Product Description
What Did Jesus do when the false teachers tried to trap Him? He never argued doctrine. All the Master Evangelist had to do was ask the right question and it shut their mouths everytime. Now you can do the same thing!If you have ever been frustrated by not knowing how to help the J.W. at your door, there is good news. Now you can help them see the error in their position as easy as 1-2-3!A few simple questions will stop their mouths everytime. This book will teach you what to ask, so you can point them to the real Jesus-the way Christ Himself would do it! ... Read more

Product Description
Jehovah's Witnesses Help Expand First Amendment Rights: The Jehovah's Witnesses were the first organized group in America to generate what has been termed vigilant or disciplined plan of litigation to expand the boundaries of the First Amendment. In a period of 15 years, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society lawyers won Witnesses the right to distribute literature door-to-door, on public streets and on streets owned by private corporations and the federal government; the right to carry out these activities without first securing a permit or paying a tax; the right to use sound-amplifying equipment to spread their beliefs; and the right to be protected from continued arrests under unconstitutional ordinances. By implementing an extensive, detailed legal plan to overturn ordinances that interfered with their evangelical mission, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society broadened protection under the First Amendment not just for their members, but for all Americans. The overwhelming success of the plan shaped mass media law, the application of the First Amendment, and group litigation in the United States. This book explores these issues and examines the Jehovah's Witnesses plans to expand the First Amendment even further. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Plan That Changed How The 1st Amendment Was Viewed
Jehovah's Witnesses were being harassed and persecuted in local communities throughout the United States because of their preaching work. In order to eliminate the need to continually fight each community separately in court Jehovah's Witnesses devised a legal Plan to get the U.S. Supreme Court to enact rulings that would have nationwide effect. This book is the story about how that Plan succeeded and how it changed the way the 1st Amendment was viewed in the U.S. legal system.

Dr. Henderson, who is not a Jehovah's Witness, highlights the 19 cases that Jehovah's Witnesses brought before the U.S. Supreme Court (they won 14 of the 19) from 1938 to 1953 that dealt with 1st Amendment issues (freedom of the exercise of religion, speech, press and peaceably assembly) in regard to public preaching.So flag salute, conscientious objection and other non-preaching cases are not dealt with here.

Though the book deals primarily with legal issues it is not a dry read. It is written in a way that a layperson will find understandable. The book is divided into 5 chapters. Chapter 1 gives a concise account of the beliefs, practices, history and organizational structure of the Witnesses. Chapter 2 is a biography of Hayden C. Covington the lead attorney in implementing the Plan for the Witnesses. Chapter 3 is a detailed account of the actual Plan. Chapter 4 details how the Plan was used in the 19 cases and the outcome of each case. Chapter 5 explains how the Plan "was unique, detailed, comprehensive and widespread - the only coordinated campaign of its kind in First Amendment litigation." It also details how these 19 cases influenced mass media law, the whole of 1st Amendment law and minority group litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. ... Read more

Product Description
-You must always, always tell the truth, no matter the consequences, for you must model yourself on Jehovah, and Jehovah does not lie. This is the most crucial rule of all,+ Joy Castro is told as a young girl in a Jehovah+s Witness family. Joy is 12 years old when her divorced mother marries a brother in the church. He is highly respected in the community, having displayed the ultimate sign of spiritual devotion: he served at Bethel, the Watchtower headquarters in Brooklyn. At home, however, he is a despicable brute. For the two years her mother is married to him, Joy does not grow at all; in fact, she loses 16 pounds, an eloquent testimony to the physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse she suffers at his hands. Her battered mother does nothing to protect her, nor does her church. She is sustained by a consuming fascination for horses and books and her protective love for her younger brother. Their daring escape from this unspeakable cruelty, to discover a nurturing home with their father, is the key to their survival and salvation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

A Heartwrenching Read
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that although I'm not a Jehovah's Witness (I was never baptized as one), my mother's ex-husband was and made me and my sisters and brother go to the Kingdom Hall every Thursday night and Sunday morning, as well as Bible Study on Tuesday nights for years during my childhood. So, I kind of have first-hand experience as to the abuse and hypocrisy that goes on behind the curtains of this religion. Due to that, I found myself getting even more pissed off at what was happening in this book, maybe because I was projecting the abuse that my family suffered, but either way, The Truth Book was a heart-wrenching read.

At this point, I don't know why I bother reading memoirs unless their humorous because they either depress me or make me severely angry. While The Truth Book did both of these things, it was also uplifting because you're dealing with someone who refused to let her past circumstances dictate her future. Joy Castro did what she had to do to survive the hellish nightmare she (along with her younger brother) suffered at the hands of her mother and stepfather all the while the religion that was supposed to be the "pure" one just turned a blind eye. The author does all of this without the whole "woe is me" component that seems to be present in most memoirs. So much that readers start to think that they're just telling their story, not to inform us, but solely to make us feel sorry for them. You can just tell that Joy Castro is merely stating the facts of what happened to her. She's not asking us for anything other than to read her story.

So, The Truth Book was a harrowing and heartbreaking read. It's very easy to relate to the author's plight even if you have no prior experience with Jehovah's Witnesses (although let's face it, we've all hidden from them when they come knocking on our door one time or another). I think the one thing that everyone can relate to (particularly here on GoodReads) is how a love for reading really saved Joy Castro and gave her a bit of a reprieve from the abuse she was suffering. We as readers have all had those moments where we feel like life basically sucks and reading a book has helped us escape and made life better at least for a little while. So, The Truth Book is definitely recommended.

Not really a cult book
I bought this book because I expected to read about life within a cult.Although it has some of that, it is mostly about a dysfunctional family.The author experienced a loving, but unfaithful father.Her mother was the committed parent, but was overly critical.That left Ms. Castro pinging between her parents. Not what I was looking for.

Ms. Castro's narrative goes back and forth in time, which makes it a bit difficult to follow.She uses this technique to gradually peel back the layers of her life.However, it's usually difficult to tell where it's going.

She writes in an engaging enough style, but it just doesn't work for me.

Joy's Sad Story.
.


Joy Castro's sad story will bring tears to the eyes of any decent, caring person. -- Including to the eyes of millions of kind, decent, honest, caring Jehovahs Witnesses. -- I wish Joy had realized that all the Witnesses in her congregation could do was to talk to her mother and stepfather about what was happening in her home. As much as they might have WANTED TO they could not LEGALLY come into her home and take her out.

I wish that somewhere in her book Joy had let people know that her stepfather did not do the cruel things he did because he was associated with Jehovah's Witnesses. But rather he did those things in spite of that association.

I had a very mean, hateful stepmother. Both she and my abusive father, were baptized in the Southern Baptist Church. My Father molested at least four of his six children. My stepmother had to have know that the molestation was happening. Do I blame their association with the Southern Baptist Church for that molestation?. NO! Of course not! They did it in spite of what the Southern Baptist Church taught.

Neither Jehovah's Witnesses nor Southern Baptist's teach that wives and children should be cruelly treated. -- It happens anyway. -- "Wolves in sheep's clothing" hide in many religions.

Were I to write a personal Memoir of my life, I would not put on the front of the book that I escaped a "Childhood Of Abuse Among Southern Baptists"! -- I would say that I escaped a childhood of abuse from a violent parent and a cruel step parent!

