I think the following Post from June '09 is pertinent to this Thread, it is long, but well worth a read :
" I have come to understand that people who are Jehovah’s
Witnesses are for the most part, good and honest people. Just like people
in other religions or for that matter, people who don’t practice any
religion. And, like those other people, they also have their minority of
people who are selfish, deceptive and not very nice. I know for a fact
that, at least for the good and honest people who are JWs, if they could truly
open their minds for even ten minutes to see just the tip of the iceberg of
irrefutable evidence as to the Society’s true character, they would never again
have anything to do with the organization, because they are good and honest people. If they
knew what’s been going on “behind the scenes”, the true character of the
Society would be revealed to them and it’s just not in them to support something like that.
That’s why the Society has done absolutely everything in its power to keep
active witnesses from finding this information and judging it for themselves.
What is the evidence that they have deliberately taken actions
to keep their membership in the dark? To begin with, the founder of the
religion, Charles Taze Russell, was a prolific writer, being the creator of the
Watchtower magazine and organization, primary author of the Watchtower and many
books espousing his theology. Does it not seem a bit odd to you that the
organization he founded, the Watchtower Society, has 1.) deliberately let all of Russell’s writings go out of print;
2.) deliberately chosen not to provide any of Russell’s writings on it’s
Watchtower Library CDs (which would be easy for them to do); and 3.) will
harass with threat of legal action any who seek to make public his writings?
Can you think of any other religion, including Mormons or Christian Scientists,
who have taken such an action? By contrast, the Mormons revere the
writings of Joseph Smith and would probably preserve them at any cost.
A few years ago an X-JW in Canada set up a website, Watchtower
Quotes, which did not contain any commentary, just quotes from older Watchtower
publications so that these publications would be available for research by
honest-hearted ones. The Society considered this such a threat, that
someone would dare to publicize articles and statements earlier published by
the Watchtower Society, that they filed a lawsuit against this person.
Being financially unable to defend himself in the courts, he reluctantly shut
down his website, and as part of the settlement was forced to assign ownership
of his domain name to the Society. If this organization publishes only
the “truth”, why such “worldly” tactics of intimidation and legal threats to
keep away from the eyes of its members things it earlier published? The
only answer can be, because they know the devastating effect this would have on
their membership should they read what these publications said.
Thankfully, but no thanks to the Society, you can still locate this material to
view for yourself - and judge for yourself. In truth, if you believed
even half of what Charles Russell believed, as evidenced by his writings, you
would be considered by the Society today to be an apostate on several counts.
What does it say about the character of an organization that
condemns other religions for their “false teachings of pagan origin” whose own
founder consulted the mysteries of pyramids in arriving at his theological
chronologies regarding the end of the world, a practice now regarded by this
organization as “pagan” and “demonic”? What does it say about the
character of an organization that continues to use legal threats and
intimidation to keep hidden their own writings that would expose their
longstanding hypocrisy in this matter?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
would deliberately, through many articles, books and public lectures over a
period of nine years, strongly urge its members to get ready for the end of the
world in 1975, encouraging them to sell their homes and businesses, put off
needed medical treatment and education, and then blame its membersfor
the “misunderstanding” and consequent hardships when their prophecy went
unfulfilled?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
sets forth a policy whereby members in one country (Malawi) are forbidden to
obtain a political party card (basically a citizenship card) under penalty of
disfellowshipping, resulting in thousands suffering either murder, rape and/or
the destruction of their homes, while at the same time,
allowing members in another country (Mexico) to practice a system of bribery of
public officials for years for the purpose of fomenting a lie that they had
fulfilled their military service? (There are photocopies of letters from
the Mexico Branch Office on this matter available for anyone to see which the
Society has never challenged because they are bona fide. See “Crisis of
Conscience” and “In Search of Christian Freedom” both written by a former
member of the Watchtower Society’s Governing Body for nine years, Ray Franz.)
What does it say about the character of an organization that
provides annual bound volumes of “reprints” of articles published in their
magazines, purportedly for “honest-hearted ones” to do research, in which they,
without any warning to the reader, make material changes to what was originally
published?
