Product Description
WHAT was it like to be a young Jehovah's Witness living in Britain in the 1960s? Members of the faith aged in their teens and twenties were constantly warned by their leaders that the world was shortly to be destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon. They were told that if they wished to be saved and live forever on a paradise earth they would need to conform to a strict code of conduct. That meant preaching from door-to-door to warn of the coming destruction, avoiding sex outside marriage, not undertaking higher education, not celebrating Christmas or birthdays, and only mixing socially with people who were Jehovah's Witnesses. The book follows the life of a fictional young man named Luke Fairweather from the age of 18 to 30. For several months he is given a thorough indoctrination in the beliefs of the Witnesses. He accepts the claim that Armageddon is only a short time away and devotes his life to preaching. But as the years go by and the end of the world seems as far away as ever he suffers a crisis of faith.About the authorJOHN RIPPIN retired in 2004 after 27 years as editor of the Loughborough Echo, an award-winning weekly newspaper in Leicestershire. He joined the paper at the age of 16 as a trainee reporter and rose through the ranks, putting in a total of nearly 50 years' service. He still works as a freelance journalist.He is a member emeritus of the Society of Editors and during the days of the old Guild of British Newspaper Editors served as regional chairman and also sat on the national council. He is married with three children and one grandchild. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An Avoidable Tragedy Given Parents Were Jehovah's Witnesses
The story seemingly is portrayed to blame the Jehovah's witnesses at
least in part for the tragic death of Kim and her two children (all
Witnesses) and whilst it is written in transparency style it consistently
portrays the events in a way which her former husband James was
treated poorly and shunned even at her memorial and which his (second
wife a non witness took offence) and in turn gave little understanding to
the procedures then that took place and missed the purpose of the
memorial. The practises of the JW'S at this time was subject to the
policy the controlling body called the "governing body" had put in place
at this time to in effect have no association with ex-witnesses (which Jim
or James the first husband had now become) which unfortunately led to
the hostile retaliation displayed by her husband even reporting to news
papers which only serves to detract from the transparency he took so
much trouble to instill in the writing of the book.

The author setting this aside for the most seems to have written a
chronological account starting with his childhood and life history until his
marriage and subsequent divorce and his resistance toward his children
with his former wife as to visitation rights and finally the effects of the
changed policy of Watchtower Organizational Enforcement that active
Jehovah's Witnesses were instructed to "not associate with former
witnesses not even to talk with them or listen to them as they were
viewed as apostates" not of the Bible but of "God's Organization".

The above policy contributed to the problems experienced the author wrote
about in his separation and divorce and dealings after and at the
Kingdom Hall Memorial in relation to the deaths of his two children.
What this demonstrated is that "taken too far" this policy "caused unfair
treatment of those most affected" and really was more about protecting
the "Organization" rather than protecting the people within it claimed.

This above comment is based upon the revealed practises disclosing this in
book "Crisis of Conscience" which highlights the reasons why this policy
was made law within Jehovah's witnesses, was to maintain control of all.
It may therefore be contributory to better understand this response to
Jim the author in this book by first reading Raymond Franz's book which
coincide's with the treatment "Jim" had been given him from the JW
community as the enforcement of the decision reached in "governing
body" to protect their own authority by enforcing disfellowshipping on all
whom contradict or question Watchtower Official Teaching coming from
them and to squash any remnants remaining preventing all discussion. [Censorship]

In addition it has always been that this "governing body" claims Divine
authority and claims being appointed as a part of what is referred to as
"Discreet Slave" class thus giving them this authority. Having an
authority they exercise such "as they see fit" by "only them be allowed to
direct what scriptural practises and allowances are permitted" and by
giving instructions to their "appointed elders" via letters and
Watchtowers etc. what may become "policy in this case as to marriage."

The marriage of "Kim to James or Jim (the author) produced the two
children the subject of the tragedy and adverse comments elsewhere.

