose of this suggestion is not to protect the fading JW from other JWs, as much as it is to shut down the other side of the argument and get rid of any competition for the anti-cult crusader. It is a very convenient thing to get the fading JW to believe.

· It shuts down and prevents any potential counter-argument, help or evidence coming from the pro-JW side, leaving only the arguments and persuasion of the anti-cult crusader. This in itself is ironic, considering that the anti-cult crusader often encourages open discussion and research of all sides, but then in the same breath effectively shuts out an entire side of the argument, leaving only HIS side and HIS opinions.

· It also helps the anti-cult crusader in that the suggestion implants fear and mistrust in the mind of the fading JW. The anti-cult crusader must at some point completely destroy and severe the bonds between the fading JW and his spiritual brothers and sisters in order to be successful, and getting the fading JW to ‘hide’ his true feelings as if it were dangerous to talk about them (and getting him to keep up this paranoid behavior for long periods of time) is a useful first step in creating that mistrust that will ultimately destroy the bonds and friendships.

· In reality, a JW with doubts about his own beliefs and ideals should discuss his feelings openly with his parents first, and then with elders or other mature Christians in his congregation if his parents cannot provide enough satisfaction. The parents and the elders in the congregation have been around the block a few times, and will not be shocked at hearing such things. They also will not ‘pounce on’ and ‘attack’ a brother or sister for expressing such doubts, but rather will seek to readjust such a one in a spirit of love, reason and understanding. They do, after all, deal with these kinds of things far more often than one may realize.

So do not jeopardize your friendships and relationships by ‘hiding’ these feelings and by letting feelings of mistrust and paranoia secretly grow out of control in your heart – you will do far more damage to yourself by keeping it bottled up inside than you will by simply giving your parents and your elders a chance to help you, to explain things and to sort out any confusion.

Step 2: Look up Witnesses on Google, then read and research.

Of course, when the anti-cult crusader says to “read,” and “research,” he really means read and research only anti-cult propaganda. And when he says to “think” and “ponder,” he means think and ponder only on anti-cult propaganda. Try showing him any kind of research that paints even the slightest positive picture of the group in question, or research that contradicts the anti-cult propaganda and shows it to be misleading, and the anti-cult crusader will abandon his “read and research” stance in a heartbeat, and will instead rant and rave and tell you not to waste time with such things. They don’t have to come out and say this directly however, because oftentimes they can just take advantage of the overly slanted nature of Google and the obsession of a few fellow anti-cult crusaders.

What is the best way to hide a needle? Bury it under a pile of straw. What is the best way to hide the pro-JW information? Bury any positive online sites and information under a mountain of repetitious anti-cult propaganda. That is certainly far easier than actually addressing the substance of the pro-JW points with reason and logic.

Even several years ago, the number of anti-Witness websites brought up in a Google search was estimated at over 300,000 (likely several times larger today), while the number of substantial pro-Witness sites was probably less than 50 (to the knowledge of this author). Of course, that 300,000+ number doesn’t indicate a higher quality or a higher volume of unique negative information – really most of it is exactly the same information and exactly the same talking points, but just repeated and parroted on a far grander scale than the pro-JW information. One can easily visualize how such a disparity happens with examples such as this obsessed individual and his very real comments:

WARNING TO THE WATCHTOWER RELIGIOUS RACKET

To the best of my knowledge their is only ONE unique ~ in cyberspace the ~ clan is all over the world we go back to medieval old English.

The point is any search pages shown here and there are TENS OF THOUSANDS are going to be 98% anti-Watchtower cult pages, as this is my (~) primary mission.

These are links made by me in a 5 1/2 year period all pages created individually and loaded up on the net by hand.

YAHOO SHOWS 75,000 PAGES

GOOGLE SHOWS 31,000 PAGES

Theses results are INCOMPLETE and UNDERRATED as the indexing is slow keeping up with me

I make dozens more everyday and NETWORK with other apostates ( this is the real scary part for you Watchtower) I actually promote other colleague links like ~, ~ and ~, ahead of my own home page ~

Theses pages are on countless different servers and are cached forever as long as the Internet exist as long as civilization continues.

We have IMMORTALITY yes the Watchtower lied when they promised me everlasting life, but I will get it anyway!

Watchtower I will haunt you from beyond the grave!

A beautiful arrangement for the anti-cult crusader isn’t it? He knows that his side already has an information stranglehold on the internet. And when he tells his fading JW ‘victim’ to go and “read” and “research,” he knows that the internet is going to be very first place that they go to. So the anti-cult crusader gets to look like the advocate for the free research and evaluation of all sides, when in reality he is doing the exact opposite.

It is like a local car dealer encouraging a customer to go shop around town and compare prices with and talk to all of the other dealerships; however, the catch is that all of the dealerships in the area are owned by the same person, and all of the prices are over-inflated, so even the best deal in town is still a rip-off overall (and the customer doesn’t realize any of it). The dealer creates the illusion of being objective and selfless, when really he is still only saying and doing things that are to his personal advantage. The customer in turn, never sees the real competition and the real alternatives, because they have all been crowded out of town.

This author is of the opinion that the “read, research and ponder” suggestion would not be nearly as appealing to the anti-cult crusader if the fading JW was handed links to 15 anti-JW sides right alongside links to 15 equally substantial pro-JW or even neutral scholarly research sites (such as the ones this author links to on this blog). This author thinks that the anti-cult crusader would have far, far fewer ‘successful de-conversions’ in such a scenario.

Interesting Closing Quotations

It is always helpful, in the author's opinion, to know the true, deep seated motivations and drives behind the behavior of opposers. They will throw in all kinds of things related to dangerous psychological tricks, historical quirks, actions of individual men, ect., but could all of that really just be a cover and a round-about way to getting to their real goal?

“In general, we consider the conflict between alternative religions and their “anticult” adversaries to be essentially a religious conflict. The “anticult movement” (AM) can be viewed as a sort of revitalization movement for conventional or modernist instrumental rationality and utilitarian individualism… Conflicts over cults thus entail fundamental value conflicts and are more akin to earlier “religious wars” than to a polarity of objective psychological science exposing induced psychopathology…What the anticult perspective boils down to after such empirical disconfirmation is a pseudo-scientific, all-embracing value perspective or ideology. Shorn of its scientific pretensions, the anticult ideology is a fundamentalistic, arguably totalistic, version of the modernist worldview that targets competing worldviews as in effect tools of the devil.” – Conversion and "Brainwashing" in New Religious Movements by Dick Anthony and Thomas Robbins (preliminary draft; final version published in The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements, edited by James R. Lewis, Oxford University Press, New York 2004)

Examples of Apostate 'Love'

2011-11-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

In response to a recent article on the continuing harassment of Witnesses in Russia ( http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/82751/ ), Teary became engaged in this interesting line of discussion:

Teary: Very sad. And here Teary thought that Russia might have a chance to move away from minority oppression, but it seems now that they are just backsliding more and more.

Opposer 1: you are simple stupid,there is no oppression in Russia, oppression and persecutions in Russia sentence extreme minority to Siberia,or heavy labor prison.

Teary:

"In February 2009, the Russian Federation General Prosecutor’s Office ordered local prosecutors’ offices throughout Russia to gather any negative information they could find on Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were authorized to involve agencies of the FSB, police, public health agencies, local departments of justice, and military commissariats to try and find such negative information. As a result, over 500 investigations have been initiated against individual Witnesses and our Local Religious Organizations. Thus, the General Prosecutor’s Office is orchestrating a witch hunt on Jehovah’s Witnesses that will lead to the criminal prosecution of individuals simply because of their religious convictions.

For instance, on April 23, Mr. Yuriy Panov was discussing the Bible with local residents in the town of Ramon, in the Voronezh Region when local police stopped him, falsely accused him of committing burglaries in the neighborhood, and took him to the police station. Because Mr. Panov refused to admit to the false accusations, the police handcuffed and beat him. They also forced him to wear a gas mask and cut off the oxygen supply so that he could not breathe. After they threatened to administer electric shocks and sexually assault him, Mr. Panov was so intimidated that he admitted to the burglaries. The police then abruptly ended the torture and stated that they had made a mistake in accusing Mr. Panov of any crime.

On May 24, police in the city of Asbest raided a religious meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses, without a warrant or legal basis, and unlawfully detained 50 Witnesses. A female congregation member who was present was subjected to police interrogations that were so coercive that shortly afterward she was hospitalized and suffered a miscarriage. A 15-year-old boy who was also in attendance was detained over three weeks in a foster home, despite repeated efforts on the part of his parents to procure his release."
Opposer 2 (in direct response to the atrocities that Teary just mentioned): Ha ha! Russia had the right idea: rid the world of Jehovah's Witnesses by ANY MEANS NECESSARY!

Take some time to let that last comment soak in.

Opposers of Witnesses are always complaining about how the Witnesses are 'evil' and 'unloving' and 'deceptive' and 'mean.' But if that is the alternative that the other side is encouraging us to aspire to (hatred so strong that you promote the beating of innocent civilians and the killing of babies because of nothing more than religious bigotry), then Teary would much rather be a 'mean,' 'deceptive' Jehovah's Witness. It would still be a few steps up from these heartless opposers.

