Talk:Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

About the name

"Watchtower Bible and Tract Society" seems much more used than "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania", even if the later is the official name. In doubt, I preferred the most familiar and most linked version.

Maybe a similar page ought to be made for the New York branch ? Flammifer 05:45, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

this page, and others, put the headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and describe the "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York" as a "publisher".

this could take some clarification :-P Flammifer 05:48, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

... I think maybe the best would be for this page to be a kind of "disambiguation" page, stating that there are two entities that are referred to as the WBTS, that of Penns. and that of NY. The two are so close it's hard to disassociate them (I mean, it looks like the WBTS of Pennsylvania has it's headquarters in New York anyway). At least, I don't think it's worth making a seperate article for each of them.

That would also help making the Legal instruments of Jehovah's Witnesses article a bit clearer. Flammifer 06:26, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

Yep. It's so confusing! According to both The Watchtower and Awake! magazines, the copyright for said magazines rests with Penn., but are published by NY.

I agree with the disambiguation. There should be a Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania article to match the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (though currently redirected) and International Bible Students Association ones. --K. 07:04, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

About the disambiguation, I meant something more like keeping both meanings, both corporations, on the same page - having this page being about *both* organizations. "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society generally refers to ..., though ...". Flammifer 09:15, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

I see what you mean, but it's not really accurate to say that WTBTS refers to both. Terms like The Society and The Watchtower Society do refer to all the legal instruments as a whole (including IBSA), but WTBTS refers specifically to the Penn. corporation. That's why I think they should be separate. --K. 12:25, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

Redirect target

Onlookers have often been confused about two separate notable corporations. A person typing in this entry here,
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, would likely intend one of the following:

• Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
• Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

I submit the researcher is more likely searching for the New York corporation. In any event, the target for the redirect from here should be Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses, largely because it has sections on BOTH those corporations (plus one other domestic corporation). It seems obvious to me that a person researching

1. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York might search for
2. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society without realizing "of New York" is even part of the corporate name.

A certain editor apparently disagrees. Please discuss. --AuthorityTam (talk) 16:07, 7 May 2010 (UTC)