General Bookshelf:
These books are excellent additions to one's library.
A Philosophical, Scientific and Theological Defense for the Notion That a God
Exists
Hal Flemings has presented a very persuasive case for the reasonableness of
God's existence. Flemings' approach is innovative, refreshing and hardly ever
encountered in other books belonging to this genre. He initiates his discussion
of theistic and atheistic arguments by seeking to clarify what the term "God"
means. I believe you will find the answers he supplies in the first chapter of
his work to be quite informative. Flemings then proceeds to review what deists,
theists, pantheists and agnostics have argued with respect to God's existence.
These arguments are handled in an objective and balanced way: the author is not
interested in simply pontificating. This also makes his book a pleasure to read.
Flemings' book contains 10 chapters including a discussion of holy books that
different religions use and there is a chapter dealing with the problem of evil.
I especially enjoyed the chapter about the various arguments that have been
posited to prove God's existence. Flemings handles the ontological,
teleological, anthropological and scientific arguments for God with the utmost
care and skill. I encourage you to purchase this book, if you have ever wondered
whether there is logical, scientific or theological evidence that points to the
existence of a loving and benevolent, all wise Creator. The information
contained in this work can also be employed to help non-theists seriously
reflect on the question as well as the reality of God. Review by Edgar
Foster - University of Glasgow.
Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of
the Rights Revolution
While millions of Americans were defending liberty against the Nazis, liberty
was under vicious attack at home. One of the worst outbreaks of religious
persecution in U.S. history occurred during World War II when Jehovah's
Witnesses were intimidated, beaten, and even imprisoned for refusing to salute
the flag or serve in the armed forces.
Judging Jehovah's Witnesses tells how persecution--much of it directed by
members of patriotic organizations like the American Legion--touched the lives
of Witnesses of all ages; why the Justice Department and state officials ignored
the Witnesses' pleas for relief; and how the ACLU and liberal clergymen finally
stepped forward to help them. Drawing on interviews with Witnesses and extensive
research in ACLU archives, Peters examines the strategies that beleaguered
Witnesses used to combat discrimination and goes beyond the familiar Supreme
Court rulings by analyzing more obscure lower court decisions as well.
By vigorously pursuing their cause, the Witnesses helped to inaugurate an era
in which individual and minority rights emerged as matters of concern for the
Supreme Court and foreshadowed events in the civil rights movement.
Armed With the Constitution: Jehovah's
Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1949
Researches the contributions of two Jehovah's Witnesses--a black man and a white
woman--in expanding the meaning of the First Amendment through their challenge
of the white male power structure in Alabama in the early 1940s. Examines two
key US Supreme Court decisions, as well as court records, memoirs, letters, and
interviews of Jehovah's Witnesses. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc.
Portland, Or.
Seeking
First the Kingdom
Albert E. Leather has for many years, been associated with the New World Society
of Jehovah's Witnesses. From the time, he was a mere boy, he has been a diligent
biblicist in pursuit of true knowledge concerning God's Word of the Bible. Over
the years, it has been his personal joy in teaching others the value of Seeking
First The Kingdom of God. It has been his privilege to have authored several
Bible essays on World events, including the endangered environment. His current
writing, entitled "Seeking First The Kingdom" is done in a simple down to earth
writing style. One, which this Writer, sincerely hopes the reader will
appreciate in understanding the importance of the Lord's counsel to seek first
the Kingdom of God.
Your Body, Your Choice
Your Body, Your Choice is the first book addressed to the lay-person on the
revolutionary scientific advancements currently challenging the whole practice
of one of medicine's oldest therapies – blood transfusion. The long and
widely accepted notion that donated blood is the "gift of life" has been thrust
under the microscope. Scientific scrutiny is proving quite conclusively that the
old notion is deeply flawed. Indeed, all too often, the "gift of life" has
become the "bringer of death." Your Body, Your Choice encapsulates a whole
new world of thinking. It focuses on the extraordinary revolution destined to
have direct and vital impact on the lives of all seeking treatment in hospitals
or medical clinics.
History of the Cross
As many have suspected, there is much more to the true, authentic history of the
Christian religion than what we had originally been told. Some claims regarding
the Church's history are accurate, some are not. The most extreme claims against
the religion come from the atheist camp and often remain unproved. But this book
is completely different. It comes from a devout Christian, Henry Dana Ward, a
believer in Christ who backs himself up with scholarly research and facts. Why,
then, was this book written if it goes against traditional beliefs and
acceptance? It is because the traditional beliefs surrounding the cross and its
worship are wrong! It took time for us to eventually accept the cross in its
current form and to worship it and, according to Ward, this was a pagan symbol
that should never have been adopted. Idols were not to be worshipped by the
earliest of Christians, and the cross was no exception to this rule. Not
worshipping the cross is consistent with early Christianity and is not
heretical. Its lack of worship is part of Christianity's foundational beliefs
and its exclusion should be part of the religion's current structure, according
to Ward. Revering the cross is based on lies, deception, and ignorance. Ward
shows how the lies began, who spread them, and how and why they did it.
