Product Description
Were you at a loss when they began their pitch? Did you find yourself without answers to their probing questions? You are not alone. Many thousands feel the same awkwardness when confronted by these zealous door-to-door salesmen.

But take heart you hold in your hand a book of effective answers!

You can successfully combat their basic ideas without mastering all their theology!

This little book has actual photostatic copies of "official" Watchtower prophecies which have never come to pass. Show them to the cultists. Prove to them, from their own writings, that their organization is, in effect, a "false prophet." In short: TAKE THE OFFENSIVE!

The book has three basic sections:

A simple explanation of how to use it the next time a "Witness" appears at your front door.

Solid proofs from their own literature that their system is false.

Irrefutable proof from Bible translations acceptable to them that the Jehovah they claim to serve is identical to Jesus Christ, the God-man.

This is a one-of-a-kind handbook on "home-defense." Buy it. Use it. And watch it work for you.

Customer Reviews (11)

How to Answer a "Jehovah's Witness"
In the world of cult religion, this is a great primer on understanding the Jehovah's Witness religion the next time that two of them show up at your door and announce that
the end of the world is coming next week...or is it next year?

A noose with which a JW can hang himself.
This book is one of the best of its kind to reveal how previous Watchtower publications are actually the Witnesses' worst enemies; in predicting Armaggedon or the end of the world with none of these prophecies coming to pass.
Contains pages of JW articles revealing predictions that never happened.

This book is sure to shatter a JW's foundation.

Not very informative
I have read many books on the JW's.This one seems short and thrown together.It would be a good starter book for someone interested in the subject.I need a little more meat personally.

The Info can be checked if you doubt
I have read this and two other books on the subject and I would suggest this to be read first then David Reed's books "How to Answer Jehovah's Witnesses Verse by Verse" and "How to Answer Jehovah's Witnesses Subject by Subject". I have bought the 1968 Watchtower bound volume, 1972 Awake bound volume, 1975 Jehovah's Witness Yearbook and more just to verify for myself some of the pages listed in this book and they are exact reproductions without any editing. David A. Reed's internet site comments to the friends is also a good site for more information.

Great book for what it is intended to do
THis book proves that the watchtower is a false prophet and proves the diety of Christ.Very compelling evidence which includes actual copies of the Watchtower.I am new to learning how to answer a JW and was looking for more of an introduction to disputing a JW but this book does not advertise that.
I recommend this book as part of your learning experience in answering/debating a Jehovah's Witness. ... Read more

Product Description
Roy Zuck offers this letter to help explain Scriptural truth and the difference between Jehovah's Witnesses' faith and Christianity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very Informative, but....
This pamphlet has a very impressive amount of information giving Biblical and logical answers to a great many questions/differences that will come up between a Jehovah's Witness and a Christian.Roy Zuck explains the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, and a whole host of other tough questions (with the Bible verse and often times the original Greek/Hebrew words to back up his points).I bought this for a dollar at a Christian bookstore and have found it more useful than several books I paid ten or more dollars for.
That being said, here you are paying for 10 of these pamphlets to basically be given to Jehovah's Witnesses who come to your door or where ever you run into them.Handing this to them (or sticking it on their car) is not going to do anything but waste your money except in very, very, very, very rare instances.Talking to someone who has views other than your own is a far better method and this pamphlet can certainly give you an idea of what to say and what verses to look at... which means you have nine more pamphlets sitting on your shelf collecting dust.
It would be better to just find one rather than buying the full ten (unless you have 9 friends who are also interested in getting it).Still, if you can't find them sold individually, it really isn't a bad investment, because - like I said earlier - a lot of this is better than what you might find in a book that is just as expensive as the whole package.

Not worth it.
Althought it is informmative, it is not a book at all, but a pack of pamphlets that you are encouraged to give to Jehovas witnesses that come to your door.Im sure that you can find something more worth your while. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Review of encyclopedia
This encylopedia features John Weldon's research into pagan and other non-Christian religious groups. As always, John Weldon brings the 'welder's torch' to the ideas and nature of various non-Christian groups.The text is carefully thought through and reflects the thoroughness of John Weldon's research.A very useful book for any believing Christian's bookshelf.

A caricature of cults
You won't find much provocative information, here.By the author's own admission, whole chapters are practically copied and pasted from other books (page 277), and those books are clearly hostile.

Some good intellectual pornography, though.If you are a critical thinker, and do your homework, you will find that fully half of the facts in this encyclopedia are wrong or ripped from their context.

It was very much like reading the saturday morning cartoons.

Fabulous!
This is an excellent book for anyone who wishes to know the truth about cults and false religion.Well-researched and well-written, the authors let the founders of the various cults speak for themselves, carefully documenting each quote in copious end notes. Each group's view of the basic doctrines of Christianity are outlined, showing their astonishing similarity in rejecting the deity of Christ and pushing salvation by works. Best of all, the Doctrinal Appendix gives the biblical references for each Christian doctrine. Especially helpful is the table of proofs that Jesus is God with dozens of Old and New Testament references.Other reviews of this book should be read with care. When the light of Truth shines forth, darkness is made uncomfortable.

Yeah right
Out of ALL the religions, Unitarian Universalist,is the only religion/sect/denomination of reason and reality,while feeding your inner spirit-which is why anyone of any belief (or non-belief) can go to the church.They don't even tell you what/how to believe (unlike most religions/denominations).I can see why a fundamentalist wouldn't want anyone to be one though...visit famousuus.com to see all the intelligent people who were/are unitarians,including Paul Newman,Ray Bradbury,Sir Isaac Newton,Emily Dickinson,Susan B. Anthony,Charles Dickens,Ralph Waldo Emerson,etc..

Inaccurate, biased
I learn from another website, that there's a Libel Litigation on this book. I wonder if they're responsible for what they wrote. http://www.contendingforthefaith.org/index.html ... Read more

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

Customer Reviews (14)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Product Description
Effective teaching about the contradictory beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses in light of Scripture well help you reach them for Christ. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

MacGregor has been on both sides of the door!
This book is a written expansion of the successful video, "The Witness at Your Door." MacGregor tells the fictional story of how "Joe" enters and exits the world of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

On the way, Joe encounters "Beverly," who is equipped with Christian interpretations of powerful Bible passages which speak to the spiritual needs of a Jehovah's Witness. Beverly shares with Joe the identity of Jesus Christ, and, in the process, models an effective way to communicate the need of a JW to develop a personal relationship with Jesus.

As a former Jehovah's Witness, MacGregor gives insights into the stresses and thought processes of JW's. She also examines some of the claims and prophecies of the Watchtower Society which have been proven false. Reading her book is like having someone at your shoulder who's been there--on both sides of the door. ... Read more

Product Description
The Watchtower movement has over ten million followers and remains one of the fastest growing religious movements in the world today. Since the movement actively proselytizes throughout the world, many people are aware of Jehovah's Witnesses, but readers may not be aware that the movement has profoundly influenced the constitutional law of many countries, including America and Canada. This volume contains almost 10,000 references on the Watchtower movement and the dozen or so major schisms that have occurred since its founding in 1879. An introductory chapter reviews the history, major events, and doctrinal changes of the Jehovah's Witnesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A must have research tool
Dr. Bergman's Bibliography it is a massive bibliographic listing of written material by and about Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) and the Watchtower Society from the 1800s through 1999. It is "comprehensive" in that it contains, according to the publisher, "nearly 10,000 references on the Watchtower movement and the dozen or so major schisms" of the Society. The book represents several decades worth of work by Dr. Bergman in compiling a comprehensive reference listing everything written on or by the Watchtower and their offshoots.In addition to listing every known publication produced by the Watchtower Society since its founding in the 1800s, it lists everything Bergman and his sources have found from a tabloid article in the National Enquirer to scholarly books and Ph.D theses on JWs. The "schisms" or offshoots of the Watchtower are the subject of the last two chapters.For those researching the origins of the Watchtowerand C. T.Russell's beliefs, there is a valuable chapter listing the individuals and material that influenced Russell in the Millerite/Adventist movements.

As is typical of bibliographic listings of material, the book's references list the author, title, publisher, publication date and number of pages (where known) of each reference. Amazon's Table of Contents link on this page will give you a detailed overview of just how comprehensive this Bibliography is and the material it covers.

The book's references are "selectively annotated,"which means many, but not all of the 10,000 references contain a one or two-sentence explanatory note by Bergman on the content or focus of the reference (article, book or manuscript). From the annotations the reader will know what the reference is about and thus if it is something that is needed as part of his/her research.In addition, each chapter and some of the subheadings contain an introductory explanatory text by Bergman on the chapter's material, what it covers, and discusses the most important and prominent individuals involved. These also often include advice on what may be the best, most important, or perhaps the most helpful material in the section for the researcher. Also helpful is Bergman's noting at various places where some of the rare material may be obtained in photocopy or where one can find reprints.

Being a bibliography, this book is not meant to be read from cover to cover (although I did just that for this review).It is a reference source for further reading and research, a means of finding material on JWs, both pro and con, without spending several decades tracking them down in libraries across several continents as Bergman has done.

