I became part of the Internet community around 2000, and one of the first things I type into Google's search engine was "Jehovah's Witnesses." I was presented with an amazing number of websites devoted to Jehovah's Witnesses.
I clicked on one site, which really led me to a posting on a bulletin board. At that time, I was a believing dub. When I read this article, at the time, I dismissed it as lunacy. Bethel Jacks, wire tapping and such like, sounded like something out of a James Bond movie.
Bear in mind, that this was before Silent Lambs, the UN/NGO scandal, end of WT subscriptions and even before the GB resigned from their positions as directors.
When I learnt about Silent Lambs and all the other stuff mentioned above, especially Randy's "Bethel Chronicles," I went back to that original article to take another look. Sure enough, what I had considered all those years ago to be the ravings of some deranged apostate, was actually true. I've edited the article to make it more readable, but you can see the original here. This article was posted on many bulletin boards, some of them not even religous. This article came out around 1999.
Did any of you old timers here get this article? What did you think of it? Do you know who the author is?
From the terminology is uses, it would seem that the writer is/was a high ranking member of the Society.
http://www.uq.net.au/~zzmstefa/JWPlease.htm PLEASE DISTRIBUTE COPIES EARTHWIDE ANYWHERE & EVERYWHERE ALL YOU CAN!!
Please make & send copies to Public, Media, Judges, Doctors, our fellow Jehovah?s Witnesses! Our JW families & friends are very nice people & our best Watchtower Society (WTS) Governing Body (GB) members & Elders want reforms but anti-reform Phineas types resist powerfully as secret Seraph monitoring (Ec10:20,1Co2:15; public talk #74 ?Jehovah?s Eyes Are Upon Us?), sin files (in French microtec.net/~mleblank/org/fiche.html) etc come to light.
In the 90s top Phineases backed off a bit to let pro-Reform GB members vote minor changes but Phineas-Anti tactics led France July 98 to class WTS a cult & backtax it $50 million with a lien on facilities; GB sent an open protest letter (NY Times 6-5-98), next Antis worked with CESNUR a group with Scientology, Moonies, Ramtha (spiritistic channeling) etc but quickly withdrew 4 Reps from a CESNUR seminar in Europe when David Reed (Comments From The Friends) exposed this
Phineas delays also helped cause ongoing & potential lawsuits over child abuse, sexual & physical harassment, invasion of privacy, wrongful deaths related to not permitting transfusions & formerly forbidding organ transplants & vaccines.
A 6-1-97 WT article denied we?re secretive (1Co14:1) while not fully informing Publishers (our nonElder members) or public, & ?Beware of False Teachers ? (WT Sept 97) was worded to murkily inform on molesting though Elders got clearer info 97-8 as news broke of molesters like Ministerial Servant Dennis Atwell in England; Maine?s Portland Pres-Herald noted Bryan Rees? molestation suit filed in Cumberland County Superior Court vs Augusta, Maine?s Elders & WTS; Elder Daniel Stevens Fitzwater formerly of Wood Heights near Yerlington NV (80 mi sw of Reno) was convicted of lewdness with a then 8 yr old girl (Las Vegas Sun 3-16-98); similar reports came via internet from CA,Canada, Norway.
?Why JW?s Leave the Watchtower? (net) by expert court witness Dr Jerry Bergman said GB member E Chitty resigned 1980 only after his homo affair became widely known; in 84 GB homo Leo Greenlees resigned (Fred Franz?s asst Roger Scott; Penton; DocBob; hourglass2 outpost archives). In Mar 1969, 60 homos were ousted from Bethel which then Pres Knorr wanted hushed up; in 98 a worse allegation was made but unconfirmed. Chitty & Greenlees werent disfellowshpped (DF?d) but left as brothers in good standing.
ExGB reformer Ray Franz ?s 2 books incidentally note wiretapping, spying, secret files kept even after death at Bethel in Brooklyn, audio-visual recording of exJWs (for which there was a conviction), exDistrict/Zone overseer Wm Schnell long ago documented eye-ear spying & fabricated or distorted charges (Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave; 1Pe4:15,2Co4:2,Ga2:4). Microtec.net.... also uses Quebec govt documents & shows the files are forwarded to congregations as persons move. Copenhagen?s Politiken reported 5-17-92 on sin file dossiers on members there in
spite of privacy laws, WTS Rep denials were proved false, the public so angry Danish halls had to remove signs etc, some shocked Danish JW formed house-based congregations using Bibles without WTS material.
