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General Bookshelf:

These books are excellent additions to one's library.


A Philosophical, Scientific and Theological Defense for the Notion That a God ExistsA 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 WitnessesJudging 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, 1939-1949Armed 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 KingdomSeeking 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 ChoiceYour 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 CrossHistory 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)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 MovementJehovah'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 SlaveThirty 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 SlaveForty 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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Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament by Jason Beduhn

The Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation: With a special look at the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses by Rolf Furuli

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