Dr. Bergman's Bibliography is an indispensable reference for the researcher and writer on the Jehovah's Witnesses and their history.If you need a book on Jehovah's Witnesses as a source for research, this is the one to have. With nearly 10,000 references on the Watchtower and its history from the 1800s to 1999, you're bound to find much material that will assist your research.

The first review of this bookclaimed that Bergman's annotations "suffer from subjective usage, unfounded or incomplete evaluations, and tabloid irrelevance" and that Bergman claimed the Watchtower was "corrupt" and"inhuman," while some of its teachings were "erroneous" or "wrong" in the annotations.He even said, "An inclination to outright sensationalism can be detected in annotations" and that Bergman could only be trying to stigmatize a "religious minority" by "emphasizing" certain negative material on JWs.In my opinion, this apparently reflects more of the biases and preoccupations of the reviewer than in any defects in Bergman's annotations.It certainly is not a fair or accurate description. Bergman was simply stating what the references were about, not giving his personal "sentiments."

Bergman annotated much Watchtower material which he certainly doesn't believe in the same manner as the examples from anti-Witness works, thus the book is in general consistent, not biased against the Society in its annotations. For example, in annotating the second Watchtower president, J. F. Rutherford's various booklets, he annotated these as follows(pp. 41-43):

"Shows the only remedy for the evil world and clergy is the Watchtower kingdom."

"Discusses the work of the Watchtower which will cause all good persons to leave Christendom."

"on why the Watchtower is the only hope for mankind."

"an expose of Christendom and its false teachings."

Why would Bergman, that "notorious adversary of the WBTS," as he was called, say the Watchtower was the only hope for mankind and the clergy are evil? Was he trying to "stigmatize" a religious majority? No, anymore than he claimed the Society was "inhuman" etc. in his annotations.So for example the book Blood Crimes is not a negative review of the Society's blood transfusion doctrine, but is, as Bergman's annotation explains, "about the skinhead murder by three boys, all of which were raised Witnesses. Shows the critical importance of the J.W. faith and teachings in the crime."

It should be clear that the annotations simply state what the reference is about and its perspective at times in fairly neutral (unbiased) terms.Whether Bergman agrees or not with the author of the reference that the WT. is "the only hope for mankind" or is "corrupt" is irrelevant.

A Goldmine!
Who are these annoyingly persistent people known as Jehovah's Witnesses, who knock on our doors bright and early Saturday mornings, disturbing our rare opportunity to get a few extra winks? The person who desires a deeper understanding of this sect will get a jump-start on their search for information with this book. It is an extensive listing of the works written by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (the administrative head of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion), and also a listing of almost every work written by others about the Watchtower Society. His annotations--brief comments about the contents of the listing--are most helpful in narrowing down the publications one is looking for.

Dr. Bergman's book is a goldmine--a directive to a wealth of knowledge. It is like a map that directs one how to find the hidden buried treasure. Dr. Bergman has searched through hundreds of libraries for material about the Watchtower Society; he has invested an immense amount of time and effort in bringing his unique book to fruition, thus saving the writer, researcher, and persons interested in learning more about this religious movement an enormous amount of time and work.

Some may at first compare this Bibliography to a huge card catalog in a library whose shelves are bare, as many of the publications listed are very old and seemingly unavailable. As it took the author 30 years to compile this listing, one cannot expect to find all of the publications under one roof. The author assures, however, that most are obtainable through libraries in the United States, which can be accessed through one's local library on an inter-library loan basis; others can be obtained through the Library of Congress. Much of the older Watchtower Society publications can be purchased on CD-ROMs available from various Christian ministries.

In addition to the listings, Dr. Bergman has included a valuable section on the history of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as a very interesting chapter on religions that have their roots entwined with them, "American Offshoots of the Watchtower Society".

As a Watchtower researcher myself and author of the upcoming book, AWAKENING OF A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS: Escape From the Watchtower Society, (Prometheus: January 2002), I can attest to the value of Dr. Bergman's book.

An Excellent Reference Tool
This bibliography is the perfect reference tool for collectors, book dealers and researchers. Being a collector and researcher, I really put the bibliography to the test and have come to the conclusion that it should set the standard for many years to come in the field of Watchtower literature.

The first thing you notice is the excellent way it is set up with official Watchtower literature first followed by material associated with the Russell movement. Next are chapters titled: Books, Manuscripts, Tracts and Newsletters; Magazine and Journal Articles (written by both individual Jehovah's Witnesses (J.W.)and non-J.W.'s; both pro-J.W. material and anti-J.W. material). Finally, a list of literature by many Watchtower offshoots.

I found everything in my collection listed. Unfortunately, the publisher limited the author to a given number of pages forcing the author to eliminate some important W.T. material, i.e. official Post Cards starting as far back as 1910 (that I am aware of), audio records (hundreds of them were used in the door-to-door ministry during the 1930's), specially made portable record players of different designs (several of which I had in my collection for a number of years), etc.

The bibliography is most helpful in that most entries have annotations indicating what subject matter is covered by a particular publication. It also has a very useful Name Index which makes it easier to find all of an author's writing for they may be located under different chapters.

The one major disappointment I found, or maybe I should say "did not find", was a listing for my 899 page Bible Bibliography by the same publisher as Bergman's book, back in 1991 and is still in print and available from the publisher. I had a listing for every Watchtower Bible translation and their publication history and should have been included in this bibliography. However, to be fair, Mr. Bergman did list several articles I wrote for the International Society of Bible Collectors' quarterly.

Kudos to Dr. Bergman
To paraphrase with parenthesis the author of Ecclesiastes: 'to the making of books (by and about Jehovah's Witnesses) there is no end".A bewildering array of literature exists, for and against this extremely active religious organization.And now, thanks to Dr. Bergman, it has been almost exhaustively catalogued.His bibliography includes publications as diverse as "The Truth That Leads to Everlasting Life" (possibly the third most published book in the world) and "Judge Rutherford Uncovers the Fifth Column", which hardly anyone has ever heard of. Both have rolled off the impressive presses at the Watchtower's Brooklyn plant and bear the imprimateur of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.This thorough bibliography would be of immense help for any serious student of the Watchtower that desires to grasp the extraordinary diversity of doctrinal and chronological modifications that have taken place in that organization over the years since its inception.There is even a listing of splinter groups that have formed during periods of upheaval and internecine controversy, along with their esoteric doctrines.The breadth of Dr.Bergman's book is remarkable and easily surpasses anything heretofore published. As a former student at University of California, Berkeley, who dropped out in 1952 to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses (ultimately graduating from the Watchtower Bible School, Gilead, and later becoming a circuit overseer in both Pennsylvania and Brazil), I can vouch for its overall accuracy and fairness of presentation.My own library of Watchtower-related material is quite extensive and from the vantage point of a serious student of Watchtower history, I can enthusiastically endorse and heartily recommend this splendid bibliography.

Indispensible reference tool on Jehovah's Witnesses!
Dr. Jerry Bergman's work, Jehovah's Witnesses. A Comprehensive and Selectively Annotated Bibliography (Westport, Connecticut, and London: Greenwood Press, 1999), is, as the title indicates, a bibliography on the background, origin, and history of the Watchtower movement. The book contains nearly 10,000 references, and it is very well done. It is, in fact, a goldmine for researchers. This holds true especially of the literature in English, which is truly comprehensive.

Bergman was himself a Witness until the early 1980's, and he knows the Watchtower movement thoroughly from within. He has spent decades on researching, writing, and collecting material on it, and owns himself almost every piece of material listed in the book. It can safely be said that very few persons in the world has such an extensive library on the Witnesses at hand.

The bibliography is "selectively annotated", that is, it contains brief descriptions of the content of many of the publications. These are usually informative, although in some cases they may seem too brief. Many, if not most of the publications about the Witnesses are of very poor quality, and for this reason Bergman often calls attention to the exceptions, denoting them as "well written," "interesting," "excellent," etc. Such evaluations, although of necessity subjective, are certainly legitimate and helpful.

Many publications about the Watchtower organization are aimed at "exposing" the faults of its teachings and policies. The notes on the contents of such "anti-witness" publications do not necessarily reflect Bergman's own views (although they sometimes do), as I was led to believe when I first read Singelenberg's review, but primarily the negative evaluations of the authors of these publications. The same holds true, or course, of the notes on the Watchtower publications. When, for example, the entry on a booklet published in 1983 is followed by the comment, "The need to accept Watchtower teachings; directed at Muslims" (p. 48), this, of course, describes the contents of the booklet, not the view of Bergman.

The work is not just an annotated bibliography, but it also gives very valuable and interesting background information on the movement. Thus the Introduction presents a most valuable historical overview of the movement's background in the Second Advent groups that branched off from the Millerites after the failure of their 1844 date. Brief biographical notes are given on George Storrs, John H. Paton, Maria F. Russell, the Edgar brothers, Walter Salter, and others. Some of the most interesting and valuable chapters are the last two (5 and 6) dealing with the offshoots of the Watchtower Society, which contain important historical notes on the major groups. Few if any scholar has gathered so much information and literature on these offshoots as has Jerry Bergman.