Of course, I imagine that the "provocative" title is what sells Joy's book.

For those who might want to actually see the TRUE position of Jehovah's Witnesses on Child Abuse, just go to their web site and type in "Child Abuse" -- A LOT will come up.

Words cannot express....
what I felt after reading this wonderfully written book.I too was raised as a JW and experienced some of what Joy did growing up although nothing that can compare to the horrible treatment by her stepfather to both Joy and her brother and the neglect and indifference of her mother (although any ex JW can see right thru her mother's behavior and treatment; it is soul killing to be in that women's position in that cult).

I agree completely with what many other readers have already expressed about this book; well written, heartfelt and just a complete success.Joy had a harrowing childhood and then had to deal with the suicide of her father, a complex man who never really knew himself, even at the end of his sad life....but through it all she discovered herself and somehow found the strength to convey her life experiences to others.

I owned the book for several months before I could bring myself to read it...I was scared that it would bring back memories that I do not want to remember and at times I could only read a few paragraphs or pages at a time due to the powerful feelings I had reading it.That stopped mid way thru the book; at that point I could not put it down. It mirrored some of my own experiences; especially the ones about moving on and away from the cult that ultimately Jehovah's Witnesses are...although Joy does not (in my opinion) expound enough about the cultish manner of this religion; however, that was not the intent of her writing the book so in the long run, she did an excellent job of "skirting" the issue of the cult and focused mainly on simply telling her story.The last few chapters are spellbounding in their simplcity and at the same time complexity and I am so grateful that I put away my own fears to actually read it. It will now rank as one of my most treasured books and that is saying a lot. Everyone who is an ex JW should read this book; not only because of how she details how many times she tried to reach out to the elders in her congregations and how many times her family's situation was ignored by them and others but because she actually got out and did so with grace and is obviously now living her life as she deserves. As another reviewer mentioned the last few paragraphs of this book are the heart of it they deserve being quoted again by this now humbled fan of this strong and wonderful person. "It's all right that there are things you do not get over, not really.You just go on, knowing that the things you love could be stripped from you at any moment, remembering to love them now.It makes you human.You try to be decent and treat people gently, knowing that they, too, have their scars and madnesses that, like yours, do not show."

Thank you, Joy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story with us.

Excellent writing, powerful story
This book is extremely well written and I would highly recommend it.As a former Jehovah's Witness, I was able to identify with so much of the story - not the sexual abuse (although I learned of some sexual abuse that occurred and was covered up by the elders) but I have seen so many mothers who were like the author's mother.One of the reasons I first began to question the Watchtower religion was because of the way the children were treated - or mis-treated would be a better description.Kids spanked who were noisy during the lengthy adult services, pinched when they fell asleep at late night meetings on school nights, etc. etc.But that is mild compared to what the author endured.I enjoyed this book very much.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Author
I probably own every book by Mr. Reed.The reason is his reliability.He is thorough like no one else.Once again he documents this cult in great detail.He goes through the presidents of the Watchtower and listed the publications as they appear in order. While giving brief reviews from each publication that is noteworthy.He also sometimes slips in which doctrines have been changed from previous publications.This is a must for every serious student of the Watchtower. ... Read more

Product Description
'More kids are dying right now in obedience to the Jehovah's Witness ban on blood transfusions than perished in the fire at Waco, Texas', says former Witness elder David A Reed. 'How can a major sect with headquarters in New York City and twelve million attending its religious services worldwide quietly lead victims to early deaths without public outcry?' Reed cites dozens of well-documented cases and media reports naming victims, doctors, and hospitals issuing their death certificates as he blows the whistle on a deadly cult that secretly instructs members to kidnap children from hospital beds and teaches children to resist doctors violently and give false testimony in court.This former minister, now widely recognised as an authority on the sect, explains his own role in bringing new members under mind control. With captivating anecdotes he details an enforcement apparatus that reaches even into clinics and hospitals. He brings to light secret instructions for hospital employees to turn over confidential patient records to the church, and tells how the hierarchy conducts bedside trials of members who accept forbidden medical treatment.Reed joined the sect as a naive young adult and rose through the ranks until he learned how the secretive leadership operated. Realising that his friends were dying for beliefs supposedly channelled from God, but actually fabricated by the church hierarchy. After leaving the sect, he spent years researching its history and activities and the evidence is revealed here for the first time. Reed's warning cannot be ignored. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Not what I thought it was
I thought this book was about the many deaths concerning blood transfusions.They are more or less inserted small paragraphs.This book is about the presidents of the Watchtower Society.

ALL I AM SAYING, IS GIVE REED A CHANCE!
When someone goes to the time and effort to expose the Watertower Bible Company and Death Brokers, they get five stars from me. America is overflowing with former Jehovah's Witnesses that are now living shattered lives. So, the more such books there are saturating the market, the more likely it is someone will read just the right book that will keep them from getting involved in this End Of The World death-cult. Or help a poor suffering JW find their way OUT. David Reed, thank you for both of your fine books. May they be read far and wide and in between!

NJM

Author of JEHOVAH UNMASKED and I WAS A TEENAGE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS.

Damn those things called "facts"
If you get to copy your statitistics then from other sites then I get to bring up mine from another site.

"We wish that we could provide some hard numbers, but for obvious reasons, the Society chooses not to document these deaths. We will attempt to illustrate the human cost. According to published reports, in 1994 there were 22.6 million surgical procedures performed in the United States. For the purpose of our illustration, we will assume that only 25% of these procedures would qualify as major surgery, or approximately 5.6 million cases. Based upon the WTS published figures, we can extrapolate that approximately 20,600 of these surgeries were carried out upon Witnesses (U.S. publisher ratio is 1:270). Since we know that a refusal to accept blood increases the mortality risk by approximately one percent, we can conservatively estimate that 206 Witnesses died in the United States, directly as a result of refusing blood therapy. Furthermore, there are 5.4 million Witnesses publishing the good news as of 1996. Less than one million of these were in the United States. So we can conservatively multiply this figure by a factor of five. The resulting estimate shows that approximately 1000 Jehovah's Witnesses die annually as a result of the blood prohibition. "

http://www.ajwrb.org/science/risks1.shtml

Also, what's so immoral about saving your life?The fact that you're "partaking" of blood through your veins? Using that logic, you're a cannibal for getting an organ transplant and you're giving oral sex to animals when you eat Spatzle Soup.(Not that any rational human being would.)


But getting to the reveiw though.Unlike these JW apologists, I actually read the book.It doesn't expose anything new about what I knew about the JW's.They're a totalitarian sect.

David Reed's book is a good demonstration of how the Watchtower's hopelessly legalistic.

Making an old woman whose prone to the cold not wear pants to her place of worship and instead making her wear a dress shows that the people in this church are about the farthest thing from Christlike you can ever see.It may sound like I'm nitpicking, but then again, why would the elders and the WT in general make an issue out of a woman wearing pants to a place of worship?

Bet you didn't know that was in the book, huh?Hopefully, you might read the book and you'll see how needlessly rule-based your church is.

clearly a work of fiction
These "tell all" books about Jehovah's Witnesses are absurd.As one of Jehovah's Witnesses I sometimes meet people we have read and believe this trash.It is always the same.The information about the structure of our organization is more or less accurate, but the way it works is completely misrepresented.