Philippians 3:11 and the "Earlier Resurrection"

2011-10-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

E. Gruss, a vocal and outspoken critic of Jehovah’s Witnesses, makes the following comments in one of his long winded attacks on the New World Translation:

“In Philippians 3:11 the Greek exanastasis (resurrection) is erroneously translated ‘earlier resurrection.’”

But does his claim that “earlier resurrection” is “erroneous” really hold any water, or is it just another distortion of the facts by an anti-‘cult’ fanatic?

I see no real reason not to use the Insight on the Scriptures reference here, as it directly addresses the issue and is 90% quotation of outside sources anyways.

“Resurrection.” Insight on the Scriptures Vol. 2, p. 787

The apostle Paul speaks of this first resurrection also as “the earlier resurrection from the dead [literally, the out-resurrection the out of dead (ones)].” (Php 3:11, NW, Ro, Int) On the expression Paul uses here, Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament (1931, Vol. IV, p. 454) says: “Apparently Paul is thinking here only of the resurrection of believers out from the dead and so double ex [out] (ten exanastasin ten ek nekron). Paul is not denying a general resurrection by this language, but emphasizing that of believers.” Charles Ellicott’s Commentaries (1865, Vol. II, p. 87) remarks on Philippians 3:11: “‘The resurrection from the dead;’ i.e., as the context suggests, the first resurrection (Rev. xx. 5), when, at the Lord’s coming the dead in Him shall rise first (1 Thessalon. iv. 16), and the quick be caught up to meet Him in the clouds (1 Thess. iv. 17); compare Luke xx. 35. The first resurrection will include only true believers, and will apparently precede the second, that of non-believers and disbelievers, in point of time . . . Any reference here to a merely ethical resurrection (Cocceius) is wholly out of the question.” One of the basic meanings of the word e·xa·na′sta·sis is getting up from bed in the morning; thus it can well represent a resurrection occurring early, otherwise called “the first resurrection.” Rotherham’s translation of Philippians 3:11 reads: “If by any means I may advance to the earlier resurrection which is from among the dead.

And here is a picture of Philippians 3:11 as it appears in that 1902 version of Rotherham’s translation (or, the Emphasized Bible):

And is the Emphasized Bible really a translation that we can simply write off as being “fringe” or “subpar”? Consider Charles R. Erdman’s glowing review of Rotherham’s work in the 1906 Princeton Theological Review, Vol. IV, p. 573:

These four volumes form a unique and invaluable addition to our modern equipment for Bible study. It is impossible to imagine how more light could be thrown upon Scripture in a word of briefer compass. Each page is a striking example of multum in parvo. The simple devices of printing offer suggestions on a single page which it would require a commentary to express, while the translation enables those who are not acquainted with the Hebrew and the Greek to understand the force of the original text. It is those who are best acquainted with these languages who are loudest in their praise of this admirable work. All classes of Bible students and readers will find in these volumes a scholarly and helpful interpretation of the Scriptures.

Rotherham clearly understood (as did Robertson, Ellicott and the NWT translators) that in this instance, the context demanded something more than just the single term “resurrection,” or even the perfectly literal rendering “out resurrection” (since that phrase does not really mean anything to a modern English speaker). Using “resurrection” alone without any farther qualifiers causes the reader to lose the original meaning and intent of the verse; and after all, isn’t the whole fundamental purpose of translation the clear communication of meaning from one language to another?

ELDERS SHOULD SLAUGHTER ALL APOSTATES!

2011-10-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Those horrible apostates! They should be gunned down! Cut down! Slaughtered! And the evil JW elders are instructed to carry out the deed! The more blood the better!

At least, that is what the anti-Witness crowd now want you to believe. Take a look at this genuine masterpiece of word-butchery that was just recently cobbled together:

Elders should Slaughter Apostates (but we never said that!)Nov 15, 2011 WT - "The prophet Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu as king and to instruct him to kill every male of the apostate house of Ahab.—2 Ki. 8:28; 9:1-10." "Though the thought of violence is unpleasant, we should realize that in those days, Jehovah used his servants to carry out his judgments.... Today, no servant of Jehovah uses physical force against opponents of pure worship. “Vengeance is mine,” God says. (Heb.10:30) But to rid the congregation of potentially corrupting influences, Christian elders may have to act with courage similar to that of Jehu. (1 Cor. 5:9-13) And all members of the congregation need to be determined to avoid the company of disfellowshipped individuals.— 2 John 9-11." "Jehu announced that he intended to hold “a great sacrifice” for Baal. (2 Ki. 10:18, 19) “This is a clever play on words on the part of Jehu,” says one scholar. While the term employed here “generally means ‘sacrifice,’ it is also used of the ‘slaughter’ of apostates.” "It is true that Jehu spilled much blood. Yet, the Scriptures present him as a courageous man...

As the words preceding the quote imply, the anti-Witness poster here wanted to convey the idea that "Elders should slaughter apostates." But let’s track down that hodgepodge of quotes in the original article shall we? (click the pictures for a full view):

There are five independent quotes within that jumble spread out literally all throughout the article. Let’s break them down individually.

"The prophet Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu as king and to instruct him to kill every male of the apostate house of Ahab.—2 Ki. 8:28; 9:1-10."

Quite true and appropriate, considering that the article is, after all, a historical account of Jehu’s life and actions.

"Though the thought of violence is unpleasant, we should realize that in those days, Jehovah used his servants to carry out his judgments.”

Again, true and spoken in a purely historical context (as is indicated by the rest of that paragraph).

“Today, no servant of Jehovah uses physical force against opponents of pure worship. ‘Vengeance is mine,’ God says. (Heb.10:30) But to rid the congregation of potentially corrupting influences, Christian elders may have to act with courage similar to that of Jehu. (1 Cor. 5:9-13) And all members of the congregation need to be determined to avoid the company of disfellowshipped individuals.— 2 John 9-11."

While completely disavowing any kind of physical violence, the Witnesses here encourage Christians to imitate Jehu’s courage in standing up for true worship. And in dealing with apostate Christians, the Witnesses do not say ‘go and slaughter them like Jehu did,’ but rather say ‘just stay away from them.’

“This is a clever play on words on the part of Jehu,” says one scholar. While the term employed here “generally means ‘sacrifice,’ it is also used of the ‘slaughter’ of apostates.”

Again (referring to the pictures of the whole article above) we are back in a purely historical context here.

“It is true that Jehu spilled much blood. Yet, the Scriptures present him as a courageous man...[ who freed Israel from the oppressive domination of Jezebel and her family. If any leader of Israel was to succeed in doing this, he had to be a man of courage, determination, and zeal. “It was rough work and was executed with relentless thoroughness,” comments one Bible dictionary. ‘Gentler measures probably would have failed to eradicate Baal worship from Israel.’”

Again, the article is still talking about the historical Jehu.

So what exactly are the parts of the article that are not purely historical, and that are applied to our modern lives instead? As a final activity, let’s now separate the personal application portions of the article from the historical portions, and see what we come up with:

“Today, no servant of Jehovah uses physical force against opponents of pure worship. “Vengeance is mine,” God says. (Heb.10:30) But to rid the congregation of potentially corrupting influences, Christian elders may have to act with courage similar to that of Jehu. (1 Cor. 5:9-13) And all members of the congregation need to be determined to avoid the company of disfellowshipped individuals.— 2 John 9-11…No doubt you can see that circumstances faced by Christians today require that they manifest certain qualities possessed by Jehu. For instance, how should we react if tempted to engage in any activity that Jehovah condemns? We should be prompt, courageous, and dynamic in rejecting it. When it comes to our godly devotion, we cannot tolerate any rivalry toward Jehovah… We can never take our relationship with Jehovah for granted. Every day, we need to cultivate loyalty to God through study of his Word, meditation on it, and heartfelt prayer to our heavenly Father. Let us, therefore, exercise utmost care to keep on walking in Jehovah’s law with all our heart.—1 Cor.10:12.”

Reads a bit differently than the original group of quotes doesn’t it? How does the Witness opposer interpret the article?

Christian elders should imitate Jehu's courage in slaughtering and killing apostates.

But what does the article really instruct modern Christians to do?

Never use physical violence against opponents of pure worship.
Imitate Jehu’s qualities of courage, promptness, and dynamicism in defending the pure worship of God and in rejecting things that God disapproves of.
Simply "avoid" disfellowshipped individuals and apostates rather than attacking them or picking fights with them.
Show loyalty to God through Bible study, meditation and prayer.

Not nearly as sinister sounding a message is it?

Steve Hassan: Anti-Cult Hero, Depraved Psychopath, or Both?

2011-10-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Steve Hassan, author of several 'anti-cult' books, disciple of the Margaret Singer theories on brainwashing, and hero of innumerable opposers of Jehovah's Witnesses, actually has a much more colorful past than many realize. Take for instance, these two affidavits that I managed to dig up from my pile of old documents.

And even though those two documented instances (who knows how many more went undocumented) took place back in the late 70's, what about Hassan's views today? Has he ever really rejected such extreme and illegal methods? His 1998 book seems to indicate otherwise. In it he states

"the non-coercive approach will not work in every case, it has proved to be the option most families prefer. Forcible intervention can be kept as a last resort if all other attempts fail."

This is the kind of man that the anti-Witness forces idolize and quote regularly from? It is very telling.