As stated, the main focus is on publications in English. A selection of publications in a number other languages are also listed, although these are far from complete. Unfortunately, for some of these languages (including the Scandinavian languages) the entries had not been proof-read and therefore contain many errors, particularly spelling errors. These, and some other errors I have noticed should be corrected in the next edition. However, most of these errors are trifles compared to the enormous amount of sources that are made available to scholars through this book.

Researchers and writers on Jehovah's Witnesses will find this work to be an indispensible reference tool, as it will save them years of work in searching for relevant sources. And anyone interested in the Watchtower movement will find the historical information added at various places in the book of great interest. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first major study of this enigmatic religious society. By examining the Jehovah's Witnesses' dramatic recent expansion, Andrew Holden reveals the dependency of this quasi-totalitarian movement on the very physical and cultural resources which have brought about the privatization of religion, the erosion of community and the separation of "fact" from supernatural faith. Asking vital questions about the ambivalent relationship of spiritual meaning to modern secular materialism, Jehova's Witnesses reconsiders the Witnesses' ascetic faith at once as an inverted form of pseudo-corporate "branding," and as an anti-modern quest for certainty in a hostile world of relativism and risk. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Too many errors


Sociologsts may try to be neutral and therefore many people would rely on books about religion written by sociologists. But not infrequently such writers have not done their research properly. This certainly is the case with the book on Jehovah's Witnesses written by Andrew Holden. It has too many errors of fact to be recommended. One glaring example is that the author states that Charles Taze Russell was influenced by seventh day adventists. He never was, but he was initially influenced by other adventists. Also, Holden claims that acadmeic studies of the Witnesses are barren. He fails to give credit to the best academic book on the market about Jehovah's Witnesses, namely APOCALYPSE DELAYED by history professr M. James Penton. Unlike Holden, Penton knows the historical facts about the movement. Another very usefulbook is A PEOPLE FOR HIS NAME by Tony Wills. Both works are still in print.

In spite of its shortcomings, Holden's book shows insight here and there, particularly with regard to life among Jehovah's Witnesses today. But anyone looking for in-depth knowledge about the Witnesses should get the above mentioned books before they buy Holden's book.

Rud Persson

Worth Reading
I have read a number of books about the Jehovah Witness, yet in many the authors have been involved with the religion personally and have trouble being objective, getting angry or cynical. This is one of the coolest, most objectives book I've read about the JW. Most of all I liked Andrew Holden's approach toward the religion from a broad, theoretical understanding of the organization within the context of society at large -- irregardless of specific theological disputes. Mr. Holden's most repeated mistake in this book as I see it is overlooking the fact that JW indirectly discourage marriage and children, for Mr. Holden argues that the Witnesses want to increase their religion by means of procreating within the religion (two points which, of course, don't fit together). There are indeed mistakes about how Mr. Holden perceives the organization and it's members. However I would say this book is close to 93% accurate in it's description of the Jehovah Witnesses' ideology, which is a secondary issue anyhow. Specific theological details are secondary to an overall, at-large understanding of a religious organization within the context of the world (which is again why I like this book :). This book provides insights into understanding a general form of fundamentalist religious movements, into why they may exist and in fact may be currently growing in the world -- and into why it may not necessarily be such a "bad" thing, actually.

Thorough, except for some essential details
There is a certain truth in Andrew Holden's remark on the dearth of academic literature about the Jehovah's Witnesses, in spite of their high visibility in daily life. Although a quick count yields approximately 90 scholarly publications, empirical social scientific research of this religious movement is surprisingly rare. Until now the most recent comprehensive study, The Trumpet of Prophecy (Oxford: Blackwell) by English sociologist James Beckford, dated back to 1975. Jehovah's Witnesses in the United Kingdom are once again the subject in the book under review.
Andrew Holden's basic framework is an examination of the response to modernization from a variety of theoretical angles. The most promising of these angles is the idea of Anthony Giddens, who argues that individuals in modern societies can deal with their anxiety about secular changes by trusting it to higher authorities. In addition, concepts of purity borrowed from anthropologist Mary Douglas make clear that the Watch Tower Society, the umbrella organization of the Witnesses, is part of the larger religious fun-damentalist countercurrent, on the understanding that its teachings relate to a strictly rational theological system. The qualitative methodological approach is Geertzian, so in essence Holden has studied the Witnesses from the perspective of the detached anthropologist, suspending any judgments about the validity of their beliefs and practices. This conceptual foundation is the starting point for the main research questions: how does the Watch Tower Society deal with the challenges of the modern world and how do the Witnesses manage their religious identity in an age of cultural fluidity (p. 2)? Preceded by a sketch of the movement's history and teachings, the phenomena of recruitment, conversion, and integration into the belief system and community of the Witnesses figure prominently in no less than three chapters. Next, Holden examines how adherents negotiate their contact with nonbelievers, followed by the socialization of second and subsequent generation members. In the final chapter he describes and analyzes causes of disaffiliation from the movement.
For the most part, the ethnographic approach works well, since some data Holden elicited from his in-terviewees could not have been obtained through other methods. They reveal, for example, that many youngsters transgress the movement's puritanical rules, indulging in premarital sexual relationships and excessive alcohol consumption. Though officials of the Watch Tower Society are reluctant to admit that socializing children into the movement causes any major problems, the author concludes that `second-generation rebellion within the organization is more widespread than parents realize' (p. 143). In 1996, for example, the Swedish branch of the organization, in a letter to the national congregations, made clear that youngsters exhibited gross misconduct during the annual summer conventions. As Holden rightly notes, such protest may jeopardize the survival of the movement in the longer term.Consequently, the effect of house-to-house proselytizing carries less weight than justified by the amount of attention the author pays to this characteristic form of recruitment.
This brings us to a shortcoming of the study, for Holden has refrained from critically analyzing the quantitative data that the Watch Tower Society publishes annually. (I will dwell on this topic, since it touches upon the nucleus of the Jehovah's Witnesses' identity.)Although the author relies on a study by Rodney Stark and Laurence Iannaccone (`Why the Jehovah's Witnesses Grow so Rapidly: A Theoretical Application', Journal of Contemporary Religion 12 [1997], 133-157), which predicts a continuing and steady growth of the movement, reanalysis largely contradicts these findings. Primarily, these figures indicate that during the last decade membership in the movement's traditional American and European strongholds (with the exception of the former Soviet controlled regions) is decreasing or at least stagnating. Moreover, expansion in the rest of the world, like Latin America, is considerably less spectacular than in the late 1980s. Secondly, commitment indicators, such as the amount of time the individual Witness spends on proselytizing, show a gradual decline. Further, it can be derived that the amount of `inactive' Witnesses (members who do not engage in proselytizing) must be substantial. For example, in the UK, in the five-year period from 1997 until 2001, more than 15,000 prospective Witnesses were baptized, while the number of proselytizers decreased by 3%. Since, basically, the Watch Tower Society does not sanction inactivity, except for upward mobility within the organization, this can only lead to the conclusion that among Jehovah's Witnesses, nominal membership has set in. From research among the Witnesses in the Netherlands, this reviewer learned that in some congregations 50% of the membership consists of `free-riders'.
While the data indicate that the missionary zeal of the Witnesses is waning, the potential pool of recruitment is also diminishing. The Western phenomenon of mutual wage earners not only affects the Witnesses themselves, causing them to reduce their time spent on proselytizing; it also contributes to many unanswered calls when they canvass their neighborhoods-a major factor in the dwindling evangelistic enthusiasm, according to this reviewer's informants. From observing baptismal ceremonies, it is clear that the initiates are overwhelmingly, if not all, sons and daughters of the existing membership. Therefore, in those regions where the Watch Tower Society is firmly embedded in the religious landscape, the proportion of external recruits in a cohort of new adherents appears to be marginal in comparison with the quantity of members' offspring. It seems safe to conclude that the function of house-to-house proselytizing for the individual believer has evolved from an effective recruitment strategy to a mere ritualized expression of commitment through which the believer demonstrates his or her religious identity. In the terminology of social anthropology, one may, in the near future, designate the practice as a `survival'. It would be premature, though, to conclude that the movement is in a process of decline. In newly opened missionary fields - usually in states who barely tolerate religious freedom - recruitment and commitment tend to peak initially; in that respect, China is a huge reservoir of potential adherents.
These comments notwithstanding, and some minor errors like calling the Witnesses `pacifists', a label they emphatically rejected half a century ago, Holden's strictly qualitative approach provides the reader with fascinating details about the Witnesses' daily struggle, ranging from major issues of dealing with the tribulations of modernity such as `9/11' to apparently futile occasions like unbelieving spouses who want to put up a Christmas tree (an abomination among Jehovah's Witnesses, since they look upon this celebration and similar events such as birthdays as traditions rooted in paganism). The theoretical framework is convincing and fits perfectly well with the data. `The world', though still anathema to a large extent, is a millenarian prerequisite: it must exist to show how evil it is. That does not imply silent withdrawal from or loud protest against the social system. Holden's conclusion that the Witnesses' response to the world `centres on the interplay between their resistance to and alliance with modern secular culture' (p. 173, italics in original) may point to opposing and undecided positions: the movement's continuous worldwide expansion of its infrastructure appears at odds with its urgent apocalypticism, while, at the level of the individual, a believing spouse may wonder if and how to partake in the birthday celebration of her unbelieving husband. At the same time, this dialectic relationship effectively blocks the road to either sectarian obscurity or mainstream denominationalism. By indicating how religion is shaped by secular forces, Hol-den's monograph is also a valuable contribution to the study of Christian Fundamentalism in which this mechanism of calculating ambivalence functions as a viable means to negotiate with the outside world.
Once again, though, it is clear that sociologists and anthropologists of religion should aim at a variety of research instruments, since Holden's ethnographic approach apparently obstructed a quantitatively oriented analysis. The outcome of the latter does not only query the author's remark that `At the moment, the movement is flourishing ...' (p. 149) but also brings the Witnesses' most salient feature of their religious identity up for discussion.