The matter of blood transfusions is an example.The Jehovah's Witnesses I know sincerly disapprove of blood transfusions and view attempts to force a (to them) morally repugnant therapy on them as a violation of their human rights.

If Mr. Reed really claims that 9000 Jehovah's Witnesses a year die as a result of refusing blood transfusions, then he is a fool.They have been receiving excellent and highly effective care, including major surgery and treatment in cases of acute blood loss, for decades now.We are now seeing methods first used to treat Jehovah's Witnesses being hailed as the "gold standard" for the treatment of all patients.

Articles in medical journals are a much more balanced source of information than books by disgruntled former members.(...)One excerpt:

Of the 498 patients the centre [at Our Lady of Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago] admitted in 1 year, 5 died. Indeed, mortality rates at a few other centres appear to be remarkably low. Dr. David Rosencrantz, a urologist who runs a large bloodless program in Portland, Oregon, told Justice Horace Krever in December that his centre hasn't lost a patient even though it has treated 500 to 700 patients annually since it was founded 4 years ago. "From a cost standpoint . . . our patients are out a full day earlier," Rosencrantz said.

To both "jonwordsmith" and "a reader"
It is always so sad to see a JW write a review. I am not a JW, and I do not believe their organization contains the "prophet" of God as they claim, so lets just start with that.

Do you not see that your reviews of these books speak to your own inablility to take in any information other than what you are spoon fed by your "leaders"?

Do you not know that you come off as totally brainwashed to those who dont necessarily have an opinion or your beliefs? Come up with some better arguments. If the word of God says "eat" and your organization suddenly decides to take it to an extreme and MISINTERPRET the bible, then arent you the ones spreading the misinformation?

This whole topic is so very depressing to listen to and read about. How can an orgnization determine how you should think? Shouldnt that be God's specific job. Does he REALLY need humans to intervene and continually change the meaning of God's word? Do you think that if your organization makes critical error's in judgement, then this means they are not to be questioned? So sad for you...so very very sad... ... Read more

Product Description
When smallpox vaccinations were required before entering school, A. McGinley's father held her arm down on the table and dropped acid on the upper part of it to painfully burn a hole in her arm. It needed to be deep enough to imitate a real smallpox vaccination. Her Mom comforted her and then took her to the attic to open boxes. They looked for school clothing. She liked being in the attic alone. It was a shelter and hiding place from her family, who were Jehovah's Witnesses. Mentally, she escaped to the attic to be alone when she had to attend services at the Kingdom Hall. She lived in two worlds. One world was home, the Kingdom Hall, and service.Her other world was school, the attic, and neighbors. There were great differences between these worlds, teaching her to think for herself when great conflicts arose between the two. Growing up in a family that included abuse, alcoholism and religious cult beliefs closed many doors, such as social freedom and college. School, the attic, and neighbors helped her to open some of those doors. Attic Alone tells the story of her journey from the bondage of false beliefs to a real Christian faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Journey of Grace
This book starts off with a terrible scene.

A. McGinley tells the story of her large, imposing and abusive Jehovah's Witness father placing drops of acid on her arm.This was a common practice among the Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1940's as it was against their religion to receive smallpox vaccinations.The scar left behind from the acid burns on her arm would look like a scar from a smallpox vaccination.This imitation vaccination scar along with a falsified medical record was all that her father needed to get McGinley into grammar school since children who were not vaccinated against smallpox back in the 1940's were not allowed to attend school.

The physical pain that McGinley describes from this imitation smallpox vaccine is a fitting metaphor for the emotional and spiritual pain that she received from the imitation Gospel of the Jehovah's Witnesses.Just as I could imagine hearing her screaming in pain due to the acid burns while her Mother comforts her, I could also feel her emotional and spiritual pain that she recounts for us throughout the book as the imitation Gospel of the Jehovah's Witnesses is foisted upon her by her JW father and JW grandmother while her Mother comforts her as best she can.Throughout the book, the only other place she can go for comfort besides her Mother's embrace is the Attic of her home all alone which soon becomes the Attic of her soul.

However, while suffering due to the effects of the mind controlling and abusive nature of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the destruction they caused on her family, A. McGinley recounts the many rays of light that she experienced in her life.She walks us through the grace that God gives her as she makes her way home to the fullness of the Christian faith in the Catholic Church.From learning how to say the Lord's Prayer while in grammar school, which turns out to be the only prayer she can say for many years, to the altar call at the same Church which she saw through the hospital window during her son's illness, she recounts the amazing ways in which Our Lord called to her in her moments of need.

A. McGinley's book is truly a journey of grace and reminds us that while problems in this world may make us want to retreat into our "Attic Alone", that we really do have a friend in Christ who is with us at all times and at all places along our journey to heaven. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

First Major Scholarly Study
German scholar Detlef Garbe, now director of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial, produced the first comprehensive historical account of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Nazi regime. Garbe went to great lengths to produce as accurate account as possible. (There are 210 pages of footnotes and a 40 page bibliography.) He researched a wide range of resources: Nazi government archives, newspaper archives, private documents, unpublished reports, concentration camp memorial archives, Watch Tower Society publications (in English and German), personal interviews of participants, memoirs of non-Witnesses prisoners that were imprisoned with Jehovah's Witnesses, accounts written by former Witnesses, ect. All to get as many verified facts as possible. This resulted in what is now considered the standard scholarly account about the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses under National Socialism.

It must be said that this book is not an easy read. It's not a novel. It's a scholar writing a book for other scholars. There are many footnotes and abbreviations. Garbe always uses the correct terminology to refer to people, places, and ideasBut still this book is a fascinating read. You just can't help but wonder why the Nazis spent so much time and effort to try get this small minority (about 25,000 out of 65,000,000 Germans in 1933) to conform to Nazi standards. Yet the Nazis were never able to completely shatter the core of this group. As Garbe says in the preface, page xvii:

"This book reports about religious people who refused to conform to the Third Reich but whose faith in God and trust in his biblical promises gave them the strength to preserve their respect for life, even during those difficult times."

This book is a translation based on the 1999 4th German edition of Detlef Garbe's Zwischen Widerstand und Martyrium: Die Zeugen Jehovas im "Dritten Reich". ... Read more

Product Description
Some may be of the opinion that those who call themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses" are true authorities on the Bible. Truthfully, though, they are not authorities at all. They give a total allegiance to the dictates of an organization--but, as evidence contained in this book demonstrates, their organization is completely removed from the plain teachings of God's Word.

