Jehovah’s Witnesses: Does the Watchtower have rules against reading non-JW literature?

Belittling the contributions, sacrifices and or experiences of other religions is nothing new for the Watchtower and Jehovah's Witnesses. They are featured in the Washington DC Holocaust Museum with their own section but how often do they themselves ever discuss the plight or contributions of other people WITHOUT the self promotions or minimizing of others? I will not comment on the letter to Hitler from the Watchtower as I have not examined that in depth yet.

To this general subject specifically, I took several classes in history and Holocaust studies, even taught several classes myself. And I can tell you from the several shelves full of research I have that this idea that Jehovah's Witnesses were more outspoken than other Christians or non-Christians is completely false. I can also say that the assertion "ONLY against Witnesses was Hitler unsuccessful" is also blatantly false as any basic course in Holocaust studies would show.

I've just started a personal project on this very subject and I'm reading an interesting book called "the myth of hitler's pope" Your question makes me wish I had started sooner, I might have been able to give you more specific information. I'll keep you in my thoughts as I go... I would be interested in seeing where the information in the Watchtower article you mentioned came from as there are no sources quoted beyond the vague "Eberle" I have spent quite a bit of time looking for it and haven't found it. I will continue trying.

Something did strike me as odd, in the article you mention, the Watchtower says "witnesses from about 50 countries sent Hitler some 20,000 letters and telegrams protesting the mistreatment of Jehovah's Witnesses" I haven't been able to find a reference to this. The only article I could find on the subject is one from "Duetsche Welle" from a number of years ago which says that Eberle went through more than 20,000 documents total, not 20,000 specifically from Jehovah's Witnesses. It also says "A small number of Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses also wrote to Hitler, begging him to spare their family members.

There is also a small number of letters from non-Germans." 20,000 letters from Jehovah's Witnesses alone as the Watchtower says would hardly be a "small number" so I am wondering where the disconnect is. I can also find no reference to the closing remark of the Watchtower article. If anyone would provide some original sources that might clear up this confusion, I would be much obliged.

EDIT No luck yet on the quoted 20,000 number, but I have learned from Borders that Briefe an Hitler will be released in English in March 2012. I do speak limited German but for this task I will gladly leave it to the professionals and wait patiently for the translated book. Ah, thank you Big Guy for finding an article.

20,000 letters deffinately would not have been a "small number.

They don't get it. They can take the entire bible out of context and can not understand anything presented in front of them. They will read it and say that it means something completely different than what is written.

Just as they do with the Word of God. Blind and deaf to truth... the reality of their inability to perceive, and their unwillingness to hear. Sad.

Very sad.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.