(Originally published in RELIGION, vol 33, 2003, pp. 393-395)

good introduction to the movement
As with most of the soft sciences, there is a certain amount of hesitance to present as fact what a researcher believes they have observed.Holden's work is no exception, and there are many parts where the reader was left wondering if the author was going to take a stand or continue to vascillate apologetically as to possible misconceptions.
This is not to say, however, that Holden did misapprehend the Witness sample he worked with.From my experience, he impressed me with the breadth and depth of information that he amassed in a relatively short time, and well-described the overall feel of being inside the movement.
While at times the author relied too heavily on presenting sociological material and quotes as background proof to support his eventual conjectures (especially since his audience is ostensibly peers, sociology students, or lay-people somewhat familiar with sociological principles and readings), he nicely integrated two seemingly contradictory explanations of the movement, as a reaction to modernity and a natural evolution of modernity.This integration, along with seamless transitions between micro and macro foci, makes for absorbing reading.

solid sociological study if a bit inaccurate
Having read and written a number of ethnographies and also having been involved in the religion of Jehovah's Witneses both inside and outside of the group (I have served as a regular pioneer and I have also been disfellowshipped), I can say that this study does present many accurate highlights of Jehovah's Witnesses, their paradigm and what motivates them.

The other reviewer obviously didn't read the book carefully, because Holden does interview former members of the faith.He tries to be objective, claiming to use caution when listening to the stories told by the different people he talks to, but he chooses to believe (and makes the statement) that JW's quote scriptures out of context and misapply them.Apparently, the author doesn't realize that Jesus himself quoted scripture out of context, as seen by the Sermon on the Mount.

Curiously, he claims that JW's don't participate in juries and believe that the universe was created in seven days.I know that JW's can participate in juries if they so choose and also that they do not believe the seven creation days were seven literal days, but rather seven creative periods of time.One can't help but wonder how closely he was listening to the subjects of his ethnography.If he got these little details wrong, what else did he get wrong?

Holden attempts to make some original statements or insights about JW's but instead ends up quoting from other sociologists/ethnographers.I just finished reading the book last night and can't think of a single original thought he came up with.

The author recognizes that many JW's try to seperate themselves from the secular world by strictly limiting the kind and amount of worldly entertainment they watch.He comments that parents won't allow their children to read fairy tales or stories involving magic, but fails to explain what scriptures they base this on.It would have been more interesting if he had studied and questioned those JW's who do allow themselves to watch movies and TV shows that have magic as the subject matter.For instance, do they experience any cognitive dissonance (or, in JW terms, "does their conscience bother them?") when watching movies like, Shrek, or TV shows like the X-Files?

What about those witnesses who continue to watch PG-13 movies, all of which contain at least one profanity, something JW's are supposed to avoid?

I can't help but feel the other reviewer deliberately made false statements about the book in the hopes that Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing would read the book (and thereby the statements made by former members of the religion.)

Although Jehovah's Witnesses did have expectations and beliefs that didn't come true (for example, about certain years like 1914 and 1975) so did Jesus Christ's apostles (Luke 19:11, "they imagined the Kingdom was going to display itself instantly" and John 21:23, "In consequence, this saying went out among the brothers, that that disciple would not die. However, Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but: "If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you?".")Jehovah's Witnesses have never claimed to be infallible, unlike the Pope.

Just because someone is anointed by holy spirit, doesn't mean that they will always get it right.The prophet Samuel, for instance, thought that David's brother would be the next king of Israel, but Jehovah God told him he was not the one.(1 Samuel 16:6, 7: And it came about that, as they came in and he caught sight of E·li'ab, he at once said: "Surely his anointed one is before Jehovah." But Jehovah said to Samuel: "Do not look at his appearance and at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For not the way man sees [is the way God sees], because mere man sees what appears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he sees what the heart is.)

If you choose to read this book, do so with a grain of salt and be aware that the author has his own beliefs and values.He is not free from ethnocentricity.I preferred an older sociological study, "The Trumpet of Prophecy: A Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses" by James Beckford, which is the cumulative result of a group of people working together, unlike "Portrait", which is the work of one individual. ... Read more

Product Description
The beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses are compared side by side with the Bible in an easy to follow format. Doctrinal issues such as the deity of Jesus Christ, the way of salvation, and the reality of Christ's resurrectiion are discussed at length. ... Read more

Product Description

A devastating crisis has the Jehovah's Witness religion facing extinction.

Chances are that you have never met a real Jehovah s Witness. While those at your door may claim to be one of Jehovah s Witnesses, their own publications plainly teach otherwise. So, who are the real Jehovah s Witnesses?

The Watchtower Society teaches that they are members of the 144,000 who will be the only ones going to heaven. Membership in this group began with the early apostles. Over the centuries others have been added but the Watchtower declared that the number was completed in 1935. Anyone who claims to be one of Jehovah s Witnesses has to be one of the 144,000 and must be very old now. However, the Watchtower Society teaches that these are the only ones who hear from God and are responsible for Watchtower teaching and leadership.

Because these people are dying, the Watchtower is facing a credibility crisis. So, the Watchtower is quietly manipulating these death figures to keep the Watchtower organization alive! And now, just last year, Watchtower literature quietly began to try to wiggle out of the 1935 closing date for the 144,000. But this only adds further opportunity for you to show the JW who comes to your door that he cannot trust the Watchtower with his precious eternal life.

The Watchtower representative at your door believes he will remain on Paradise Earth after the coming Armageddon, since only the original 144,000 have any hope of going to heaven. In fact, they are the only ones allowed to take communion. He does not believe he can understand Bible truths without the Watchtower. He is dependent on a publication that, one day soon, will be left without writers to reveal God s truths. Who are those writers? Those who remain of the original 144,000 and they are dying!

Oddly enough, their founder, Charles Taze Russell, never taught the doctrine of the 144,000. In this book, you will learn the true history of this false Watchtower doctrine. You will be surprised to discover that this doctrine is not just a Bible issue. It is also a historical issue and a numbers game that the Watchtower Society has had to manipulate throughout the years to keep that organization alive!

With the information and witnessing strategies in this book, you will be able to plant seeds of doubt and undermine the authority of the Watchtower. The Watchtower knows it is essential that this cornerstone doctrine remain alive if it is going to continue to exist as the spiritual leader for its followers. Time is the enemy of this teaching and they know it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

What is the "Coming Crisis" based on?
The book is full of out-of-context and inaccurate information. It actually states that people who come to your door who claim to be Jehovah's Witnesses really are not. Why? Because they hope to live on a paradise earth.
The author says that the only real Jehovah's Witnesses are not those who have an earthly hope, but those who claim to have a heavenly one.
The so-called "coming crises" is based on this notion and he does the math to prove it!
Well, in math, if the formula is wrong to start out with, no matter how accurate your math is, it will still come out with the wrong answer.
If you want the wrong answer, buy the book. If you want the right answer, go directly to the souce. And the source just might come knocking at your door.

