The following are responses to the material contained in the JW Research Journal and this web site. If you would like to respond to the material on this site, email me (Ken Raines) at raines@premier1.net or write to:
JW Research
PO Box 5534
Everett, WA. 98206
USAAll responses may be posted here and/or in the JW Research Journal unless requested not to.
Ken Raines, editor
JW Research Journal
Letters/email:
ERA in England/ JWs and ME [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, etc.]
Wt. and the Occult
Pastor Russell Anthology CD
Nit-picking nit-wit?
Motivated by anger and hate
More on Angels and Women book
Angels and Women book Reprinted
The ERA/Winged Sun-disc
Beth-Shan
JW Research hits payDIRT
Rutherford/spiritism theory convincing
From Jerry Bergman, Ph.D
ERA in England
Hi Ken,
I must say I enjoyed your site very much. The attention to detail and depth of research are especially pleasing.
You may be interested to know that Electronic Therapy is still alive and well and being practised in England. My wife (a JW) was recommended to a doctor (by another JW). I went with her because I didn't like the descriptions of treatment I'd heard.
The "doctor" used two machines: the first was essentially an EEG machine connected to a computer (an Apple Mac so you should be happy :) [blasphemy!- Ken] and then the Mac ran what was clearly and FFT routine on the EEG data. "These are the frequencies in your brain" says our man. "Those that come below the line are weak and need strengthening". A small metal box like an old-fashioned pocketwatch was to be hung around the patients neck, its internal electronics (if there were any) tuned to the weak frequencies. He didn't offer this treatment to my wife.
The second amazing machine was for diagnosis only. My wife had to hold an elctrode while the electronic therapist probed her toe with another. The two electrode conected to a machine which contained holes for test tubes. Test tubes containing various substances were inserted into the machine and produced a variation in the pitch of an audible tone. By introducing samples of various substances he claimed that the machine could detect if they were the cause of my wife's illness. For instance the machine gave quite a squawk when he introduced formaldehyde into it. This led him to suggest that she was suffering from chemical sensitivity.
He also introduced a sample of liver and concluded that she had severe liver damage. Who's liver it was he never said but this struck me as very confused. She had a liver function test and was declared "normal". He claimed that he had no idea how the machine worked, resisted my enquiry to see the user manual and got tetchy about my obvious skepticism though I'd tried to disarm him by telling him I'd been a Medical Physics Technician (which is true). He did say "it must do something because I've tried wrapping tin foil around the samples and it doesn't do anything at all then". I observed to my wife that this would be true if it worked by shining a light through the sample on to a light detector but did nothing else. The box was apparently made in Germany but I could learn no more about it.
"Frequency" has replaced the more Victorian "vibration" but otherwise it seems to be the same old scam. The operator has to hold a dry electrod in contact with the patient's foot. The shaking of his and and variations in persperation would be quite enough to vary the current. Add in a potentiometer so that he could manually tweak the squawk and there enough variables for even an honest man to foolhimself. And the "frequency strengthening device" is pure technomancy.
Strange how JWs seem especailly prone to accept this stuff -- my wife and her friend were not the only local JWs to visit this character. My wife's complaint is ME itself unusually common among JWs. There are parts of Scotland (I am told) where it is called the "JW disease" and there congregations where the majority suffer from it.
Still, I hope you found this all as fascinating as I found your web-site!
best wishes,
Richard
JWs and 'ME'
I wrote to Richard about a link between JWs and ME [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, etc.] after I relieved the following response to the above email from an ex-JW who has this problem. His response follows.
>Thanks so much for the latest issue of JWResearch.
....
>
>Something caught my eye on the last page- the letter to you from the writer in Scotland. He mentioned his wife was going to a quack practitioner, and that her complaint was ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis).
This (ME) is called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in this country, along with several other names for the condition. I think the very latest and concise term is CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome).
He said that in some parts of Scotland it is called the "JW Disease". And that in some Kingdom Halls, the majority are afflicted with it.!!!, was my reaction.
I have it. I've had it since 1976, my last year at Watchtower Farms. It has been my struggle for most of my adult life. Just before I was 'cut out of the WTLoop', I talked with an old pal in Montana who was also at WTFarms, and he indicated that MANY who lived and worked at WTFarms have come down with CFIDS and related immune dysfunctions.
I knew that to be the case in the Raleigh, N[orth] C[arolina] area. Quite a few JWs had CFIDS who I knew of several years ago. I imagine it is worse now. I've gotten indications from the Internet that a proliferation of this condition is occurring disproportionately among JWs.
