A recent JW Broadcasting episode features a recording from Russians living under communism - but is it authentic?
A recent JW Broadcasting episode features a recording from Russians living under communism – but is it authentic?

[Update: Since writing this article, it is clear that Watchtower did NOT fake the recording referred to. Here is my apology.]

Last month’s JW Broadcasting episode, hosted by Samuel Herd and Alex Reinmueller, featured a heart-tugging segment about Jehovah’s Witnesses living under communism in the 1950s.

It related the dramatic story of how a recorded message was smuggled out of Russia by being cut up and concealed in the lining of a jacket, before finally finding its way to America. On reaching its destination, the message was played at the 1958 “Divine Will” International Assembly before 253,922 attendees in New York.

There’s just one problem: the message played on the JW Broadcasting episode is not the same as the message played at the actual convention – at least according to an authentic 1958 report from the event.

The JW Broadcasting version of the speech is shown being played to a roomful of tearful survivors from the communist era, who listen intently as the words read by a now-deceased Yuriy Dobychin are played to them for the first time. The message has a clear narrative of persecution (bold is mine):

[Time marker 34:20 – 35:22]

Dear Brothers and Sisters

Because you are gathered together today at an international convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses by the great mercy of our heavenly Father, we wish at the very least to send you a short message about our life and activity in Russia.

It is only because of Jehovah, the Most High God, that we can live and work. Since the end of the second world war up until our time, we have gone through a rather difficult and oppressive journey in the fight to preserve our faith and integrity in this old world. However, in all the difficulties and arrests, through the persecution and repression, we have also had much joy. Our joy comes from seeing many people of good will come to know the truth and come under the direction of the Fine Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

[Time marker 31:25 – 31:31]

We assure you that we likewise desire to keep pace with the New World Society.

Compare this with the original translation read out by convention speaker A. Rutimann, as found in the original 1958 assembly report:

rutimann2

While the Rutimann transcript is a message of perseverance, hope and optimism (expressing the desire of the Russian Witnesses to attend their own assembly in the future), the JW Broadcasting version is a grim message of persecution and oppression.

These are two different speeches, but not so different as to be entirely unrelated. You will note how language from the first paragraph of the Rutimann transcript about the Father’s “undeserved kindness” and the leadership of the “Right Shepherd” is echoed at the beginning and end of the JW Broadcasting version – but there the similarities end.

The 1958 convention report containing a transcript of the Russian message
The 1958 convention report containing a transcript of the Russian message

 

The obvious question is: why are there two versions of the same talk? There are, to my mind, three possible explanations:

  1. Rutimann falsified the translation that was read at the assembly and later printed in the 1958 report, with no apparent motive for doing so.
  2. The Rutimann 1958 translation omitted the part about persecution, repression and “keeping pace” with the New World society – again with no apparent motive. Why censor a speech that Witnesses under communism had gone to such great trouble to send?
  3. The JW Broadcasting version is a fabrication, designed to convey a narrative of Jehovah’s Witnesses being persecuted and oppressed, because the original did not do this sufficiently.

I am happy to let you decide which of these explanations sounds more plausible, but here is the bottom line: either the 1958 convention attendees did not get the full picture, or it is the 2016 JW Broadcasting audience being kept in the dark.

So, would Watchtower really stoop to fabricating a recording of a 1958 recorded message from Russian Witnesses living under communism just to change the narrative to one of persecution? We have no way of knowing. I cannot be certain myself, and I don’t mind if it turns out the JW Broadcasting version is somehow authentic.

There are, however, a few things to consider.

In the JW Broadcasting speech, the writer seems keen to anchor his words in a historical context, writing: “Since the end of the Second World War up until our time…” Bear in mind, this was apparently written only a decade or so from the end of the conflict, so this strikes me as an odd reference to include in a message to thousands of Witnesses in America who were living at the same time and had themselves lived through the war. If you were tasked with writing a similar message today, would you write: “In recent years” or “Since 9/11 up until our time…”? I will let you decide, but I have my doubts.

Rutimann makes a fleeting appearance on the JW Broadasting episode
Rutimann makes a fleeting appearance on the JW Broadcasting episode

Then there is the frugal use of footage from the 1958 convention by the JW Broadcasting producers. Rutimann is only shown introducing the recorded speech, and the crowds applauding after hearing it. Why not also show Dobychin’s words being broadcast to the audience in 1958 if the video for this exists? Why not show Rutimann giving his translation of part of the speech? Such footage would have been stirring for Witnesses to see, and would have been helpful in authenticating the material – but it is skipped entirely.