Eye opening revelation about Jehovah's Witnesses
Just got the book today, and couldnt put it down. It is only 62 pages long, so you can read through it very quickly. It is published by Chick publications. What i love about Chick Publications, is they pick a topic and give you the nuts and bolts, not the sugar coated fluff that make books bigger than what they need to be. This is the 2nd Daniel Rodriguez book i have. His writing style is just like my reading style, here it is, this is what you need to know. This book deals with a topic that most books on jehovahs witnesses dont deal with. if the 144,000 are the heart and soul of the watchtower, and they were sealed in 1935, what happens to the orginization after these people die? over the last year i have read 5 books on jehovahs witnesses and 2 books on the cults of the world. what got me interested in the jehovahs witnesses was all the bad things i heard about them. they were painted like monsters in my mind from all the stories i had heard in my life. i met alot of them and they seemed really nice. i started reading the bible and wanted to know the TRUTH. i started going to over 20 churches in a course of a year, to see what church had it right. i really have learned alot over the last 2 years, and it is because of books like this one. they tell it like it is. and that is what i found out about jehovahs witnesses, they are real people like you and i, but are not aloud to read any other literature than the watchtower literature. how sad when the truth is out there and you cant read and find it. the last thing about this book is it tells you how to witness to the jehovahs witnesses. and you dont have to use bible verses, because they are trained to argue until the sun goes down with bible verses. daniel rodriguez has a great book on his hands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Alarm Bells Ringing
Most everyone in America has had some contact with the Jehovah's Witnesses. From their appearances at your door to their street corner distribution of The Watchtower and Awake!, they are an ubiquitous though oft ridiculed part of modern American religious culture. Most Christians just ignore their doorstep invitations to discuss the Bible and those who do are often bewildered by the strange amalgamation of passages used to support their unorthodox doctrines. The closed system of interpretation they have developed over a century can seem impenetrable to an outsider and well meaning attempts to explain orthodox Christianity to them falls on deaf ears as the two participants talk past each other.

Robert M. Bowman is well versed in the exegetical methods employed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (the authoritative arm of the Jehovah's Witnesses) and has published his insights in Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses. The book, primarily aimed as a tool for dialogue between Evangelical Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses, is a detailed critique of the Jehovah's Witnesses' use of Scripture backed up with extensive references. While vehemently disagreeing with the Watchtower organization's methodology, he does not resort to questioning the motives or sincerity of individuals in the organization. This is considerably different from many other critiques focusing on the alleged "cultic" elements of the Jehovah's Witnesses while paying scant attention to the underlying premises of their belief structure.

Bowman begins with two introductory chapters setting the basis for the examination in terms agreeable to both parties. While admirably irenic in tone, this section is by far the weakest in the book as its subjective nature shows an implicit (albeit unintended) Evangelical Protestant bias. For example, in a list of "ground rules", Bowman includes as hypotheses positions held only by a minority of the world's Christians - primarily Evangelical Protestants. In so doing he asserts a selection of pseudo-scientific criteria to examine Scripture without realizing his assumptions are steeped in the traditions of modernity and have little connection with how Scripture was read in the early Church. Fortunately, little of his pretense at an impartial exegetical methodology has any bearing on what follows.

It is when turning to his critique of the Jehovah's Witnesses exegetical techniques that Bowman finds his range. In successive chapters, he zeroes in on the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's self-definition as God's chosen arbiter of Scripture and in successive chapters points out in detail their changing doctrine and failed eschatological predictions, the intentional and self-serving mistranslation of Scripture in their New World Translation, how Charles Taze Russell (founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses) was formed theologically by the conflagration of novel doctrines and eschatological ferment from the Adventist movement he had joined with the rigidity of the extreme form of Calvinism he knew in his youth, and the hermeneutical blinders the Jehovah's Witnesses belief system requires in order to fit the words of Scripture into their theological prism. When he is through, he has exposed the Watchtower interpretations for what they are - a manmade system of beliefs with no validity in the context of the Apostolic Church.

Bowman then demonstrates the fallacious reasoning outlined earlier with two specific examples: their interpretation of Luke 23:43 and their doctrines concerning the divine name. The former is a clear indication of the convoluted grammatical leaps the Jehovah's Witnesses will go to in order to twist the Scripture to fit their doctrine. The latter poor reasoning behind their insistence on using the name "Jehovah" and their own inconsistency in its application. These twin examples illustrate the often "ad hoc" exegetical techniques used to attempt to get Scripture to conform to Watchtower edicts.

Bowman adds two helpful appendices. The first examines the Jehovah's Witnesses claims of scholarly approval for the New World Translation. In actuality, there is no notable scholar of Biblical Greek or Hebrew who has endorsed the New World translation. The Jehovah's Witnesses have instead relied on out of context quotations, innuendo, and outright forgeries to manufacture a reputation their translation could not attain on its own. The other appendix examines their claim that Jesus was crucified on an upright stake rather than a cross even though all archeological, historical, and Scriptural evidence points the other way. History as well as Scripture needs to be translated through their funhouse mirror of interpretation.

Despite some initial flaws, Bowman does a remarkable job in explaining the Jehovah's Witnesses worldview and in pointing out how it skews their view of Christ and his Church. After reading Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses, a discussion with a Jehovah's Witness will immediately set alarm bells ringing. Even if it only prevents the confusion such encounters can produce, it is a good effort. For any interested in defending the Christian faith against such errors, it is highly recommended.

Interestingly Ignorant
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.

Getting to understand the JW mentality
One of the hardest things to do for a Christian attempting to share his/her faith with a JW is to understand from where the Witness comes. Bowman does an excellent job in this book giving the mindset of a Witness in a fair and even compassionate manner. He covers some hermeneutical issues, even spending an entire chapter on Luke 23:43 and analyzing it. This is probably not the only book a person should own--I might recommend Rhodes' "Reasoning from the Scriptures with a Jehovah's Witness"--but it's a good supplimentary volume that I believe the average layperson should be able to understand and even utilize.

Understand "why?" not just "what."
You open a Bible and examine it with a Jehovah's Witness and you get nowhere! What do you do? A beginning point is to get your hands on Bowman's book.

Bowman explains some basic logical and interpretive principles and then digs into the differences between JW and Christian ways of looking at the same Bible passage. The JW's method of Bible interpretation is shown to be dictated by the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society.

Bowman examines the New World Translation of the JW's, their belief system, and their use of "Jehovah" as their name for God. He offers a sample, technical case study of interpreting Luke 23:43. The book closes with appendices on the New World Translation and a word study on "stake" vs "cross." Bowman also includes an excellent annotated bibliography.

Bowman's purpose is not to attack, but to help Jehovah's Witnesses find truth. Read his book and absorb his insights. ... Read more

Product Description

I had stopped vomiting, but still shook and sobbed. Mom returned to the room to sit on the edge of my bed. Again she asked, "Billy what's wrong?""That was my bus route," I whispered when I could get words out. "What if someone I knew came to the door?""So?" "They'd find out I was a Jehovah's Witness."Mom's hand met the side of my head in a flash of brilliant white light and an explosion of pain. I collapsed onto the mattress while she flailed at me, her rage-clenched fists thudding into my eight-year-old body. "How dare you?" she shrieked. "You awful, rotten child! How dare you be ashamed of Jehovah? I hate you! I hate you!"

The Spanking Room is the true story of a young boy's upbringing, and how the unorthodox doctrines of the Watchtower Society encourage violence against its most helpless members--the children.

Whether you are looking for specific answers or an overall understanding of Jehovah's Witness beliefs and practices, The Spanking Room delivers in a straightforward, compelling manner.

Journey with little Billy Coburn as he grows up in the Watchtower Society, learn what Jehovah's Witnesses believe about God, and experience the inner workings of the Kingdom Hall through a child's-eye view. If you or someone you love is a Jehovah's Witness, this book is for you.

Customer Reviews (19)

Love Mom, Question Her Faith, Be Embarrassed by Mom, and Fear Her Religious Discipline
The Spanking Room (as the title suggests) is one part child-abuse tale, one part description of Jehovah's Witnesses from a terrorized child's perspective, and one part autobiography outlining the worst parts of a troubled childhood. From this book you'll learn a lot more about how much it hurts a child to be abused by a mother than about the Jehovah's Witnesses. The book does not intend to be a theological look at the Jehovah's Witnesses, but the author does include some perspectives on how the group's views and authority differ from Bible-based Christian beliefs and authority.

A spanking room is reported by this book to be part of every Kingdom Hall (often doubling as the women's rest room). Apparently, Jehovah's Witnesses take their children to services (which are long), and any misbehavior can be addressed by a pretty firm spanking (bare flesh with tools stronger than a hand) that leaves serious bruises. The author also reports being hauled to the room by his hair. At home, a good whack was often received as well.

Although there's a lot of physical pain described in this book, the psychological pain of the author is greater. It's tough to be a kid of a JW . . . and you feel excluded from the peer group at school.

Life was made more difficult by his father not being a Jehovah's Witness (and opposed to the religion) while his mom was quite fervent. This led to many family conflicts that didn't make life any easier for the author.

I feel sorry for the author. I hope that writing this book was therapy for him.

The most useful thing I found in the book was the information that you can ask the Jehovah's Witnesses who visit your house to take you off their list and they will stop knocking on your door. Most of the revelations about the church are ones I've known for a long time.

Unless you don't know anything at all about Jehovah's Witnesses and want to learn about how a child can be traumatized by a believer of this faith, I suggest you skip the book.

I often hold nice conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses, Bible in hand quoting Scripture, and they go away smiling. I'll have to ask them about the spanking rooms the next time they stop by.

