Below are some Important Questions to Ask the Watchtower Society about, which I came up with recently:
1: Alternative Civilian / Non-Combative Military Service
Can Jehovah's Witnesses perform Alternative Civilian / Non-Combative Military Service, such as being a Janitor at a Military Building, or working in a Military Hospital, etc.? Would I be Disassociated or Disfellowshipped if I were to work as a Janitor at a Military Building or Hospital?
What is the meaning of Matthew 5:41?
Matthew 5:41 reads:
New World Translation: "and if someone under authority impresses you into service for a mile, go with him two miles"
Contemporary English Version: "If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two mile" [Footnote says: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as one mile.]
New Living Translation: "If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles"
Good News For Modern Man Translation: "And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles"
King James Version: "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
2: Voting in Political Elections
If the Government makes it mandatory, and tries to force me to Vote in a Political Election, or to Purchase a Political Party Card, is that now allowed? Is that "up to my conscience"? Would I be Disassociated or Disfellowshipped if I were to Vote?
3: Carrying Weapons
Can a Jehovah's Witness become a Policeman or Security Guard and carry weapons? Is this "up to my conscience"? Would I be Disassociated or Disfellowshipped if I were to work as a Policeman or Security Guard and carry weapons?
4: Buying and Selling with Babylon the Great
Is it okay to sell Kingdom Halls to other Churches of Babylon the Great, since we would be providing a False Religion with a Building where they can practice their False Religion? If this is okay, what are the Scriptural reasons for this being okay?
Is it okay to buy Church Buildings from other Churches of Babylon the Great, since we would be providing a False Religion with tens of thousands of dollars which they can use to promote their False Religion? If this is okay, what are the Scriptural reasons for this being okay?
Are individual Jehovah's Witnesses allowed to donate to, or purchase items directly from, or sell items directly to, the Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, YMCA, the Salvation Army, or the Catholic Church?
Is it okay to sell Kingdom Halls to or buy Buildings from the following Organizations:
* Abortion Clinics
* Military Bases
* Weapons Manufacturing Company
* Blood Banks
* Prostitution Houses
If it is not okay to sell or buy buildings from those Organizations, why is it okay to do it with Babylon the Great? What is the difference?
Are individual Jehovah's Witnesses allowed to do construction work, janitorial work, or yard work for a Church that is part of Babylon the Great? How is that any different from selling a Kingdom Hall to Babylon the Great?
5: Blood
A 1964 Watchtower Questions From Readers (2/15/64, Page 128) states that Jehovah's Witnesses should not use fertilizer that contains blood. The reason given is because God's Law on blood requires that Christians MUST NOT use blood for ANY "useful purpose" after it has been removed from the body.
Using that reasoning, how is it okay for Jehovah's Witnesses to accept any blood fractions, which were taken from large amounts of blood which is stored for the purpose of doing blood transfusions?
Using that reasoning, how is it okay for Jehovah's Witnesses to accept Vaccinations (Shots) which contain blood or blood fractions?
Can Jehovah's Witness Doctors give blood transfusions to worldly patients?
Can Jehovah's Witnesses give food that contains blood to their Pets?
Can Jehovah's Witnesses take Tetanus Shots? The 2/1/97 Watchtower Questions From Readers says that Tetanus Shots contain "horse blood", and that Article made it sound like Jehovah's Witnesses are not supposed to take Tetanus Shots.
How does the Society go about deciding which blood components and fractions are "major" and which ones are "minor"? For example, why are white blood cells forbidden, but albumin allowed, since albumin constitutes a larger percentage of blood volume, and milk and organ transplants are full of white blood cells?
Why is it that blood plasma is forbidden when all of its separate components, with the exception of water, are on the approved list for Witnesses to take in order to "sustain life?"
Hemoglobin makes up about 15% of blood -- why is hemoglobin considered a "minor fraction" and allowed?
Which of the following lines of reasoning are currently used by the Watchtower Society to determine whether or not Jehovah's Witnesses can accept certain blood fractions?
