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 (20)

Really good book
this book give me all the answers on the questions that puzzled me for a long time.really good

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? ... 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

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

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
This work presents an investigation into the beliefs and practices of the Jehovah's witnesses and their organization, the Watchtower. It includes practical guidelines and doctrinal comparisons with the Christian faith. ... 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

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

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
The theme of prophecy, the doctrine of the 144,000, end-time calculations, Armageddon, and the Witnesses' denial of hell are all considered in the Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses, which contains a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and 250 cross-referenced dictionary entries relating to key people and concepts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It is a good beginning!
Yes, it is a good beginning because it is the only dictionnary dedicated exclusively to JWs but... it lacks some important names that had been related to the JWs movement and that are not present there. Excellent because it has information about the last presidents of the several JWs organizational bodies. It would be a logical way to publish a new enlarged edition in the next future... One negative thing... its price!!!

Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses - A review
Chryssides' Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses is a well written attempt to describe the Jehovah's Witnesses' community. Written down in brevity, it covers their historical development, keeping the distance resulting to a desirable neutral point of view. The lexicographical part of the book is a well-arranged practical tool. It worths a place at the library of the one that is studying Jehovah's Witnesses' phenomenon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

What's wrong with this picture?
Or should I say cover? I am a little skeptical on reading this book based on the errors on the cover itself. First of all it's "Watchtower Society" not "Watch Tower Society". That's bad enough but then to put "Watch" on one line then "Tower" on the next just plain looks lazy and amateurish.

But the capper is the following,
"EDMOND C. GRUSS
Editor and Former Jehovah Witnesses"

Jehovah Witnesses? There's all kinds of wrong with this one. Is he saying he himself is a former Witness? In which case it should read, "Former Jehovah's Witness". Or is he trying to say in edition to himself as editor (obviously not a professional one) there are also former Witnesses writing this book? In which case it should read, "Jehovah's Witnesses". There are no Jehovah Witness; that is what ignorant or uninformed people who don't know any better call JW's, not how JW's refer to themselves, regardless of current or ex-members. Witnesses are the possession of Jehovah. That's like saying I like to drive David cars as opposed to I like to drive David's car or I like to drive David's cars, etc.

If there are that many errors just on the cover, how many more are inside?

EDIT: I may have been partly wrong on my attack of the title of the book. There is a "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania" as well as a "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York" - so either way can be correct. Although the main corporation is "Watch Tower" this is really in name mostly and the real doctrine, publishing and leadership is through the "Watchtower of New York". Be that as it may, putting the Watch and Tower on two separate lines I still feel is a poor choice.

Less than anticipated
As a former Jehovah's Witness of 35 years, I viewed this book in terms of the accuracy and bias of the authors. This author has a deep bias in his presentation.It colors his selection of words and evidence.Having said that, this has many accurate and revealing facts within. The treatment of an old rumor was more a dip into gossip - although he disclaimed the rumor.The actual biographies (which I had expected) were very brief and needed more detail, considering the pivotal role these people played in the development of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Valueable book for all Jehovah's Witnesses
Before we put our confidence in an organization, we need to evaluate the men who run it.After all it is only as good as the fruitage of their behavior and sense of justice and good.

Do the presidents of the Watchtower Society reflect the high asperations of the God they say they Worship? I think each and everyone involved with Jehovah's Witnesses in it now or out of it now need to read this.

I found it valuable reading.Thanks to Edmond Gruss who was willing to finish this piece of work and get it to book form.

a former Watchtower insider speaks out
This important new book includes much information on the inner workings of the Watchtower never before published. Edited by Edmond Gruss, the main text is by a third generation Witness, C.A. Lingerfedt, who served at the Watchtower headquarters as the personal secretary for several high level officers at Bethel, including Hayden Covington. His access to much insider information gives him an advantage few other critics have. Heart disease prevented him from completing this book and, while alive, he had to remain anonymous due to the real fear that disfellowshipping would cut him off from most of his family. As a best selling author, he made a good living writing, always under a pseudonym to protect his family. He confirms the immorality of Rutherford and the corruption in the Watchtower. Gruss confirms many of Lingerfedt's claims (and they conform to my knowledge as well). No historian of the movement can claim to produce a history of the Watchtower without consulting this book and evaluating its claims. Gruss is one of the leading scholars of the movement today and editing this work only adds to his stature. It is must reading for all students of the Watchtower.

