Customer Reviews

Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave (Direction books)

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"Thirty Years" is well worth reading not only for those looking for an "insider" history of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but also for those interested in spiritual narratives in general. Schnell, clearly a man of integrity and strong spiritual feelings, experienced his time as a member of this millennial group -- during the formative and crucial years between the end of the bible students and the creation of the theocratic Jehovah's Witnesses -- as a painful struggle away from and then back to God. It is well written and a good, quick read, and the determinedly personal tone Schnell takes gives it a truly human flavor. It gives great insight into the personal experiences of living in a religion that is moving away from individual conscience and towards totalitarian conformity. I highly recommend it.

Schnell's book has a unique position in the literature about the JW religion: He is one of the few insiders from the Rutherford era who left them movement, and writes from personal experience. Yet, his writing gave me real problems: his obvious disgust with the Watchtower movement makes almost every paragraph a pain to read. He sounds bitter and negative. He no doubt had a good reason to, but this detracts from the quality of his book.

Also, Schnell rarely documents his claims, which may make many readers doubt his claims. Having used Schenll along with many other sources writing my master thesis on 'Judge' Joseph Rutherford (2nd President of Watchtower Society and de facto founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses), I have to say that I have yet to find any outright errors in his book. This obviously tells us that Schnell was a honest author.

But I can't help feeling that his book could have been so much better and more important if he had concentrated on facts, on documenting his claims, and cut down on the negative comments. Raymond Franz' books, written decades later, tells us what "Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave" could have been.

This remains the best book available that deals with this hidden nature of the Watchtower Society. Some would argue that it has become badly dated, and there is some truth in that contention, as the Society has changed in many ways since Schnell was involved.

What is remarkable, though, is Schnell's insight into the basic J.W. mindset, which has changed not a WHIT! In fact, in a particularly vivid scene in this book, Schnell approaches his Watchtower "elders" with an inquiry as to why Society money is NEVER spent to help the poor and sick in the spirit of the New Testament scriptures. The frustrated, blame-shifting reply from these Pharisses is identical to the one I recieved from a "door-knocker" just months ago.

Also, Schnell is correct that the key to the Society's earthly, fleshly success is not in its stand on "scripture only" as some have assumed, but in its virulent trumping of the "God's-ONLY-organization-on-earth" lie. He is futher correct that this altogether mystical and un-biblical assumption of "Brooklyn-as-Zion" and all its attendant apostacy is THE Achilles heel of the average Graceless, mindlessly legalistic, door-knocking "slave" on the rolls. These poor, hapless creatures are sent, not to the drunkards, down-trodden and hopeless (in whom the organization has little or no interest) but to the doors of professing Bible believers ONLY, that they might gain weak minds already predisposed to submit to harsh "biblical authority."

I praise God for Schnell and his testimony and pray that people will find and read this book.

Al

This had me on the edge of my seat when I first read this book. Had some relatives that where in the JW faith. There all Born Again Christians now. But back in those days they didn't know the truth. I found this book to be accurate, truthful and very powerful. Don't read this book if you don't want the truth being told. And don't get this book if your thinking on becoming a JW. This will bring you to Christ the Biblical way without the JW faith.

This is one amazing book by some people who stopped reading the handed magazines by the JWS and starting reading the bible for themselves. They converted to Christianity and found Jesus the Bible way. I don't know them and I'm not affiliated with them accept that we love Jesus also. And know who Jesus is. This book will shed light on the truth about the Watchtower movement, the followers and the stuff they don't want you to know. Its powerful get it, its a must read for anyone. Especially JWS.

Warning: William Schnell was not a great writer. His sentence structure, story telling skill and spelling leave a lot to be desired but in this book's case it's not that important. 30 Years is a shocking look into the JW past. It's a past that most modern JWs know nothing about. Schnell writes about how he got hooked into the sect and details his life in it. Being a JW in the early days of the religion meant blind obediance, poverty and constant knawing dread. Schnell's life was so totally wrapped up in the sect that he barely had time for a normal family. He doesn't mention his wife until the book is almost over and we never do learn what her name was.

In the end Schnell seemed to find some comfort and happiness after walking away from 30 years of misery.

If you want to find out what life is like for a JW this isn't the book for you. It is strictly (thank goodness) a historical artifact.