Ken, do you have any thoughts on this? Why do you think this is the case? I have some wild-ass guesses. 'Course since I've had it for over two decades and have not yet been able to lick it despite trying a few hundred modalities to cure it...my fertile imagination has had time to run free.
regards,
Tom
Richard's Response
Hi [Ken and] Tom,
I'll do my best to answer your questions.
---raines <raines@premier1.net> wrote:
Hi Richard,
Oh, there you are!
[...]
Some questions about this, if you can help me answer them:
1) Is the ME you mentioned the same thing Tom has and is talking about?
Undoubtedly. Although current thinking is that 'ME', 'CFIDS' and so on are probably catchall names for a number of different conditions we are certainly talking about the ensemble of illnesses at least.
2) Are you aware of [other] higher than usual immune dysfunctions among JWs?
I know of several people who describe their complaint as "Chemical sensitivity" which you will also find discussed in the literature. But I have no idea of the incidence of this in the general population so I don't know if JWs are disproportionately represented.
3) If this is the same ME as Tom has, is a link between it and JWs well known in your area by others besides JWs and their non-JW relatives (The medical communitee)?
Not to my knowledge but, again, I can't claim to have a wide acquaintance with the general view on this. My 'Bible' on medical matters is Medscape and the papers there haven't discussed it. I haven't checked recently (and the corporate PC I'm on at the moment won't give me Medscape - don't know why) so I'll have another look when I get home.
4) Has there been any research on this connection by the medical communities (quack or otherwise) to determine the source (enviornmental or cultural/emotional/phychological)?
There is a view, held fairly strongly, that CFS has a psychological aetiology so a connection with the high-stress environment of JW-dom would not be an unreasonable one to make. Of course, if I said that to my wife I would be a dead man. (Sorry if this upsets Tom too.) But I'm not aware of any research specifically targeted at connecting it with JWs.
But the favoured treatment here in the UK is a combination of graduated exercise, amyltriptiline (sp?) and "cognitive therapy" and successes have been reported - but so have spontaneous remissions. I would conclude that this suggests that psychological factors are at least a significant factor in the illness. But when isn't that true?
> Any further info or leads would be appreciated. I will try and research this issue and see if there is anything to this anecdotal evidence (such evidence is often the first clue to cracking the cause/effect of diseases).
> Ken Raines
Certainly, if I can find out anything more about an ME-JW link I shall let you know. I'm as interested as you in discovering something substantive.
Richard
Wt. and the Occult thank you for your research when i first looked at your mags it blew me away,,my friend Ray from Australia loaned them to me ,,i believe you know of him he has the free in christ ministry,,,i have just written an article on the Judge and his angelic revelations,,,,i hope it's ok to use quotes you researched from the 1930's etc,,,i added my own conclusions and comments...please if you have time could you send me any info you have on the society's involvement with astrology,,,i know russell was interested in this subject ,,,i will not publish anything without your permission,,,once again your research on medical quackery and bizarre WT issues has helped me and for eg..a pastor i know who has been studying the jws for 20 years said a young rooster (his words) comes along and blows him away,,,,,,YOU sir deserve the credit ,,and i gave it!,,,keep up the good work,,,,being an ex witness myself i now see no other conclusion other than the jws are a cult with a demonic history.....one last thing i now attend a baptist(independent) church i love everything except the doctrine of hell,,,it hurts me that christendom believes it ,,i know peeople will be punished after death,,,but,,,,,could you help...i know you work and have a family ,,but could you please reply to me,,,,God bless
Shane Hannah
Pastor Russell Anthology CD Subject: Pastor Russell Anthology
Greetings Ken,
I was checking out your Web site and noticed your mention of some of the CD-ROMs of JW material available. I just thought that I'd let you know that the Pastor Russell Anthology is not a Bible Student production, but it is by Research Applications International. Thanks.
Jeff Griffith
Nit-picking nitwit?
Subject: about your page on house of security
From: Heaven Org, heavenorg@geocities.com
To: raines@premier1.net
At least JW's truly believed enough to create a house to protect the Messengers. I don't see any faith that has a house set aside for Michael, er who many are expecting Jesus.
Vatican doesn't count cause it's not a house for messengers and they'd probably store him in the catacombs for old times sake. *I know that joke is un-called for, but it's kinda revealing*
Try and report the good points rather than the nit picking and maybe life wouldn't be so twisted.
Response:
"At least JW's truly believed enough to create a house to protect the Messengers."