A Dyspeptic Screed
I agreed to read and review The Spanking Room because I thought that by doing so I might learn something useful about the Jehovah's Witnesses of whom I know little. Instead of useful information, I got a two hundred page jeremiad that blamed the Jehovah's Witnesses for nearly every negative aspect of the author's upbringing. I'm sorry he can't let it go, but there are many people of that faith who live happy and productive lives seemingly unscathed by the dire practices alleged in the book.
To me, the book was hard to read. The style is juvenile and whiny and often borders on the asinine. I expected a "child's-eye" view of life as a Witness, not a childish one. If you need an example, the author repeatedly returns to and magnifies the incident in which he was putatively punished for bidding "Mr Microphone" goodbye during a church meeting.
Some readers obviously enjoyed it, but for me it was a waste of time. Read it and decide who's right.

Oh, memoirs, memoirs, why do you haunt me?
William Coburn, The Spanking Room (WinePress, 2008)

As much as I keep beating my dead horse about how much I hate memoirs, I always seem to end up getting roped into reading them somehow. This is my latest solicited review book (well, the latest I've actually finished; a collective apology to the rest of you lot for being so far behind...), and while I did realize it was a memoir going in, I couldn't resist the idea of a Jehovah's Witness expose. On the other hand, I seem to have missed the part where the author mentioned the book was from WinePress (for those of you unfamiliar, think of WinePress as a Christian version of AuthorHouse, competing head to head with Xulon, the Lulu of Christianity). But I dove in anyway, despite the book having two strikes against it before I even cracked the cover already. And I have to say, I'm starting to revise my opinion of memoirs; despite the fact that I've still found the majority of them I've read loathsome (assuming they're even partially true, as we have found out over the last few years how few of them actually are), some of them are getting slotted into the category of "guilty pleasure". The Spanking Room fits quite nicely into that niche--I enjoyed it (if "enjoyed" is the proper word for a catalog of abuse such as this), but I felt vaguely dirty doing so.

Before actually getting into the book, I do have to comment on what, for me, was one of the books' most amusing parts, the hypocrisy inherent in criticizing parts of religion A that are also parts of religion B (to which you subscribe). I can certainly understand the sentiment; after what Coburn went through, I can't imagine not seeing every last aspect of the Jehovah's Witnesses as inherently evil. But that tends to lead to a blind eye when, say, criticizing the proselytizing aspect of being a Witness while ignoring the proselytizing aspect of born-again Christianity. (And yes, Coburn is a born-again Christian; this should be obvious from the press and the general tone, but he explicitly states it in the final chapter.)

Once you're past this, however, the book definitely does have its guilty-pleasure aspects. Coburn sees himself as something of a black humorist. The book does have its funny parts--though it's more a humor of the snorting rather than the belly-laughing variety--but what really makes it shine is Coburn's gift for observation. This does bring up questions about veracity; how much is an adult going to remember about his preteen years, especially in such detail?--but there's solid grounding for the overall shape of the thing, as Coburn points out a few times (he suggests checking out the Jehovah's Witness website and reading some of the books and pamphlets to be found there. Illuminating stuff indeed).

There are also certain aspects of this book that only a Biblical scholar, at least of the casual variety, could have shed light on, and as most of those who know the Bible well are Christians, there is value in reading a Christian's account of the inside affairs of the Witnesses. Coburn points out a number of differences between the New World Translation (used by the Witnesses) of the Bible and other translations, and shows how sometimes translating one word differently can lead to entirely different conclusions being drawn from those passages. While those of us who endlessly debate religion are well aware of how this defines much of the difference between various flavors of Judeo-Christianity, less religiously aware folks will probably find these sections of the book quite enlightening.

I'm giving the book three stars and a conditional recommendation. There are obviously folks who will find what Coburn has to say unbelievable, offensive, or some combination of the two. Hopefully the review above will give you some insight into whether you're one of those people, and if you are, you would do well to avoid it. However, if you're a fan of memoirs in general, or just like seeing a religion get a good hiding from someone who was once involved with it, then you should definitely consider giving this one a go. ***

An Overzealous Mom Empowered to "Spank" by Her Knew Faith
William Coburn, a Christian and martial artist (a fact I throw in that is completely irrelevant), writes an interesting memoir about growing up with a mom who converts to the Jehovah's Witnesses and zealously adopts their practices and lifestyle.He discusses the turmoil it immediately had on his immediate family as well as the doctrines this denomination advocates and teaches.

It does not take long for the book to connect its title to its narrative.On page 19, when mothers and leaders are discussing creating a spanking room by the women's bathroom, Coburn relates the conversations these mothers had.One is frustrated because spanking "bare bottom" does not work on her child (so another mother suggest getting a brother - code for a male Jehovah's Witness- to spank her child).

He talks about the peer pressure to be a "better Jehovah's Witness" within the group.The dynamics in the family are interesting, particularly since mom is the only really "voluntary" Jehovah's Witness.I think, however, that this dynamic would certainly be interesting no matter the religion or lack thereof, with or without a "spanking room." This may be a little more strained in Jehovah's Witness' home because of holiday celebrations (which he spends a considerable amount of time on) because Witnesses adamantly oppose holidays including birthday celebrations.

He also discusses "Watchtower" theology and the out-workings of this theology.Yet, I do think he at times makes the inductive fallacy.He talks about as a Witness that he was taught not to enjoy life; however, I have known some Witnesses very well and they seemed to enjoy life.Now, I was an outsider, yet, they did not appear to me to be longed face, suffering stoics.He does provide an insider view on the many "predictions" and "anticipations" of Armageddon.The book then picks up some steam when others do not.This is toward the end of the book, and many non-fiction works have a tendency to slow down a bit towards the end.Coburn's book does not and this carries the reader to the end.

I am not sure how much of the family problems and dynamics are caused by the Witnesses or his mother's instability.I suspect she would have had these problems if she was an atheists and his dad was a practicing Christian.Her vision and purpose seems to have provided her ammunition to strain the relationships in the family; however, I do agree that a denomination that develops a "spanking room" does not help matters.

Memoir of one horrific Jehovah's Witness childhood
The unwelcome arrival of Jehovah's Witnesses at the door is both a staple of American experience and a puzzle. Just who are these well-dressed, seemingly happy people we love to hate -- and what do they believe? Are we justified in shunning them and dreading their footfalls on our doorsteps?

William Coburn's book sheds some light on the inner life of one JW family and one congregation. Coburn grew up in what he describes as a normal family until his mother converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses when he was four. For the next decade and more, his mother ran hours-long study sessions, scoured the neighborhood for converts, and brutalized Coburn and his brother for the smallest infractions, hoping to beat the devil out of him. Coburn implies that these beatings, spankings, punchings and full face slaps were "de rigueur" for Witness families. Certainly, they were a staple of his. And at the very least, more than a few children were dragged, sometimes by their hair, to a special room in the Kingdom Hall reserved for corporal punishment.

All in all, a miserable way to grow up.

The book falls a little flat, though, in discussing Coburn's experience within the wider context of the Jehovah's Witnesses in America. The Witnesses that Coburn describes are certainly patriarchal, controlling, rigid and more than a little strange. Some JW beliefs are fairly odd as well, including a literal belief in the book of Revelation's statement that only 144,000 souls attain Heaven (sorry, all slots were filled by 1935) and that the imminent end of the age will allow only JWs to live forever on in a "New System" on "paradise earth," Jehovah-God having killed all non-believers. But I questioned how typical was Coburn's experience. Guilt-crazed, fanatical parents are found in every religion.

"The Spanking Room" is Coburn's attempt to deal with the shame, guilt and weirdness placed on him by a mother who dealt with her own demons by clinging a rigid and unforgiving doctrine. It's an interesting read as a testament of how one life can be drastically affected by religious extremism. JW's impact on families (especially those like Coburn's where one parent is a non-believer) can hardly be squared with the Christian tradition of life-long fidelity, peacefulness and forgiveness. If it can't be read as a survey of the entirety of Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs and practice, it does work well as a single instance of how being a JW can warp and shatter a family's peace and a child's sense of safety.

Disclaimer: this reviewer received the book gratis from the author. ... Read more

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

Customer Reviews (27)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joy's Sad Story.
.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Customer Reviews (8)

A Good Example of Comparative Religion
This is an excellent book. This is maybe one of a few books written by a Catholic author on this subject.
Hopefully, there will be one written by a former J.W. who is now a Catholic, that would be quite a read.

Alot of judgemental language used.
I bought this book to educate myself, a catholic, about my friend's religion, jehevah's wittness.I was unable to finish the book, as it seemed to be an attack on the people of the faith instead useful factual information that can be used when talking with them.I find it hard to believe a "christian" wrote this book.The author lacks humility and tolerence when speaking of another faith.