Finally, there is the dramatization depicting the efforts undertaken to smuggle the recording out of Russia. A couple of Witnesses from Poland are shown being asked to get off a train by Russian police, who were tipped off by a “traitor” that they were carrying the tape. The couple are taken to a dimly-lit office to be searched and interrogated before finally being allowed to continue.

JW Broadcasting have created an elaborate reenactment of an uncorroborated story
JW Broadcasting have created an elaborate reenactment of an uncorroborated story

 

The entire story is apparently based on a third-hand account, because the identity of the couple who undertook the mission is unknown. Also, the story is ultimately uneventful: the couple succeed in their efforts and, despite being forcibly detained and told to remove their clothing, do not report any physical abuse before being allowed to resume their travels.

And yet, Watchtower has gone to extraordinary lengths to film a reenactment of this third-hand, relatively unremarkable story. Period locations are chosen, props and costumes are sourced, at least one vintage car is rented, and actors are cast – not to mention the effort and expense of filming and production.

If Watchtower could go to so much trouble to create a dramatic reenactment essentially telling Witnesses that the world is hell bent on persecuting and oppressing them, there is certainly no lack of motive for them to rewrite a speech from Russians in 1958 who didn’t sound sufficiently repressed and downtrodden, and fake a recording of it. (Another point of interest: the Dobychin speech audio is much clearer and crisper than the brief audio of him giving his “last interview” about the matter, presumably years later.)

And if you still can’t believe that Watchtower would stoop to such subterfuge in re-writing its history, I need only point you to the 2010 DVD Faith In Action – Part 1.

The reason I gave myself the name “Cedars” when I first began my activism in 2011 was because of my dismay at a portion of the DVD in which the American flag was deliberately removed from a digital portrayal of the 1922 Cedar Point Ohio convention. You can see the flag hanging prominently around the stage if you check a photo on page 259 of the Proclaimers book, but the stars and stripes are absent from the reenactment. (Check my JW Broadcasting rebuttal video for clips of the relevant part of the 2010 DVD, and you will see what I mean.)

A picture of the 1922 Cedar Point Ohio convention from page 259 of the Proclaimers book
A photo from the 1922 Cedar Point Ohio convention as shown on page 259 of the Proclaimers book

 

As anyone who has devoted any serious study to Watchtower’s history will tell you, Watchtower has a long history of rewriting it. That is why, though I can’t be certain that the Dobychin speech from the JW Broadcasting video is a fake, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if it proved to be so. But as with so many aspects of this manipulative organization, we will probably never know the full story.

One thing we can be sure of is that, like so many branches of Christian fundamentalism, Watchtower is obsessed with persecution. And it will continue to find ever more inventive, extravagant ways to help Jehovah’s Witnesses feel like an oppressed minority on the cusp of being rescued by divine forces when the end comes.

 

new-cedars-signature3

 

 

 

 

 

 

For photos of the relevant pages of the convention report, click here, here, here and here.

UPDATE: Since writing this piece, one of our readers has brought it to my attention that an original recording of Rutimann’s talk exists online. A link is here. When listening to it, it seems that the part about persecution was indeed included in the original recording, and that the JW Broadcasting version is not a fake. I cannot understand why the part about persecution was read at the assembly but omitted from the convention report, but I am honestly relieved that my fears were misplaced, and that Watchtower has not gone to such extreme lengths to mislead Witnesses.

35 thoughts on “Did Watchtower fake a 1958 speech for propaganda purposes?

  • August 28, 2016 at 2:56 am
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    Why doesn’t someone write a letter to the WT giving them the evidence here and ask for an explanation?

    Would love to see the answer.

    • August 28, 2016 at 8:13 am
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      Watchtower will either ignore that question or not answer it directly. They’ll probably send correspondence to your nearest congregation along with a copy of the original letter/question. The body of elders there will be instructed to assign two elders to visit the person who wrote the letter to ascertain whether the person is “sincere” or not.

      They’ll likely suspect anyone asking such questions is 1.Insincere/not interested in their version of the story 2. An apostate 3. A person who’s been inactive for a long time ( The local elders are sent in case they are familiar with the person who originated the letter).