Believed enough in what or who in your opinion? Believed in what they wrote as an explanation for building Beth-Shan (and perhaps Beth-Sarim)? If so they were wrong again and it was a waste of time and effort. Why did the "messengers" need to be protected with bomb shelters? They said God would protect them (unless one views the shelter as God's means of protecting them as I stated). The other criticism of the Beth-Shan material I have recieved (see below) was that I *did* gave them the benefit of the doubt that they actually *believed* enough of what they wrote (about the coming famines in America, Armageddon, etc.) during the 1940's to run for the hills. I guess I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. I tried to discuss briefly what the implications would be of either case being true. Who were the "messengers" that needed protecting by a bomb shelter during the 1940's in your opinion and who were they messengers for ?"I don't see any faith that has a house set aside for Michael, er who many are expecting Jesus."
The last clause of that sentance is unintelligable. I don't see the point of having a house on Earth for Michael, so I wouldn't waste time criticising any "faith" that *doesn't* create houses with bomb shelters, water tanks and outhouses for Michael the Archangel. Is that what you think they were doing? If so, they were playing with a few less marbles than even I imagine. Many are expecting Jesus to return (not a guest appearance by Michael), but why would anyone build Him a house on Earth like Beth-Shan? He's a Big Boy and can take care of Himself without the use of our bomb shelters and outhouses. Besides, the Society long ago sold both houses and property which speaks louder than anything about their value and their expectations as God's "messengers.""Vatican doesn't count cause it's not a house for messengers and they'd probably store him in the catacombs for old times sake. *I know that joke is un-called for, but it's kinda revealing*"
Again your comments are not clear to me. Store who in the catacombs? The Pope? Rutherford? Jesus? Michael?"Try and report the good points rather than the nit picking and maybe life wouldn't be so twisted."
What good points about Beth-Shan is there? If there was any, the Watchtower would have pointed them out in reviewing their glorious, if flawed history (JWs--Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, etc.). If you can come up with some good points about the Beth-Shan episode, I would be happy to publish your thoughts on this website and the JW Research Journal.
Ken
Motivated by anger and hate
subject: waerrtrwSAf
To: raines@premier1.net
From: Oposition1@aol.com
This is in response to some of what I have read. I believe you have many good points. And I agree that the quotes taken from various individuals in the organization are wrong.
I would like to commend you in your effort to be somewhat understanding about how imperfect the human race is. In one of your writings you mentioned something about knowing that you are not perfect either. And as a result of the racial undertones that America has lived with for years, it is difficult for one to not be inclined at times to jeeringly poke fun at other ethnicities. Simply put, America[']s past and the generations of reocurring[sic] hate serves neither as a reason nor an excuse for prejudice.
Obviously you have some kind of hate towards the Watch Tower Society. You have been very successful in creating a definate[sic] bias in you[sic] writing. However, your bias stems from the root of anger. The very subject in which you are diputing [sic]. If that is not contridictory [sic], I cannot tell you what is.
What right do you have to judge the hearts of millions of people? None...as do I.
response:
This was a little hard for me to follow or know what exactly you're referring to. I'm not sure if this is directed at me or the JW Research website, or if this is a response by someone else to me or someone else that you decided to forward. What's the subject "waerrtrwSAf" anyway?
If this is a response to material at JW Research, I would respond:
I would have preferred criticism of specific comments and interpretations of Society statements that I have made on the JW Research web site, but thanks for the valuable insight you've had into my heart's 'hate' motivation in producing the site. I do not see anything on my site as "di[s]puting" anyone else's anger. I would be interested in knowing where you thought I was specifically disputing someone's anger or bias due to their root of anger and doing so with hate or a bias stemming from a root of anger. I would also like to know where, specifically, you believe I have displayed any hatred of the Watchtower Incorporation. On anger and hate, anger is something I believe is needed at times, hatred, as promoted by the Watchtower, is not. For example, the racism subject you brought up. I believe anger is a proper response to racism, hatred is not. I would therefore not try and dispute someone's anger or any "bias" against racism, say, because of a root of anger at its injustice and effects.
I do not believe that in criticizing the Watchtower's statements and positions through the years it means that I hate the Watchtower incorporation or the people in it, but I could be wrong. Nor have I judged the hearts of millions in the material posted there, but again, I could be wrong. Others like yourself are in a better position for judging my heart's motives in criticizing the Watchtower's statements and positions and the harm it has caused. If you can supply specific examples of where I have expressed hatred of the Watchtower Incorporation or judged the hearts of millions, I would be more than happy to have you remove that speck from my eye.