The Truth About Witness Retention Rates

2011-10-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

While browsing around the internet for information on Jehovah's Witnesses, a person is very likely to stumble across a statement like the following:

"Jehovah's Witnesses have the lowest retention rate of any religious group! Two out of every three Witnesses jump ship! They are leaving in droves!"

But what is the real story behind those figures? Do they accurately represent the true retention situation among Witnesses? This post will attempt to provide a brief answer.
Do note though, that this author doesn't claim to be a statistician, and he doesn't claim to have all of the overall growth variables included. This post will merely provide a very simple look at the numbers and at the major issue that causes confusion, i.e., the ignoring of the convert retention rate.

The primary sources of information for Witness retention rate data have historically been Pew surveys, specifically their U.S. Religious Landscape Surveys.[1] Notice the important part of that title though: "U.S." Most of the data we have on Witness retention rates (including the data used in this post) is for the United States only. Retention rates in other parts of the world (especially Latin American countries) could be significantly higher than the U.S. rates.

The Pew study linked to in the references gives retention rate data primarily on those who have been raised around their current religion, but does not give retention rate information on converts. This is an important distinction to make, because some religions (like the Witnesses) are more convert heavy than others. Even a very low retention rate among life long adherents could be statistically insignificant if life long adherents are not well represented in the overall group.

Another important factor to keep in mind is that many Pew surveys tend to have very low relative numbers of actual Witness participants. In the 2008 U.S. Religious Survey referenced below, there were only 200 or so Witness participants out of an overall participation of around 35,000. Thus, while it can accurately tell us the ratio of Witnesses to the general population, it might not be such a reliable source of information for more specific things, such as retention rates.

While keeping the possible sources of error in mind, we can still determine the makeup of that small, 200 or so person sample and draw some conclusions from it. By knowing the general makeup of the group, we can essentially 'weight' the retention numbers based on their overall significance and then find the compound retention rate. The religious history of current Witnesses was as follows in the Pew survey:

Total Group Size Estimate: 35,000
Childhood Witness: 0.6%; 35,000 x 0.006 = 210
Entering Percent: 0.5%; 35,000 x 0.005 = 175
Leaving Percent: 0.4%; 35,000 x 0.004 = 140
Current Witness: 0.7%; 35,000 x 0.007 = 245

210 Childhood JW

140 Leavers from Childhood JW

---------------

70 Raised JW and Stayed JW

175 Joiners From Other Groups

---------------

245 Current JW

70 / 210 = 33% retention among those raised JW.

The Pew people themselves ended up with 37% retention for born-ins, so this author differs from them by about 4%.

Now those "Joiners" from other groups are assumed to be the converts who have already gone beyond the 'decision' stage, and who decided to stay with the JWs. There would also naturally be a certain number of converts from other religions who chose to not stay with the JWs, and who would technically not be represented at all in the Pew data since it cannot measure more than one religious change, e.g., "from Protestant to JW back to Protestant" would not register the JW stage in the Pew survey. This unrepresented group would increase the total number of converts in general to a number higher than 175, but exactly how much higher depends on the retention rate of converts.

What is the retention rate of converts? The Pew survey does not allow us to determine that number; however, many NRM researchers and those who study the Witness Year Book statistics (such as Cumorah farther below), would approximate the convert retention at around 55-75%. Using the high and low ends, we can guesstimate the total number of JW converts in the representative group of 35,000.

175 / 0.55 = 318 on the low convert retention side.
175 / 0.75 = 233 on the high convert retention side.

70 + 175 = 245 total retained JWs
210 candidate born-in JWs + x candidate convert JWs = y total candidate JWs
Compound Retention Rate = 245 / y

210 + 318 = 528 total candidates
210 + 233 = 443 total candidates

245 / 528 = 46%
245 / 443 = 55%

Compound Retention = 46%-55% or around 50% averaged out.

This convert heavy structure of the group also explains why the Witnesses have not just completely fallen apart and disappeared from the face of the earth (as you would expect any group to do that only retains 33%-37% of members). They are not losing 63-66% of their TOTAL membership, they are losing 63-66% of a smaller subgroup within the total number of Witnesses (~43% of candidates, i.e., those who still have the choice of either staying or leaving, are born-ins while ~57% of candidates are converts), which is spread out over several years (because it is not technically an annual loss). Factor in a much larger retention rate for those converts (around 60% or higher), and it becomes apparent why the Witnesses are still growing at a faster pace than most of the other religious denominations even with low born-in retention rates: the high convert numbers compared to born-ins and the high convert retention more than makes up for the losses coming from those born-in drop-outs.

Also factor in death rates, birth rates, new baptism rates, the rate of convert loss over time vs. the rate of born-in losses over time (which are probably different), the reinstatement rate of DF'd individuals over time, ect., and eventually you should end up at the 2-3% overall annual growth figure. But this author isn't going to explore all of that in any depth.

The research site Cumorah.com[1] also had some interesting comments on the Pew studies in relation to LDS retention rates:

The Jehovah's Witnesses, on the other hand, reported a net gain, with converts outpacing the children of members lost to disaffiliation. To put it another way, 71% of individuals presently identifying themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses were converts, compared to just 23.5% of Latter-day Saints...The Pew survey documents that the LDS Church is significantly more successful than Jehovah's Witnesses at retaining (at least in the sense of retaining self-identified religious preference) individuals born in the faith, but is much less successful at retaining baptized converts... In contrast, the Jehovah's Witness proselyting program has been substantially more effective when assessed not from the angle of raw baptismal statistics, but from the perspective of making and retaining adult converts who continue to affiliate with the faith and constitute the bulk of its committed membership. The Witnesses' own annual statistics consistently demonstrate retention of 55-65% of baptized converts worldwide, more than double LDS convert retention rates.

Conclusions

The retention rate among those raised as Witnesses was estimated by this author to be around 33% and by Pew to be around 37% (4% difference).
Those retention rate numbers derived from the Pew survey are not very reliable considering the small sample size of Witnesses.
The retention rate for Witness converts is generally agreed to be much higher (anywhere between 55% and 75% depending on the source).
The compound retention rate for both converts and born-ins was estimated by this author to be around 50%.

Possible Sources of Error

As was already mentioned, the sample size of Witnesses used for the survey was very small compared to the size of the overall representative group, so small in fact that the percentages given for the "Leaving," "Entering," "Childhood Religion," and "Current Religion" in relation to the overall sample only contained a single significant figure. If instead of 0.6% "Childhood Religion," they had "0.64%," then there would have been a sizable different in the final calculated retention rates (and indeed, those significant figure issues may have been what caused the 4% difference between the author's calculated childhood retention rate and Pew's calculated rate). And that few hundreths of a percent error compounded over four different categories could make it even worse.
This author also rounded the total group size to 35,000 for the sake of convenience. But because the calculations were all founded on percents instead of whole numbers, the rounding shouldn't have produced significant error.
The assumed convert retention rate may have caused some error, but it was intentionally left as a range in order to average out that error.
As was mentioned near the start, the data was taken from U.S. residents only, even though Witnesses reside in nearly every country on earth. The U.S. Witnesses represent maybe 1/7th of the global Witness population, and likely have one of the lower retention rates compared with other countries (especially Latin American ones).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

References

[1] http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf
[2] http://www.cumorah.com/index.php?target=church_growth_articles&story_id=14

Mine is Bigger Than Yours: Watchtower PDF Library Update 2!

2011-10-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since the last official library update, and things have certainly grown in that interval. We are currently up to 10 Gigabytes of raw data and over 700 individual files!

What follows is a visual sampling of the bulk of that data. Searches and quote verifications from any of these publications is also available upon request (and after approval from Teary himself) if the sincere reader desires--simply shoot the blog owner an email or leave the request in the comments, and it will be reviewed in a timely manner.

1.0 The Watchtower Magazine

2.0 Golden Age

3.0 Consolation

4.0 Awake!

5.0 Society Books

6.0 Related Non-Society Works

7.0 Studies in the Scriptures

8.0 Russell

9.0 Photo Drama of Creation

11.0 Minor Publications

12.0 Tracts and Miscellaneous

13.0 Conventions

14.0 Newspaper and Correspondence

15.0 Legal

Humor in the Rutherford - Troy Debate!

2011-09-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

Kind of silly I know, but I just had to share this first page of the 1915 Rutherford - Troy debate after it made me crack up so much! After going over the positions of both Rutherford and Troy, notice in particular the stated position of the neutral chairman...

April 22, 1915.
Thousands Hear Opening Debate On Question,
"WHERE ARE THE DEAD?"
Rutherford and Troy Resort To Bible To Solve Man's Future State
Lawyer, Minister Discuss Life Beyond

Are the dead "dead?" Following are versions of a lawyer and a minister:

LAWYER RUTHERFORD:

Man is a soul; man dies, therefore the soul dies.
If the dead are perished, as the Bible states, how could it be possible for such creatures to be conscious after they have perished?
If Lazarus was at all conscious during the four days that be was dead and in the grave, why is there no proof thereof in the Bible?
Jesus didn't tell Lazarus to put off his asbestos coat and come up out of some conscious condition to Martha.

