I got an email notice today on this excellent letter of resignation from a German Family that is trending on Reddit. I thought I would share it here if anyone is so inclined to write one. For those with PIMI JW family and JW business connections, it may not be wise to share such a letter, but I imagine it must be very freeing to send such a letter. I have read many such letters over the years, and this is one of the best. What do you think? Would would you add or remove?
"Our letter of resignation
This is an English translation of our resignation letter written in German, which we distributed last week via our WhatsApp status. Over 150 people have seen it.
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Dear Elders,
We are making this public statement because certain circumstances among Jehovah's Witnesses have become unacceptable to us. Even if our family has fortunately not yet been affected by it, child abuse is more than just "serious wrongdoing" or a "spiritual sickness". It cannot simply be repented of and "handled" by talking to elders who have no psychological training whatsoever. Pedophilia is a serious mental disorder. The main issue is not whether the perpetrator can be forgiven or not, but whether further cases can be prevented. It is unacceptable for the protection of offenders to take precedence over the protection of victims and for the "privacy" of a potential offender to outweigh the welfare of children. In such cases, elders must not be "primarily concerned with maintaining the sanctity of God’s name", as if HE could not do that Himself. Instead, they should attend to their duties for the good of the flock (1 Pe. 5:2, 1 Tim. 6:20). "The responsibility to protect children from harm" cannot simply be shifted to "the parents" alone (for quotes see w19 May, pp. 8-13).
It is common knowledge that child abuse hardly ever happens in the presence of other witnesses, and it is also obvious that the biblical two-witness rule was never intended for such cases. Nevertheless, it is still used today as an explanation as to why elders do not pass on the names of perpetrators to the authorities or make them known in the congregation. There are indeed biblical principles that come much closer to the facts of the case and do not require two witnesses (Deut. 22:23-27, Ex. 21:29).
The cases of abuse in churches are extensively denounced in our publications. However, not a word is said about the cases in our own ranks. In contrast to the churches, Jehovah's Witnesses have not commissioned any independent studies to investigate the cases. While the Pope has publicly apologized for the suffering caused, nothing of the sort has happened on the part of the governing body. The fines totaling millions have been concealed from the members.
In 2015, it became known that the Australian branch of Jehovah's Witnesses had records of alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse. This information became part of a major government commission of enquiry. The findings of the Australian Royal Commission (ARC) are staggering:
At least 1,800 victims, 1,006 perpetrators and 579 confessions. 28 people were appointed as elders or ministerial assistants despite the allegations. Nevertheless, the commission concluded that NOT A SINGLE CASE was reported to the authorities. Elders were even instructed by the legal department of the branch office to destroy records that could have been used as evidence. The final report sharply criticized the lack of transparency and the existing structures at Jehovah's Witnesses. (Royal Commission: "Case Study 29: Jehovah's Witnesses". See under "Submission" the document "Submissions on behalf of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia", pp. 20-22, sections 2.1 and 2.2)
However, the Governing Body subsequently refused to publicly apologize to the victims and to pay into the Australian National Redress Scheme for victims of abuse. While over 500 organizations had already contributed to this fund, six were publicly reprimanded by the Australian government for refusing to do so, including Jehovah's Witnesses. It was only when the government threatened to withdraw their charitable status that the organization relented.
But although even Geoffrey Jackson of the Governing Body testified under oath before the Commission and the videos of this were made available to everyone by the authorities, the Governing Body does not say a word about this in its monthly broadcasts, so that hardly any Jehovah's Witnesses are likely to be aware of these abuses. Instead, JW Broadcasting prefers to report on bushfires under the keyword "Australia". After the scandal became public, the Watchtower immediately called on the faithful: "Loyally support the leadership (...) when faced with what appear to be damaging attacks by apostates or other such deceivers of the mind - however plausible their charges may seem. " (w17 July, p. 30). The charges are indeed very serious. However, the judges of the Royal Commission are certainly not deceivers. But instead of endeavoring to clarify the situation, the legal department prefers to sue victims' associations, as recently happened in Spain (AEVTJ, Madrid).
In Australia alone, based on the known cases alone, there would be an average of one child abuser for every assembly. Since the cases cited only concern Australia, where not even 1% of all Jehovah's Witnesses live, and the number of unreported cases of sexual abuse is usually 15 to 20 times higher, it must be assumed that the true extent is enormous. None of this can be attributed to Satan or the evil world alone. Whenever people are brought up to give absolute obedience, to eliminate critical thinking and to consider the reputation of an organization more important than the welfare of the individual, the door is opened to abuse. We cannot believe that this is the result of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. What appalls us, however, is not primarily that these things have happened, but that they continue to happen and not even a "governing" body feels responsible for them.