This book was bought for my dad who had lost his original copy. He and I were very pleased with the condition of this old book...plus it shipped quick.

William J. Schnell (1905-1973) was a Circuit Overseer for the Jehovah's Witnesses, who converted to Christianity and left the organization.

He writes in the Foreword to this 1957 book (this is an abridged 1971 edition), "In writing this story of my thirty years of slavery ... It is not a learned treatise you are going to read here. It is simply the heart felt story of a slavery so deep, that it took me thirty years to get free... its spiritual concept and ideas were written with my life blood and with my feelings of torment and torture in a Hell far more vivid to me than was the Inferno of Dante."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Let me say here that these Bible Student 'ecclesias' then were a far cry from the present meeting places Jehovah's Witnesses known as Kingdom Halls. Entirely independent from a central control, they selected their own Elders from the spiritually mature within their midst..." (Pg. 14)
"This new (JW) Nation thus was conceived in treachery, dedicated to the principle that all men are not equal but must be divided into classes, and organized for the proposition that all subject to it are Theocratic slaves." (Pg. 31)
"As a result of the seemingly anti-war editorial policy adoopted for the 'Watchtower' magazine, Judge Rutherford and the other directors of the Society were arrested, the Watchtower Society was legally dissolved, and the Judge and others were tried and convicted." (Pg. 34)
"The Pioneers were an intrepid group of men and women who, while not Pioneers for Christianity, were the true Pioneers of the coming Watchtower Theocracy of 1938." (Pg. 79)
"This series of declarations (of "neutrality" by Judge Rutherford) helped Jehovah's Witnesses to stay out of the military service in this country, and earned them only five-year sentences where they failed." (Pg. 140-141)
"At one stage I succumbed, and tried to drown out the insistent promptings of the Holy Spirit by the use of strong drink... Finally, early in the morning, I promised the Lord and vowed to Him that I would write an expose and publish all these facts if He would liberate me of my drinking affliction..." (Pg. 180-181)
"Be courteous to the JW... But also, as (he) ... asks you leading questions, DO NOT answer them. These probes by the JW are to discover whether you are a person who has fear about the troubles in the world; or whether you are a person who is lonely; or whether you are a person who has gripes against the establishment. If you so much as give a hint of such attitudes, you are immediately categorized by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and he will latch onto you..." (Pg. 190-191)

William Schnell went from being a Jehovah's Witness in Germany to the later position of a Zone Overseer (then sometimes called Zone Servant), a position over the more regional Circuit Overseers.

As evidence of the powerful expose that this work constitutes, it relates for example that in the U.S. Joseph Rutherford, the then President of the Watchtower Society directing JWs, once called him into his office and pulled out files kept on his activities including accusations of kissing some of the girl JWs.

Schnell also tells how once aware that he was being tailed and spied on, evidently also at Joe's direction by other JWs at the world headquarters called Bethel in Brooklyn, New York, he then made use of that fact and led them on "a merry chase."

Years ago when I first read this book I thought like some other commentators that it was simply made-up or over-blown sour grapes. However, since being a JW from about 1978-2001 I have reviewed it yet again and find it jives perfectly with what I observed, heard and felt as well as comments from a number of other writers in the area of JW literature.

For instance, if I had taken it more seriously at the time I would not have gotten caught up with this cult which from silentlambs.org (also there see NBC and CBS transcripts) we now know has been having local elders send "repentant" child molesters preaching door-to-door alongside very decent, unsuspecting JW parents and their children!

Again, Schnell's book remains a short but extremely powerful work, a truly classical expose in the literature.

the book is well written but most of the info is out dated with the exception of the time sheets and the 7 step brainwashing program.Most of the old Jehovah wittnesses that are now dead would not recoqnize their own religion. Since it has changed so much.I dont understand why they call themselves Christians since they have a different Spirit representing Jesus [Michael].The key to the book is the author was a true Christain not some one who bows to whatever they are told and believing things that are changed as necessary to keep selling books.I recommend the book to all Christians,and remember the two ladies at the door wanting to do a Bible study are bringing you a different Jesus.

This book is worth reading simply because it tells the truth. Knowing the truth will set you free, and he who has been set free is free indeed.