This book aims to put into the hands of God's people questions that will present immense difficulties to the Jehovah's Witness and which may, under God, penetrate his programming, shatter his belief in the Watchtower organization, and lead him into the blessings of a personal saving relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This book contains the questions, answers given in the Watchtower Magazine and other writings of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Biblical answers to the questions. It also contains a list of websites and other resources where you may find more detailed information about the problems and errors of the Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

What evangelists do after they've fleeced their flock, They write a book!
It may seem to odd to most of you readers/authors out there that you just can't convince one of those "jehovah joggers" that they're just plain wrong.The truth of the matter is that jehovahs witnesses know exactly what individuals of every religion on the face of this earth believe, and yet they believe what they do, quite simply because they can not convince themselves of the truth of other religions.The failure of other religions within "christianity" and outside christianity is what keeps JW's from accepting a different religion.While you may feel comfortable (2 tim 4:3,4) with your various religion, it doesn't mean that your religion is void of paganism/false beliefs/teachings of demons.Note that within 1 tim 4:1-4 specific verses that point to : (1)forbiding to marry(ex.catholic priests), (2)abstaining from foods god made(catholics "used to say that you couldn't eat certain foods on certain days.As the bible says these same teachings are wrong, yet these same "teachings" are spoken of as be neccessary to follow in order to attain favor with god!This is simply the needles tip of a iceberg!Remmember before you condem, beat, harass, murder JW'S or burn down one of their churchs, that they are jehovahs witnesses because they don't want to be part of a religion that teaches that which is steeped in paganism. They want their worship to god to be acceptable, not just comfortable.

I DID NOT GET MY BOOK!!!!!!!!!
I never got this book AND I was charged $35? for the shipping! OUTRAGIOUS! I will NEVER go on amazon-rip you off in a big way- ,com again and will tell; all of my horrible experience!

Waste of ink and paper
This book is a classic example of a bitter former JW, It's quit simple, in sports if you don't follow the rules, what happens? That's right you get disqualified or booted from the team. Likewise when God's high standards, outlined in his word are not adhered too, then that person is removed. Simple. The author, if he chose to not be one of Jehovah's Witnesses any longer, should find something more productive to do with his time, as most former members should do also.
(...)

Excellent Information
Mr. Brown writes very knowledgeable and truthful information about the often misunderstood beliefs of the Watchtower Society.Anyone who seeks the truth about this organization and how to approach a Witness in love should read this book.

Don't waste your money
These questions are not helpful.. any kid could answer them
any one with bible knowledge can Tare it apart.. all answer are in the Bible..... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Muy Excellente!
I'm constantly amazed at the myriad of approaches that former Jehovah's Witnesses can come up with in relaying their experiences while in the Cult of the Tower. "Fearless Love" has some insightful material about the JW's way of doing things, and their teachings. More so than many other books, this one moves fast and keeps one interested. The only "beef" I have with Anne Sanderson is that she critiques the JW's from the standpoint of a born-again evangelical. Anne's book is short, and coupled with the easy style of writing, you'll zoom right through this one. If you're a born-againer, you'll have some useful insights and ammo for dealing with JW's.

NJM

Author of JEHOVAH UNMASKED and I WAS A TEENAGE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS.

With all due respect, but no
I bought the book because of the title "fearless love" and "today's" Jehovah's witnesses (JW), because I have a great respect for this denomination and wanted to update myself on their current situation. I chose the book because of the title,

And I became disappointed when reading it. The author is an ex-JW and not a scholar. She is seeing her past and her relation to the religion from her new-born faith. It is a small book and easy to read. As a Liberal Christian I don't believe that there is only one truth.

Christianity has different "-isms" and JW are one which don't believe in trinity (unitarian) and which believe that the end of the world is near (millenierist)... Of course, they also see themselves as the only witnesses of truth in the last days.

The author, Anne Sanderson, evaluate the JW against a "truth" that she has acquired thru her new faith, which is the usual one: trust in Jesus and everything will be all right. She believes that every JW has to find this truth. She gives some insight in the "world" of the JW and thru to her methodology of citing different Wathtowers (the confessional magazine of JW) and bible verses, she proves that her new-born faith is more true. She gives some suggestions to other "real" Christians to how to deal with JW - with love and care, thereby the title of the book. She acknowledges that Christians are not behaving well when meeting JW.

Even though I got acquainted with certain new trends in JW, such as the weakening of the importance of the year 1914, the theology of salvation and the role of holy spirit, I ddin't like the book. It was not a scholarly book - but a propaganda book. Sanderson don't appreciate the changes in JW doctrine - but every religious movement has changed, today, the Chruch of England don't believe in hell and the Vatican accepts evolution!

However, I don't agree with the theocratic organisation of the JW, it would be good if there would be more different views represented in the organisations, the women could be elders or overseers, that gays and lesbians could be accpeted without being "converted" and that the new research on the bible could be used more often. I am definitely against the policy of blood transfusion, which I think JW should change today, how holy it may be. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Val Waldeck's Books are Inspirational
I have read all of Val Waldeck's book and have to say that I find them so Inspirational & Spiritual.She is an amazing teacher and has special insight into everything that she writes.
I look forward to more of her wonderful books being published.

Val Mitchell
Durban, South Africa ... Read more

Product Description

Since the end of World War II, leaders of the Jehovah's Witness movement in both Germany and elsewhere have steadfastly argued that Witnesses were united in their opposition to Nazism and did not collude with the Third Reich. Documents have been uncovered, however, that prove otherwise. Using materials from Witness archives, the U.S. State Department, Nazi files, and other sources, M. James Penton demonstrates that while many ordinary German Witnesses were brave in their opposition to Nazism, their leaders were quite prepared to support the Hitler government.

Penton begins his study with a close reading of the "Declaration of Facts" released by the Witnesses at a Berlin convention in June 1933. Witness leaders have called the document a protest against Nazi persecution, however closer examination shows it contained bitter attacks on Great Britain and the United States ? jointly referred to as "the greatest and most oppressive empire on earth" ? the League of Nations, big business, and above all, Jews, who are referred to as "the representatives of Satan the Devil."

It was later, in 1933 ? when the Nazis would not accept Witness blandishments ? that leader J.F. Rutherford called on Witnesses to seek martyrdom by carrying on a campaign of passive resistance. Many ultimately died in prisons and concentration camps, and postwar Witness leaders have attempted to use this fact to assert that Jehovah's Witnesses stood consistently against Nazism.

Drawing on his own Witness background and years of research on Witness history, Penton separates fact from fiction during this dark period.

Customer Reviews (5)

Hitler - Jehovah's Witnesses' Lover?
The book shows how the cult manipulates history by pointing to Nazi repression when it suits the organization. There was certainly no justification for the persecution of any people under Nazi rule.
The Watchtower distorts history when discussing WWII. While the Nazi death machine has long since halted, the Watchtower death machine continues still today! This book is good for those who want more information about the cult.

another authoritative work on Jehovah's Witnesses' history
Penton has produced another characteristically fair work of objective and well-documented scholarship. While he does not tolerate the distortions of history perpetrated by Jehovah's Witnesses and their historian apologists, Penton emphasizes the courage of average Witnesses during the Holocaust and the dubious nature, from a scientific perspective, of contemporary attempts to identify Witnesses and others as being part of "cults" whose members are "brainwashed." In this work, Penton is able to give a closer look at one particular time period in the history of Jehovah's Witnesses than he was able to do in his broader history of the whole movement (Apocalypse Delayed).

The Forward by Carl Thornton provides a brief overview of Bible Student-Jehovah's Witnesses' history. The Preface and Introduction combine to make Penton's motives and methodology clear to his reader. As a former Canadian Witness, he experienced persecution for his faith, and, as a former Witness, he knows what it is like to live in a totalitarian organization. He openly admits to being a critic of the Watch Tower Society, but he also makes the point, particularly later in the book when responding to certain pro-Witness academics (pp. 232-234), that so-called "apostates" are just as capable of being objective and honest as are those who are still committed to a given ideology.