      Watchtower no longer answers correspondence over the phone. EVERYTHING has to be done by snail mail. It’s the only way they can avoid embarrassing phone calls from being recorded. Control, control, control is the name of the game. Before I left I was still an elder. I sent a number of admittedly difficult questions to the organization. I figured if they can provide a reasonable explanation to these questions then they’ll regain my trust. The organization responded by sending correspondence, not to me an elder for over ten years and at the time still an elder, but to the body of elders. The apostate questions accusation was swift.

      Sorry for my lengthy response. I’m just warning people as to what kind of response to expect. Watchtower HATES embarrassing questions and WILL lie to you right to your face.

      • August 28, 2016 at 10:19 am
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        Wow, that story is consitent with my experience that they are filthy snakes.
        What are those questions you sent? Thrilled to know

    • August 28, 2016 at 2:33 pm
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      There is an Audio recording of the 1958 divine will assembly on the Internet. It confirms what was shown in julys jw broadcasting.
      The printed convention report only contained part of what bro Rutimann said on the audio recording.

      • August 28, 2016 at 11:28 pm
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        Excellent! Since you know where to find this recording, could you share a link? I would be only too happy to clear this up.

      • August 28, 2016 at 11:34 pm
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        I’ve found it, thanks!

      • August 29, 2016 at 2:10 pm
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        Where, on the internet, can we find this audio recording, please? Do you have a web address? What would we search for on Google

  • August 28, 2016 at 4:21 am
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    4. The JW GB can spin lies without remorse …can be as manipulative… can be as deceitful… as well as any other imperfect human on the face of this earth…

    (just saying the truth)

    • August 28, 2016 at 4:24 am
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      Only most imperfect humans on the face of this earth don’t claim to be spokespersons for God, and don’t punish those who disagree with them with family estrangement.

      • August 28, 2016 at 4:36 am
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        What are you trying to say in the first part of your post?

        I’ve noticed years ago that they changed the Watchtowers in the bound volumes from the original ones when they were first published. A few years back they had an article on higher education and they misquoted 3 secular articles on education to make their point.

        The flag in the background though doesn’t really mean much to me. I remember going to assemblies and seeing flags that were put there by the owners of the convention centers not by the brothers so who knows who put it there in that old picture. So removing it is not that big of deal to me. They have done much worse.

        • August 28, 2016 at 4:43 am
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          Regardless of who put the flags there, I personally feel it was dishonest to digitally recreate the venue without them. I don’t expect everyone to see it the same way.

          I’m afraid I don’t really understand your first question. Everything I want to say, I have said in the article.

        • August 28, 2016 at 6:11 am
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          Markie,
          It’s simply a matter of skewing information to control Witnesses.

          The Organization claims to represent the only true god, so they have to look high and holy in order to fit the part. The flag in the picture detracts from that. So does 1975. And using the measurements of the Great Pyramid. And a host of other embarrassments…

          That’s why the Organization will not draw attention to any embarrassing things – they can’t risk having the Witnesses see incongruity because they might wake up. So it really is about maintaining control, which is pretty offensive when you think about it

    • August 28, 2016 at 3:09 pm
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      Perhaps someone at Bethel may have access to the whole film that we saw briefly, or else if there were JW’s who had taken a recording at the convention themselves, but i doubt many would have had access to a portable tape recorder back then.

      Either way I would like more solid evidence, I would like to think this recording is genuine, but there are serious discrepancies between this and the 1958 report.

      Would anyone alive today who was in attendance even remember what was said? How many would have taken down notes of it I wonder?How much of this would exist today?

      Who knows, but it would be interesting if something came to light.

  • August 28, 2016 at 4:36 am
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    Hi Cedars

    They also did a complete falsification on the 2015 Yearbook, dedicated of the works in the Dominican Republic.

    I sent to you and some co workers all the essays. How the JW Org claimed to be the first responders to Haiti’s 2010 the tragic earthquake. Including the really bad homework done by the literature/writing department telling that the marimba musical instrument is used in the Dominican Republic “merengue’s”, which is our national music.

    Etc, etc.

  • August 28, 2016 at 5:21 am
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    I doubt very much that any of the Governing Body research anything that they say at Assemblies because of all the “work” that they have to do according to the latest JWbroadcasting morning worship by Samuel Herd. I want to think that they trust that the writing committees are doing the proper research and wouldn’t lie to them. I don’t know them personally but that could very well be the case and they are just as misled as all the rest of the rank and file.

    • August 28, 2016 at 10:23 am
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      There is a Governing Body member on every committee they have at headquarters, so there really is no excuse in that regard.