MINISTER TROY:

Paul taught: Absent from the body; present with the Lord.
Remember the passage: "He whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
Man is spirit, body and soul -- three distinct things; spirit being a soul, being immortal and existing eternally in some condition of consciousness.
I would to God that the ministers would rise up and teach the word of God correctly.

RABBI I. MEYERS, CHAIRMAN:

Maybe if we live long enough we'll all die and find out for ourselves.

C.T. Russell and Miracle Wheat: The Controversy from Start to Finish

2011-09-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

[This article is a work in progress. Please check again later kthx bye ;-) ]

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Laying to Rest the "Mentally Diseased" Nonsense

2011-09-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

It has come to the attention of the Editor of this site that a new hot-button issue has been circulating around the internet, and has ever made its way into some British newspapers. That controversy revolves around the July 15, 2011 Study Edition of the Watchtower Magazine, which is quoted from and screen captured below. The Editor of this blog will attempt to lay out a complete analysis all of the issues surrounding this Watchtower article in the following post.

The Editor would also like to extend many thanks to the user “NotTheLastWord” for his large contributions to this post, especially in sections 3, 5 and 6.

1.0 DEFINING THE ISSUES AND ACCUSATIONS

1.1 Text Version of the Article in Question

“6 How can we protect ourselves against false teachers? The Bible’s counsel regarding how to deal with them is clear. (Read Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11.) “Avoid them,” says God’s Word. Other translations render that phrase “turn away from them,” “keep away from them,” and “stay away from them!” There is nothing ambiguous about that inspired counsel. Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease. You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are “mentally diseased,” and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings. (1 Tim. 6:3, 4) Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respects?”—Watchtower SE July 15, 2011 p. 15 par. 6

Scriptures for Paragraph:

(Romans 6:17 NWT) But thanks to God that YOU were the slaves of sin but YOU became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which YOU were handed over.

(2 John 9-11 NWT) Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. 11 For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.

(1 Timothy 6:3-4 NWT) If any man teaches other doctrine and does not assent to healthful words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the teaching that accords with godly devotion, 4 he is puffed up [with pride], not understanding anything, but being mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions,

Question for Paragraph:

“6. The Bible gives us what clear counsel regarding false teachers?”

1.2 Screen Cap of Article

1.3 Accusations from Opposers

The accusations of opposers regarding this article have been as follows:

1. The Witnesses’ use of the phrase “mentally diseased” in reference to apostates constitutes unacceptable hate speech (against who specifically varies from opposer to opposer—some say against the mentally handicapped, others say against the apostates themselves).

2. No other Bible translates 1 Tim. 6:4 even remotely close to the way the Witnesses’ translate it, therefore it is not the fault of the Bible.

1.4 Who Stirred the Pot?

The fact is, that literally the entire controversy was stirred up by a single anti-Witness internet forum, and in all likelihood nobody would be caring one little iota about this issue if that small minority group of disgruntled ex-Witnesses hadn’t yelled and raised such a huge fuss about it (and no, not even people with real mental disorders cared one bit—it was entirely on this small group of ex-Witnesses). Even the newspapers that ran the story were contacted and lobbied directly by members of this anti-Witness internet forum. Here is just one example of many from that activity:

“The correspondent [of a major UK newspaper] has been told about this forum, and he is particularly interested in hearing from those INSIDE the organization…Would anybody like to be used as a source, either anonymously or otherwise? If so, it might be worthwhile saying a few words on this thread. Obviously, he will no doubt reserve the right to decide for himself which remarks or experiences are the most relevant, so nobody (including me) can be guaranteed that his or her experience will be used, but I thought it would be worthwhile to give everybody the opportunity to come forward if you feel you have something to say.”--forum poster under the alias of "Cedars"

In addition to the coordination on lobbying newspapers, this forum has also repeatedly encouraged members to hassle police officers about the matter and to just generally stir up as much trouble as they possibly can in an attempt to keep drawing artificial attention to the story.

2.0 SEEING THROUGH THE SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Sensationalist stories like this are rarely told honestly and clearly; and so, the purpose of this section is to first clear away some of the smoke and slight of hand that has been going on in the presentation. Once we see through the illusion, then we can address the actual issues instead of the phantom issues.

Specifically, be very cautious of this trick when collecting information on the subject:

"Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings...Jehovah, the Great Physician" –quote you’ll usually find on the internet

"Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings."--quote from the Independent magazine itself!

"Well, apostates are “mentally diseased,” and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings. (1 Tim. 6:3, 4) Jehovah, the Great Physician..." --full and unedited quote

The first two quotes are the one being proliferated extensively on the web and on forum posts, while the second is the actual quote from the magazine. Did you note the differences? They are major.

You will often see ellipses arbitrarily inserted into the passage; and yet, those ellipses only remove a single term (or even worse, the Independent magazine cuts the quote off before the actual end of the sentence at the Scriptural reference). They are put there (or the sentence is cut off early) for the sole purpose of removing the Bible link, so that it appears that the Watchtower and the Watchtower alone is making that statement out of thin air and with no context.

The anti-Witness group behind this ‘story’ don’t want it to be a Bible issue, because many of them profess to be followers of the Bible themselves. They would look foolish and hypocritical attacking their own holy book. That is why they deliberately alter the quotations and form their arguments in such a way that all of the blame and responsibility shifts to the Watchtower and away from the source that the Watchtower directly quoted from: the Bible.

So don’t let people fool you and lead you into thinking that this is a Watchtower issue, because it isn’t. As we will see soon, it is an undeniably Biblical issue at heart; therefore, one should always strive to keep the focus on the Bible end of it when in discussions.

3.0 RESPONSE TO THE TRANSLATION ACCUSATIONS

What is the proper translation of 1 Tim. 6:4, and is the NWT translation justified on linguistic grounds? Those are very important questions in this issue that deserve answers. The full NWT verse is as follows:

“4 he is puffed up [with pride], not understanding anything, but being mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions,” (1 Tim. 6:4 NWT emphasis mine)

3.1 Lexicon Analysis

The phrase in question derives from a single Greek term: noseō, which only occurs a single time in the Christian Greek Scriptures (at 1 Tim. 6:4). The full Strong’s entry and Vine’s entry are as follows:

Strong’s G3552

Transliteration: noseō

Part of Speech: verb

Outline of Biblical Usage:

1) to be sick

2) metaph. of any ailment of the mind

a) to be taken with such an interest in a thing as amounts to a disease, to have a morbid fondness for

Vines Entry

Dote - signifies "to be ill, to be ailing," whether in body or mind; hence, "to be taken with such a morbid interest in a thing as is tantamount to a disease, to dote," 1Ti 6:4 (marg., "sick"). The primary meaning of "dote" is to be foolish (cp. Jer 50:36, the evident meaning of noseo, in this respect, is "to be unsound."

3.2 The Verse in Other Translations

Here are a number of different Bibles which all translate 1 Tim 6:4 in the sense of having an “ailment of the mind,” i.e., a “disease” of the mind. There are probably far more than are highlighted in this brief list, but the point is made nevertheless: the NWT is not alone in its translation decision.

1 Timothy 6:4 Common English Bible

"They don’t understand anything but have a sick obsession with debates and arguments."

Contemporary English Version

"...they don't really know a thing. Their minds are sick, and they like to argue over words."

Darby Translation

"...he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and disputes of words,"

English Standard Version

"He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words,"

New American Standard Bible

"...has a [a]morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words,"

Footnote [a]: is sick about

New Century Version

"...but is sick with a love for arguing and fighting about words."

The Translators New Testament

"He is a sick man."

The New Testament in Modern English by Phillips

"His mind is a morbid jumble of disputation and arguments ..."

The Modern Speech New Testament by Weymouth

"is crazy over discussions and controversies”

NASB Interlinear Greek-English New Testament by Alfred Marshall

"being diseased"

"...but wasteth his brains about questions and strife of words." -- Tyndale's New Testament (a modern-spelling edition of the 1534 translation; original spelling "wasteth his braynes").

The Cranmer translation of 1539 and Geneva Bible of 1557 also use the same expression ("wasteth his braynes"; "wasteth his braines," respectively)

3.3 Commentary Bibles

noson: morbidly busy (Liddon) ... His disease is intellectual curiosity about trifles. Both doting and mad after (Alf.) as translations of noson, err by excess of vigour. The idea is a simple one of sickness as opposed to health. -- The Expositor's Greek Testament, Vol. 4, Ed. by W. Robertson Nicoll

He is morbidly keen, literally 'he is diseased concerning'. The idiom is found in contemporary literature: we read of one who is 'mad on expensive jewels' and of another who is 'mad for publicity.' -- The Cambridge Bible Commentary on The New English Bible: The Pastoral Letters, by Anthony T. Hanson

doting about questions] 'Diseased' or 'mad' on points of subtle disputation. The word in other writers has both meanings, and the opposition to 'sound' would hold equally good with both; but the moral responsibility for this state is clearly implied, and points rather to the former: 'full of a diseased disputatiousness.' -- Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: Timothy and Titus, ed. The Rev. A.E. Humphreys

3.4 Theological commentaries

The use of noseo in 1Tim 6:4 corresponds to the Hellenistic use of the vb. Craving for controversy and disputes about words point to a sick condition in the inner man (cf. Plato, Philo ...). The comparison of the spreading nature of false teaching with the progress of a cancerous tumour (2Tim 2:17) likewise belongs to the realm of Hellenistic thought." -- Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown, Vol 3, p. 998-999.