In the subsequent chapters, he refutes the arguments of those who claim that Jehovah's Witnesses were politically neutral, not anti-Semitic, "forgotten victims" (They were not ignored, but the Society itself did not encourage people to focus attention on the Holocaust until recently. Penton explains why.), and subject to persecution instigated by the churches of Christendom. The Jehovah's Witnesses' leadership does not fare well under Penton's scrutiny. Rutherford and his cronies demonstrated a willingness to give up preaching, compromise their political "neutrality," attempt to make scapegoats of the Jews and "apostate" Jehovah's Witnesses (i.e. the Bible Students who did not place themselves under Rutherford's totalitarian Theocracy), embrace a form of religious anti-Semitism that persists to this day (though it is far more rare than it was) against the (if I may paraphrase the attitude) "materialistic killers of Christ and rejecters of Jehovah's sovereignty," and order the faithful Witnesses to distribute needlessly provocative statements without apparent concern for their welfare.

One of the most commendable features of his work is that throughout the main text of the book and particularly in his appendices Penton provides his readers with accesss to primary documents--often in the original languages such as German and French with English translations--from Witness publications, the U.S. State Department, the Nazis, and private individuals.

Provoking a Reaction
It is amazing how two people can read the same book and one will conclude that "its vitriol left a terribly bad taste," but the other person will say that, "This book is required reading to fully understand the holocaust and why it occurred."

(...) writer charges that the persecuted religionists brought trouble on themselves by standing up for their beliefs."One instance of this "blame" shows up on page 236.First, Penton acknowledges...

"There can be no doubt that...most German Jehovah's Witnesses stood firm against Nazism during the years 1933 to 1945. That they suffered terribly and with great bravery is beyond question,"

But then he adds that they "themselves were in part responsible for their sufferings."He explains why...

"No movement can constantly heap insults on all other religions, the business community, and national governments in the way that the Witnesses did from 1918 onward without provoking a reaction - a reaction that had already begun under the democratic Weimar Republic.Long before Hitler came to power, [President] Rutherford had made them hated by the vast majority of Germans through his ...venom-filled diatribes.As Dietrich Hellmund points out...[their] persecution might have been delayed and been less severe had it not been for the Witnesses' incredible public militancy."Penton provides many examples of their "public militancy."

I wonder what German Witnesses (or former Witnesses) who went through that period would say today.Might they agree with Penton that some of the things that President Rutherford told them to do really were not necessary to do as far as God was concerned, and that therefore at least some of the persecution they received may have in fact been brought on by those unnecessary activities.

Highly pouted
The book ostensibly centers on the David-Goliath story of an apparently valiant little band of religious dissidents who had the cheek to take on [...] and the Nazis. The story in itself is fascinating, but the author clearly has another aim, namely, to vilify the leadership of the Jehovah Witness faith. I have little sympathy for organised religion, having left the Reformed church some years ago. But this attack seems patently ill-placed.

Weaving in tantalising bits of history, the author alternately pouts and shouts, calling down evil on past and present church leaders, along with any academic that appears interested in, sympathetic to or admiring of Witnesses in Nazi Germany. Then he marshals a gaggle of like-minded critics who turn out to be malcontents and defectors with the predictable `atrocity' stories of the disillusioned.

Slogging through their shrill stories tired me. But what made me angry was the unabashed "blame game," in which the writer charges that the persecuted religionists brought trouble on themselves by standing up for their beliefs. Dismissing any contrary opinion with a label of "ridiculous" or "absurd," the author frequently sinks into the same behaviour that he charges his antagonists with-dogmatism, labeling, and manipulation of facts. Despite assertions to the contrary, the archival evidence he presents is woefully thin. That a reputable academic press would publish this book is quite astounding. I am seldom as critical as I am here, but this book and its vitriol left a terribly bad taste.

Required to understand the holocaust
I came across this book in my research on the influence of Darwinism on the holocaust (considerable) and on Hitler (also considerable). This is by far the most complete and authoritative work on the Jehovah's Witnesses and the holocaust in English. It is not only well documented (the author has worked on this book for well over a decade) but balanced. It points out both the Witnesses' remarkable record during this time as well as their human flaws. Penton includes photocopies of many important documents plus an English translation. Although 412 pages, this book is easy reading and the type one does not want to put down. An important conclusion is, the vast majority of Christians (and even the religious sects such as the Mormons) willingly and often enthusiastically submitted to the demands of the Third Reich (page 360). Only the Witnesses resisted and, as a result, along with the Jews and Gypsies, the Witnesses were ruthlessly persecuted by the Nazis. This book is required reading to fully understand the holocaust and why it occurred.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Best book on the topic
Walter R. Martin is truly one of the best (superlatives simply aren't available for such a great man: which means poetry can only express his stature) apologists before or since.I love this man and had great remorse over his death.If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have witnessed to the enormous amount of people who I know are now dead.God bless him.My mother and father loved this man and encouraged me to repeat his example.God Bless you, brother.A lot of people indicted Walter Martin for his claim the Catholic Church is Christian.Apparently, they don't have a very profound understanding of theology and what Scripture says.I was and am Catholic.Walter Martin had a great love for people, no matter their background.As Paul said, I'd rather have that their be disagreements amongst you.I think that, after surveying the absurd theologies amongst protestants and orthodox, Walter realized there was no perfect church.We all have errors, one way or another, and the only signicant detail is Jesus Christ.Our common law teaches that a person who represents himself has a fool for a client.Christians, of whatever denomination, claim to not to represent themselves at God's judgment, but to invoke Christ as their advocate.Well, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox have Jesus Christ as their advocate or lawyer.We aren't coming to God the Father on our own merits but on the basis of Jesus' intervention.Whether it is receiving the sinner's prayer or taking the body and blood of Jesus in the mass, we are all brothers and sister in Christ.The true cults, such as mormons, jehovah's witnesses, and Jews, need to know the truth.God Bless this man.

Doctrine at it's Best
I am a fan of Walter Martin, because he was a fan of the Bible.His clear dissection of the Scripture is wonderful, inspiring and life changing.In this book, he gives a clear understanding of the Jehovah's Witness group and their teaching by comparison to the Word of God.He was a great teacher and his book lives on for generations.This book is a must read and I have had it in my library since it was written.It is a great reference and solidifys the foundations of our faith.

A fine tool
Jehovah of the Watchtower goes into not only the religious beliefs of the Jehovah's Witness Cult, but also into the history of it's founder, Charles Taze Russle.

It contains almost everything you need to know about the "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society" about the Trinity, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Blood Transfusions and more. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the result of missionary Wilbur Lingle's long experimentation with ways to witness to Jehovah's Witnesses. He counsels that efforts must be undertaken in love and that argument is to be avoided if positive results are desired. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Great Book!
If I could only have one book on the subject, this is the book I would pick. I wish I had it many years ago. Many born again Christians look the other way while these wonderful people continue trying to work their way to eternal life. Why? Because we don't feel prepared to share. This book gives easy ways to plant seeds of truth in just a couple of minutes to a longer more in depth outreach. You need not be a theologian, just willing and grounded in your walk with Christ. A very easy to read and very interesting book.