1: Jehovah's Witnesses are not supposed to use ANY blood for ANY "useful purpose" after it has been taken out of the body, and if we did, we would break Jehovah's Law on blood.
2: Jehovah's Witnesses can accept parts of blood, IF that part of the blood passes from the mother to the baby inside the womb.
3: Jehovah's Witnesses can accept parts of blood, IF they are "only small fractions".
4: Jehovah's Witnesses can accept any type of blood, IF it is not "nourishing the body" and IF it is not used to save your life.
5: Jehovah's Witnesses must not accept whole blood, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, plasma (serum).
6: The following fractions are up to our conscience now: hemoglobin, HemoPure, PolyHeme, albumin, clotting factors, antibodies, factor VIII, gamma globulin, interferons, interleukins, immunoglobulins, Rh immune globulin, diphtheria toxin antitoxin, blood plasma proteins, globin proteins, globulin, hemophiliac preparations, Synthetic Hormone EPO (Erythropoietin), autologous blood (autotransfusion) (Where your own blood "flows out through a tube to the Artificial Organ that pumps and filters (or oxygenates) it, and then it returns to the patient's circulatory system"), and Hemodilution.
6: 1914 Generation
What it is the new understanding of the 1914 Generation? What exactly has changed? Will some people who were born in 1914 be alive when the Great Tribulation comes?
7: Rape / Fornication
If a Jehovah's Witness woman does not scream and/or fight off the attacker while being raped (even if he has a gun or knife), is the woman guilty of fornication or adultery (if she is married)? Can the woman be Disfellowshipped for not screaming while being raped? Does this rule apply to children?
Is there any Scripture anywhere in the New Testament which says that women must scream when being raped?
8: "Statue of Limitation" on Sins
Is there a "statue of limitation" or a "time limit" to turn in sins of someone else to the Elders in order for the Elders to do an investigation? Is there a "statue of limitation" or "time limit" to turn in sins committed by Elders or Overseers? [Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1972, Page 8]
9: Theocratic Warfare Strategy
How exactly does "Theocratic Warfare Strategy" work? Who exactly is "not entitled to know the truth"?
When is it okay to lie?
10: Harboring Fugitives and Criminals
According to various Watchtower Articles, Elders and Overseers are NOT required to notify the Authorities about a fugitive criminal inside the Watchtower Organization -- because Paul did not turn in Onesimus, a run-away slave.
Does this apply to Murderers? Pedophiles? Rapists? Thieves? Bank-Robbers? Kidnappers?
11: Miscellaneous Questions
Did Jehovah God kill King David and Bath-Sheba's son, or not?
Will some people from Sodom and Gomorroh (or the Flood) be resurrected, or not?
Is taking an Organ Transplant cannibalism?
12: "Child Protection Policy"
1: What is the Official Watchtower Society Child Abuse Policy?
2: What is the Official Watchtower Society Response to Dateline, Panorama, Connie Chung, New York Times, etc.?
3: If any parts of the Dateline, Panorama, Connie Chung, or New York Times were UNTRUE, then which part(s) were untrue? Please specify EXACTLY which parts were UNTRUE.
4: And if any part(s) were untrue, then why hasn't the Watchtower Society SUED Dateline, Panorama, Connie Chung, New York Times, or Bill Bowen for SLANDER or LIBEL? Or at the very least, why haven't they posted on the Official Watchtower Website that the information was untrue?
5: According to different Watchtower Society Statements, one of the following things is true, which
one is true?:
Must there be 2 Eye-Witnesses to the SAME ACT in order to find the accused pedophile guilty?
OR
Can there be Eye-Witnesses to 2 separate events by the same person?
If the the latter one is true, then has this always been so?
6: If a Child comes to the Elders and tells them that her/his Father (or other Relative in the Child's
House) is molesting her/him, and the Child does not have any other Eye-Witnesses, and they are not in a
State which requires Clergy to Report a Pedophile to the Police, and the accused Pedophile denies it, will the Elders do anything? Will the Elders send the Child back home with the accused Molester?