To better understand this tragedy one needs to understand background
policy and what implications that may have had on negative writings
which in turn may bring out negative comments in reviews or minds of
readers. Only by explaining these procedures may in part some of what
may be negative be put in proper perspective and whether the author in
highlighting these may have failed to give equal attention to his own role
and whether this may equally contributed in some degree? Whether the
tragedy may well have been avoided in the event (the author) took a
more scriptural view of marriage given he claimed he was also a JW?

His candid account relates his early adult life just prior to meeting his
eventualwife "Kim" the victim. Jim writes of his own preoccupation with
particularly younger women or girls and some of these not being JW'S
but what may be referred as "worldly". Jim relates without regret his
"sexual intimacy" with a number of these even at a time when he claims
he was a Jehovah's witness which is a disfellowshipping offence. This is
mentioned because it gives a weakness in the author's own character
and hence whilst he held this weakness other implications may follow?

Simply put setting this aside "when he married Kim" he "took a vow to
God" and as a Christian to obey Christ's and apostle Paul's commands
on marriage. Therefore when he "separated from Kim" not on grounds
for Divorce that being "adultery", he went back to his own `sexual
weakness' and got involved with worldly women and committed adultery
thus giving "Kim" the grounds for Divorce and re-marriage.

The story relates how "Kim" is portrayed as walking a fine line in useing the "elders" to for want of better words manage her husband and her marriage the way she wanted, reducing again sexual compassion the thing "Jim" seemingly complains about was lacking and which her second husband seemingly also had issue with, which may be a contributory factor, given the accuracy that these portions may not be distorted in some way.

Whilst the circumstances led to tragedy within the Jehovah's witnesses
community with her second husband also a Witness, all this may have
been avoided in the event the author took the lead and maintained
integrity within his marriage to "Kim" even if separated from her. "Jim"
admits within his reasons why he felt "Kim" sought a "Divorce" on
grounds of adultery that the Jehovah's witnesses religion would only
allow her to get re-married if she could obtain such. This does not mean
"Jim" had to comply as this is merely an excuse to justify his not
honouring marriage.

On the other hand this does not give "Kim" an excuse either. Even if
adultery was proven she did not have to get re-married and exposing a
wrong attitude by both given they were both witnesses. "Incomparability"
was sighted really as the grounds of separation although this also does
not give grounds for the actions taken thereafter. One only needs to
read the Bible book of "Hosea" to see that even if ones partner is
unfaithful if a person puts God first they can remain faithful even to their
unfaithful mate and hence the second marriage would not be an issue.
In this event neither would the tragedy of children the real victims, as
they wanted their father and mother to be parents therefore both of them
and if both parents put this first none of this may have occurred. Hence
in contrast the value of story is answering the question could it have
been avoided. The answer may well be "Yes with difficulty." [Remove me -ism]

In fairness to criticism of the religion and elders by some. This sort of
thing can happen in other religions and more so in secular society
whereby the things referred to in regard to marriage or lack of it, are
freely practised and jealousy between relationships is common place.
As for the Elders criticised for sending "Kim" back to the "Killer" may be
unfair in as much as "Kim" also used the elders according to book for
her own purposes and they could only act upon how the information was
presented to them and they too had limitations. They did turn in the
"killers first gun" after they were advised he had a gun and confronted
him seeking an explanation. When he did not satisfy their concerns they
gave the gun to the authorities. They were unaware of a second gun
which he purchased soon after. They also "Disfellowshipped" him before
his trial after questioning him. They carried out as above "Watchtower
policy" toward the author. Setting aside this wrongness; they did what
they were directed to do and acted within those limitations.

The above in "no way" endorses the policy the Watchtower enforced
however given the error's the Elders acted in a way they were able not
knowing that the second husband was going to turn into a 1st degree
murder, not even "Kim" the victim was aware of this right up until the
tragedy. The real tragedy is that it may have been avoided, this in "no
way condones the actions taken by the killer".