Best I have read
This is the best book I have read which assists people to witness to Jehovah's Witnesses. Most books I have read try to meet Jehovah's Witnesses at their own game. As Jehovah's Witnesses are well trained that is a challenge. This book takes a more lateral approach and I believe that it will be more effectual for most readers.

How to love them.
What an amazing book!
Not only an in depth explanation of Jehovah's Witness beliefs but also an in depth discussion of how to converse with them in love.
Highly recommended!

Best if you're interested in truly REACHING in love and truth
Some of the reviews already posted I see are quite polarized.Yet, some don't seem to highlight the main theme. The point of the book is to know enough of the Watchtower organization background and history, and then to ponder questions and approaches that keep you from getting into fruitless arguing. Anyone who really has witnessed both to non-Jehovah Witnesses and also to Jehovah Witnesses, or has wanted to can appreciate this underlying theme.

It appears to the be the motivation for the author's writing, and is quite well done in the book, both factually, instructionally, and often times comes over in bits like a good conversation. I highly recommend it for personal reading, study, small groups, and Bible study or apologetics review and ramp-up.It is a good key on demonstrating how knowledge with loving application in a personal relationship approach can win some of the most difficult barriers to sharing.

However, if you're into just debating, Bible-thumping, and love to argue when you know you have the upper hand no matter what that does to others...then this book is NOT for you.

Don't waste your time!
It may seem to odd to most of you readers/authors out there that you just can't convince one of those "jehovah joggers" that they're just plain wrong.The truth of the matter is that jehovahs witnesses know exactly what individuals of every religion on the face of this earth believe, and yet they believe what they do, quite simply because they can not convince themselves of the truth of other religions.The failure of other religions within "christianity" and outside christianity is what keeps JW's from accepting a different religion.While you may feel comfortable (2 tim 4:3,4) with your various religion, it doesn't mean that your religion is void of paganism/false beliefs/teachings of demons.Note that within 1 tim 4:1-4 specific verses that point to : (1)forbiding to marry(ex.catholic priests), (2)abstaining from foods god made(catholics "used to say that you couldn't eat certain foods on certain days.As the bible says these same teachings are wrong, yet these same "teachings" are spoken of as be neccessary to follow in order to attain favor with god!This is simply the needles tip of a iceberg!Remmember before you condem, beat, harass, murder JW'S or burn down one of their churchs, that they are jehovahs witnesses because they don't want to be part of a religion that teaches that which is steeped in paganism. They want their worship to god to be acceptable, not just comfortable. ... Read more

Product Description
In this publication, we will explore the belief system of the Jehovah's Witness. Though they attest that their beliefs are based upon the Bible and Christian thought, much of their doctrine concerning God, Christ, and His coming is incompatible with Christianity. Therefore, we will explore their major beliefs and provide biblical responses to be used by believers today. ... Read more

Product Description
Written from the perspective of a teenager, Nate Merritt's skill as a raconteur is amply displayed in this engrossing tale wherein we experience the psychedelic sixties as well as life in the Jehovah's Witness cult. You'll be fascinated by Nate's progression from a physically and verbally abused--but idealistic--boy of fifteen into a dangerous gun-wielding psycho of nineteen. All brought about by a rageaholic father and the demented teachings of the Watchtower. The Watchtower prophecy that 1975 would bring the End of the World pushed Nate over the edge into a life that mercifully few of us have ever experienced. Even fewer writers have ever let their readers as deeply into their minds and hearts as Nate does, and we are rewarded with a tale that is as hilarious as it is shocking, as uplifting as it is disturbing, culminating as it does in a deeply moving experience of the redeeming power of human friendship. I Was A Teenage Jehovah's Witness is gritty, tough, real and no-holds-barred. With a unique and fascinating style, Nate takes us on an intimate but wild trek into two opposing subcultures. Through the author we vicariously enjoy his adolescent fantasies as he is lured into the Jehovah's Witness cult by the sexy come-on's of a female Jehovah's Witness classmate. Nate, however, is not a typical fifteen year old, and his clash with the Jehovah's Witness authorities is almost immediate. His rude awakening to life in a totalitarian cult as well as his discovery of his own burgeoning manhood is a tale that will keep your attention riveted and leave you begging for a sequel! Car chases, gang warfare, runaway girls, drugs, sex, crime, prostitutes, giants, dwarves and midgets are juxtaposed with tightly wound life inside the Jehovah's Witness cult. Coupled with the angst, rage, and disillusionment Nate experienced through it all, and you have a unique and exciting coming-of-age tale that ranks alongside Catcher In The Rye or Rule Of The Bone! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

ONE WILD RIDE!
Before I review this book, I think it's important to advise the potential reader to be sure to check out the editorial reviews for this book. The reason being: this book is not a "I gave my life to Jesus because of how awful the JWs are" run of the mill treatment you've come to expect. If you read the editorial reviews (not the customer reviews, the editorial reviews just under the photo of the book cover) you will know what this book is and isn't. It's not a "faith builder" or even a critique of Watchtower teachings per se. It's a very personal and intense account of one persons descent into Watchtower hell and the resulting madness. One reader gave this book one star because she obviously did not have a clue what this book was about before she bought it. The she castigated the author for not having written a book that met her preconceived notions,

I loved this book for several reasons. The first being that I too have been involved in cults: the Mormons and the Seventh Day Adventists. While those two cults are not nearly as extreme as the Jehovah's Witnesses, nonetheless they too feature many of the same mind control and life-control tactics and teachings. So, I can relate to this book.

I enjoyed the gritty honesty and realism of this book, as it enabled me to peek inside the mind of a typical hormone-crazed teenage boy and see what it's like to have your life dominated by said hormones.

I enjoyed this book for taking me inside the authors mind as he experienced life inside the JW cult, and the wild ride it resulted in as Nate Merritt both embraced and fought against the Watchtower hierarchy at the Kingdom Hall level. Few people have lived such an adventurous life in such a short span of time as did the author, or have experienced such hellish results in four short years of involvement with a cult.

The ending is very upbeat, very life-affirming, without being a predictable journey into Jesus World Incorporated as so many books written by former JWs are. I Was A Teenage Jehovah's Witness is a roller coaster ride for the mind and spirit and will make you laugh, cry, gasp, and laugh again.

I would love to see this book made into a movie, or at least read a sequel. Five stars and two thumbs way up.

KA

Redundant, boring
I found this book to be very boring because the author was hung up on his sexual urges and that became very boring after awhile.The author came from a dysfunctional family to begin with (they were not Jehovah's Witness) and I believe the book is misleading because he was not raised as a Jehovah's Witness and when he left or was disfellowshipped, he had family and friends to return to.Those teenagers and young people who suffer the same fate (disfellowshipped) are left with no one to turn to when they have been raised in the Watchtower religion.During my years in the Watchtower religion, I knew so many pitiful young people who were raised in this cult and then cast out and I could not find any sympathy for this author and I believe he was the cause of most ofhis problems.In the first place, he wasn't really interested in religion when he got involved - he was merely following his raging hormones.In summary, the book was very disappointing.