Jehovah's Witnesses: The African
American Enigma--A Contemporary Study (Vol. I)
Firpo Carr's "Jehovah's Witnesses: The African American Enigma--A Contemporary
Study" is a work that those interested in issues concerning Jehovah's Witnesses
and African Americans cannot afford to ignore. I have read and thoroughly
enjoyed this work. Carr's use of the Society's own publications and other
secular materials demonstrates his refined research skills and requisite caution
with meticulous details. I learn something new about the Witnesses everytime
that I pick up this book. But I now want to critique the writer on his style and
substance. Firpo is an excellent writer. I found the publication hard to
put down, found myself laughing to the point of tears and was utterly thrilled
and delighted by Carr's "hypothetical Awake! article" (pp. 26-28) about Benjamin
Banneker. Carr also avoids redundancy and makes use of the rich English language
with facility. Most important, however, is the substance contained in Carr's
book. Carr's new work is not all style and no substance. The monograph is
as substantial as it is polished vis-a-vis its style. The author deals with such
potent issues as Afrocentricity and Watchtower publications, Samuel Herd's (a
black man) Appointment to the Governing Body, the old "colored" branch office of
the Society, the intriguing relationship between the Nation of Islam and
Jehovah's Witnesses, and the heated issue of beards on white men and black
males. Carr's treatment of these issues is balanced, penetrating and honest. He
does not seek to criticize the WT Society or the Christian Congregation of
Jehovah's Witnesses. Carr does seek to deal with certain (real or imagined)
overlooked needs of black Witnesses. After reading Carr's first volume of this
series, I eagerly await volume 2 of this invaluable contribution to African
American and religious studies. Reviewed by Edgar Foster.
Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a
Contemporary Religious Movement
Why do people convert to the Watch Tower Society? How can these Jehovah's
Witnesses persist in their belief that the end of the world is imminent? In this
academic study, Holden, a British sociologist, attempts to understand why the
strict and austere Watch Tower Society continues to enjoy rapid growth. This is
neither a primer on the danger of "cults" nor an endorsement of the Witnesses'
distinctive beliefs, but a balanced ethnography that draws upon interviews with
both adherents and ex-members to help readers understand what it is like to be
part of the Society. Holden's main thesis that the Watch Tower is engaged in
careful and ongoing negotiations with the secular culture that surrounds it is a
nuanced one, especially compared to previous studies that have depicted the
movement as little more than an extremist rejection of modernity. The study
bears the marks of the dissertation that it once was: it overexplains how data
were collected and analyzed, surveys the historiography of the topic (which, as
Holden points out, is all but nonexistent in the case of the Witnesses) and
relies heavily on a few theorists (in this case, Clifford Geertz and Mary
Douglas). But the topic is compelling enough that readers who are interested in
the Watch Tower will be obliged to put aside Holden's academese and be grateful
for what he has given them: a thoughtful book that takes the Witnesses' own
beliefs and words seriously.
Thirty Years As Jehovah's Slave
The original purpose of this work was to provide a non-Watchtower Society
explanation of Jehovah's Witnesses to the authors in-laws that would be
objective and not "preachy". He was amazed how his uncle responded to the
information as "proofreader". His uncle had previously been opposed to Jehovah's
Witnesses, but found the book very enlightening in understanding one of the
world's most misunderstood religions. So, Jeffrey Neumann decided to make this
information available to others who want to know what Jehovah's Witnesses
believe without worrying about having repeat visitations by them. So this
publication fits a niche for individuals who are sincerely interested in knowing
what Jehovah's Witnesses believe. It is a friendly and objective approach for
those trying to understand.
Forty Years As Jehovah's Willing Slave
After ten years, the Author of "Thirty Years as Jehovah's Slave" wrote this
updated version. In it he brings the reader up to date on his life, and adds a
new chapter "Loyalty". The title change indicates the pleasure one can have
serving, or slaving for God. After the fortieth anniversary of his baptism as
one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the author decided to make this edition more
desirable to his fellow Witnesses. The new chapter on loyalty has been added as
a result of the author's extreme testing of his loyalty and faith, particularly
since 1994. It is hoped that this addition will help others maintain their
loyalty to God no matter what may happen. Mr. Neumann, having suffered from
extreme clinical depression since the death of his brother in 1984, went from
bad to worse; experiencing new depths of utter despair one after the other. His
success in maintaining his loyalty is summed up in the new chapter so that
others whose service to God is tested will remain steadfast.
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