The most positive aspect of the book was the response of the author James Penton of a book called Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesseswhereby he gave "James or Jim Kostelniuk" and his second wife [a non witness] a "heart felt response" of recognition in relation to the death of his children something the father of victims "desperately needed which had been lacking". [See pages 119-121]. James Penton is an "authority on Jehovah's Witnesses",[1914 date] himself victim of the policy of disfellowshipping not on scriptural grounds but for questioning Official Organizational Teaching whether Scriptural led to his removal which underlies this story and book [that censorship is to prevent questions being answered] and was able to understand the effects on peoples best.

Whilst the book was rivetting it "failed to remain unbiassed in certain
areas toward witnesses", whilst at the same time giving a historic record
of the increased difficulties that the change in policy in the early 1980's
by the "governing body" which instilled a "loveless community between
former brothers" which gives a rivetted account on peoples lives affected
and ultimately contributed to the authors difficulty in exercising his
parental role to protect his own children from the enforced actions of
elders as he perceives or in having contact with his own children in
which he may have been able to in some way intervene to protect them
in the event he suspected violence, which he claims he did, but was
withdrawn contact. This being the case, lessons may be learned
keeping these principles of the effects of misapplied motives in restraint
when children are involved, the responsibility on parents only increases,
this is the real tragedy that both parents "put themselves first, not the
children". In the event they remained married the children may be alive,
emphasising the importance of remaining loyal to their marriage vows.

In event when reading book one keeps these principles in mind it may
be beneficial in seeing that this may be a lesson in importance of
remaining loyal to ones "first mate even if they appear incompatible"
especially when children are involved; follow the golden rule "put the
other first not yourself" hence Divorce is not an option hence children at
least whilst growing up have both natural parents and their safety a key.

It becomes a further tragedy if in reading this book, may not learn from
the obvious, as outlined above, that both parents failed the loyalty test.

Riveting and heartbreaking
I myself was raised as a JW. I left for many reasons (too authoritarian, made women feel inferior, too antiquated,etc.) but at the time I never thought murder could occur among such "sheep-like" people. I had to read this in one sitting-I was riveted. What made me especially angry to read is that the elders told Kim she had to return to her husband (the person who killed her and her children). The elders are partly to blame. And the treatment the author received at the funeral was shocking-being shunned and ignored and his name being omitted from the list of survivors. How dare anyone be so callous and unfeeling? And yet I remember as a small child to be told to behave that way when in the company of disfellowshipped people. I think the story is well-told and recommend it highly to anyone trying to open their eyes to this organization. Also mentions the failed prophecy of "the end of the world coming in 1975" and how the author was duped into believing that at the time (another reason I left-Society changing its tune every so often).

Riveting and Disturbing
This is the heart wrenching story of the murder of Kim Anderson and her two children. Kim, a devout Jehovah's witness lost her life at the hands of her husband, also a member of that faith community. The story is told with courage and compassion by James Kosteliuk, her first husband and the father of the two children. While the trigger was pulled by Jeff Anderson, some blame must be laid at the doors of faith communities where religious principles come before the safety and well-being of its women and children. This book tells of a tragedy on many levels, but most importantly it reminds us of the violence that women and children continue to face in that safest of all places: their homes. Riveting and disturbing at the same time.

wolves among sheep
There just was not enough of a story for this small book with
lots of padding. Poor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great information - a must read
I sent this book to a friend who has family members in the Jehovah's Witnesses. She said it is very real to life and appreciated me sending it to her. It really opened my eyes and makes me wonder how such a group can function in the USA. I guess I'm pretty naive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A fun read
This tiny book makes some fun reading on the sincere but hilarious kooks that parade and tout their money-making "religions" at your door and through your airwaves. Each "religion" is given an introduction and the irrationality of believing in each of them looks obvious. Not a comprehensive study though.

Pefect guide to answer the clueless and Gullible.
Great little book, I wish there would have been more, but I can't complain the book shed light on some things I did not Know. Perfect to answer the gullible and Clueless out there and the most outrageous heretics, Sad that people like to "pick and Choose" to their liking what being a Christian means to them, and Accuse the Church of being pagans. Ignorance is sad. Perfect for the Catholic already sure of his religion or for the open minded not for the weak.