      • August 31, 2016 at 12:16 am
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        A surprising response, because “intellect” would mean you’ve probably served on a few committees or oversight groups. Did you do the legwork yourself, or was that farmed out to subordinates?

  • August 28, 2016 at 5:23 am
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    You need to remember that they have removed strong testicles from Jeremiah 5:8

    The verse reads as follows in the reference bible (1984)
    (Jeremiah 5:8) . . .Horses seized with sexual heat, having [strong] testicles, they have become. They neigh each one to the wife of his companion.

    But in their 2013 version, the verse reads:
    (Jeremiah 5:8) . . .They are like eager, lustful horses, Each neighing after another man’s wife.

    If they are able to rewrite the “Word of their god”, they are able to rewrite their own words.

    • August 28, 2016 at 5:45 am
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      I guess they “fixed” that verse!

  • August 28, 2016 at 5:42 am
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    Lloyd,
    Great catch! I agree with Dontknowwheretogo – an explanation is in order. I’m putting my money on Explanation #3.

    Also, I’m glad you wrote about the origin of your moniker. It resounded with me because that convention (1922 Cedar Point) was the subject of another duplicity by the Organization that bothers me – the infamous “Advertise, Advertise, Advertise the King and his Kingdom” speech.

    The November 1, 1922 Watchtower contains the speech given by Rutherford that day. On page 337 is the rousing finale, where he reiterates the set of beliefs that the preachers were supposed to advertise. Nearly ALL of those beliefs have been discarded. Conveniently for the Witnesses, the quotations in the Proclaimers book and all the current literature omit (…) the really embarrassing stuff.

  • August 28, 2016 at 7:09 am
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    Are they capable of deceit? You can bet your house on it!
    What about joining the U,N, as an N,G,O, in 1991 and
    withdrawing 10 years later. But only after they were
    exposed in the Guardian newspaper. And the WT and
    the U,N, were swamped with calls from perplexed and
    worried R & F JWs.

    More deception followed. They claimed they withdrew
    because the criteria for membership had changed.
    This prompted the U,N, to publish a statement to the
    effect that, “The criteria for association for NGOs have
    not changed since 1991”.

    How they strain out the gnat when making rules for
    others but gulp down the camel themselves. And
    shamelessly lie when exposed.

    • August 29, 2016 at 9:43 am
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      @ Twmack:

      This U.N. debacle is probably the main reason I left the ‘truth’ three years ago. If there exists divine being, a Jehovah if you will, I cannot begin to imagine how angry/disgusted he is with this organization that misrepresents him and his name by the complete hypocrisy shown by the so called ‘faithful and discrete slave’.

      So many plagues/problems have befallen this counterfeit Christianity that they are almost to numerous to mention.

      However, the ones that stand out in my mind are as follows; lack of growth, lack of contributions, lack of attendance to the memorial, a growth of partakers at the memorial (to the tune of over 5,000 new partakers in 10 years), a constant change in scriptural understanding involving adjustments (read New Light), rampant child abuse problems with no end in sight, a possible loss of ‘charitable status’ in U.K. etc.,etc.

      I don’t believe for one minute that God is going to continue blessing (if he ever did) this Great Disappointment Millerite/Rutherford Adventist abomination.

      I attended this convention with my family back in 1958, and Armageddon was ‘just around the corner’. Now here we are in 2016 with all of my family (except my younger brother) that were in attendance now dead! Some corner, huh. Now we are 41 years past 1975 (this October) also we are into the 21st century (some believed Armageddon would come before the 20th century ended) and past 2014 (100 years of Jesus’ invisible heavenly reign) so when can we expect another flash of New Light? Will Armageddon come in 2033 the 2000 year anniversary of the death and supposed resurrection of Jesus Christ?

      To all interested ones I say, “Don’t count on it!”

  • August 28, 2016 at 9:26 am
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    Cedars, thank you for exposing the lies and deceit of the Watchtower. Perhaps even more people will wake up just like I have.

    The Watchtower is certainly not a morally upright organization.

  • August 28, 2016 at 11:20 am
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    It would not surprise me to find that they have faked this information. The Watchtower Society have a very long history of deception, misusing sources, and rewriting history.

    A good number of the J references in their publications were given fake titles. Those that got the fake titles usually were the ones that said what they lied about when they told the reading public and members of the congregations that there were no Hebrew versions of the Christian Greek Scriptures that said that “Jesus is Jehovah,” “Jehovah Jesus” or the like. It makes it harder to find those references when people use those fake titles. And a number of them actually do come out and identify Jesus as Jehovah. Cannot have those in the translation!