Disturbing
This book is edited by Edmund Gruss, based on anonymous informants who combine have over 75 years within the Jehovah's Witness movement, from the days of Rutherford to the present.

Having read it and if I must describe it in one word ... it would be "DISTURBING".

The book focuses of course on the characters and motivations of the first four presidents of the Watchtower Society.

The book is disturbing to say the least, delving behind the scenes of the personal lives and motivation behind presidents Russell, Rutherford, Knorr and Franz.Showinghow from the very beginning of Rutherford's hostile takeover after the death of Russell, with the help of MacMillan and VanAmburgh, that the main thrust of the movement was selfish and self-pleasing.

The book is well-documented, why anyone would want to stay in this cult after reading this book is beyond me ... it shows the hold the leadership has on these poor people.

This book is not doctrinal, but deals with personalities, and shows without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt that the Society is nothing more than a pubishing house, and the Jehovah's Witnesses are its salespeople.The leadership is not about "truth", but about control.sad! ... 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 (6)

Book with a narrow focus, from the viewpoint of a woman still struggling with her own identiy, resolving her own inner conflicts
I was raised a Jehovah's Witness and am now in my 40's. I work in the Orwellian World of the largest public school system in one of the most populous states in the United States. I work for a grade school principal who has "turned in" or had "turned in" hundreds of innocent children, many of them for minor infractions. At least 40 of these innocent children were suspended last year, when "Big Brother" aka. the grade school teacher community, turned in these poor children for such harmless things as pulling a fire alarm, "jumping" other children in the hall., listening to ipods in class, fighting in class. One girl, only 12 years old was suspended for cursing at the vice-principal. I worked for the best principal in the whole city for a time, the school had some of the most difficult children and teens one could imagine, and the principal had instituted a host of wonderful programs for the children. I've never been in another school like it again. He had a discipline policy whereby unruly children would receive lunch detention. They could not play during lunch but would have to sit quietly in one section of the cafeteria while the other kids played. Needless to say, energetic and rambuncuous teens and children found this difficult, and one parent went to the point ofpassing out flyers condemning the principal for his shameful authoritarian stance against these innocent teens, with a list of demands against this principal.

This is the position of Heather Botting. Heather Botting is like a rebellious teen, who has finally broken free of her parent's authority to stake out her own way. She rebels against any type of discipline or order in the religious society of which she used to be a part, and stakes a claim for fierce independence.
As a teacher and middle school Big Brother, I've "turned in" scores of children for various reason, literally, looking over their shoulder. The society of Jehovah's Witnesses is nothing like that. If it was, I'd take a quick exit. It is a loving brotherhood, where elders (which I am not) are primarily encouraged to be, and are shepherds and teachers. The Watchtower does not encourage a disciplinarian attitude, but rather it encourages mercy, love, shepherding and compassion, as does the Bible. The attitude of Jehovah's Witnesses today is different from that in the 1970s, and even though love and mercy, shepherding and compassion were encouraged in those years, it has been the increased focus in the past 35 years. Many of us, including myself, who have been "beat up" by this world, because of our own mistakes, getting involved with drugs, or other things that are going to harm us, have experienced emotionally, psychological and spiritual healing through our association with Jehovah's Witnesses. This is true of many who have had the unfortunate experience of being victims of child abuse. The many articles in the Watchtower and Awake articles that are written to help victims of childabuse, and of other psychological and emotional traumas, such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, all sorts of specific physical problems, and recovering emotionally from the death of a loved one, provide strong support and practical and compassionate help regularly for millions. Much of this is based on practical counsel, much of it is Bible based.

So, it is a shame that Heather Botting focuses on one aspect of what she considers to be negative, in her own rebellion against authority. The arrangement among Jehovah's Witnesses is completely the opposite of that of the disturbing Orwell book, it is a haven of love and compassion, where mercy dominates. Psalms 103:7-14. "Jehovah is merciful and gracious...Like a father shows mercy to his sons, Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him....As far off as the sunrise is from the sunset, so far off has He put our transgressions from us." The complete verse of this scripture was shared with me from a member of the Governing Body when I was in a time of great stress. It has been a comfort since that time 20 years ago.