"Knock, Knock"
You have seen these guys on your doorstep, so instead of calling the cops, call AMAZON.COM and buy this book.YOu can match wits, if you are equal to the task.And boy, they will get it.

It covers all the topics in about as many pages.YOu will buy this book, by the time I amdone, so you can talk and speak with these guys.Share your mind, as I tell you!

Lots of topics, not many pages
If anything can be said about this work, it is that it tries to cover too much for a book of its size. The unfortunate result is that so many of the topics get a mere glossing, consequently, it doesn't always deliver on the "How to respond" part implied in the title.

The opening chapters briefly discuss ecumenism, fundamental Catholic beliefs (the creed, etc.), and key scriptural texts that support critical dogmas. Finally, there is discussion on approaching apologetics with a spirit of charity before moving on to the meat of the book, what to do with "Strangers at your Door."

The meat begins with the Jehovah's Witnesses. In about 20 pages, there is a brief history of the sect, an outline of its key beliefs, and common arguments that the Witnesses use to persuade potential converts to their point of view. Nevins does an adequate job of providing orthodox rebuttals to these propositions.

Next come the Mormons, about the same number of pages are devoted to history and doctrines. Nevins discusses the extra challenge of "reasoning from Scripture" presented by these missionaries, since they consider the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God, while the same can be of the Bible only insofar as it is "correctly translated."

Nevins points out that terms like salvation, baptism, and even God have radically different meanings to both these groups than may be expected by orthodox Christians. This demonstrates that individuals must have their terms correctly understood to avoid "talking past each other."

The rest of the book is rather disappointing from the perspective of "apologetics," though somewhat useful from an informational perspective. There are very brief discussions of The Way, Baha'i, Hare Krishna, and Moonies.

This reviewer found it odd that the Church of Christ, and some of the more common Televangelists are included in the book -- again more from an informational perspective rather than apologetical -- since he apparently is trying to focus on those sects far removed from orthodoxy. In his conclusion Nevins acknowledges this point, and mentions that it is not his "purpose to make them all equal, only to stress that they are out to capture you in one way or another."
In the final analysis, the reader is left wishing that the author would have been a tad more focussed on fewer topics, because while the information provided is certainly good, this reviewer left the table hungry for more. ... Read more

Product Description
Relying exclusively on primary source materials, Hoekema systematically presents the doctrinal teachings of Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism, Christian Science, and Jehovah's Witnesses. He also briefly outlines the history and source of authority of each cult. Extensive bibliography, appendixes, and index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Am I Missing Something?
The four major cults? I thought surely this book would be a study of Judaism, Chistianity, Islam and Hinduism. They are the four major cults of the world aren't they? As Marx once said, religion is mythology sanctified by authority. When does a mythological belief system become a religion as opposed to a cult? Is it a matter of how many followers?

Four Major Cults: Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism
Very well written, detailed cross references and footnotes.

This book clearly points out the manner these four cults have taken to distort bibical verse to meet thier own views.

An important book.The Four Major Cults: Christian Science; Jehovah's Witnesses; Mormonism; Seventh-day Adventism

think before you accept all this book says
as referencing the person below, who mentions that cults stop people thinking, i would mention that Christian Science's Book called Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy has on it's first page "the time for thinkers has come" Christian Science avidly encourages people to challenge previously accepted things and there is no hierarchy in the church, so before you readily accept all that this book states, do some of your own research as this is only one persons point of view

hmmmm
Appereantly this author is needs to learn the definition of a cult. The majority of cults involves heavy use of drugs, death, and they have their ceremonies in remote areas.

A little background about the SDA church. Our world headquarters is in the Washington D.C. area. Second since we are close to our national headquarters the federal govt knows us very well so obviously if we do anything that hurt people then our denomination will cease to exist. Sorry to say to those who are accusing of us being a cult but we have a SDA Chaplin at the US Capital. Also we have been around since the civil war. SDA's is like any other denomination like Methodist, Baptist, Catholics, and etc.