7: If an accused, confessed, or convicted child molester moves into my Congregation, will I be
notified? Will any of the Parents with Children be notified?
8: If a Pedophile molested a Child, and the Pedophile was NOT found guilty by the Elders, would the Parents of the Child be allowed to warn other Parents in the Congregation to keep their Children away from him, without the threat of being Disfellowshipped and/or Shunned for Slander or Gossip?
9: If a Pedophile denied that he molested a Child, and there were not 2 Witnesses, would the Elders
discipline him in any way? What exactly do the Elders do when the Pedophile denies it and there is only 1 Witness?
10: If the State where I live does not require Clergy to report a Pedophile to the Police, will the Elders make a Report to the Police?
11: If the 2-Witness Rule is so extremely important, why is it okay for Elders to ignore the 2-Witness Rule if the State requires Clergy to Report to the Police, however, it is Against Jehovah's Law for Elders to Report to the Police if there is only 1 Witness in a NON-Mandatory Clergy Reporting State?
12: If, as an adult, someone accuses an Elder of molesting her/him when the Victim was a Child, and the
Pedophile denies it, would he then stop serving as an Elder?
13: If a child molester is Disfellowshipped or Reproved, is the Congregation notified that he is a
Pedophile? If they aren't notified, doesn't that mean, that when he is Re-Instated, no one will ever know to keep their Children away from him (except the Elders)?
14: Is the Accused, Confessed, Convicted, or Known Pedophile's Wife, Children, Grandchildren, or other
immediate Family Members notified about him being a Pedophile?
15: According to the January 1st 1997 Watchtower Issue, Known child molesters are ENCOURAGED to go
Door-To-Door. Is this true?
16: Are child molesters ever allowed to go Door-To-Door alone? Or are they required to go with someone else? If they are required to go with another person, has this always been the Policy, and could the
2nd person also possibly be a Pedophile? Who decides who the 2nd person will be? How would the members of the Congregation know that he was not supposed to go Door-To-Door alone?
17: Do you think it is safe or the Christian thing to do, to have PREDATORS go Door-To-Door searching for more Children to molest? (Sometimes Children open the house doors themselves)
18: Is it true that, if the State does not require Clergy to Report Pedophiles to the Police, that even
if a Pedophile is Disfellowshipped, the Elders will not notify the Police (even anonymously)?
19: If that is true, doesn't that mean then basically that, the Elders kick him out of the Congregation so he can go and molest "Worldly People"? (Non-JW's)
20: Are Pedophiles allowed to become Ministerial Servants, Elders, or Overseers, if enough time has
passed? (The January 1st 1997 Watchtower Article said NEVER, but a few months after that Article came out, Bethel sent a Confidential Letter to the Elders telling them YES, so Which is true? Also, were
Pedophiles allowed to become Elders or Ministerial Servants before that 1997 Article?)
21: Is an Investigation initiated by the Elders if only one person accuses someone of molesting a Child? (Watchtower Society's Main Spokesman J.R. Brown told the Media NO, but the Official Watchtower Society Media Website says YES, so which is true? Has this always been the Policy?)
22: Why do Elders only Report child molesters in States that REQUIRE it?
23: Why is the Number # 1 Priority for Elders when a child molestation accusation is made, to Call the
Watchtower Bethel LEGAL DEPARTMENT?
24: Is there any way for a person to know how many (and who) Molesters are in their Congregation?
25: Bruce Waite, a Jehovah's Witness from the Draffenville Kentucky Congregation (Bill Bowen's
Congregation), told the Media that the Elders DISCOURAGE Parents from warning other people about the
Pedophile. Is this true?
26: Are World-Wide (or Local) Donations ever used to pay for Attorneys to defend an accused child molester? Has this EVER happened?
27: Are World-Wide (or Local) Donations ever used to pay out Child Abuse Victims Lawsuits? Has this EVER happened?