Ken Raines
More on Angels and Women Book
Hi Ken,
I've read what you have put up [on your web site] about the AW book and the Awake info good job.
My take on the situation is this, Bro Brenisen was Russells right hand man and according to what[']s available he was one of the men who was mentioned in Russells Will. Bro Brenisen worked for the Conkey Company who was responsible for publishing WT literature up until the 1920's or there abouts. So Bro Brenisen was a paid man working as a liason between the Conkey Co. and the WT.
The Angels and Women book was IMHO written by or supervised by Bro Brenisen, the reason I say this is because of this:
When I was at Bethel I made a copy of the cover page of the Angels and Women book it had something that only appeared in the Bethel library editions of the book and I will quote the whole thing for you.
" Introduction by J.F.R.
Appendix by C.J.W.
Written by a brother had been long in the service, was incapacitated, and sought to provide for himself by thus "indirectly" presenting some valuable information.
Not altogether up to date, as "Angels" booklet and other information supplements and revises what this work contains"
I think Bro Brenisen was owner of the A.B. ABAC Company that published the Angels and Women book or had something to do with it in a big way.
The way I came across the Angels and Women book is interesting. My wife and I had the opportunity to provide home care for an elderly JW women living in Holliston Massachusetts. Our time living with her was brief due to the fact she would soon be moving out of the area. One day as we were helping her move some items around in her home she directed me to the basement and said there was a box there that I could have. I went down to the basement and came upon an odd shaped slender box that was about two feet high. I opened the box and found a dozen or so royal blue books with a gold title called Angels and Women. As far as I could tell this was the first time these books saw daylight since they were first boxed in 1924. I took the case of books home and put it on my porch, where they stayed until it was time to do some spring cleaning. Not being really interested in the subject matter at the time, I took a couple books out of the case and threw the rest of them away. Nothing like making a rare book even rarer! Eventually I got around to reading the book and was truly fascinated by it.
So the big question here is why did Sister Brenisen have a case of these books? I f you wrote a book wouldn't you have a dozen or so hanging around?
And these were the only books that were boxed up and unopened. This is my theory, what do you think?
Jim Rizoli
A&W Book Reprinted
[from the Jesus' Witness email list]
I started a discussion group on the AW book it's at www.onelist.com. Do a search for AWbook and you can subscribe to the list and comment on the book if you've read it.
Here is the introduction to the aw book site.
This mailing list is going to be composed of those who have read the book Angels and Women. It's an Antidiluvian[sic] Fantasy which has just been republished from the original 1924 version, it's 114 pages long. The book has to do with the relationship between the rebellious angels and the women on earth prior to and shortly after the flood of Noah[']s day.
It's a fantasy based on a real event, just like the Titanic was a real event with a ficticious story line. The book is a combination of Indiana Jones Romeo and Juliet and the last days of Pompeii rolled into one. The book is available in very limited quanities[sic]. To order send email to Gymr@aol.com or Jiriz@aol.com and request AWbook, the cost is $10.00 which includes shipping. The book has been out of circulation for 75 years and is only avaliable through the internet. The reading the book should create some good lively discusion[sic]. It would make a fantastic movie!
Around fifty of the books have been placed aaahhh (witness jargon) so far.
Jim Rizoli
The ERA/Winged Sun-disc
Dear Ken Raines,
I came upon your website yesterday and was impressed greatly by the quality of the articles and research papers it contained! I compliment you for writing these well researched articles.
The series on Dr. Abrams and his electronic quackery in relation to the JWs was interesting. Here is one additional bit of information you might find useful. This came from the University of California online Librrary catalog (known as MELVYL):
Hudgings, William Franklyn, 1889-1937(?),
Dr. Abrams and the electron theory, 4th. ed, New York,
New Century, 1923The catalog states that UC Berkeley has a copy.
The scientific stupidity of the JWs in the early part of this century is truly amazing!
I noticed that you have an article listed which concerns the winged sun globe symbol that appeared on JW books from 1911 to 1920. Could I request an advanced copy of this article? I have wondered about this symbol and have had the following questions:
1. What does it exactly meaan? Various sources have stated that it is an Egyptian magical symbol. But I now of no reference in which it is precisely listed!
2. Did the Society every give an explaination of why they used this symbol on their books.
3. Is it true that an Assembly Hall in New York state had the winged sun displayed on its exterior? That it was removed only in the early 1980's? I think this information came from Randy Watters newsletter.