Former member of Jehovah's Witnesses re-enters the Catholic Chruch
This book is designed for Catholics who are thinking about leaving the Church to become Jehovah's Witnesses. The author does a good job in describing some of the beliefs and practices of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but primarily this book is not a in-depth examination of Jehovah's Witnesses theology. Other books such as Jason Evert's, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses" isbn 1888992212 does a better job at that.
The key benefit of this book is its focus on what a Catholic gives up to become a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The author clearly describes what the life of a Jehovah's Witnesses is truly like and the impact that this will have on a persons spirituality and family relations. The main point of the author is that a person really gains nothing in leaving the Catholic Church to become a Jehovah's Witness.
Although the Witnesses think that their religion is "better" that any other, they are looking at the matter from a very distorted viewpoint. I speak from personal experience. I left the Catholic Church and joined the Jehovah's Witnesses at the age of 16 and served as a pioneer (full-time preacher), ministerial servant (deacon) and elder for many years. I was not disfellowshipped by the Jehovah's Witnesses but through my own personal study of their history and doctrinal changes, I came to realize that the leaders of the Watchtower are not the 'faithful and discreet slave' (Matthew 24:45) as they claim to be. I resigned in 1997 (at the age of 41) and began an intense study of all major religions and their histories. During this time I associated with many evangelical churches and enjoyed fellowship with many fine Christians. I read and studied continuously andeventually, in 2004 I re-entered the Catholic Church.
In retrospect, I realize that the fundamental reason that I left the Catholic Church in the first place is that I really never understood what the Catholic Church taught or believed. We were not strong Catholics, (I was never even taught how to pray the rosary) I did not go to Catholic schools and never really learned the catechism. When my father converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses, I was easy prey for their ideas. After returning to the faith, I found many excellent books that were written and published at the time that I converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses, that if I had known about them, would have cleared up many problems that I had with Catholic doctrine.
In conclusion, I would say this to any Catholic who is thinking about leaving the Church to join the Jehovah's Witnesses: Please read this book! The author does not in any way misrepresent the beliefs or practices or culture of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Learn about your own faith! Don't think that by joining the Jehovah's Witnesses you are going to solve your problems. The Catholic Church is not perfect, but neither are the Jehovah's Witnesses. Also I would recommend Karl Keating's book, "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" isbn 0898701775. In addition, there is a series of 8 books entitled "Beginning Apologetics" that are excellent. They are relatively inexpensive (about $5.00) each. They clear up any doubts about the Catholic doctrines of the Trinity, The Eucharist, Mary and many others. The first book is the series is entitled, "Beginning Apologetics: How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith" isbn 1930084005.

Great tool in discussion with the JW's
Considering that this book is from 1981, I doubt that many of the points in this book still do apply. The Jehovah's Witnesses come by my house on the weekends. I think they have been here, for me to respond to them that is, about 5-6 times now. I am not quite sure if reading this book helped me to respond to the Witnesses' claims, but I learned a lot of basic information from it. For one, they believe that Jesus is the Archangel Michael. They deny the Trinity; hence they cease to be "Christian" since a basic tenet of Christianity is the Trinity. They believe that only 144,000 people will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and the rest, all official JW's, will live forever on an Earthly paradise.

Personally, I have found that the best way to handle discussions with the "door to door evangelists" is to learn one's own faith first. Not just the basics, know the ins and outs of it. Once you get a familiar hang of Scripture and the Scripture that supports our beliefs, it makes it easier to respond to their contentions. Very often they take little snippets of the Bible and absolutize them into some dogma, like Jesus not being God, but only "a god". I had the most success with the Mormons than with the JW's since the JW's are trained scriptural acrobats that like to jump around scripture and twist it to their own interpretation.


The book also outlines the inconsistencies of the JW doctrine. They are best known for their failed attempts to predict the Parousia, the second coming of Christ. The mere notion that they could know when Christ will return (their first prediction was that the Parousia was to be in the year 1914) is contrary to the Holy Scriptures.

Matthew 24:36 ESV"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Notice the not-too-bright other reviews?
D'Angelo's book is a basically good one.It is not as up-to-date, or smoothly written, as Jason Evert's recent book, but it covers the necessary ground well enough.I read it years ago and wish I had not given my copy away to a friend!

About some of the other reviews here.Notice that one reviewer, writing in the year 2000, can't spell "Marian" properly, but feels completely free to attack Marian beliefs or practices?How valid do you think that criticism is if the reviewer can't even spell the word properly?Also, the most recent reviewer makes the silly claim elsehwere that 90% of Catholic beliefs are from pagan sources (he lists none).Really?So is Biblical inerrancy part of that 90%?How about the eternity of heaven?The reviewer also posted a quote from Cardinal Newman which says that many things used by Christians are of pagan origin.That is true.None of the things listed, however, were teachings or beliefs.They were merely things.I suppose the reviewer believs that people are too dumb to catch that obvious point, but he's wrong. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Revisionist History
If Jehovah's Witnesses really knew their history, they would be amazed at how distorted this history book really is. I pray that they would "test everything" instead of just assuming that they are being told the truth. These books are easily accessible now through Ebay and scanned images online. Find out the truth, don't just assume you are being told what happened. Read the original items for yourself!


Review by David Reed

This is the most significant book Jehovah's Witnesses have published in nearly half a century. In 1950 their New World Translation revised the New Testament to support the sect's theology; now Jehovah's Witnesses -- Proclaimers of God's Kingdom reinterprets Watchtower history to thwart criticism.

Christians versed in evangelizing JWs know that the most effective approaches begin not with biblical discussion but with exposure to the sect's disturbing history. Documentation of failed prophecies, doctrinal flip-flops, and bizarre teachings weakens confidence in the Watchtower organization and forces Witnesses to reexamine their faith. The new Proclaimers book, as JWs refer to it, is designed to protect them from such assaults.

Most JWs reading Proclaimers will be coming face-to-face for the first time with information about failed prophecies of the world's end in 1914, 1925, and 1975 (pp. 62, 78, 104, 632-33), founder Charles Taze Russell's failed marriage (645), second president Joseph F. Rutherford's estranged wife Mary and their son Malcolm (89), the role Egyptian pyramids once played in Watchtower teachings (201), and numerous doctrinal reversals and other embarrassing episodes. But why would the Watchtower Society want to expose Witnesses to the very material opposers confront them with? Evidently, for the same reason doctors expose people to flu vaccine -- immunization.

Vaccine introduces a weakened virus and allows the immune system to develop antibodies under nonthreatening circumstances; similarly, Proclaimers introduces damaging information in muted form. It sugarcoats some embarrassing episodes with euphemistic language. For example, rather than admit that Russell promulgated false prophecies, the book minimizes his role and shifts blame to the membership by saying "the Bible Students" innocently "thought," "expected," and "hoped" certain things would happen in 1914 (134-36).

Moreover, by arranging the sect's history topically rather than chronologically the book chops up unpleasant stories into bite-size pieces easier to swallow. Consider the embarrassing doctrinal flip-flop on the identity of the "higher powers" of Romans 13:1. The Watchtower Society taught for decades that these were the secular governments; then during the 1930s-1950s it identified them as Jehovah God and Jesus Christ; finally in 1962 it decided once again that they were secular governments. The new history hides the back-and-forth aspect by omitting the first part of the story and presenting the change in 1962 as "progressive understanding" -- even though the "progress" actually took them backwards to a view held formerly (147).

The book's topical format also allows it to pull an episode out of the context of surrounding events and insert it into another context according to topic. In the process it can alter facts in a manner that would have been impossible had the story been kept within its chronological framework. For example, consideration of Russell's religious affiliation during the 1870s is broken up into discussions on pages 43-48, 120-22, 132-35, 204, and 236-37. So, when the book says on page 204 that "the operation of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has undergone significant changes since Charles Taze Russell and his associates first began to study the Bible together in 1870," readers may have forgotten what earlier chapters revealed: Russell remained part of an Adventist organization until 1879; no JW organization existed prior to that date.

Elsewhere, the casual reader is given the impression that Russell came up with the idea of Christ's invisible "presence" from an interlinear rendering of the Greek word parousia and then later encountered N. H. Barbour's group, which believed similarly. In actuality, it was the other way around. According to the 1959 official history book, Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose (18), it was "one of Barbour's group" who came up with that interpretation and then Russell learned it from Barbour. (Proclaimers does not actually lie about this; it simply begins page 133 with events of "1877" and then goes on to events of "1876" -- technically accurate, but worded so most readers will be misled.)

Besides rewriting history and doing cosmetic restoration on skeletons in the Watchtower closet, Proclaimers actually does reveal more about the organization than any prior Watchtower publication. Notably, it departs from recent custom to provide extensive photographic coverage of past and present leadership -- including individual color portraits of Governing Body members (116).

It also devotes 50 of its 750 pages (352-401) to photos of factory and office facilities around the world. With the Brooklyn properties alone (pictured on four pages) valued at $186 million (see "Looking Beyond Brooklyn Heights Toward Heaven," New York Times, 29 Nov. 1992, p. 46), the other major holdings shown no doubt add up to billions of dollars.

Although described in its foreword as "objective" and "candid," Proclaimers could more appropriately be termed clever and convincing. It was obviously forged as a powerful defensive weapon. And it will certainly strengthen the Watchtower fortress. But it can also be turned against its owner.

First, it can be used to show a JW that certain things actually did happen. For example, in the past, Witnesses often dismissed information about Rutherford's San Diego mansion "Beth-Sarim" and the sect's preoccupation with pyramids as stories fabricated by apostates. Now abbreviated accounts of such matters in Proclaimers (76, 89, 201) can serve as common ground -- a jumping-off point to introduce what radio commentator Paul Harvey would call "the rest of the story."