So what the deuce?

Seventh-day Adventism A Cult? No Way!
Before I'm labeled "brainwashed", I have read and personally owned this particular book for over 25 years. Being Seventh-day Adventist since the age of 19, I've read and heard just about all of the negatives. And despite our doctrines of the sabbath, the state of the dead, the heavenly sanctuary, investigative judgement and the Spirit of prophecy to name a few, we are quite the fundamental Christian church. Fundamental beliefs we hold as essential such as; Salvation by Grace through faith, the infallible Word of God, the Deity of Christ, the three persons of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ, the literal second coming of Christ, baptism by immersion, the final judgement, a literal Heaven, and the final punishment of the wicked, Satan, and his fallen angels in the lake of fire. Now compare Adventism's Christian fundamental beliefs with any one of the other three and see if they even come close. Study each individual denomination's official manual, then decide. One of the reasons so many newer books on cults totally omit Seventh-day Adventists from the list. And we as Seventh-day Adventist believers need no further justification of our faith, but that of our love for Jesus and His Word.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insightful sociology of British Jehovah's Witnesses
The result of a group effort, this work portrays British Jehovah's Witnesses.I appreciated that the methodology was described.

The book was somewhat dry in tone and the author sounded disbelieving of the testimony of Witnesses who were once violently opposed to the religion.This prevents me from giving it five stars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Door to Door Cult Exposed
Schnell delivers an outstanding sequel to his previous book: Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave. This book is a useful guide for anyone sharing the truth with Jehovah's Witnesses. The author provides a short history of the JW's and helps you learn how to refute their basic errors.

Chapters are on:

- How Russellism started
- Hell is not the grave
- Man has a soul
- Jesus is God
- Christianity and Cults
- and a great deal other material (205 pages).

This is a wonderful handbook in winning the JW's to the truth found in Christ. Buy it and assist the cultist to find forgiveness and freedom.
One Way to God: Christian Philosophy and Presuppositional Apologetics Examine World Religions ... Read more

Product Description
"One of the best approaches is to 'know the competition,' and in this regard Jason Evert's book will prove to be a useful tool in combating the Jehovah's Witnesses' mindset and doctrines. This work is intended for the 'average Catholic' who has no formal training in theology, and so it is designed to be easily understood and practical. Beginning with the foundations of the Watchtower organization, the author deals with its presidents and history, moves next through the basic structure and content of the Jehovah's Witness' world, and then discusses the various doctrines of the Watchtower and how to refute them. Particular attention is given to some 'favorite verses' and standard topics that a Witness will typically use in attacking the Catholic faith. Finally, some extremely helpful and practical suggestions are offered for how to interact with someone who has become a Jehovah's Witness.

"There are some good resources generally available for use in refuting the Watchtower's theology. But very few of them proceed from a specifically Catholic perspective, so invariably such resources will be helpful only to a point. Catholics need not be at a disadvantage, however. Since this book is written by a staff apologist at Catholic Answers, the reader can rest assured that its contents are faithful to the Church's teachings. It is time that Catholics begin to reclaim the spiritual ground lost to the Watchtower organization, and with the help of this book, I am confident that this goal is well within our reach."-Joel Peters, author, teacher, and authority on Jehovah's Witnesses ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Make sure you read this before they come a'knockin...
Wonderful, wonderful! Short, but hits all the major beliefs that separates Catholics and JWs with tons of scriptural evidence for the Catholic position. I have a very good friend who is a devout JW and from what I can gather, Jason does not set up straw men or misrepresent the JWs. He lays out what they ACTUALLY teach and then rebuts it.

Good read
Well laid out, walks the reader thru the background of the organization, their mode of operation and then point by point through the major points of contention.It is a pretty quick read.