What does it say about the character of an organization, that
for decades preaches to its members that the United Nations is a demonic
organization operating in opposition to God’s Kingdom, that no true Christian
would have anything to do with it, even condemning other religions who have
made positive comments about it, who then turns around, secretly, and signs
documents aligning itself with the U.N. as as Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO), pledging acceptance and support of the United Nations’ charter and goals
and then acts in harmony with that pledge?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
will routinely disfellowship members for joining the YMCA in order to use a
community swimming pool as a matter of written policy because it violates their
theology of maintaining political neutrality, while at the same time secretly
pledging to support a political institution of no less a stature than the
United Nations itself?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
preaches to its members to “beat their swords into plowshares”, presenting
itself as an organization devoted to peace, and disfellowshipping any member
who becomes aligned in any way with any military organization, who then
secretly pledges support to an organization (U.N.) that has its own military
and authorizes use of military force internationally?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
after a ten year affiliation with the U.N. in gross contradiction to its
enforced theology upon members, then quietly ends such affiliation within 24
hours of this relationship being publicized in a London newspaper?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
then makes up excuses for this most serious offense against its own rules,
which would bring swift disfellowshipping to a common member, when such excuses
are found to be lies? (The Society offered to the newspaper in response that
they needed such status in order to have access to the UN library. The UN
head librarian and reference librarian have both testified that this was not
the case. NGO status was not a requirement for access to their
library. The Society further offered that the pledge of support for the
UN charter was not a requirement for NGOs until shortly before their withdrawal.
In fact, UN documents clearly show this had been a requirement for some time before the Society became involved. The
requirement pre-dated their initial involvement, and the UN says the Society
was made aware of it at the time of their first application.)
What does it say about the character of an organization that
after committing the grossest of hypocrisies by aligning itself with the U.N.
as an NGO (see United Nations official website for confirmation of the above)
then keeps the matter secret from its membership, not having published a word
about it, much less an apology, for now close to 20 years?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
condemns other religions based on the fact that some of their ministers have
committed pedophilia, but says nothing to their own members about the fact that
they have secretly paid out millions of dollars in out-of-court settlements to
victims of pedophilia, who were victimized by ministers appointed by the
Watchtower Society, whom the Watchtower Society then protected by policies in
place for years, allowing ministers to retain their positions, even after
multiple crimes of pedophilia, because “two witnesses were not present” to
observe their crimes?
What does it say about the character of an organization when in
jurisdictions where accusations of pedophilia are legally required to be
reported to the police, that organization instructs its ministers to make such
reports anonymously by payphone?
What does it say about the character of an organization that
directs its members not to give their own blood in order to help save the lives
or improve the health of non-members, but allows its members to receive blood
fractions to save their lives or improve their health, which fractions come
entirely from the donated blood of non-members?
What does it say about the character of an organization that,
after promulgating policies such as the above, and enforcing them by threat of
disfellowshipping, then holds itself forth as “the only true Christian organization
on earth”?
There are many more examples that could be given, and don’t
doubt for a minute that there is more than ample evidence to support the
questions and statements made above. Much of the evidence is found in the
Society’s own publications. Other evidence can be found in places such as
the official United Nations website. But the problem is, as long as you
believe, unqualifiedly, that the Watchtower Society is God’s organization, it
is highly unlikely you will ever even consider looking at that evidence.
And the Watchtower has been very effective in doing everything within its power
to be sure you do not.
And so what is the sad result? This very uncertain, short
life we have on planet earth, is never really lived. Our potential for a
satisfying life, and one of truly helping others and making a difference is
never realized. Instead, we are led to believe, that in fact that is what
we are doing.
How? By sitting through five hours of meetings every week and offering
literature to others to encourage them to do the same thing. Of course,
if you knew all of these things and still chose to
remain one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I would have to respect your choice,
although I would never understand it. The problem is, the likelihood is
you will never know about these things because you feel even to investigate
them is traitorous and disloyal to God’s organization. But ask
yourself: Why did God give you a power of reason? Was it not to
protect yourself? Should it be something to fear? Or should it be
something to cherish and be forever grateful for? And can our gratitude
be shown in any manner other than our using that power of reason in the most
serious issues of our lives?
Finally, what does it say about the character of an organization
that urges prospective members to thoroughly investigate, in a critical manner,
their current religion, and then after becoming a member threatens that same
member with disfellowshipping if they decide to similarly investigate itself?
[ This was posted on JWN June 09 by poster
“LennyinBluemont”]
