Rating: 
Summary: The Best Scholarly Treatment of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Review: Professor (emer.) Jim Penton grew up a Jehovah's Witness, and remained a well-known apologist for the controversial movement even as a professional historian. His earlier (published) study of the movement's unkind treatment by Quebec's authorities is from this period. Eventually, however, he was disfellowshipped from the movement after raising certain criticisms, along with a significant number of other members of the congregation in his hometown Lethbridge. Dr. Penton's combination of personal insight and professional distance has produced a milestone product that simply cannot be overlooked by any serious student of the sect. The book has three sections: History; Concepts and Doctrine; and Organization and Community. Penton looks at the history of the movement from the 1870s, its doctrinal changes, its leader figures and the sect's countless predictions of the end of the world. His insight into the inner workings is especially evident when he describes the current organizational structure and the sociological makeup of the Witnesses. The bibliography is extensive, and Penton even includes a somewhat subjective but very valuable evaluation of the sources available. This book is certainly critical of the Witnesses in many respects, but not as much as many evangelical JW critics would hope. It kills many popular myths about the sect, and criticizes inaccurate or unfounded claims made by the group's religious opponents as much as it criticizes the sect's own -- often horribly inaccurate and unreliable -- history versions.
This reviewer is also a former member of the sect, and is a graduate student of History of Religions at the University of Bergen, Norway. Note:Searching the Net for articles by James Penton will reveal a number of interesting writings about the JWs that comes highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent tool
Review: Apocalypse Delayed tells the step by step story of how the Watchtower society became what it is today and how every single prediction ever made by the society has failed to come true. It also shows a devastating portrait of the 1975 debacle. Anyone who considering joining or leaving the group ought to read this book first.
Rating:
Summary: Thank God
Review: As a former member (20 years)I thank god that there is finally some truth out there. After all the years of brainwashing and lies (1975 remember? and this generation shall not pass) what a bunch of horsecrap! Now to cover their lies the Watchtower society is spewing a bunch of crap about how the light gets brighter toward the end? I thank god I woke up, I also thank god I didn't let my daughter get exposed to this venom, now all I have to do is make amends to my family that I have neglected for 20 years while I was Under the veil!
Rating:
Summary: Insightful
Review: Funny how the last review is based on typical uneducated predjucicial comments of one who cannot even take the time to READ what it is they are criticizing. JW's should be taken for the manipulators that they are, the biggest "organized" religion of them all... That is exactly the type of "behavior" this religion instills in its sheep. This book is very insightful, very. Don't let these blind sheep stop you from educating yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: MY POINT OF VIEW.
Review: I am at the moment a Jehovahs witness and a firm believer in the religion too. I will tell you now I am 15 years old and have found it a struggle understand the religion but after reshearching it on my own I found that many people like to twist the truth. in fact we are evan told in the bible that this would happen, (John 15 v 19)If you do nothing else please read this scripture. This is what made me want to look into the bible further and make a relationship with God.
I even think that the fact you all are reading this book means you are looking for somthing so why read a bias book go and find a Jehovahs wittness(and it wont take long to find us) and ask a few questions if you never want to speak to us again after that we will never bother you, but please at least try it.
you may be surprised at what you find out. Just to tell you lastly we are not boring even though we dont celebrate chrismas etc... we DO have a great laugh we can drink just not to the point where we are falling over and I have never regretted making a stand for who I am, I probbably never will either.
So if you do decide to read this book get the other side of the story too then make up your mind.
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Summary: An VERY thorough and objective history of the Watchtower
Review: I have read many history books of the WT: 1975 yearbook, "Proclaimers" book, Marley Cole's books, "Evocative Religion", as well as from anti-WT authors like Martin. Penton has endeavored to produce a straightforward account of the major actors in the WT movement. JW's whom I know were open-minded enough to have read this book recognize its historical accuracy, but often resent the fact that it shows too much of the fraile, human,and naive side of the Watchtower's principal players. Why? Because to do so weakens their faith in the organization, that it is THE sole organization on earth directed by Jehovah. Penton has done admirable job of treating the main figures and events very matter-of-factly, but I think he sometimes bends over backwards in a few places in defending C.T. Russell.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful
Review: I wouldn ever waste my time reading this book, I can just sum it up instinctively by reading the title and some of the thoughts contained in the book, and safely say that this man obviously loves wasting his time. You know, it's funny really, Jesus was the son of God, but he was murdered, they never believed in him, they hated him in fact! The weird thing is he was right, but most people then thought he was wrong! Sounds familiar doesn't it? People hate witnesses, they chastise, persecute, ridicule, and they never stop to think really what their actions might be telling them. As history tells us they play a big part in getting religious freedom for everyone due to their various court trials defending the preaching work. Jehovah's Witnesses do not hurt the community, they are not involved in crimes of hate towards anyone, they simply preach Bible Truths, and people want to sit their and write books about how harmful they are. It's just insanely hilarious, I thought cults liked to spend their time trying to milk money out of people and getting them to do harmful things to themselves and others, and you know what, I don't see either of those things going on with the community of Jehovah's Witnesses. So if you want to waste your time, go ahead and read it, but if you want to find actual truth, talk to an actual witness and observe the way in which they behave, then you tell me who is living life in the way it should be lived.
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Summary: Penton "pents" up false rage, albeit quietly
Review: James Penton (university professor no less) aligns forces with Raymond Franz and any and all other apostates from the Christian congregation to speak smoothly to an "audience" bereft of understanding (bin) and accurate knowledge (epignosis). These men are singed with treachery in their hearts, due to their former course of wrongdoing as Jehovah's Witnesses. Consequently, they now spend much of their time defaming and decrying the so-called "evils" of the Watchtower Society and its surefire "predictions" of the past. Such men inevitably revert to the false teachings of apostate Christendom in the end as well. Beware of false teachers!-2 Tim.4:3,4. The end of them is their own destruction.-2 Pet.3:16
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Summary: Now the Truth can be Told (about "The Truth")
Review: This is a good overview of Watchtower history. It reveals just how many predictions they got wrong, and how many doctrines fell by the wayside. Fortunately, the writer sticks to the facts and doesn't get into doctrinal debates. An awesome amount of research went into this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent biography of a very charismic organization
Review: This is the second of the books that describe the inner-workings of Watchtower and the society of the "witness" community. I also found this publication very informative. Penton breaks down his work into two parts: HISTORY and DOCTRINE and THEOLOGY. This reading is helpful because it helps the reader understand that this movement once was very small and adhered to many of the traditional belief systems of it's founder; Charles Taze Russell and his association with other adventist religious groups. Apocolypse... also helps readers understand the four management systems and changes undergone by four different leaders, which are mentioned in great detail in the pages. PART TWO, helps readers understand the organizational structure of both "Watchtower" and the "witness" community. Readers also learn the doctrine and it's comparison to other doctrines. Apocalypse... is laced with interesting historic anecdotes and illustrations of the organization's viewpoint of traditional society outside itself. I recommend reading this publication if you are a student of mind control organizations. I give this a definite five star rating.
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