What is more, there is not a connection between Jehovah's Witnesses and 1984. When I first saw this book, I couldn't understand how a college professor could come up with such a ludicrous comparison. Now seeing that Heather Botting was raised a Jehovah's Witness and left, it makes sense. Only a former Jehovah's Witness who got some education afterward could write a book like this. It is the book of a rebellious teen, who has never resolved her parent-relationships, struggling to find her own identity. The rejection of the teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses of an "end" of this system, Armageddon, and the destruction of the wicked, is a rejection of Jesus himself and the Bible. The teaching of Jesus of the end times is conveyed in three complete chapters of the Bible, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, and the book of Revelation, which is said to have been conveyed by Jesus from God, to an angel, Revelation 1:1-3, highlights God's "anger" against rebellious mankind, at certain points in the book, and the war of God the Almighty, Armageddon.

So while the Bible does delve into this subject, it is not the theme of the Bible, and was not the theme of Jesus teaching, who focused on the "good news of God's Kingdom." Matthew 24:14. The focus of Jehovah's Witnesses is similar. They see the end as a new beginning, as the time when God will clear a way the wicked, and bring paradise to the earth. They focus in their ministry and in their teachings, on the promise of the "new earth," when"sickness, death and pain will be no more." It is a decidedly positive message, that instills hope, and helps one to be forward looking in the face of adversity. "And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore, the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:1-4.

There is nothing Orwellian about Jehovah's Witnesses. JW have been described as Millenialists, and their hope viewed as Utopian. If you chose another angle, you could just as easily write a book of "The Utopian World of Jehovah's Witnesses," or "The Utopian World View of Jehovah's Witnesses," and focus on the positive aspects of that, or the psychological "crutch" such a Utopian view encourages or supports, whether you choose a positive approach to that or otherwise.

So I feel that Heather Botting is a person still struggling with her own identity, rebelling against authority, rebelling against her parents, and through this book attempting to justify her own loss of faith and any connection with religion, to run away from God, and find reasons to do so. Her book is as much a reflection of her own psychological unresolved conflicts as it is about anything to do with the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. She chooses a microcosm ofthe whole picture, and turns it decidely negative, when if fact the same could be done towards the early Christians as well. Many social commentators such as Andrew Holden, and Beckford, Frank S. Mead, who were not Jehovah's Witnesses, give a much more balanced and realistic view of the religion. Also, this book is about Jehovah's Witnesses in the pre-1980's when Jehovah's Witnesses were going somewhat through a period of turmoil, a shedding of skin, to a certain extent, emerging from a narrower focus, to a broader worldview.

The 1980-2010 Jehovah's Witness religion is one that has grown in a much broader view, less centrally focused, more mature and merciful, more focused on healing (emotional and psychological, spiritual) rather than condemnatory. Jehovah's Witnesses have matured in these years, kept pace with the times, caught up in its care for young people and their needs. So Heather Botting is writing from a different generation and time period, and is a book, that if it has any validity at all, was from a different generation and different way of thinking than Jehovah's Witnesses today. The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses(2010) is decidedly positive, and merciful, actually opposite the Orwellian point of view. I understand the psychology of Heather Botting, as I was a rebellious teen myself, in a strict Christian religion. So, I identify with her vantage point. At the same time, one has to realize that the book is written from the vantage point of that rebellious teen, who has never gotten past that conflict with authority and structure that characterizes organized religion of any type and the concept of God itself. Most of us go on to find our own identities outside of the relgion of Jehovah's Witnesses, and are able to still fit it the religious aspects of our life with our secular identities, without so great a struggle, getting past that "teen rebellion syndrome," integrating our belief system with balance and reasonableness.

With any institution, whether it be a public school, being a teacher in a public school, working for any type of corporation with a corporate structure, whether it be a bank or a nurse, ora some other "heirarcahal" arrangement where one has a boss over them, a certain amount of personal liberty is lost. The free-thining world of a college professor is somewhat different. Is it worth a certain amount of loss in the sense of absolute freedom to be part of a religion? For many in the U.S. it is. The benefits outweigh the personal discomfort, and a greater good is accomplished by the whole rather than through strict indvididualism.

EXCELLENT READ
This was the first "apostate" book I ever read and I was pioneering at the time.I was stunned when I read it and quickly realized why the Organization was so afraid of and of the Rank and File reading any literature written by ex-Witnesses.

The comparison of the Witness World and George Orwell's 1984 is eerily similiar.The "double think" process, the encouragment of turning in family and close friends who go agains what Big Brother is saying, is all too familiar to anyone raised in this religion.

