Why I Read Raising the Ruins

Near the end of Chapter 17 of Raising the Ruins Stephen Flurry relates how PCG bought some advertising space in some newspapers starting in March 1997 soon after the Court Case began. It is portrayed as a stroke of genius because soon after these ads appeared Tkach Jr., who was finishing writing Transformed by Truth, made a comment in the book about the Court Case saying WCG felt it was their 'Christian duty' to prevent PCG from distributing HWA's writings. This comment allowed PCG to portray WCG as using their copyright to violate PCG's freedom of religion. Over and over again, even within this book, that statement was used as a polemic club against WCG.

Now I was long aware of the existence of Raising the Ruins, but I had no interest in it. At least not enough to read it. That only changed, however, when I saw this newspaper advertisement produced by PCG in New Zealand, courtesy of Que. As any ad is supposed to do this ad made me want to read it. Later I discovered I could read the whole book except the last chapter. Thank you, PCG, for that newspaper advertisement. If I had not seen it I never would have bothered to write about this book.