At Brooklyn ?Betheljack? spies abound; Seraphs can remotely wiretap distant bedrooms via hookswitch bypass even when phones are on receivers; after Henschel became Pres end of 92 married JW couples increasingly noted Phineases & their intimates told what the couples had said or done privately sometimes the very next day; exBethelite Randall Watters (Witch Hunt, Part II), other ex & current Bethelites wrote of wiretapping & mail intercepts.
Many brothers dissenting privately or who had had jobs with police, media, other high profile jobs were frozen as lit-mike attendants; Judicial Committes DF?d Sisters too scared to scream when raped, even a 13 yr old; spat, screamed, drove some to almost suicide or quit, said they knew (from seraphing) there?d been husband-wife oral sex (Ep5:11-2;Jude 22-3) or in rape cases insufficient screaming.
After 93-4 reports of mystery calls & damage to reform Elders? property increased; blamed were innocent dissidents as scapegoats & racist trinitarian Aryan Brotherhood/Christian Indentity using the Yahweh name; some said Phineases may also have done things to promote seige mentality to solidify support from good Elders who?d otherwise support reforms.
Bergman?s 97 Theocratic Warfare (TW) shows all CO?s & most Elders use TW tactics; 78% of members dont know its misspeaking & misdirecting plus physical actions to discipline members & nonmembers including suspected dissenters (Insight, Vol II, p 245 rgt column justifies verbal TW tactics, also see 50 yr index, Ro 3:4). A handbook says discipline can include ?gesturing,? in fact hand-finger touching/thrusting (Ps144:1,44:5,140:11,Is25:10,Pr19:25) sometimes called ?the therapeutic laying on of the hands? which some have used to mask fondling of Sisters, thumping them on the breastbones etc. WT (3-15-83:31) told Elders to stop policing married ones? bed activities but especially since Henschel became President Antis suggested increasing it to focus Elders? attentions on scapegoated Publishers, divert attention from the Bethelite-GB homo-pedophilia scandals,
Growing disillusionment over misprophesying Armageddon bringing the Kingdom on earth 1975 (WT 8-15-68, p499, par 30), later 70-80 yrs after 1914 (=1984/94; Truth book) etc. We estimate 90% of Sisters didnt know of TW till 98 including many Circuit Overseer (CO) wives. Top Antis suggested blame for the 94 Kingdom delay was lack of enough purifying (He3:10-9) so some local Antis used this as cover to harass disliked ones or those mouthing (oral sex; contrast Pr5:15), using ?doggie? sex (normal sex but with husband in back), obscene anal sex, had others expel them by gestures--the so-called Intervention by the Congregation tough love method--Pr22:10, then laid it to personality differences instead of covertly sanctioned harassment; said consider it training for sweet fruits of righteousness.
Some congregations closed due to out-of-hand seraphing, physical-sexual abuses. To try to get back a KH building from a congregation declared independent from WTS in 1986 at Bonham, TX, a court deposition admitted our WTS structure?s a Hierarchy ruled top-down with clergy versus laity (Jas2:4) ; this admission now exposes our GB to costly lawsuits just as true for Rome regarding priests? misconduct.
One WT article said anyone could report abusive persons but CO-Elder Antis continued ignoring Publishers? complaints to uphold the theocratic arrangement & not reproach Jehovah. To save our WTS from expensive suits reformers recommended checking abuses by rotating Elder positions every 7 yrs, having CO?s get more input from congregations before appointing, non-campaign voting, restructuring from Hierarchy to full/semi-local governance etc, in vain as Antis wanted to hold virtually always life appointments. Many Presiding Overseers nominated themselves when Elder bodies began 1972; modest Elders werent self-nominated; Phineases often get special TW training at Brooklyn/branches, quietly seraph sift congregations, get big convention talks, have night jobs. The busiest & their wives often pioneer little (Lu 11:46); as early as 1919 Rutherford spoke of his ?angels? comparable to Mormons? special Danites. Top Antis fear leaks especially from upset Angels (WT 9-1-98:22). Ex-Bethelite Paul Blizard of Reidland Bapt, Paducah KY openly admits such deeds. In 98 several CO?s were also deleted; retraining planned for others.
