This is rough draft of a letter that I was thinking of sending to various Human Rights organizations. I am interested in your thoughts. I WILL NOT INCLUDE ANYONE'S WEBSITE WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.
To whom it may concern,
I recently learned about your site, and I am in agreement with all humans having rights as regards religion. Are you aware that the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses routinely violate the human rights of their members, while simultaneously claiming persecution themselves? No member of Jehovah's Witnesses is allowed freedom of thought, conscience or allowed to criticize doctrine. While the opposite view is presented to the public, the reality is quite different. Any independent thinking is forbidden. In fact, a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses can be excommunicated for simply holding private beliefs that differ in any way, however slightly, from current doctrine. Freedom of belief is simply not allowed. Those who are born into the organization have few options open to them.
Once disfellowshipped ( excommunicated ) a member of Jehovah's Witnesses is cut off from all contact with the rest of the members of the congregation. This shunning is extreme and causes emotional and mental anguish to the excommunicated member. All friends and family will cease all contact due to fear of being excommunicated themselves. The official stance is that excommunication does not sever immediate family ties. The reality however is much different. Many time the pressure exerted by the hierarchy upon families causes one spouse to leave the other. Many become depressed, despondent, dependent upon alcohol and medication, and in many cases become suicidal.
The reason for the severe stress is because there is no honorable way for one of Jehovah's Witnesses to leave the organization. Any doubts about doctrine result in immediate disciplinary action and " marking " of the offender. If a member learns that a particular doctrine is false, or that a crime has been committed, they are pressured to remain silent or face a Judicial Committee of Congregation Elders. If found guilty, they could be charged with " apostasy " and shunned, considered " mentally diseased " by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. They are deemed worthy of death, and are quarantined from the rest of the flock because of their mental " disease." Many of the issues they experience are dealt with by author Stephen Hassan, an ex-cult member, and expert on cults and high-control groups. This shunning continues to take place despite the public image set forth at JW.ORG, the official, sanctioned website of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The dangers faced by members of the Jehovah's Witness organization are very real. Employment can be lost, marriages are ruined because one mate denies affection to the other because of religious differences , family ties are broken. The mental and emotional anguished cause by the Congregational policies fly in the face of everything your website proclaims as basic human rights. Often times, the religious leaders encourage or give tacit support to active Jehovah's Witnesses divorcing the offending mate. The damage to the divorced spouse, and to the children is beyond quantifying. Problems that could be worked out by the families themselves are exacerbated by the leadership who insert themselves into the private matters of families.
The extreme shunning and sanctions against free will and the right to exercise one's own conscience, and right to belief within the organization known as The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is evidence of their hypocritical nature. Their claim to support religious freedom and basic human rights is shown to be false time and again, as an untold number are shunned each and every year, many are guilty of simply disagreeing, even respectfully, with current teachings or policies. Freedom of independent thought, the right to conscientious objection regarding current doctrines, the right to respectful disagreement and debate are not allowed. Members of the religion are simply forbidden to pursue any of the freedoms that Human Rights organizations champion.
Children are also at risk due to child molestation within the Congregations. Many children will continue to be put at risk since the policies to protect children are woefully inadequate and internal procedures ensure that the reputation of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is protected. Rank & file members, as they are called by Congregation leaders, are forbidden to complain about child protection policies, as this is considered rebellion against the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Many have been excommunicated for refusing to remain silent about the dangers facing children within the community of Jehovah's Witnesses. There are current high profile cases concerning child abuse cover-ups being discussed in Courts within the United States, as well as Victoria Australia. Many more cases have been secretly settled out of court, and are unknown outside the leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses. The basic right of children to live in safety is being violated by the policies of an organization that claims to support freedom.
The rank and file members, or " publishers " as they are often referred to, are not allowed to pursue education beyond the High School level, unless it meets strict criteria as set forth by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Children are therefore sentenced to a life of physically demanding labor or menial employment, often living near or below the poverty line. Any extra income that they may gain is strongly encouraged to be donated to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. This creates a vicious cycle of sub-standard living for many. Jehovah's Witnesses are also not allowed to marry outside the religion. This ensures that multiple generations will be under educated, and barely capable of supporting themselves and their families. The leadership also takes it upon itself to dictate the amount of work one of Jehovah's Witnesses can pursue. Working extra to save for a 401K or retirement is strongly discouraged. This places an unnecessary burden upon all members as they struggle to care for themselves and their families. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses offers no financial help to it's rank and file publishers as they face the difficulties of old age, yet they discourage them from planning for the future while investing in the Stock Market themselves using voluntary donations. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses goes so far as to encourage it's members to will property to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society upon their death, often times depriving families of their inheritance.
Also forbidden, is the joining of any Human Rights Organization. Rank and file witnesses face excommunication if they become associated with any charities or activist groups not sanctioned by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. No member of the religion is allowed to associate in any way with organizations that are not sanctioned by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. These would include such organizations as the United Nations, the OSCE, the Salvation Army, the YMCA and others. This is particularly disturbing as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is currently associated with the OSCE.
The purpose of this letter is not to hurt the average member of Jehovah's Witnesses, but to assist them in obtaining the basic human rights that they are being denied. They are generally very kind, considerate people who desire peace. The leadership is another matter. They routinely enact regulations that violate everything that organizations such as yours stand for. The Leaders of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society do not champion freedom, or tolerate the pursuit of freedom for their members. To say that they rule with an iron fist is no exaggeration. Millions of Jehovah's Witnesses' lives are seriously affected as they have no choice but to obey without question, and many thousands of lives are ruined or lost because of the lack of freedom, and the denying of basic human rights within the organization.
I felt that you should be aware of the truth about the practices within the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. Many of the members feel that speaking out is a lost cause. The threat of having their lives destroyed by the stroke of a pen forces them into silence. There are only around 7.5 million members of the Jehovah's Witness organization. The relatively small number ensures that their plight goes unnoticed by many. Few even know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach. Even fewer are aware of the routine abuses against the basic rights of all humans that go on behind the closed doors of secret Judicial meetings.
Please do something to help the members of Jehovah's Witnesses. Families are ruined, lives of children are forever altered, lives are lost due to suicide and sanctions against medical procedures. To add insult to injury, Jehovah's Witnesses are denied the basic right to freedom of thought, speech, the right to worship freely, and the right to question their beliefs. How can such a deplorable situation exist within an organization that claims to value freedom and basic human rights? How can any organization that champions Human Rights associate with, or allow the association of any other organization that routinely violates the basic Human Rights that every man, women and child deserve?
Any help that you can offer in bringing this situation to the attention of Human Rights activists. the Media and officials would be greatly appreciated. Please be the voice for those who cannot speak out and defend themselves.
Please feel free to research any of the following websites for information: 1) http://www.freeminds.org/ 2) http://jwsurvey.org/welcome 3) http://www.jwfacts.com/ 4) http://watchtowerdocuments.com/ 5) http://www.jw.org/en/