28: Does the Watchtower Society have a Record or Database of Accused Pedophiles? If so, is it true that
you do not turn in any of those Records to the Police? If so, why is that?
29: Is it true that you do not let any of the Jehovah's Witnesses know who is in your Pedophile
Database? You don't even warn other Parents?
30: How many accused Pedophiles are in your Records?
31: Why did you not require 2 Eye-Witnesses against Bill Bowen, Barbara Anderson, Joe Anderson, Carl
Pandelo, and Barbara Pandelo when they were Disfellowshipped?
32: The Watchtower Society teaches that ALL Elders and Overseers are chosen by Jehovah's Holy Spirit,
correct?
What though, if later, it is discovered that a person had molested Children BEFORE he was appointed an Elder or Overseer?
Did Jehovah's Holy Spirit appoint a child molester as an Elder or Overseer?
Or was he NEVER appointed by Jehovah's Holy Spirit?
Who was he appointed by then?
33: That must mean that NOT ALL Elders and Overseers are appointed by Jehovah's Holy Spirit, correct?
34: If someone molested Children BEFORE he was Baptized, and the Elders later find out about it, will
the Elders inform the Police or the Congregation or the molester's immediate Family Members?
35: "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" Book, and several other Watchtower Publications, state that
whenever 2 or 3 Elders have a Judicial Hearing in Jesus Christ's Name, that Jesus is there in their
midst and that He has the Elders make the same decision that was already decided in Heaven. Is this
correct?
Why then, do you have Appeals of Judicial Hearings? How is there any way that the Elders could have made the wrong decision since Jesus was there in their midst causing them to make the right decision? If the Elders get it wrong in a Judicial Hearing, was the wrong decision made in Heaven?
Or, was Jesus NEVER involved in the Judicial Hearing that had the wrong decision being made?
36: Is it against the Watchtower Society's Rules to go to the Media and speak out about a Bad Policy of the Watchtower Society? If so, why?
37: In the Official Statement that the Watchtower Society gave Connie Chung, it stated that Child Abuse
Victims are given "Ongoing Counseling". Is this true? If so, when did this start? What kind of Counseling, and how long?
38: Is it true that the November 15th 1973 Watchtower Issue says that Jehovah's Witnesses CANNOT take a
fellow Jehovah's Witness to Court if it is going to "Bring reproach on the Congregation" unless that Jehovah's Witness has been Disfellowshipped first?
39: As Christians, are we under the Law of Moses?
Christians are supposed to be under the Law of the Love of Christ, correct?
As Christians, we are supposed to live by 2 Commandments -- Love Jehovah God and Jesus Christ and
Love your Neighbor as Yourself, correct?
We are supposed to follow the Golden Rule Do to others what you want them to do to you, correct?
Are we, as Christians, supposed to have RIGID Rules? Christians are supposed to live by PRINCIPLES of the Bible, correct?
40: Do you think the RIGID 2-Witness Rule for Child Abuse is following the Law of the Love of Christ?
41: If a Pedophile is taken to Court, and in the Trial, they find him Guilty, but there were not
2-Witnesses, will he be Disfellowshipped? Or will he remain in Good Standing? And then when and if he ever gets out of jail, will he still be in Good Standing in the Congregation?
42: If the Bethel Legal Department tells the Elders NOT to turn in a Pedophile to the Police, and then one of the Elders decides to make a Report to the Police anyway, will that Elder be Disciplined or Removed?
43: Does the "Matthew 18:15 Rule" apply to Child Abuse? (November 1st 1995 Watchtower Article says YES!)
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's Bethel Phone Numbers:
718-560-5600 (Media Number) (Listed on Official Watchtower Website)
718-560-5000 (Public Number) (Listed on Official Watchtower Website)
845-306-1100 (Patterson, New York Number) (Listed on Official Watchtower Website)
718-560-5101 (J.R. Brown, Watchtower's Main Spokesman) (Listed on Official Watchtower Website)
1-866-388-2222 (New Toll-Free Public Phone Number from their TV Commercial) (Listed on Official Watchtower Website)