Whole blood fracions for transfusions including AIDS carrying VIII was allowed (WT 6-1-1990:30-1), Durable Power of Attorney sent to hall Secretaries allowing transfusion of all blood plasma ingredients if not all at 1 time; then in 97 some Hospital Liason Committe members & friends threatened costly suit due to some 1,500 of us dying yearly over the blood issue (Blood On The Altar), set up the ?New Light On Blood? website, mid98 hit BBC & Canada?s TV (Ge 9:4 forbade eating blood which Acts 15:20 backed but I Sam 14:32-5 shows Jehovah forgiving Saul?s whole army for eating unbled meat to stave off death so long as they built an altar to Him so when 1 of God?s laws clash with His anti-murder law or the law saying He wants ?mercy not sacrifice? (Mt 12:7) then the matter scripturally becomes a matter of personal conscience, especially as Acts 15:19 says James decision at that temporary meeting was meant ?not to trouble.? Antis called blood a ?liquid organ? but after having to allow organ transplants & vaccines to halt suits had to stop doing so to not be as readily sued over not also permitting whole blood transfusions. WTS Reps wrote Europe?s Commission on Human Rights that Bulgaria?s JW?s aren't sanctioned for transfusions, later said they?d be disfellowshped (DF?d--where a JW?s JW family & friends must shun him/her to not also be shunned). Sweden?s branch Rep said JW?s wouldnt ?authomatically? be DF?d for transfusions, later downplayed it; Spain?s Rep said there?d be no sanctions. The TW tactic was to tell governments ?the WTS sanctions no one for taking blood? while not adding we will DF members not repentant they took blood. Ironically a 97 report was Beligium?s Red Cross got WTS money; perhaps this was because another report was that Marc Dutroux there who murdered several children was somehow linked to our organization. Aug 98 the Jrnl of Medical Ethics spotlighted numerous blood stand discrepensies. Doctors-judges learned anti-transfusion cards are signed under duress of being DF?d which can legally void them. The Jan 15, 1961 WT says takers of a transfusion should be put ?under surveillance.? Most die quietly & are elderly but there?s occasionally a child or birthing mother; so we & friends are deemed as silently sanctioning ongoing mass murder, holocaust or serial killing (Ro 13:1).
A 11-22-98 Awake spoke warmer of the UN even as Rutherford had of the League of Nations (WT 2-15-1919:51) & sewolf.com/infolink reported Pres Henschel may have a special UN visa, GB let S African, German, French JW?s do non-political voting.
For years USA growth (2% in 98) came from baptisms in USA Spanish congregations. In 98 we were told to base Christ?s coming invisibly in 1914 not just on chronology but events; didnt admit the 607 & 70 dates about Jerusalem are incorrect. They repeated all birthdays are in negative contexts & celebraters immature though angels celebrated Christ?s birth (Lu2:13) & Job?s children banqueted to celebrate days of birth (Job 1:4, 3:2-3).
GB said we could do alternative non-war services to avoid prison when called to military as they should have all along but after getting letters from those imprisoned for upholding the previous WTS order to never accept alternative service, Antis jumped onto them. They noted Christ was at Jerusalem?s temple during the Festival of Dedication (Jn10:22-3) also called Festival of Lights/Hanukkah; didnt admit many week & month names are named after ancient gods; ironically allowed use of rings which they say came from fertility rites--Prodigal son got 1 from his father.
Doctrine changes take a 2/3 GB vote. GB etc get health care from our donations yet wont give us even one nursing home; just articles on older ones sticking with them as so many seniors increasingly go to longtime non-WTS groups like Dawn or. Free Bible Students. House & internet-based Active Christians in Jehovah?s Fellowship arose (insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/ mb135574) teaching besides earthly resurrection heaven may still be open as Re 19:1 & Mt 23:13 show the 144,000 number may be symbolic; stressed freedom of conscience & expression, Christ & Paul say call God ?Father? for closeness though Yah(weh)/Jehovah are also OK, a ?majority? may honor a suggestion to rebuke/disfellowship but this means a minority can dissent (2Co 2:6), the dead sleep, earth will become paradise etc.
Sewolf.com/ infolink noted possible 1999-2000 cuts or cutbacks of CO?s or their visits, paid missionaries to return. GB Antis ordered us to protest tract France over backtaxes & verbally attack the govt, this aiding Russia?s prosecutor wanting to limit activities there. Sewolf said 3 GB wanted to quit or did. More USA members went inactive or cut ministry, more halls in cities closed or consolidated. GB slowness to take needed steps reminds of how in Rutherford?s time WTS Reps DF?d Ewald Vorsteher who formed a Friends of Truth group letter-exposing Hitler while WTS just sought to appease Hitler & denounced FOT till the 6-24-1933 crackdown, thus leading to deaths of more JW friends, Jews etc than should have died. Pro-reformers cut funds to WTS, wore brighter clothes, left micro-tracts at halls, worked to trace WTS Swiss bank accounts & incorporate a board to accept donations: AJWRB, POB 190089, Boise ID 83719-0089 USA. More teens bled to death in USA & Australian hospitals. Sister Tully Ionnedes was 18, Please pass on copies of this in whole or part; lives depend on it & even the few past issues sent nationwide have made a difference!
Long Live The Friends Of Truth!