But that's not all that has been on our minds recently. The marginalization we have experienced since we stopped "functioning" as expected has made us very concerned and thoughtful. Especially as we have not been guilty of anything other than passivity.
Due to our bitter experiences over the past few years, we have done a lot of research and prayerfully studied the Bible. In doing so, we have come to some shocking realizations. We strongly recommend that you look up the biblical passages quoted and check for yourselves whether this is really the case (Acts 17:11).
Firstly, it must be noted: The critical examination of special teachings is not apostasy, but a Christian commandment (1 John 4:1, 1 Thess. 5:21). If we find differences between the commandments of God and those of men, we must obey God more than men (Acts 4:18, 19; 5:29). To give absolute obedience to a human organization is to serve a second Lord besides Jesus (Matt. 6:24, 2 Cor. 1:24, 1 Cor. 7:23, Matt. 23:8-10).
The doctrine of faith of every Christian was already definitively established in the first century, at the time of the apostles (Jude 3, 1 Cor. 2:1-5, Acts 16:31). Nevertheless, it was expanded more and more by the Bible students under J. F. Rutherford, later by various presidents and by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
We note with sorrow that the "Governing Body" has taken a position which, according to the Bible, belongs to Jesus alone (1 Tim. 2:5, Matt. 23:8).
Jehovah's Witnesses also do not practice a Christian baptismal vow (Matt. 28:19), but baptize into an organization instead of in the name of the Holy Spirit (w20 March, box on p. 12).
In addition, they have inadmissibly expanded the content of the Good News, which is a serious sin according to the Bible (w81 1.1. box on p. 29, Gal. 1:6-9).
The doctrine of two classes with two hopes is clearly unbiblical (John 10:16, Eph. 2:13-19; 4:4, 5) and was not established by a governing body, but by one man (w15 15.7. p. 9 par. 14; w21 January, p. 14-15 par. 2-4), whereupon millions of people no longer obeyed Jesus' command to celebrate the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-28, John 6:53, 54, 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Disfellowshipping is misappropriated and used as a means of pressure, even against family members, children and those who were minors at the time of their baptism. This not only contradicts the Bible (Mark 2:16, 17, Proverbs 17:17, Isaiah 58:6, 7), but also the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the German Basic Law (Art. 3) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and has massive consequences for mental health.
We want to be able to gather freely with other Christians without being viewed with suspicion or marginalized (Matt. 18:20, Heb. 10:24, 25).
Nowhere does the Bible mention that Christians should call themselves by the name that God gave to the people of Israel, which significantly does not appear once in the basic Greek text of the New Testament. We want to be witnesses of Jesus and simply be called Christians - as Jesus commanded and as it was also ordained by divine providence (Acts 1:8; 11:26).
The judgement of other people who follow Christ was not given to us, but to angels (Matt. 13:27-30, 39, Mark 9:38-40, Gal. 3:26, Rom. 8:14).
Our salvation does not depend on obedience to mysterious human instructions in the future, but on our personal faith in Jesus (Gal. 3:11, Rom. 14:22, 23, Acts 16:31). Salvation does not come by performance, but by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 3:27-28; 10:2-4).
We do not believe that God guides us by progressive error, but by truth (1 John 1:5). According to the Bible, truth is not found in a plethora of books, magazines and special teachings that change regularly, but in Jesus himself (John 14:6).
We believe that contact with other worldviews is not dangerous, but enriching. Proven faith is, according to the Bible, as lasting as gold (1 Peter 1:7). It has nothing in common with a soap bubble that threatens to burst at the slightest touch.
We believe that education, art, culture, the free development of the personality and sufficient free time are not detrimental to faith, but rather conducive to it. We are convinced that knowledge is always better than ignorance - and freedom is always better than coercion.
We do not believe that a symbol is more sacred to God than what it stands for. Consequently, blood is not more sacred than the lives of our children. In emergency situations, we therefore follow Jesus' example of mercy (Matt. 12:7-12).
We want our children to grow up in an environment where the focus is not on terms such as Armageddon, Gog of Magog, Babylon the Great, overlapping generation, Governing Body or years, but on love (1 Cor. 13:2, 13).
We believe that unconditional love should be the essence of every family and every Christian (Prov. 17:17, 1 Cor. 13:2).
We want our children to be able to talk about their personal faith and doubts at any time without making themselves suspicious or being afraid of being ostracized by their family.
Our experience in recent years has shown us that this is not possible with Jehovah's Witnesses. We therefore hereby declare that we no longer wish to be known as Jehovah's Witnesses.
We ask for written confirmation.
4 September 2024