... the figurative use of noseo in 1Tim 6:4 is Hellenistic in context. This is supported by the construction, the popular philosophical character of the list of vices which follows in v.4 f., and the strong emphasis on ignorance as the source of aberration. Here, as in Plato and Philo, being sick is a metaphor to indicate the abnormal state of the inward man. In keeping is the fact that in 2Tm. 2:17 the growth of error is compared with that of a cancer. Though the guilt of error is not disputed, neither this nor the penal consequences are emphasized. The accent in the comparison is on the abnormality and common threat. -- Theological Dictionary of The New Testament, ed. Kittel, trans by. Bromiley, vol. IV, p. 1095.

4. Doting. "Doting" is the present participle of noseo (only here in the NT). Literally the verb means "to be sick." In classical Greek it was used metaphorically for mental illness. Thayer says that here it means "to be taken with such an interest in a thing as amounts to a disease, to have a morbid fondness for" (p.429). Arndt and Gingrich suggest the translation "have a morbid craving for" (cf. Goodspeed). White says of the person described here: "His disease is intellectual curiosity about trifles" (EGT, 4:141). -- Word Meanings in the New Testament, by Ralph Earle.

3.5 Counter Counter Points

I also thought that it would be good to make the reader aware of a few extra fallacies floating around regarding the different translations, which might be used as counter points to the arguments already made here.

You will often see opposers yelling, “Well I have 12 different Bibles that don’t translate with the sense of a mental sickness! Therefore your claim is wrong!” But that is a red herring, and is not at all related to the real burden of proof. As an illustration:

Man A owns a brown cow and makes the claim “brown cows are not unique—there are certainly other brown cows out there.” Thus to support his position, man A goes and finds other brown cows. But man B walks in later with 10 white cows and makes the claim “Well your claim that your brown cow isn’t unique is bogus, because I have 10 white cows right here!”

So what do man B’s 10 white cows have to do with man A’s claim that brown cows are not unique? Nothing at all. The white cows don’t matter one bit, because all man A needed to do to support his claim was find at least 1 brown cow.

Similarly, opposer B’s 10 Bibles that translate 1 Tim 6:4 ‘softly’ have nothing to do with the claim that “multiple reputable translations support the NWT rendering.” The soft translations don’t matter one bit, because all JW A needed to do to support his side was find just a handful of reputable translations that did render the verse harshly and in the sense of being “sick in the mind.”

And if the opposers refuse to attack the other reputable translations that also render the verse in a harsh sense, then that simply proves bigotry, hypocrisy and preferential condemnation on their part.

The reader may also run into those who make the claim: “But there is not even one translation out there that uses the exact phrase “mentally diseased!” That may be technically true if we look at it from a very exacting point of view. But that fact doesn’t make the opposers argument valid either, nor does it make the argument of the JW invalid, because

1. It is rare for two different groups of translators to render a passage exactly the same, because translation is not as much an exact science with only one solution per problem as it is an art with many solutions to the same problem. What you have to look for is relative agreement in tone and sense, which all the Bibles listed above have.

2. As we have already seen, the translation “mentally diseased” is in perfect agreement with the lexicon definitions, and thus correct from a technical point of view.

3. Another factor impacting the translation decisions is the overall style of translation. Some Bible’s lean more towards the looser, paraphrasing side of translation (where the ‘softer’ versions of 1 Tim 6:4 will be) while others (like the NWT and several of the Bible’s in the above list), will lean more towards the literal side and thus a possibly harsher rendering.

4.0 WHAT IS THE REAL CONTEXT OF THE VERSE?

In a further desperate attempt to avoid inadvertently attacking the Bible itself, many opposers have also adopted the following line of reasoning:

“The interpretation of JW's of those scriptures is very much out of context and is far different (and far more extremist) than the interpretations of most scholars and even the historical first century Christians."

Does this claim hold water, or is it just plain denying reality? The only way to find out is to examine Paul’s letters for ourselves.

4.1 A Brief Discussion of 1 Timothy

Keep on teaching these things and giving these exhortations. 3 If any man teaches other doctrine and does not assent to healthful words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the teaching that accords with godly devotion, 4 he is puffed up [with pride], not understanding anything, but being mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions, 5 violent disputes about trifles on the part of men corrupted in mind and despoiled of the truth, thinking that godly devotion is a means of gain. 6 To be sure, it is a means of great gain, [this] godly devotion along with self-sufficiency. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out. 8 So, having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things. — 1 Tim. 6:1-8 NWT

Who was Paul referring to specifically in chapter six of 1st Timothy? The very first lines state explicitly that he was speaking to those who

1. Taught different doctrine, i.e., doctrine other than that handed down by Paul and Jesus through the apostles.

2. Did not assent to “healthful words,” i.e., didn’t listen to counsel from either Paul, the apostles or the congregation.

3. Did not assent to the teachings of godly devotion, i.e., did not listen to Paul’s teachings, the teachings of the Apostles or the teachings of the appointed older men.

And what does Paul say about such men in the very next few lines? Such men were

· prideful

· ignorant

· sick in the head, i.e., mentally diseased

· envious

· strife causers

· abusive in speech

· wicked

· violent

· corrupt

· despoiled of truth

As you can see, this was an extremely harsh passage overall, and with good reason! It was referring to the same people that the Witnesses dedicated their controversial phrase to: men who apostatized from the Christian congregation by fighting against Paul, the apostles and probably quite a few others with authority, and who intentionally taught “different doctrine” for the purpose of creating division and strife in the congregations.

Whether the anti-Witness crowd likes it or not, Paul’s attitude is perfectly clear. He did not tolerate people in his congregations apostatizing from the faith and teaching different doctrine, period. He says that repeatedly and explicitly, and even mentioned throwing several people out of the congregation because of it. They can deny those simple facts all they want, but it won’t change reality.

"Just as I encouraged you to stay in Eph′e·sus when I was about to go my way into Mac·e·do′ni·a, so I do now, that you might command certain ones not to teach different doctrine," (1 Tim. 1:3)

"If any man teaches other doctrine and does not assent to healthful words…(1 Tim. 6:3)

"But shun empty speeches that violate what is holy; for they will advance to more and more ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·nae′us and Phi·le′tus are of that number. 18 These very [men] have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred; and they are subverting the faith of some." (2 Tim 2:16-18)

“This mandate I commit to you, child, Timothy, in accord with the predictions that led directly on to you, that by these you may go on waging the fine warfare; 19 holding faith and a good conscience, which some have thrust aside and have experienced shipwreck concerning [their] faith. 20 Hy·me·nae′us and Alexander belong to these, and I have handed them over to Satan that they may be taught by discipline not to blaspheme.” (1 Tim 1:18-20)

The full citation from the Watchtower article and a close examination of the Bible prove that the Watchtower was quoting and then applying the Apostle Paul's very trenchant comment to those who are behaving exactly as the Biblical passage described. The apostates are actually proving that Paul's words apply to them, as they have a) distorted the words of the Watchtower article by misapplying them and b) started a 'quarrel about words' (Wuest's translation), which is the very thing Paul was commenting on and warning first century Christians to protect themselves against.

A few other interesting points to keep in mind also, are the facts that

1. It could easily be argued that the verses in 1 Timothy are actually even harsher than what was printed in the Watchtower, and yet it gets no mention.

2. The anti-Witness crowd cherry picks a single insult from Paul in a list of about ten or more, and then chooses to stir up a controversy solely on it alone while ignoring everything else Paul said and the context that he said it in.

3. Paul also uses “gangrene” in a negative sense in the book of 2^nd Timothy. But why aren’t all of the compassionate Knights of Political Correctness jumping on that phrase as well for insulting people who suffer from real gangrene? At least gangrene is an actual, diagnosable medical condition, unlike “mental disease” which doesn’t really refer to anything from a medical or technical standpoint.

5.0 WHAT THAT WATCHTOWER REALLY TEACHES ABOUT 'EX-JWS'

5.1 Apostates

The media not only omits the citation of 1Tim 6:3,4, but also omits the very next sentence, and then the point in the next paragraph:

(par 6) "Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid them.

(par 7) What is involved in avoiding false teachers? We do not receive them into our homes, or great them. We also refuse to read their literature, watch TV programs the feature them, examine their Web sites, or add our comments to their blogs."

The Watchtower isn't teaching JWs to promote hatred of ex-JWs who become apostate; rather, it is simply conveying the Biblical advise that Witnesses leave them alone, and NOT engage them in fights as they spread their hatred of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Although the use of Paul's rhetoric is strong, the current anti-Witness 'complaint’ is essentially that it is now illegal for the Watchtower to recommend to JWs that they leave hostile ex-JWs alone.

5.2 Ex-JWs in general

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower have always taught that the Bible's counsel on disfellowshipping includes the hope that disfellowshipped persons will repent and return.

The last article in that same issue has this paragraph:

18 Many who were once disfellowshipped now freely admit that the firm stand taken by their friends and family members [to not associate with them] help them come to their senses. In recommending the reinstatement of one young woman [that is, the return of one who became an ex-member], the elders wrote that she cleaned up her life "partly because her fleshly brother's respect for the disfellowshipping arrangement." She said that "his faithful adherence to Scriptural guidelines helped her to want to return"

Clearly the Watchtower in one article isn't promoting hatred of ex-members while in the very same issue teaching that members should hold out hope for the return of those who leave or are disfellowshipped. That simply makes no sense.