Second, after a JW has seen the necessary documentation, attention can be focused once again on Proclaimers -- this time to notice how its carefully crafted accounts conceal important facts. The JW will be forced to think about whether writers who manifest such disregard for truth can join in saying, "But [we] have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2 KJV).

For a specific page by page expose, see [...]

Accurate
There is so much inaccurate information, misunderstandings, prejudice, and half truths presented about Jehovah's Witnesses.This book tells the accurate history of Jehovah's Witnesses from the 1800's until the early 1990's.It also explains the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses and discusses how they have persevered through persecution.If you are interested in religious history, or learning accurate information about Jehovah's Witnesses and don't mind reading a big book, you'll enjoy this publication. ... 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
(Revised and updated) Hewitt's fascinating account of growing up in the Jehovah's Witness cult has been revised to reflect recent developments. More than 40,000 copies in print. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Buy this book through Sunrise Books and save
I bought from them but accidentally erased my review, I found out later you cant modify a review here. Well I believe a good service should be rewarded always, it is a weapon as a customer. Encourage instead of always complaining. Well I am still reading the book, it only had like three pages highlighted some paragraphs, I also bought 30 years a watchtower slave, by Schnell which has more details on the organization. I think both books give a broad picture of JW's and how a seek for truth can be turned into a money making lie machine. The Judge certianly lived very well after he became the Wathctower "leader".

Thank goodness for the "TRUTH" about the truth
Wow, this book is very accurate, I must take exception with the reviewer whom said all JW books are free, they aren't the publisher/pioneer must pay for them. also of course they must all agree, as it is a cult, and if you don't agree on ANY point you will be thrown out and shunned. As a one time aux pioneer in the "truth" for 25 years I believe I am an expert in this regard.I really don't believe the WTBTS will survive the internet however as all their lies and re-engineered history is exposed, a good site for research is www.freeminds.org. oh and by the way I deprogrammed myself after taking some university psychology courses and was able to associate the earmarks of a cult with jehovah's witnesses, and their very effective brainwashing techniques IE: isolating their members and limiting their exposure to society provided printed materials. Also they discourage higher education soley because the more educated someone is the eaiser it is to see thru the programming and make decisions for oneself. in short we need more books like this to shed the light on the shady dealings of the watchtower bible and tract society.

Are you truly Christians?
A lot of christian denominations exist yet a few have chosen to write hundreds of books condeming only Jehovah's Witnesses...do you notice that no Witness is hitting back? These so-called Christian authors may be motivated by the money you can make by selling "Christian" books. If they truly want to warn fellow saved/born-again Christians about this "cult", why don't they give out their books for FREE? How about poor "Christians", who will warn them? Why would a "Christian" author like one David A. Reed devote an entire lifetime writing several books against Jehovah's Witnesses? Why the hatred? Most Jehovah's Witnesses were at one time Catholics, Protestants, Methodists, Baptists, etc. yet not one of them is earning a living/making money by selling books condemning their ex-faith. The apostle Paul prosecuted Christians but when he saw the truth and he converted to Christianity not once does he ever prosecute the Jews!COINCIDENCE?

I hope you are an honest Christian. Reflect on this matter. Would Jesus be proud of you today because now you know how to answer back the JWs? Would he say "good job handling them Witnesses?". I bet Jesus would prefer that you spoke to others about your faith - Christianity - rather than devote a lot of time condemning others' faith.

A few Points about JWs

1. All their books are FREE including the Bible
2. If you think their Bible (New World Translation) is false, compare it for yourself using your own Bible....read your Bible's preface why they replaced Jehovah with LORD
3. They believe that A JW not providing for his family - materially and emotionally - is worse than an unbeliever!
4. JWs can support their believes from the Bible...can every single person in your church do thesame?
5. Next time you meet one, be humble, hear for yourself what they are trying to say, then decide for yourself whether its bad or good...No JW will ever FORCE you to go to their church (Kingdom Hall)
6. Do you agree with ALL your church's teachings? JWs do.
7. Are your Church's believes exactly thesame worldwide? JWs are.


Remember the Pharisees!

MY WOUNDS ARE STILL HEALING.....
ALTOUGH I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK YET, I'M SURE THE STORY I WILL READ WILL SIT VERY CLOSE TO HOME. MY MOTHER IS A DEVOUT JEHOVAH'S WITNESS. ASA SMALL CHILD ME AND MY TWO BROTHERS WERE RAISED ON THE ORGINIZATIONS TEACINGS. TEACHINGS THAT SAID ALL HOLIDAYS WERE NOT TO BE CELEBRATED, ALL NON JEHOVAH WITNESSES WERE NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH BECAUSE THEY WERE DEEMED "WORLDLY".ETC ETC.... ALTHOUGH GROWING UP DIFFERENT AND BEING VIEWED AS WIERD BY YOUR PEERS AS A CHILD, AND ALWAYS BEING SINGLED OUT AS "THE KID WHO CAN'T SAY THE PLEDGDE OF ALLIGIENCE" HAD A LASTING EFFECT, THAT WASN'T WHAT MADE ME NEVER STEP IN ANOTHER KINGDOM HALL AGAIN IN OVER 12 YEARS...
MY OLDER BROTHER HAS SOMEWHAT OF A MENTAL DISABILITY. AROUND THE TIME HE WAS 13 MY MOM SET UP MEETINGS WITH HIM AND THE ELDERS SO HE COULD DO THE REQUIRED STUDY TO GET BAPTISED. (MY BROTHER NEVER WANTED TO GET BAPTISED HE DID SO OUT OF FEAR OF MY MOTHER.) AFTER A SHORT WHILE MY BROTHER WAS BAPTISED AS AN JEHOVAH'S WITNESS. MY MOM WAS SO PROUD HER FIRST SON WAS A BAPTISED MEMBER. HOWEVER, A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER MY BROTHER COULD NO LONGER PLAY THE CHARADE, AND FINALLY TOLD MY MOTHER THE TRUTH, THAT HE NEVER WANTED TO BE A WITNESS AND HE HAD ONLY DID IT OUT OF FEAR AND LOVE FOR HER. HE LEFT THE ORGINIZATION SOON AFTER. THIS IS WERE IT GOT BAD.

MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD US HER PRIORITYS IN LIFE WERE JEHOVAH FIRST, HER KIDS SECOND. I NEVER SEEN HER APPLY THIS BELIEF TILL MY BROTHER RESIGNED HIS MEMBERSHIP. AFTER WHICH SHE TREATED HIM AS A STEP MOM WOULD TREAT A STEP CHILD SHE NEVER WANTED. EVERYTHING OUT HER MOUTH WAS MEANT TO BE LITTLE HIM. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS UP TO THE BROTHERS IN THE CONGRGATION THEY SAID MY BROTHER BROUGHT THIS UPON HIMSELF, AND BASICALLY DID'NT DESERVE HELP. I NEVER GOT OVER THIS BETRAYAL.

TO SHORTIN THIS STORY, I LEFT HOME AT THE AGE 13 BECUASE I WAS DEPRESSED AND SUICIDAL. I HAVE NEVER SET FOOT IN ANOTHER KINGDOM HALLAND NEVER WILL. MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MOM IS STILL STRAINED. HOWEVER, I DON'T COMPLETLY BLAIM HER. SHE BRAINWASHED AND MALNIPULATED TO THINK THE WAY SHE DOES BY THIS ORGINIZATION. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ALL JEHOVAH'S WITESSES ARE ALL BAD, BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT LOVE. I'VE SEEN THESE MEMBERS CAST AWAY THEIR OWN FAMILY MEMEBERS THE WAY MY MOM DID MY BROTHER. ANY RELIGION THAT SEES CASTING AWAY ONES OWN AS OKAY, HAS TO BE SECONDED GUESSED. THIS IS NO RELIGION TO RAISE YOUR KIDS IN.

I'M THANKFUL I GOT PROFESSIONAL HELP. I AM SOMEWHAT OVER MY CHILD HOOD DAYS BEING RAISED IN THIS RELIGION. ALTOUGH THE WOUNDS STILL HURT FROM TIME TO TIME. I AM NOT WRITING THIS IN ANGER OR OUT OF SPITE. I SIMPLY WANTED TO SHARE MY STORY.

I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK.

My life *is* a million times better
now that I have left the "truth".

To the reader who thinks all who leave or are disfellowshipped from "God's organization", please explain to me why, after being disfellowshipped from God's loving people, I'm no longer suicidal, my alleged bi-polar and dissociative identity disorders have disappeared, and I'm happy, thriving and content.

I am no longer consumed with paralyzingly low self-esteem, I am gaining confidence, poise and grace.I smile now.I laugh. I don't spend every waking moment wondering if Jehovah will kill me at Armegeddon for some (egregious) transgression of Watchtower Society rules.

Coincidence?I think not. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

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

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

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

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