    It is like their publications that stated that Justin the Martyr (and other early Christians) believed the same regarding the identity of Jehovah as the Father as do Witnesses today. That also was a blatant lie. A careful reading of his writings shows that Justin the Martyr believed that the Father didn’t have a name and that the same God who appeared to the people of the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures was Jesus himself. We all know who that was, and he went by the name Jehovah. What is more, although Justin the Martyr indeed did believe that the Father and Son were separate Gods (the Greek text is clearer than is the English translation on that matter), the Watchtower Society Governing Body claim that early Christians believed that Jesus was crucified on a “torture stake” reading the actual texts shows otherwise. Several of them described what only could be a cross, or at least two pieces of wood placed at right angles, and the earliest writers use comparative analogies that make it very clear that they are speaking of crosses with more than one beam rather than a torture stake.

    They also added the name Jehovah where there is no justification, and have removed instances of the name Jehovah even though it fits their “rules” for putting the name there but contradicts their theology to put it in those places, for they clearly refer to Jesus Christ. It simply wouldn’t do to put “Jehovah” in those places when they are speaking of Christ, even when the Hebrew versions say that and even when they are found in quotations from the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures that contain the Tetragrammaton!

    And, they have deliberately mistranslated passages in the scripture and misquoted or otherwise misreferenced Lexicons to justify their mistranslations, particularly when they conflict with their doctrines. A couple out of many numerous examples can be seen at Hebrews 12:9 and 1 Corinthians 15:29. In their publications, they cite the reference from Liddell and Scott that says that hyper in the genitive can be translated “for the purpose of [being]” but when you look at the actual entry in the Lexicon in any edition it says that hyper can hold this meaning when used “with the infinitive.” A look at the Greek of 1 Corinthians 15:29 shows that there is no infinitive in the text whatsoever!

    At Hebrews 12:9 they put “the Father of our spiritual life” there, and that is deceptive. The Greek actually reads “the Father of the spirits [of us], or, more literally, “the Father of the spirits” (the meaning of “of us” in brackets being supplied by the context). But, the Greek language has ways of saying “of spiritual life” but none of those ways are used in the Greek text, not any Greek text. The ways are: zoes pneumatikes, tes zoes pneumatikes, tes zoes tes pneumatikes, tes pneumatikes zoes, and the like. Now, why would the Watchtower Society want to hide that from current readers (they even used to have a footnote calling attention to the literal reading but have since removed it from their current editions of their Bible)? It is because they teach their people that men do not have spirits except in the sense of a “life force” but this passage implies that men do have actual spirits, and that the Father is the Father of them. Likewise, they must interpret away any passage that even comes close to implying that something can be of benefit to the dead, such as what they did to the passage from 1 Corinthians I cited above. One can think what one wants about the actual meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:29 but it is clear that in any case they badly mistranslated that passage and misquoted/misused a well-respected Greek-English Lexicon to justify their mistranslation.

    And on and on and on the list goes throughout their history.

  • August 28, 2016 at 11:58 am
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    The JW organization are the ones victimizing abused children by calling them liars.

    This is just more proof at what lengths they will go to make themselves the victims.

    The communist rule is what happens when you become baptized. The JWs will control EVERYTHING about you and say it’s really God that wants it.

    They have killed more people over “no eating blood” than any JW were killed from Nazis. …..btw- no eating blood regardless of whether it is cooked or not means no eating meat, not no getting a life saving blood transfusion!

    • August 28, 2016 at 2:21 pm
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      Yes,well, I pointed out to an Elder that he took blood while enjoying a juicy steak and he replied “oh, but that’s only a little bit”.
      Ok, lets extend that logic out a bit; If I were to to kidnap somebody, strap them to a slab and push a knife into their chest one millimeter per week until they died, I couldn’t possibly be guilty of murder because I pushed that knife in ‘only a little at a time’.
      Excellent!….now to make a list….

  • August 28, 2016 at 2:48 pm
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    Wow! I was at that convention and remember the 9am until 9pm talks as we sat in the ‘bleachers’. The photo of that report brought back such memories for me both sweet and bitter! We stayed at the New Yorker after ‘the brothers’ had fixed us up in a Puerto Rican ghetto hotel. I don’t remember this film as I was just 8 years old but the endless hours on concrete steps were brutal! I began to hate ‘the anointed’ as a kid because they just couldn’t get enough and were oblivious of children. Back then we all had dozens of ‘anointed ones’ in every congregation and these old farts chose dreadful Sunday afternoon meetings (when all the kids were playing street hockey). The meetings went on forever and even had a ‘smoking break’ between the 1 hour public talk and 1 hour WT study. We did 3 hours minimum every Sat and Sun morning often offering 6 books and a free bible at the doors. And even when it was -30C in Toronto!!!!

