Customer Reviews

Jehovah's Witness Literature: A Critical Guide to Watchtower Publications

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

David Reed is a former Jehovah's Witness, which is also the author of books such as: Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse, Answering Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject, How to Rescue Your Loved One from the Watchtower, Behind the Watchtower Curtain, Left Behind Answered Verse by Verse, etc.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 1993 book, "In view of the fact that JW literature is the chief means of propogating this false gospel, Christians engaged in defending the faith cannot afford to be ignorant of the books and magazines being delivered to their doors and to the doors of their relatives, friends, and neighbors... But, since the sheer volume of such material is overwhelming, a guide to Jehovah's Witnesses literature is needed. This book is intended to meet that need."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Even Jehovah's Witnesses publications, which seldom reveal anything at all about internal difficulties, tell of a hostile reaction from many headquarters workers when (The Finished Mystery) was released to them... It had been prepared and published at J.F. Rutherford's command, without the consent or even the knowledge of the majority of the society's board of directors. The book became a major bone of contention between supporters of Rutherford and opponents who eventually split from the Watchtower." (Pg. 55)
"(In Rutherford's Children, their training and their hope) ... in the course of studying the Bible together they learn that it advises against marriage and childbearing at this critical time so close to Armageddon." (Pg. 80)
"But, after identifying these 'higher powers' as God and Christ, and teaching this for some years, the leadership later reversed the teaching again and returned to the former view ... that Romans 13;1 speaks of earthly political governments." (Pg. 114)
"A revised edition (of The truth that leads to eternal life) was quietly released in 1981. Why? ... In the 1981 revision this embarrassing prediction about 1975 was replaced by quotes from other sources that speak of famine in more general terms." (Pg. 123-124)
"Without actually mentioning the year 1975 this book (God s Eternal Purpose Now Triumphing for Man s Good) continues to stir up the expectations raised for that date in prior Watchtower publications." (Pg. 137)
"Of special interest (in the book, Let Your Kingdom Come), however, is the Appendix... which attempts to establish 607 B.C. as the time of Jerusalem's desolation by the Babylonians, in spite of the fact that secular historians generally assign a date twenty years later... if 607 B.C. is wrong, then A.D. 1914 is wrong. And is 1914 is wrong, then the entire system of Watchtower eschatology based on that date falls like a house of cards." (Pg. 162)