As this book was written 20 years ago, it's interesting to see that, like Crisis of Conscience, they've made a pretty accurate prediction of which road the Governing Body had to take in order to cover up their false prophecies and keep the rank and file in line.

THIS IS A VERY ENGROSSING AND ENLIGHTENING READ
I'm saddened that this book is not part of the Search This Book program. The authors ought to sign it up and get it in so that readers can browze this book online. If they did so it would renew interest in this marvelously insightful and illuminating volume. Also, the book should be updated because the authors accurately predicted exactly what would occur in the Orwellian World of JW's from 1984 onward.

The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses describes to an uncanny "T" my exact experiences with the Watchtower Slaves in my teens.

I was saddenned to see only two reviews of this book. I suspect this book did not do nearly was well as it should have. My educated guess is that most Americans are unfamiliar with the term "Orwellian" because they have never heard of or read George Orwell's chillingly prophetic novel "1984." "Orwellian" means a group of people who are tightly controlled from the top down by a powerful group that has life-or-death authority. Every aspect of life is controlled by this group, and spies are everywhere observing and reporting, and lethal action is taken upon dissidents.

That describes the organization and life of Jehovah's Witnesses to a "T" and that is no exaggeration. If the reader is unfamilar with Orwell's book, I recommend you check out "1984" from your public library. Doing so will enable you to better understand and appreciate this book. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses gets five stars and two thumbs up.

NJM

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

This Book Could Be Invaluable If It Works For You
Nothing is perfect and I'm not sure I'm in agreement with all the analogies drawn by the authors between 1984 and Jehovah's Witnesses, but that's certainly not a reason to give this book less than five stars.This could be a really important book for someone.At the very least it could be a helpful weapon against the, literally, mind numbing, insanity of Jehovah's Witnesses.Let me give just one quote from the book to illustrate what I mean.

"I had lived my life until the age of 25 or 26 believing that I was never going to die, or that if I did die in a car crash or something, God would resurrect me and I'd live forever in the New World.I can remember the exact moment when I realized I wan not going to live forever.The physical moment:I was working in my office at Bethel and I got up from my desk to go into the file cabinet; I was bending down to get a file, and - it came out of nowhere - I said, Hey, you're going to die one day.And in that one second the knot unraveled."

I suppose I'm aiming my thoughts at the probably hundreds of thousands of those like me who were confiscated and brain washed into the religion by being born into it, or conscripted at a very young and tender age.I was 35 years old before I could really breathe a little fresh air, and even now, nearing 60, it makes me shutter every once in awhile.I'm grateful to the authors for having the will, the courage, and the fortitude to write the book and then see it through the publishing process.I'm sure they realized that such a book could probably never be a best seller, or even a big seller, because though to injured parties like me the Watchtower Society looms large, it's a tiny blip to the billions who inhabit this planet at the beginning of the 21st century.

So, even though its not perfect, and is probably a little too intellectual for most folks, for anyone who is struggling to break free from the chains of JWs, it is a voice crying in the wilderness and a small lamp shining in a very dark place.

An Interesting Study
This is a good book and the illustrations in it are excellent. The book captures the totalitarian nature of the Watchtower movement as few books do because it is based on sound academic research and a background understanding of the movement. Both authors were raised Jehovah's Witnesses and are trained scholars. In fact, the book is based on a doctoral dissertaion by Heather Botting. My only complaint about it is that it places too much emphasis on the year 1984, which was not an important "end times" date for Jehovah's Witnesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Truly an amazing book
This book is truly inspiring. This book contains two separate stories. Try to imagine what it was like in the United States in the years 1939-1946. Try to imagine what it was like for a black man to preach an unpopular message in the South in those years. This was years before the civil rights movement of the early 60's. This man Rosco Jones had amazing courage beyond words. He did not back down to the civil authorities, and continued to preach God's Word. He was arrested many times, and his cases were brought to court. when he lost, he appealed to higher courts. He also received much persecution. He eventually won these cases to have freedom of speech to spread the message of the Good News. The same can be said for Grace Marsh, a white woman. This was before the woman's movement of the 1970's. They won cases for freedom to preach door to door. Next time you think about your freedom of speech, you should thank these people. Whether you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses or not, you can't help admiring these people. ... Read more