    Brutal being a JW kid in the 50’s trust me! never mind the hypocrisy!

    • August 29, 2016 at 10:01 am
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      @ Ktmmadbrit;

      My family and I stayed at the New Yorker Hotel later on, but in 1958 we stayed at the former Barbizon-Plaza Hotel in 1988, the hotel was acquired by Donald Trump who converted it into a 340-unit condominium known as the Trump Parc. Trump also purchased the adjacent smaller building at 100 Central Park South (on the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue) that is now known as Trump Parc East.

      Yes those were the days, long winded 9am to 9pm sessions. Eight days long, Sunday to Sunday with breaks for lunch and dinner. You wouldn’t believe that there was that much to say would you? How about those long winded, never ending, session closing Bethel prayers? Solomon’s temple dedication wasn’t as long!

  • August 28, 2016 at 10:11 pm
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    And the GB has the audacity to call Apostates deceitful, while they are truly masters of deceit

  • August 29, 2016 at 3:41 am
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    I think you should do your homework well. The allegations implied above are not light. Please if u don’t have all the facts do not post an article.

    • August 29, 2016 at 3:43 am
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      If you’re looking for a perfect individual who can write about Watchtower without ever making mistakes, I suggest you look elsewhere or attempt this yourself. What is important is that, once the error was brought to my attention, an apology was immediately forthcoming.

    • August 29, 2016 at 6:16 am
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      If only the Watchtower would do that about some pretty heinous things they have done with their sources. Cedars, when he is wrong about something, will apologize and drop it.

      Not so with the Watchtower. They will take sources and misuse them, and falsely translate passages in the Bible because if they translated correctly these passages would contradict their teaching, and then lie about some of it in public writings and to their followers when the truth begins to become known. They even faked the names of some of their J references to make them harder to find and reference, and hid from their followers passages in them that actually come out and say that Jesus is also called Jehovah in some of them, and then had the audacity to lie to readers about the existence of some of them.

  • August 29, 2016 at 8:22 am
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    Re: 1922 Cedar Point convention flag hanging–there’s an easy out on why the flag is shown prominently in a public meeting hall; all public assembly places usually drape the flag on display or have it displayed on flag poles. The users would not have rights to remove such displays. The reenactment obviously is how Watchtower wishes it had prepped the meeting facilities, but also reflects not knowing whether this was some of the W* “Babylon-ish” features when it endorsed flag saluting and support of the military, or the previous mentioned public display of the flag. It does reflect tendency to revise history as W* wished it not as factually occurred–similar to the discomfort of a reenactment of Bethel during Christmas morning around that same period.

    The Russian message broadcast in 1958 would not need to include references to the persecution because EVERY adult alive in the European, Asia, Australia and NA beyond the Iron Curtain was aware of the anti-religious sentiments and persecution experienced behind the Iron Curtain; the Watchtower Soc orchestrated and encouraged letter-writing campaigns to various oppressive regimes during that era and in the 1960’s to change leadership minds [lobbying?], so the audience was aware.

    The emphasis on the positives in the original 1958 message were obviously to stir emotions and enthusiasm for those beyond the Veil of Iron who had relative ease in practicing their religion. Changing the content in the “dramatic movie” [ie: artistic license] released in present time was seemingly an attempt to make the message relevant (simplified) to viewers in our current time who only have patience for a multi-seconds Vine or 5 to 10-minutes You-Tube clip and have no thoughts or interests in studying socioeconomic and political climate and events in 1958.

    For example, a few months later would mark the start of the Berlin Crisis by Nikita Khrushchev; the next year Khrushchev would visit the USA.

    The first successful ICBM launch also happened in the fall of 1958 (USA) and 1957 (USSR).

    With an audience that is dulled to the nuances of history and education regarding political events from secular sources, the W* is confined to dilutions of its own history similar to Hollywood’s dramatic portrayals of history.

  • August 30, 2016 at 3:12 pm
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    Excellent work Cedar!

    Many answers /comments are so true.

    Gretings to all,

    Alessandro Wedell

Comments are closed.