A Review By My Good Friend Didier Fougeras, in Belle-Eglise France
This review is from my good friend, Didier Fougeras, in Belle-Eglise France. Unfortunately, he does not have an Amazon reviewers account, so I am posting this review on his behalf:

"Nate is a great writer, with a remarkable sense of narrative structure in addition to devastatingly racy style. The result is a both exhilarating and heartbreaking, continuously thrilling story you are eager to come back to (if you don't read it in one night as 'justsomedude' did). No need to repeat the excellent summary in VM44's post. But one thought that came to my mind quite a few times while reading is: you cannot be faithful to your memories unless you dare reinventing them. This, I think, is just what Nate did, and brilliantly so. Instead of merely recounting "objective facts" -- or, even worse perhaps, assessing them in the deceiving light of later "mature" judgement -- he recreates the on-the-spot emotions, thoughts, fantasies and daydreams of the sensitive teenage prankster he was, embarking you on a breathtaking subjective ride he must first have lived as a writer -- a perspective way more fascinating than that of the fly on the wall we often wish to be as far as "history" is concerned. On the JW side, his neophyte enthusiasm, his nearly immediate disillusionments, his flip-floppings he really shares, with blunt creative honesty. This is well worth a couple of possible factual mistakes. This book will probably never make it into most churches' and other anti-cult libraries -- just too hard, in more than one sense. And it sure may scare the prudish or the faint-hearted. But it will delight many JWD posters, and probably enlighten many more lurkers. Just forget about the JWD posting guidelines when you get into it." -Didier Fougeras

A manual of survival for teen age years and predatory religions.
If there was ever a book that exposes both the deep scars of fundamentalist Christianity and the deep existential angst of teens in America this is it. Through a dark humorous eye, Nate reveals his journey through his younger years in the Midwest, traveling through all valleys and almost no peaks.At one turn there is the confusion and rage of maturing in a modern society, at another there is his escapism into either drugs or the drug of the Jehovah Witness Cult.In between, Nate deals with the usual demons of a dysfunctional family, the confusion of young love, and the constant bad decision-making of adolescents.Yet this is not a dark book, for it isseasoned with irony, the small victories we all taste in life and some very touching moments of clarity.In the end, it's a lesson about how nothing that glitters is truly gold except the inner shine of one's perseverance and the brilliance of loyal friends.

Oh, and a lesson about staying away from Christian cults.

Abraxas

The Accidental Witness
I Was a Teenage Jehovah's Witness is not a work of fiction; it's the true story of a boy, who liked a girl on the bus, and--oops! ended up in a brainwashing cult.A sort of slip, banana-peel style, into a pit of cosmic slime.Truth is always stranger than fiction.Nathan's descent into the network of fear and lies that are the bedrock of the JW's drafting policy, is a gripping tale of teenage angst like none you've read before.

As you make the painful journey with the author, from troubled teen to gun weilding maniac, you will laugh, cry, and become extremely nervous about groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The book illustrates how cults can use the vulnerability, intelligence, and natural curiosity of a teenager as a springboard for their own selfish designs.The way the JW's insinuated themselves into the author's life and mind is very disturbing, and the fact that much duplicity was involved will evoke a strong sense of injustice from the reader.

I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who has had experience in freeing themselves from the bondage of a religious cult (and who love a hell of an adventure story). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

An excellent literary, work; HOWEVER...
An excellent literary work; however, Greg Stafford is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I want everyone to be clear on this point. He has apostatized Jehovah's Witnesses publicly on the distribution site of his book. If you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, understand that you are purchasing a book written by an apostate. If you aren't, be clear that he does not actually represent the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, nor is he one of Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing. Here is a link as proof:

[..]

Good Exegis, but NOT by one of Jehovah's Witnesses
An excellent literary work; however, Greg Stafford is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I want everyone to be clear on this point. He has apostatized Jehovah's Witnesses publicly on the distribution site of his book. If you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, understand that you are purchasing a book written by an apostate. If you aren't, be clear that he does not actually represent the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, nor is he one of Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing. Here is a link as proof:

http://www.elihubooks.com/data/lampstand/000/000/007/Why_interested_in_JWs_REVISED.pdf

a valuable scholarly contribution
On page 264, Greg Stafford makes a good point: "Genuine scholarly analysis looks at the evidence and only the evidence; those who are preoccupied with a person's credentials or whether they are a 'liberal' or 'conservative' scholar give evidence that they are not genuinely interested in a critical analysis of the issues." Stafford demonstrates a remarkable ability to be objective in examining questions in which he has made a personal commitment and profound psychological investment. As Byington once put it in his review of the NWT, it is easy to first notice faults, but I'd rather first mention those features I found most commendable.

_Jehovah's Witnesses Defended_ interacts with Judeo-Christian literature on a scholarly (i.e., grammatical-historical) level. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Stafford on specific points, one cannot help but approve of the way he conducts himself. His awareness of Judeo-Christian literature is not limited to those texts he views as theologically authoritative, and he demonstrates an ability to engage in textual criticism and grammatical discussion in a mature and yet creative way. (For example, though I have a different solution, Stafford's logic in advocating and then explaining the more difficult reading at 1 Corinthians 2:16 is worthy of the respect Furuli gives it in the "Forward.")

Stafford is right to take issue with scholarly Christians reading the Trinity back into the NT. (By the way, Stafford cannot be accused (as Witnesses often are) of misunderstanding the Trinity doctrine (64-65)--though some might take issue with his contention that if "there is more than one center of consciousness then there is more than one person" (188). Trinitarians would view this as an instance of more than one _nature_ (even speaking of the human nature of Jesus as having a will, personality, and center of consciousness unmixed but harmonious with his divine nature), not person.) Since the doctrine was articulated long after the NT corpus was produced, it is an unsound scholarly practice (though a perfectly legitimate practice in devotional writing) to interpret NT text as if it were produced after Nicea and Chalcedon. However, if one is going to adopt this principle, one ought to be consistent. Just as post-Nicean doctrines ought not to be introduced into ante-Nicean documents, Christian beliefs ought not to be introduced into Jewish texts (cf. 106-107). This is not to say that Christian interpretations of Jewish texts have no place in scholarly writing; nor am I implying that one cannot (as a Christian) see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Messianic hopes and visions of divine beings (such as Wisdom) surrounding Jehovah in the OT. One simply ought to be careful.

With regard to Stafford's conclusions about the introduction of the name "Jehovah" into the NT of the NWT, his analysis is generally valid but was written before BeDuhn's study. For this reason, the book does not answer some of the points BeDuhn makes. On this same subject, Stafford's question: "Since all of the Hebrew and Greek texts that were used by the NT writers contain the divine name (and all known copies support the view that they did), why, then, if the divine name is not part of the original NT documents, did God not preserve His word from the OT into the NT?" makes it sound like those who argue that the NT never used the divine name all lack faith in God's ability or willingness to preserve the text of the NT. This is not the case. The preservation of the OT and the NT is different from the preservation of the OT _in_ the NT. Furthermore, Stafford's argument in defense of the hypothetical emendation of the NT to contain the name "Jehovah" borrows from the arguments for an eclectic text but cannot be pressed to the degree Stafford advocates (24-25). It is true that one must "consider the circumstances and controversies surrounding the composition of the original NT documents," but this does not mean one can start inserting into the text of the NT theologically and emotionally charged words that we hypothesize were removed from the autographs. Such a mentality would soon have us making all the ancient documents over in our image.