On the other hand, apostates frequently label JWs with the pejorative and hateful term "cult", and similarly use the hatred-inducing term "mind control" with respect to Watchtower influence over its members. It is hypocritical for apostates to 'dish out' all manner of hate-filled invective by using such insulting terms about the mental state of Witnesses, but then complain when the Witnesses apply critical wording from the Bible against them that questions their mental state (which is really a spiritual criticism, not literally a claim that they have a physical mental illness).

Of course, the Gospel accounts of Jesus' arrest, trial, and death, indicate that those tactics have been around a long time. Religious opposers who couldn't compete with the power of Jesus' teachings used Roman law to frame Jesus and have him executed, and then used the same tactics against Jesus' disciples. It appears that today apostate ex-JWs are using the British authorities as their 'Pilate' or 'Caesar' because they can't compete successfully with the Watchtower in the 'marketplace of ideas'.

They certainly aren't following the teachings of Jesus Christ who taught his followers to 'turn the other cheek' when 'slapped' with mere insults.

5.3 Turnabout is Fair Play?

If this case is viewed with any merit in the eyes of the law, apostates are potentially cutting off their own noses to spite their face, since the Watchtower could surely raise its own complaint that apostate ex-JWs are spreading religious hatred about their former religion. Since apostates don't seem to advocate FOR their new beliefs and ideals, but only rail AGAINST the religion they left (or which ejected them), their legal complaint against the Watchtower really undermines the legality of their own anti-JW activities. How can they exist if they cannot spread their religious hatred of the Watchtower?

6.0 DAMAGES? WHAT DAMAGES?

The anti-Witness crowd complains continuously about "bringing the Witnesses to court" and "suing for hate speech." But the question this Editor’s mind is: who was actually "legally damaged" by the words in the Watchtower article?

Did it damage those with real mental disorders? Apparently they did not, because 1) this Editor has never heard a peep from them on all this, and 2) the article wasn't referring to literal mental disorders anyways. This was stirred up entirely by ex-Witnesses, not those with mental disorders.

Were the apostate Witnesses damaged by it? The Editor’s gut feeling would tell him no. The apostate Witnesses who started all this (those who take an active stand against their former affiliation and seek to destroy it) were already angry and resentful towards the Witnesses. They have been that way since the Witnesses came into being over 100 years ago, and they would have continued in that same state even if the September study article had never never been written (and they probably would have just found something else to complain anyways). So what is the damage here?? Can they say that they are now more hurt, angry and spiteful than they were before the article came out? It is silly to think so.

What about just ex-Witnesses in general though, including non-apostate former Witnesses? Were they damaged? I don't see how, considering that the study article was specifically referring to ex-Witnesses who seek to undermine and destroy the faith and teachings of current Witnesses, i.e., “apostates” in the sociological sense. And by all statistical measures, these true apostate types only represent a small minority of former Witnesses (less than 20%).

And so without any real, demonstratable damages caused to anybody, how can legal action against the Witnesses for damaging speech possibly succeed in a theoretical sense?

7.0 SOME COMMENTS ON THE HATE SPEECH LAW ITSELF

The late, great economist Milton Friedman once advised his listeners to ignore the high and compassionate sounding title of laws, and instead focus solely on the practical effects of the laws, because oftentimes the practical effect of a law will be the exact opposite of its stated purpose, e.g., the disastrous minimum wage laws which hurt poor and minority classes more than it helps them. In a similar vein, the ‘religious hatred’ laws actually encourage hatred and suppress free speech.

When one googles the “religious hatred” law in Britain that is being used against the Watchtower, one thing that pops up is the concern that the law will be used to suppress the Bible itself, because the Bible contains some unpopular messages. Of course, assurances were given that that wouldn't happen. Yet, really, that is what is happening here, and what has already happened in places like California, where preachers can no longer condemn homosexuality without fear of legal reprisal.

Cases like this seem to prove that the religious hatred laws really do not protect religious views, but rather, they allow intolerant groups to use the power of the law to suppress and punish any group that they don’t particularly like, or that dare criticize their own intolerance and hatred. And in the wake of that forced suppression and free publicity, their will tend to sprout even more hatred and intolerance, but now on the part of the general public as well.

Russia would be a very good example of these kinds of ‘tolerance’ laws gone wild (and Britain herself could very well end up at that point too). The laws that the Russian government and many of her people tout as promoting peace and tolerance, in reality allow for the brutal suppression and bullying of minority religious groups by larger and more established Orthodox groups with political clout.

Forced tolerance is not tolerance at all. It is merely a form of intolerance disguised as tolerance, where inevitably the powerful and large groups get to define the “boundaries” of that ‘tolerance’ for us.

7.0 CLOSING STATEMENTS

If the people who stirred up this controversy in the first place want to attack the Bible itself for calling dissenters and apostates of the congregation “mentally diseased” along with all kinds of other things, then that is fine! By all means blame the Bible then, because the Watchtower is simply echoing what it said! The battle will simply be fought on those grounds then, as it has been in the past. But to knowingly attempt to cover up the fact that the Watchtower article took its message directly from the Bible, and that the message was in harmony with what Paul said as was shown in this blog post, is in the Editor’s opinion bigoted and hypocritical.

The ones who are stirring this controversy aren’t doing it because they actually care about the plight of the mentally handicapped (who themselves couldn’t care less and who really weren’t even being referred to), and they aren’t doing it because they believe the phrase itself actually morally unacceptable and damaging (or else they would have been attacking the Bible itself with just as much ferocity in addition to every other denomination that teaches on the book of Timothy). No, they are stirring up controversy over this article simply because they just plain hate Jehovah’s Witnesses. The ones behind this are all disgruntled ex-Witnesses, e.g., apostates—hating current Witnesses is by definition just what they do. They turn mountains into molehills, distort facts if it will make the current Witnesses look bad, try to cause trouble wherever they can and just generally grind axes. And now, in this case, they are attempting to use publicity from gullible newspapers and the national law for their own vengeful ends.

And no, that is not just this Editor saying so because he is sympathetic to the Witnesses in this case—the disgruntled ex-member mindset (of any group or NRM) has been written on extensively by many academics over the years. You can even see for yourself over at my other article: Brainwashing and Apostasy Quotes:

http://tearsofoberon.blogspot.com/2009/10/brainwashing-and-apostasy-quotations.html

And so, for a major British newspaper to willingly pander to this small but vocal online community of grudge holding ex-Witnesses and aid them in their smear campaigns is, in the Editor’s opinion, quite shameful.

Studies in the Scriptures: The Time is at Hand POETRY SELECTIONS

2010-04-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Pages 30

Blessed is he

“Who bears unmoved the world’s dark frown,

Nor heeds its scornful smile;

Whom seas of trouble cannot drown,

Nor Satan’s arts beguile.”

Page 62

“Lift up your heads, desponding pilgrims;

Give to the winds your needless fears;

He who has died on Calvary’s mountain

Soon is to reign a thousand years.

“A thousand years! earth’s coming glory—

‘Tis the glad day so long foretold:

‘Tis the bright morn of Zion’s glory,

Prophets foresaw in times of old.

“Tell the whole world these blessed tidings;

Speak of the time of rest that nears;

Tell the oppressed of every nation,

Jubilee lasts a thousand years.

“What if the clouds do for a moment

Hide the blue sky where morn appears?

Soon the glad sun of promise given

Rises to shine a thousand years.”

—Bonar

Page 102

“We are living, we are dwelling,

In a grand and awful time.

In an age on ages telling,

To be living is sublime.

Hark! the rumbling in the nations,

Iron crumbling with the clay:

Hark! what soundeth? ‘Tis creation

Groaning for a better day.

“Scoffers scorning, Heaven beholding,

Thou hast but an hour to fight.

See prophetic truth unfolding!

Watch! and keep thy garments white.

Oh, let all the soul within you

For the truth’s sake go abroad!

Strike! let every nerve and sinew

Tell on ages—tell for God!”

Page 172

“Mine eyes can see the glory of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the winepress where His grapes of wrath are stored;

I see the flaming tempest of His swift-descending sword.

Our King is marching on.”

“I can see His coming judgments, as they circle all the earth,

The signs and groanings promised, to precede a second birth;

I read His righteous sentence in the crumbling thrones of earth.

Our King is marching on.

“The `Gentile Times’ are closing; for their kings have had their day;

And with them sin and sorrow will forever pass away;

For the tribe of Judah’s `Lion’ now comes to hold the sway.

Our King is marching on.

“The seventh trump is sounding, and our King knows no defeat:

He will sift out the hearts of men before His Judgment Seat.

Oh, be swift, my soul, to welcome Him, be jubilant, my feet.

Our King is marching on.”

Page 200

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET

————

“Blow ye the Trumpet, blow

The gladly solemn sound;

Let all the nations know,

To earth’s remotest bound,

The Jubilee of Earth is come,

Returning ransomed sinners home.

“Jesus, our great High Priest,

Hath full atonement made.

Ye weary spirits, rest;

Ye mournful souls, be glad.