It is ironic that while telling others to flee the occult, that the WTBTS would be stamping an occult symbol on its books!
I will check back to your web page on a regular basis.
Keep up the good work!
yours,
Eric Erpelding
Beth-Shan
I visited the website showing the aerial photos of BethSarim and BethShan -- with its bomb-shelter site. While it is clear that the Society had some "top secret" goings on at this acreage, I am not certain that it can be attributed to "end-time" fever. After all, the construction of BethShan comes some 15-20 years after the building of BethSarim, around 1939-1945, if the author is correct.
Let's put this into perspective! Hitler is bombing the shit out of London, Japanese are an ocean away and in concentration camps, Hitler has crushed the Watchtower's maneuverings in Germany. What would any business person do? Hedge their bets? You betcha!
I think BethShan is more of an attempt by the Watchtower to provide a "fallout" shelter just as was done for Truman and Eisenhour during the late 1940's and early 1950's in the Smokey Mountains of Virginia [the Congress also has a "fallout" shelter underneath the Greenbrier in Virginia]. We're talking about fearful times, but not necessarily from "divine inter-vention." I think the Watchtower may have been concerned about getting its key leadership some bomb coverage or protective coverage should the war effort come to the East or West Coast lines.
Remember during these times, it was not unusual to find people in the 1950's building bomb shelters in their backyards. I have a vital reminder of these things because I can take a 3 hour jaunt to Omaha and see the S.A.C.[Strategic Air Command] HQ museum with all its wonderful little nuke toys!
And, given todays intellect, we know if the bomb is dropped we're toast, anyway, so a "shelter" won't help, but some "survivalist" do build these compounds/retreats today.
However, they're viewed as way off mainstream thinking.
This was not the case during the building of BethShan and I can in no way view it in the same light as the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX or Ms. Prophet's little gun-running operation in Montana.
I think some of the same can be said in regard to Russell's "Miracle Wheat" and various medical aid devices the Golden Age, Consolation, Awake and Watchtower promoted throughout the years. At that time, it may have been a ballyhooed remedy, but during this time there really wasn't an FDA and DEA [Food and Drug Administration & Drug Enforcement Agency, for the ferners, Jed!] to determine "snake oil" from "preventive medicine." It doesn't exonerate Russell, but it does put into perspective why the Watchtower may have garnered the share of popularity and press that it did. Slightly wacky, but not so off-beat as to be seen as absurd.
That's true today, too. The Watchtower with its eccentric behavior is a bit like that old spinster auntie who comes to Thanksgiving dinner once a year and is a bit odd but is a really "nice person." We all hate her eccentricities but we like her [that would be akin to the Watchtower's weird teachings but the obvious display of "good behavior" for the public].
Lord Loki
The above was the first of a couple posts on the jesus-witnesses mailing list. The following is the last portion of my responses to these (that Beth-Shan was a "sham" or "scam" and that Rutherford and other JW leaders didn't believe what they wrote about the soon return of the Princes, famines and a takeover of the US by Fascists and that Beth-Shan was built to prepare for it):
I do not not think I'm qualified to sort out the thoughts and intents of the hearts (motivations) of such men as Rutherford, whom I've never met. I personally believe the leaders of JWs from Russell to Rutherford to Franz believed to some degree at least what they preached, including the most off-the-wall stuff such as their prophecies.
I have traditionally viewed Beth-Sarim as a "sham." I think the "Abraham-is-going-to-be-back-in-San Diego-any-day-so-we've-built-them-this-here-mansion-to-claim-on-their-return" is a very shallow excuse to build *yourself* a nice pad with a Cadillac in the garage. If the "Judge" or any other JW stayed away from the place and they left it vacant, I would be more inclined to believe their explanation for building it. So I can certainly sympathise with your Beth-*Sham* theory. However, after reading and researching the Society's "expectations" at the time and Beth-Sham itself, I'm convinced they actually believed some of this stuff, much as David Koresh did, hard as that is to believe to those outside the dynamic of the group. To what degree and extent it was a sham or an outworking of sincerely held beliefs, I can't determine. In the mean time, I will give them the benifit of the doubt and assume they believed what they wrote to some degree and their actions were a direct consequence.
Hard evidence that Rutherford, et. al, were *consciously* involved in a "racket" (to turn the table) to a large extent and Beth-Shan was their "big scam" and not simply express credulity that they could have been that stupid to actually believe such things as they claimed would be welcomed. :) (sorry about the long sentences!)
