JW Changes

Exploring Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Material

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How to Use

Using this website is simple. If you are active Witness the quotes can be located within the Watchtower CD ROM. If you’re not a Jehovah’s Witness or do not have access to the Watchtower’s CD-ROM, you can look up some material on the organization’s official website. If you do this, you will notice that the organization does have some but not all material.  In particular, the Watchtower and Awake! magazines only go back to the year 2000 (as of August 1, 2014).  More material is reserved for those who are Witnesses.

Once you verify the accuracy of the quote you are encouraged to click on the hyperlinked PDF file. Go ahead and feel free to download the file to your computer or you simply view from within the website. Navigate to the place where the quote originates from.  Although this website focuses on material that contains ellipses, quotes that do not contain ellipses are contained as well.

Obtaining Resources

There are two sources for the information utilized within the website.  All references are found from literature produced by the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.  The primary resource material that the Society quotes from can predominately be located within the website: www.archive.org.   If there is no link to an external website, it is to be understood that the material came from this website.

I have attempted to find all the original source material possible. However, there are some instances where an earlier or later edition is utilized from what the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society utilized. Hopefully, this is not like material the Watchtower has changed such as the January 1, 1989 Watchtower or the within the book, The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life. If you see a book that contains a year plus “edition,” that means I was unable to locate the original book.

If you are an individual that feels that these PDF files could have somehow been tampered with, you’re highly encouraged to head down to your local library to verify this material.  If you’re unable to do this or your local library is too small, feel free to go to a website and order the actual book for your own personal use.

Additionally, there are some resources available within various app stores.  One example, “A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments,” can be found within iTunes here or in the Google Play here.

JW Changes Introduction

By

Hello!  Thank you for taking a little bit of time check out this website. This website looks at the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society which is the organization that oversees the Jehovah’s Witnesses from the academic realm when it comes to quotes. This is different from other websites that look critically at the organization.  Other websites have been created that are supportive of the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.  Critical websites typically focus on doctrinal, organizational procedures, and practices within the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. However website’s main purpose is to not take a pro or anti-stance against the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

 

Before I explain, a quick introduction:

My involvement started in 2011.   Witness came knocking at my door and try to convert me.  It hasn’t worked and they’ve come on and off for six years now.  One of the resources I noticed that was utilized was the book, Reasoning from the Scriptures (available as of August 1, 2014 on the Watchtower’s official website).   As I examined it, I noticed a pattern for the places that were quoted from.  These resources have ellipses (three periods in quick succession).

 

One of the things I furthered did was to look for this original material. I wanted to personally see what information was left out.   Some of this information as I noticed it would go against what the organization taught.  What I personally found was material being selectively citied to support the Watchtower’s position.

 

After looking through various quotes out of the book Reasoning from the Scriptures, this led to an investigation of the brochure entitled Should You Believe In The Trinity?

 

This brochure no longer printed or distributed for public use. As an individual who was written papers before both in high school and in college, I noticed that there were many citations that were not properly referenced.  After researching further as to what the original author believed, I noticed that there information was selectively cited as well to support the Watchtower position.  This was a direct contrast to what the original author did believe. Those are some things that I had noticed.

 

I am not here to declare that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society Writing Department is right or wrong I am merely stating my observations.  The big overarching question to ask as you research and review the information contained within the website deals with academic honesty-Is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society Writing Department academically honest?  This can only be answered as you personally look through the website and see the surrounding context of the information given.

 

This website’s original intent was primarily dealing specifically with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s Writing Department as they write material and the “Faithful and Discreet Slave” which approves this written material.  This website will deal specifically with the material that the Watchtower has quoted from.  The resources are both religious and secular in nature.  I’ve since expanded as I’ve got more things to speak about.

 

I’ve read some “old light” put out by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (roughly 11,000 pages as of October 2017).  I will be working on writing information from Watchtower History.  I will attempt to compare old light to new light for various topics.  Much of the information can be downloaded at the Internet Archive.

 

Along with that, as you peer through and read recent material, you will see information pertaining to the word “Armageddon.”  Although I’ve been relatively silent of late writing wise, it doesn’t mean that I’m not working.  I have a side project.  I asked myself-how often is the word “Armageddon” used?  Focus is typically on the dates when Armageddon was explicitly or implied to occur including 1914, 1915, 1941, 1975, “end of 20th century,” and instances of “soon” or “just around the corner.”  However, it’s been used more as I’ve read.  So I figured there’s only one way to find out-document it.

 

I’ve been going through every piece of Watchtower literature I have and am documenting this singular word that is mentioned once in Revelation yet has become central to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society theology.  At the time of this update (October 8, 2017), I’m about 95% done.  When complete, it’ll be perhaps the most comprehensive listing regarding this word and it’s usage.  I’ve been working on it for nearly a year now and want to try and get it done before 2017 is done.

 

I trust that as you look around this little portion of the internet, you can learn something you never knew before.  If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.  My email address is: watchtowerofjehovahswitness@mail.com.

 

Regards,

Sean