The Jubilee of Earth is come,

Returning ransomed sinners home.

“Ye who were sold for naught,

Whose heritage was lost,

May have all back unbought,

A gift at Jesus’ cost.

The Jubilee of Earth is come,

Returning ransomed sinners home.

“The Seventh Trumpet hear,

The news of heavenly grace;

Salvation now is near;

Seek ye the Savior’s face.

The Jubilee of Earth is come,

Returning ransomed sinners home.”

Page 228

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word.”

Page 264

“Let the ‘little while’ between

In its golden light be seen.”

Page 362

FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH

———

“Am I a soldier of the cross,

A follower of the Lamb?

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak his name?

“Must I be borne to Paradise

On flowery beds of ease,

While others fought to win the prize,

And sailed through bloody seas?

“Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vain world a friend to grace,

To help me on to God?

“Sure I must fight if I would reign.

Increase my courage, Lord.

I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,

Supported by thy Word.

“Thy saints in all this glorious war

Shall conquer, though they die.

They see the triumph from afar,

By faith they bring it nigh.

“When thine illustrious day shall rise,

And all thy saints shall shine,

And shouts of vict’ry rend the skies,

The glory, Lord, be thine.”

Page 366

MILLENNIAL DAWN

———

“All things are onward moving! Let the blessed time begin!

The Old is swiftly passing, and the New is coming in!

The golden bells are ringing, and the pageant sweeps along

Like an army that is speeding to the measure of a song.

“Dark theories now are waning: they are weak to build upon;

The light is on the hill-tops, and Truth is marching on:

Many landmarks are but shadows, which now fade and flee away

Before the mighty forces that are coming in today.

“O brother, why this waiting? And sister, why so mute?

Up with the early sunshine! Watch for the golden fruit!

O poet, why this sorrow? O minstrel, why this hush?

And painter, why so long delay the heavenly tint and blush?

“Up with the larks of morning! Up with the rising sun!

Waiting not for noon-day, nor halting when begun!

For everything is moving; let the blessed time begin!

The Old is swiftly passing, and the New is coming in!

“The heavenly light is spreading, spreading at the King’s command!

It is spreading in its glory, speeding onward through the land.

Human creeds are downward tending; let them droop and fade away.

Following in the dawning sunlight, we can see a better way.

“Oh, let us all be ready for the work we have to do,

Toiling late and early, for the laborers are few!

Reaping, as instructed, in the morning light;

Reaping in the harvest field, toiling for the RIGHT!

“All things are onward moving! Let earth’s Jubilee begin!

The Old is swiftly passing, and the New is coming in!

It is coming! Oh ‘tis coming! My raptured eyes behold!

The light is on the hill-tops, the Shepherd with his Fold."

Studies in the Scriptures: The Divine Plan of the Ages POETRY SELECTIONS

2010-04-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

In appreciation of the long forgotten, romantic writing style of yesteryear, I have compiled all of the poetry selections from Studies in the Scriptures for you, the reader. Please enjoy them as much as I myself enjoyed them. :)

Pages 19-20

Life's unsealed mystery soon shall say

What joy hath God in this poor clay,

Formed by his hand with potent skill,

Stamped with his image--mind and will;

Born not to die--no, a second birth

Succeeds the sentence--"earth to earth."

For One of all the mighty host,

Who lived and died and suffered most,

Arose, and proved God's great design—

That future, therefore, yours and mine.

His Word discloses this new ray

Of light, for guidance on our way;

Based now on faith, but sure as sight,

Dispelling these dark clouds of night:

The doubt, the dread, the trembling fear,

The thoughts that marred our blessings here.

Now, Lord, these minds, whose bolder sway

Rejects the dogmas of today,

Taught by jarring sects and schools,

Fettering reason with their rules,

May seek, and know Thee as Thou art,

Our place with Thee, and then the part

We play in this stupendous plan,

Creator Infinite, and man.

Uplifts the veil, revealing quite

To those who walk in heaven's light

The glorious mystery of His throne

Hidden from ages, now made known.

Page 28

“And still new beauties shall we see,

And still increasing light.”

Pages 35-36

“Ye curious minds, who roam abroad,

And trace creation’s wonders o’er,

Confess the footsteps of your God,

And bow before him, and adore.

“The heavens declare thy glory, Lord;

In every star thy wisdom shines;

But when our eyes behold thy Word,

We read thy name in fairer lines.”

SUNSHINE OVER ALL

—————

“What folly, then,” the faithless critic cries,

With sneering lip and wise, world-knowing eyes,

“While fort to fort and post to post repeat

The ceaseless challenge of the war-drum’s beat,

And round the green earth, to the church-bell’s chime,

The morning drum-roll of the camp keeps time,

To dream of peace amidst a world in arms;

Of swords to plowshares changed by Scriptural charms;

Of nations, drunken with the wine of blood,

Staggering to take the pledge of brotherhood,

Like tipplers answering Father Mathew’s call.

* * * * * *

“Check Bau or Kaiser with a barricade

Of ‘Olive leaves’ and resolutions made;

Spike guns with pointed Scripture texts, and hope

To capsize navies with a windy trope;

Still shall the glory and the pomp of war

Along their train the shouting millions draw;

Still dusky labor to the parting brave

His cap shall doff and beauty’s kerchief wave;

Still shall the bard to valor tune his song;

Still hero-worship kneel before the strong;

Rosy and sleek, the sable-gowned divine,

O’er his third bottle of suggestive wine,

To plumed and sworded auditors shall prove

Their trade accordant with the law of love;

And Church for State, and State for Church shall fight,

And both agree that might alone is right.”

Despite the sneers like these, O faithful few,

Who dare to hold God’s Word and witness true,

Whose clear-eyed faith transcends our evil time,

And o’er the present wilderness of crime

Sees the calm future with its robes of green,

Its fleece-flecked mountains, and soft streams between,

Still keep the track which duty bids ye tread,

Though worldly wisdom shake the cautious head.

No truth from heaven descends upon our sphere

Without the greeting of the skeptic’s sneer:

Denied, and mocked at, till its blessings fall

Common as dew and sunshine over all.

—Whittier

Page 65

TRUTH MOST PRECIOUS

—————

GREAT truths are dearly bought. The common truth,

Such as men give and take from day to day,

Comes in the common walk of easy life,

Blown by the careless wind across our way.

Great truths are dearly won; not found by chance,

Nor wafted on the breath of summer dream;

But grasped in the great struggle of the soul,

Hard buffeting with adverse wind and stream.

Sometimes, ‘mid conflict, turmoil, fear and grief,

When the strong hand of God, put forth in might,

Ploughs up the subsoil of the stagnant heart,

It brings some buried truth-seeds to the light.

Not in the general mart, ‘mid corn and wine;

Not in the merchandise of gold and gems;

Not in the world’s gay hall of midnight mirth,

Nor ‘mid the blaze of regal diadems;

Not in the general clash of human creeds,

Nor in the merchandise ‘twixt church and world,

Is truth’s fair treasure found, ‘mongst tares and weeds;

Nor her fair banner in their midst unfurled.

Truth springs like harvest from the well-ploughed fields,

Rewarding patient toil, and faith and zeal.

To those thus seeking her, she ever yields

Her richest treasures for their lasting weal.

Page 75

“God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform:

He plants his footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

“Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up his bright designs,

And works his sovereign will.

“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace.

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

“His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour.

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

“Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain.

God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain.”

—————*—————

“I know not the way that’s before me,

The joys or the griefs it may bring;

What clouds are o’er hanging the future,

What flowers by the wayside may spring.

But there’s One who will journey beside me,

Nor in weal nor in woe will forsake;

And this is my solace and comfort,

‘He knoweth the way that I take.’“

—Cowper

Page 88

A LORD’S DAY OFFERING

“I offer Thee:

Every heart’s throb, they are Thine;

Every human tie of mine;

Every joy and every pain;

Every act of mind or brain—

My blessed God!

Every hope and every fear;

Every smile and every tear;

Every song and hymn,

‘Laudamus Te.’

“Take them all, my blessed Lord,

Bind them with thy secret cord;

Glorify thyself in me,

Adored One!

Multiply them by thy Word;

Strengthen, bless, increase, my Lord

Of perfect love!

Thou First and Last!”

Page 136

THE DAY IS AT HAND

—————

“Poor, fainting pilgrim, still hold on thy way—the dawn is near!

True, thou art weary now; but yon bright ray becomes more clear.

Bear up a little longer; wait for rest;

Yield not to slumber, though with toil oppressed.

“The night of life is mournful, but look on—the dawn is near!

Soon will earth’s shadowed scenes and forms be gone; yield not to fear!

The mountain’s summit will, ere long, be gained,

And the bright world of joy and peace attained.

“‘Joyful through hope’ thy motto still must be—the dawn is near!

What glories will that dawn unfold to thee! be of good cheer!

Gird up thy loins; bind sandals on thy feet:

The way is dark and long; the end is sweet.”

Page 148

AFTERWARD

—————

“God’s ways are equal: storm or calm,

Seasons of peril and of rest,

The hurting dart, the healing balm,

Are all apportioned as is best.

In judgments oft misunderstood,

In ways mysterious and obscure,

He brings from evil lasting good,

And makes the final gladness sure.