I have no personal attactment or investment in this outfit or its past or current leaders, so it wouldn't hurt me any to find out it was all a racket. I'm open to the possibility. In fact, I'd love to have that demonstrated.
Any takers?
Ken Raines
No hard evidence has surfaced. However, I am aware of one instance (stated in court no less) that suggests the Society's leaders may not have believed or put much stock in what they said they believed about their "expectations" during WWII. I failed to include this in the original article which was a serious ommision on my part. I will post a revision of the article with this evidence and a discussion of the "sham" theory.
JW Research Hits PayDIRT
Dear Ken,
Greetings. My best friend, Chester Harris, a couple of months ago, shared with me your new issue of JW Research . He did so, knowing of my interest in the same subject matter and of my desire to share research with those like-minded.
Chester and I go way back. We've been friends since 1969. We came in the "truth" about the same time (1971-72) and wised-up at the same time and left the Killer Kingdom Kult. My only hope of making some good use of the over 20 years of my life that I sacrificed at the alter of the WT society, is to do everything now in my power to expose it for the dangerous, deceitful, deadly and destructive organization it is&endash; thus possibly helping others avoid making the same mistake I did.
I think the Watchtower could be damaged tremendously, maybe beyond public-relations repair, if a strong case can be made for their having and having had a connection with the occult. I think a strong case can be made and obviously you do to[o], going by what I've read in your quarterly.....
I'm looking forward to seeing what else you come up with in future copies of your journal. Some of the quotes I've read thus far, are devastating to the WT.
You must have a sizable library of old WT literature to serve as a resource for these quotes. You've done some good digging and I'd have to say, hit payDIRT.
Being a dyed-in-the-wool book-freak, I started collecting old WT literature even before I was baptized as a JW in 1971...
You know I hardly ever run across the old WT stuff when I'm out collecting nowadays. That tells me that others, either JWs or non-JWs or X-JWs have started collecting and the stuff gets snapped up more readily. Good. It is getting into the hands of people who will use it against the WT.
Let their old quotes come back to haunt them. "Bring their own way upon their head", as they oft wrote. Now what could be more fair than that?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards,
Tom F. Talley
Rutherford/spiritism Theory Convincing
Dear Ken:
I appreciate your confidence in letting me proof your articles. I had a chance to read them last night before bedtime and I think you have again unloaded a double-barreled, 12 gage blunderbuss into their rear parts. You're making an even better case for your "Rutherford/spiritism theory" than I thought you could. I think it's very convincing, but of course, I'm a wee bit biased against J.F. Rutherford.... The quote I got the biggest kick out of was the one suggesting Jesus was the first 'DJ', broadcasting to the demons..... if Jesus was a radio personality, what kind of station do you think he would work in? Rock? Classical? Jazz? New Age???.... I would say you've built a solid case for your Rutherford/spiritism theory--a damn solid one. How did you find all the terrific quotations? Did you do all the reading or did you have help? the reason I ask is due to the fact that I've been reading stuff from my collection for about fifteen years, and I mean scouring through everything. I was a loyal JW during that time too, so maybe I read those quotations but didn't perceive that they constituted such a ringing conviction of the Watchtower Society, and especially J. F. Ratfink. I don't remember having seen so many quotes--and so many I haven't seen before....
Chester Harris
Raleigh, North Carolina
From Jerry Bergman, Ph.D. Dear Ken,
Thank you for your kind letter of September 13, 1994. I will be happy to do an article on the Watchtower and eugenics. I have in the past gone through the old Golden Ages and [Consolaions] carefully looking for evidence of the strangeness that they manifested at that time-- and found plenty of it. I assumed that I caught most of their major blunders, but I was surprised that they would publish articles on eugenics. If you let me know which ones you found, ... I could then try and locate others and do an article, relating the conclusions to the research that I have already done in this area. [See his Quack Science article - Ken]
Your JW research journal was very well done--I had thought that past newsletters had covered pretty well everything, at least briefly. You have shown me that the Watchtower's historical archives provide a seemingly inexhaustible pool of craziness, superficially written articles, and naive acceptance of in vogue ideas. One would think that a person who was Biblically oriented would have stayed closer to the wealth of scholarship that had been completed up to that time in this area--and would have been a little bit more accurate about Biblical interpretations. Much of the Watchtower's problem is their incredibly superficial research, and the fact that the attitude of "God directs us" tends to cause one to be lazy--why work hard if God directs your ways, for God will insure that only what is true will be published....
Sincerely,
Jerry Bergman, Ph. D.