Stafford's discussion of the expression "Son of God" is firmly rooted in the Jewish mindset (99, 113-115), but it could be supplemented by a consideration of how the expression would have sounded to Roman ears, given that the emperor was viewed as the son of a god. Also, he could have discussed the ways in which being a Son of God identified one as a King. Similarly, Stafford's argument based on the story of the Tower of Babel (not to mention his validation of violent and primitive literary characterizations that inspire fear of God) (11-12; cf. 73), his refutation of Bowman's claim regarding Jesus' receiving _latreuo_ at Revelation 22:3, his discussion of the possible meanings of the word "paradise" in Appendix A, his rejection of the idea of an impersonal God (58, 67; cf. 61: The difference in sense between _elohim_ (absolute Deity) and YHYH (the manifest and personal God) is alluded to here (cf. the heading "GOD" on p. 891 of _The Emphatic Diaglott_ published by Jehovah's Witnesses).), and Appendix E are weak and could be more fully developed or discarded.

My principal objection is that the work does not really address those aspects of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion that are most peculiar to it. The majority of Stafford's book details a very accurate textual analysis of certain texts significant to Christological studies. He has a good handle on how Christ was originally viewed (127), and he acknowledges that Witnesses (usually when pressed) can speak of Jesus in very lofty terms, even in terms of divinity. However, as Stafford points out in his discussion of salvation, faith without works is dead. If people can only sing about Jesus but never to him, talk through him but never to him, and talk about bowing to (worshiping) him but never bow, their faith is not alive; their words are empty.

As I mentioned above, Stafford does not give sufficient space (or gives none at all) to discussing those beliefs and practices that are most unique to Jehovah's Witnesses and most offensive to observers of the movement. When he does discuss such Witness teachings as the division of the Christian congregation into two classes, the subordination of women to men (195), the fixation on doing certain Watchtower-related works in order to survive Armageddon, and the date-related predictions of Jehovah's Witnesses, Stafford's consideration lacks his usual objectivity. He acts as if it is enough to be able to come up with a few proof texts and to defend the NWT translation of those texts. His treatment of the Watchtower publications he cites does not take into account the authoritarianism of the Watchtower Theocracy and its tendency to infantilize people. In a different type of organization, end time speculation about certain dates, imaginative and allegorical interpretations of ancient prophecies and "prophetic types," and absurdly literal interpretations of Scriptural texts would not be hurtful to believers. But when an authoritarian organization (such as the Theocracy created by Rutherford) states that its "interpretation" of the Bible leads it to "conclude" such and such, an individual member cannot (as Stafford does) easily appeal to the assertions that the organization's interpretation is not inspired (even if they are printed in the Watchtower).

Finally, I'd like to provide a rather informal and non-exhaustive _Corrigenda_:
"could" for "cloud" (21); page number needs to be filled in: "????" (545); "it is" for "is it" (63); missing a closing bracket ("]") after "Trinitarians" (72); "IN" for "in" (110); "I certainly not" for "I certainly am not" (428); "flexion" for "inflexion," which is the British form of the word "inflection" (153); last part of last sent. in par. 2 (132); "judgment (compare" for "judgment. (Compare" (185; along these lines, the book alternates between the usual convention for citing scriptural references and the Watchtower convention); "thee" for "three" (169); "gat" for "begat"? (234. Perhaps, the quote needs a "[sic]"? I have not had a chance to look it up.); due to the bold subheading which interrupts the flow of the argument, the fact that the statement "It is not only possible" is made in response to the preceding quote is not clear (237); omit the space between the quotation mark and the word "for" (260); omit third bracket ("]") (443); missing period: "code[.] For" (516); finally, Stafford's use of the quote from the _Watchtower_ on page 494 is totally contrary to the sense of the original.

His statement that Witnesses do not regard the Wisdom of God in Proverbs 8 "as a literary device personifying the abstract concept of Hebrew wisdom" seems to simply be a mistake (235, ftn. 111). He may mean that Witnesses do not view Wisdom in Proverbs 8 as _merely_ a personification but also see in her a prophetic type of the Christian Logos. Though the most recent and most detailed discussion of Proverbs 8 was made after the publication of _Jehovah's Witnesses Defended_ (_Watchtower_, March 15, 2001, 25-28), the article does not contain anything substantially different from what has been said by the Society before its publication (_Insight on the Scriptures_ (1988), Vol. 2, 52).

Greg Stafford debunks the Critics
Dear On-line shopper,

After reading this book, I am thoroughly convinced that there are too many pseudo-sophisticated people running around. What do I mean by pseudo-sophisticated? Well, too many people are falsely educated. They read what one Greek article says about a certain word and think they know the language. Greg knows his Greek.

In relation to Greg Stafford's book, he does an excellent job of presenting the Watchtower's view. The ludicrousness of many who argue against a view the Watchtower does not maintain is like telling someone they don't have a blue car even though the person openly admitted it was red!

The intent of this book is not to be a converting attempt. Neither is it is designed to present the Watchtower or infallible or perfect after all. Any human organization will fall prey to error. But Greg focuses primarily on how the Watchtower arried to their understanding through Scriptural deduction and not by arbitrary fancy.

And to all those who tried to preach through your comments, his book is tailored to this type of criticism.

Sincerely Grant

2nd edition is now available!
Click on Stafford's name above to find the link for his 2nd ed.! Then read my review: "Deepens your appreciation of the Bible while defending JWs, February 13, 2001". See you there... ... Read more

Product Description
Jehovah-Talk is an essential tool for all who deal with Jehovah's Witnesses in professional or family settings. It will teach you how to overcome hidden language barriers and gain an effective opening for sharing yourself and the gospel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Cult Language
I highly recommend this book, to anyone who studies the cult of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, aka, the Jehovah's Witnesses. To be able to understand and speaktheir "language" is an invaluable tool, when trying to talk to them about the real Jehovah and the real Jesus.

A Must Have Dictionary
This book is a dictionary of terms used in a unique way by the Watchtower Society (Wt) and thus by Jehovah's Witnesses. It is a must reference for anyone who wants to understand or research the Wt. To understand the Jehovah's Witnesses you must understand their unique use of terms which Reed claims is done for several reasons, including to help the Wt achieve mind control in the Orwellian tradition. Reed also explains how and why a mind control language (called argot in psychology) is necessary. An example of a term defined is the term "theocratic war strategy" meaning "hiding the truth from persons not entitled to it, or deceiving outsiders (done in order) to advance the (Watchtower) organization's interests. Falsehoods presented to 'Gods enemies' are not considered lies, due to the state of war existing between God's forces (the JWs) and Satan's (the rest of the world)."This dictionary is also a must for JW's. To be considered mature, Witnesses must keep up with the changing argot. An example is fully 28 percent of Witnesses and former Witnesses in one survey did not know what theocratic war strategy was (although most correctly defined it). The newer Witnesses were most likely not to know the term. Memorizing this book can enable Witnesses to achieve up to date knowledge of all major terms. ... Read more