Posted by J.H. on March 17, 1999 at 14:35:46 {MWKQmDRkic4cM}:
In Reply to: Review of Rolf Furuli's Book posted by Steve Turner on March 17, 1999 at 13:42:19:
Steve,
: What I could not understand was how anyone, especially someone like J. H., could even offer comment on a book that they have not yet read.
I did not. I provided background information on the author. I was not asked about the book, but about the person, so I did not talk about it. I think it's polite to answer the question you are asked. Don't you?
The book is about a topic I don't care very much about, by a person I consider a total crackpot. By not informing the reader that he's a JW elder in the "ad" for the book, I will also say he is totally dishonest.
: I would also like to know what exactly an "old fashioned M.A." is.
"Magister grad(=degree)". It was the name of the degree qualifying for a PhD study before the education reform that made Norway's university degrees conform to international standards. It is equivalent in standard for "backward compatibility", but the form of study is actually very different.
: For as often as J.H. and others hammer away at the WTS for suppressing truth and not allowing their members to read certain literature (issues with which I agree), I find it odd that J.H. would do anything other than inform a person who inquires about a particular book to simply read it and determine for themselves if its contents are meritorious or not.
If anyone cares about the subject, by all means read the book. I never discouraged anyone from doing it. But personally I have a long reading list, and I don't read a book unless I have reasons to expect the author to have anything of value to say to me. I expect others have the same problem.
I have read much of what Furuli has written, and heard him talk, and I simply don't believe he's able to form a single coherent argument on any subject. The man is also thoroughly intellectually dishonest, and such people bore me immensely.
Thanks for providing your review of the book
here.