Excellent refutation of JW claims
I purchased this book after having read several other books on the Jehovah's Witnesses.I liked this book the best.I am a former JW myself, having served as a pioneer (full-time door-to-door evangelizer), ministerial servant (deacon) and elder (minister).I can assure you that this book will particularily assist Catholics to refute the claims made by JW's against the Catholic Church (I converted to the Catholic Church in 2004) but also is helpful for Christians of all denominations. Many JW's are ex-Catholics, most of whom never really studied their faith or are really familiar with the history of Jehovah's Witnesses.It is likely that some Catholics have some JW's in their family or will have some in the near future.This book is especially helpful if a family member is thinking about leaving the Catholic Church and becoming a Jehovah's Witness.

An excellent source
If you wish you knew how to dialogue with Jehovah's Witnesses, but don't know what they believe or how to refute their claims, then this is the book for you! It answers questions like:

Should you believe in the Trinity?
Is Jesus Michael the Archangel?
Is Jesus God?
Is the Holly Spirit God?
Is God's name Jehovah?
Did Jesus die on a torture stake or a cross?
Did Christ's body rise?
Did Christ return already?
Who goes to heaven?
Is Hell real?
What about military service, blood transfusion, and holidays?

. . .and much, much more. Jason Evert's book is full of Scriptural references to back his arguments, and it points out the errors of the "New World Translation" in the chapter, "Can You Trust the 'New World Translation'?" The book is easy to navigate and read, and is packed with great information. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
1969 Revied Edition of 1958 ... Read more

Product Description
In the natural sciences, a basic principle is to break everything down to the smallest possible units and then study each unit. In linguistics and in the study of the biblical languages, a similar principle was followed with the word as the basic unit, but from the middle of this century the view has developed that the smallest units which were meaningful for translation had to be the sentence or even the paragraph. The author believes that the pendulum has swung too far in one direction, and that it still is meaningful to work with the word as the fundamental unit of translation. The book therefore suggests that for a particular target group - those who, by the help of their mother tongue, want to come as close as possible to the original languages - a literal translation will be better than an idiomatic one. In the course of discussion it is shown that the principles on which such a translation is based accords fully with modern linguistic principles." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Good to know how a Jehova`s Witness think
If you want to contrast this book with a real NT scholar and greek expert (furulli is not) read Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus. The incoherency of the WT`s translation is well known. Just compare the different ways the New World translation one and the same grammatical construction that appears in 2 Pe 1:1 and 2 Pe 1:11. Jesus is ho theos, the God that`s what the Scriptures says clearly in John 20:28.

Point by Point - Excellent and Sound
This book brings home to those of reasonable mind and searching for truth the facts upon translation and the simple superiority of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures as an accurate rendering of the New Testament from the original Greek manuscripts.If one has had their mind poisoned against the New World Translation by those who claim to be in "the know" - clergymen and churchmen and so-called experts - then one would do oneself a favor to obtain this book and sit down with one's Bible along with the New World Translation and carefully read this book and compare the Bibles at hand.If you know Konie Greek or not, you cannot help but be enlightened without being bogged down by a great deal of technical terms.

A book on translation?
If you are looking for a book on The Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation, (in my opinion) you won't find it here.
This book is just a Jehovah's Witness apologetic. In the description of the author, it does not state that he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
You are getting nowhere only that NWT and other bibels have their own agenda and if you read this book, you already know that.

Balanced and Scholarly
I found this book both informative and refreshing. Rolf Furuli is the rare scholar that has the courage to give controversial subjects in-depth analysis without wasting the reader's time by pontificating and spewing invective.

Search for truth and impartiality
I suggest the book "Truth in Translation: accuracy and bias in English translations of the New Testament" by Jason David BeDuhn, for all those who have read this book.Truth in Translation examines 9 translations (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NASB, NAB,NW, TEV, AB, and LB) and none come away unscathed, so this book is for every Bible reader.Basically, both of these books give the Bible reader a foundation to start examining the accuracy of translations of the Greek scriptures, instead of going on faith in what humans say, because we have a way of touting our own biases.Don't completely trust what reviewers have said and accept there bias, read the books FOR YOURSELF.
... Read more