While Justice takes its course with strength,

Love bids our faith and hope increase:

He’ll give the chastened world at length

His afterward of peace.

“When the dread forces of the gale

His sterner purposes perform,

And human skill can naught avail

Against the fury of the storm,

Let loving hearts trust in him still,

Through all the dark and devious way;

For who would thwart his blessed will,

Which leads through night to joyous day?

Be still beneath his tender care;

For he will make the tempest cease,

And bring from out the anguish here

An afterward of peace.

“Look up, O Earth; no storm can last

Beyond the limits God hath set.

When its appointed work is past,

In joy thou shalt thy grief forget.

Where sorrow’s plowshare hath swept through,

Thy fairest flowers of life shall spring,

For God shall grant thee life anew,

And all thy wastes shall laugh and sing.

Hope thou in him; his plan for thee

Shall end in triumph and release.

Fear not, for thou shalt surely see

His afterward of peace.”

Page 174

* * *

“Still o’er earth’s sky the clouds of anger roll,

And God’s revenge hangs heavy on her soul;

Yet shall she rise—though first by God chastised—

In glory and in beauty then baptized.

“Yes, Earth, thou shalt arise; thy Father’s aid

Shall heal the wound his chastening hand hath made;

Shall judge the proud oppressor’s ruthless sway,

And burst his bonds, and cast his cords away.

“Then on your soil shall deathless verdure spring;

Break forth, ye mountains, and ye valleys, sing!

No more your thirsty rocks shall frown forlorn,

The unbeliever’s jest, the heathen’s scorn.

“The sultry sands shall tenfold harvests yield,

And a new Eden deck the thorny field.

E’en now we see, wide-waving o’er the land,

The mighty angel lifts his golden wand,

“Courts the bright vision of descending power,

Tells every gate and measures every tower;

And chides the tardy seals that yet detain

Thy Lion, Judah, from his destined reign.”

—Heber

Page 204

THE CHURCH OF GOD

—————

“Zion, arise, break forth in songs

Of everlasting joy;

To God eternal praise belongs,

Who doth thy foes destroy.

Thou Church of God, awake! awake!

For light beams from on high;

From earth and dust thy garments shake,

Thy glory’s drawing nigh.

“To raise thee high above the earth,

God will his power employ;

He’ll turn thy mourning into mirth,

Thy sorrow into joy.

In shining robes thyself array,

Put on thy garments pure;

Thy King shall lead thee in the way

That’s holy, safe and sure.”

Page 234

“Ne’er think the victory won,

Nor once at ease sit down.

Thine arduous work will not be done

Till thou hast gained thy crown.”

Page 244

THE BLESSED HOPE

—————

“A little while, earth’s fightings will be over;

A little while, her tears, be wiped away;

A little while, the power of Jehovah

Shall turn this darkness to Millennial Day.

“A little while, the ills that now o’erwhelm men

Shall to the memories of the past belong;

A little while, the love that once redeemed them

Shall change their weeping into grateful song.

“A little while! ‘Tis ever drawing nearer—

The brighter dawning of that glorious day.

Praise God, the light is hourly growing clearer,

Shining more and more unto the perfect day.”

Page 272

THE KINGDOM NEAR

—————

“Watchman, tell us of the night—

What its signs of promise are.

Traveler, o’er yon mountain’s height,

See that glory-beaming star!

Watchman, does its beauteous ray

Aught of hope or joy foretell?

Traveler, yes, it brings the day—

Promised day of Israel.

“Watchman, tell us of the night—

Higher yet that star ascends.

Traveler, blessedness and light,

Peace and truth its course portends.

Watchman, will its beams alone

Gild the spot that gave them birth?

Traveler, ages are its own;

See, its glory fills the earth.

“Watchman, tell us, does the morning

Of fair Zion’s glory dawn?

Have the signs that mark its coming

Yet upon thy pathway shone?

Traveler, yes: arise! look round thee!

Light is breaking in the skies!

Gird thy bridal robes around thee!

Morning dawns! arise! arise!”

Page 340

“Content, whatever lot I see,

Since ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”

Page 350

THE DIVINE WEAVING

—————

“See the mystic Weaver sitting

High in heaven—His loom below.

Up and down the treadles go.

Takes, for web, the world’s dark ages,

Takes, for woof, the kings and sages.

Takes the nobles and their pages,

Takes all stations and all stages.

Thrones are bobbins in His shuttle.

Armies make them scud and scuttle—

Web into the woof must flow:

Up and down the nations go!

At the Weaver’s will they go!

“Calmly see the mystic Weaver

Throw His shuttle to and fro;

‘Mid the noise and wild confusion,

Well the Weaver seems to know

What each motion, and commotion,

What each fusion, and confusion,

In the grand result will show!

“Glorious wonder! What a weaving!

To the dull, beyond believing.

Such no fabled ages know.

Only faith can see the mystery,

How, along the aisles of history,

Where the feet of sages go,

Loveliest to the fairest eyes,

Grand the mystic tapet lies!

Soft and smooth, and ever spreading,

As if made for angels’ treading—

Tufted circles touching ever:

Every figure has its plaidings,

Brighter forms and softer shadings,

Each illumined—what a riddle!

From a cross that gems the middle.

“‘Tis a saying—some reject it—

That its light is all reflected;

That the tapet’s lines are given

By a Sun that shines in heaven!

‘Tis believed—by all believing—

That great God, Himself, is weaving,

Bringing out the world’s dark mystery,

In the light of faith and history;

And, as web and woof diminish,

Comes the grand and glorious finish,

When begin the Golden Ages,

Long foretold by seers and sages."

Divine Purpose and Russell's Biography

2010-03-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is a very important lesson for all wannabe opposers of Jehovah’s Witnesses out there: do your verification and research before simply parroting what other opposers have said! Otherwise, you may end up having to stick your foot in your mouth!

One overly eager opposer wrote:

In 1959 Watchtower writes:

“Lois:… But, is it true you have never published a biography of Pastor Russell? John: That's right.”—(Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, published by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1959 p. 63)

For readers interested in the topic, Pastor Russell’s biography published by Watchtower can be found in the December 1, 1916 issue of The Watchtower journal. The opening article is titled "Biography".

So much for that.

The questions to be considered regarding this quote are: What exactly did the WTS mean when it had John say that the WTBTS "never published a biography of Pastor Russell"? Did they mean that the WT publications never wrote anything about the life of Russell in any of their publications? Or did they mean something else? What does the evidence really reveal?

If John meant and the WT was trying to say that nothing of Russell's life had ever been written about in the WT publications of a biographical nature, then we have to wonder why this very book, Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, give us a 'biography' of Brother Russell's life on pages 16 and 17, parts of which also appeared in the Dec. 1, 1916 WT and in the 1927 edition of the Finished Mystery? How can the WTS be trying to mislead by saying they never published a biography of Pastor Russell and at the same time provide a 'biography' of Russell in the self same book? Doesn't make much sense at all does it? In fact, let’s note exactly what the WTS states through John on those pages.

Beginning on page 16 'John' states:

Here's something from the opening paragraphs of his BIOGRAPHY as published in the Foreword of a later edition of his popular book, The Divine Plan of the Ages" [Then John continues quoting from the biography in that book].

Wow, can you believe the WTS slipped up and called the Foreword in that book a biography. Not very good at deceiving are they?

Furthermore take a look at the index in the back of the Divine Purpose book. On page 308 under Russell we find this:

The Society sure is horrible at all this misleading business. Here side by side in the index they first show where to find Russell's biography and then show where to find that they stated they never published a biography of his life. They just as well might say, 'Hey look here everybody. We are trying to deceive you. We wrote a biography but we're saying we didn't write a biography'. If they were trying to mislead then they sure were totally ignorant about how to deceive.

Take note also of the fact that the WBTS is not the only voice speaking on these pages. The legendary Pittsburg historian George Swetnam is also quoted in the same book (Divine Purpose p. 63) as saying, “the publishing house which he founded has never published a biography of Pastor Russell” [1] Are we really supposed to assume that such a renowned and experienced writer is either completely ignorant of his facts or just an outright liar? Absurd!

The truth is that the WT publications contain hundreds of mini, or 'brief' biographies about different individuals who served Jehovah including Russell. Quite naturally, any book written about the history of Jehovah's Witnesses will contain a biography of Brother Russell's life to some extent, as there is no minimum amount of information required for a written piece to count as a “biography”—a single sentence providing details about a person’s life could be considered biographical in nature. The implied distinction is that the WBTS has never written an entire BOOK dedicated solely to the life of anyone in this millennium. It is this type of lengthy, meticulously detailed biography in book form that both the WBTS and historian George Swetnam were no doubt referring to. Take note of this glossary [2] which supports the general idea that a biography often refers to an entire BOOK dedicated solely to the life of a person: "Biography - a BOOK written about an individual" (Capitals mine).

And so you will not find a book published by the WTBTS entitled, The Life and Times of Pastor Russell etc.

References

[1] Where Else but Pittsburgh! by George Swetnam (Pittsburgh, Pa., 1958: Davis & Warde, Inc), pp. 110, 116.

[2] http://define.com/?cx=partner-pub-5814847160595685%3A5fzpwi8pyp3&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=define%3ABiography&wotd=Biography#1057