Hi, James....I'm going to re-post something I wrote a couple of months ago. For those of you who read it the first time, my apologies, but I can't think of anything better to share with someone becoming newly acquainted with the organization.
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Talking to one of Jehovah's Witnesses? I'm sure he or she is very nice. Most are, in my opinion. I have a great deal of love for many, many Jehovah's Witnesses. In fact more than thirty members of my family are in the organization, since our family has a long history in it for four generations and more than sixty years.
Why do I love Jehovah's Witnesses? They look forward to a time when the earth will be a paradise and all humans will then live in perfection and happiness. This common hope can inspire love and a special kind of unity. They're not perfect, and you'll see this from time to time, but who is perfect, right?
As you continue your association with this Jehovah's Witness, there are a few things I'd like you to know.
1) The Watchtower Society, the official agency in charge of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, encourages young ones to be baptized quite young; thirteen or fourteen years of age.
2) While the baptism oaths used to require those getting baptized to acknowledge God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, in 1985 it was changed to require those getting baptized to acknowledge the Watchtower Society as "God's spirit-directed organization."
3) Being a baptized Jehovah's Witness requires you to recognize as God's sole channel of communication to humans - only those in association with the Watchtower Society. Although they may not mention it at first, they believe that unless you are baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses--and have a full share in their meetings and field service activity--you will die at the soon-to-come Armageddon, along with everyone else on earth who has not done these things.
4) If you become baptized and later decide you don't necessarily recognize those in association with the Watchtower Society as God's only channel of communication--and admit as much to others--you will almost surely be disfellowshiped and branded a wicked apostate, not even worthy of prayers. This means being shunned and vilified by all those--closest friends, family members, yes even your children--who are Jehovah's Witnesses. You will be identified as one of "The Evil Slave Class."
5) Trying to reason with the elders, your friends or family members that you are not deserving of such treatment is quite futile. Why? Because any Jehovah's Witness who does not submit to the enforced shunning is himself subject to being disfellowshiped and shunned if anyone finds out. This practice creates an environment in which people are fearful of anything the Watchtower Society has condemned, and in which people are reverse-incentivized to support anything they say.
6) If these things were to happen to you, during your judicial hearing you will be denied most of the rights generally afforded people in any sort of court. You are not given the right to have someone represent you, nor even the right to have witnesses of your choosing present. There will be no recording nor transcript of the proceedings. While they make sure there are three or more elders present to represent the Watchtower Society's interests, you are allowed no one to represent yours. You have no record of the hearing, no representation, no witnesses of your own; you have no concrete way to demonstrate that you were mistreated or that things weren't handled properly. Only your word (one person) against theirs (three persons.)
If, like me, you at some point become one of Jehovah's Witnesses, many wonderful things will be placed before you. Lots of literature containing beautiful artist's renderings of life on a paradise earth. Many experiences of how other people all over the world are becoming Jehovah's Witnesses. Frequent public talks that demonstrate how correct the Watchtower Society is in its increasing light regarding God's truth. You will be encouraged to read the Bible--along with publications from the Watchtower Society. And you'll find that "studying the Bible," while quite time-consuming, is not very difficult since it amounts to reading Watchtower publications and answering the accompanying, published questions from those corresponding paragraphs.
As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, you will frequently be told not to listen to those who disagree with the teachings of the Watchtower Society. They will spend less time teaching you about why these opposers are wrong--and more time sinply warning you not to pay attention. Note the following excerpt taken from the Watchtower magazine...
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w86 3/15 p. 12 ‘Do Not Be Quickly Shaken From Your Reason’ ***Now, what will you do if you are confronted with apostate teaching—subtle reasonings—claiming that what you believe as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the truth? For example, what will you do if you receive a letter or some literature, open it, and see right away that it is from an apostate? Will curiosity cause you to read it, just to see what he has to say? You may even reason: ‘It won’t affect me; I’m too strong in the truth. And, besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test.’ In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate reasoning and have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt. (Compare James 1:5-8.)
You may find the logic circular and unsatisfying at first. Consider...
"This is God’s true organization."
"If so, why be afraid of hearing out an opposer?"
"Because they might lead you away from God’s true organization."
"But what if the opposers are right?"
"They can’t be right since this is God’s true organization."
"But shouldn’t such an organization withstand honest-hearted scrutiny?"
"It’s thinking like that that has led many away from God’s true organization."
But if you give it time, in the presence of others who have accepted the organization as God's only true channel, you may find it becomes easier and easier to believe as they do. You may come to accept what they have: that there is no truth nor faith in God apart from faith in the Watchtower Society.
Although nearly all of my family members are Jehovah's Witnesses and although I myself served as an elder in the congregation, I now recognize that the organization is not what it purports to be. While there are many fine and wonderful people within it, there are many false and troubling things too. Things that cannot be excused as the simple shortcomings of imperfect men. They amount to gross deception, evil manipulation and idolatry.
These things are most difficult to see for those immersed in the culture surrounding the organization, who endeavor to separate themselves from all others, associating almost exclusively with one another. They are things one cannot comprehend without a willingness to give the organization a clear-minded, honest-hearted, objective investigation. Because the Watchtower Society threatens those who dissent with a branding of "apostate" and shunning, there is much fear in one’s conducting such an investigation. The reasoning encouraged by the Watchtower Society requires the dogmatic rejection of any possibility that "what you believe as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the truth." I consider this out of harmony with the scriptures.
(2 Corinthians 13:5)
Keep testing whether YOU are in the faith, keep proving what YOU yourselves are. Or do YOU not recognize that Jesus Christ is in union with YOU? This month I will be 39 years old. I have only come into my present understanding of this organization in the last year. None of my Witness friends or family members--including my seventeen year old daughter--know how I feel. I am presently struggling with the most difficult decision I've ever had to make in my life. Either I voice my position and be considered demonized by my entire family along with the only community of friends I've known my whole life, being shunned as an evil enemy. Or living a lie.
Unlike the Watchtower Society, I will not tell you to run from what I believe to be wrong. I want you to understand it. Listen to them. Listen closely. But don't ever let them scare you from considering ALL the information. And don't ever let them tell you not to use the mind God gave you--in favor of zombie-like submission to a group of men. Men whose position as God's only channel they preserve by the threat of shunning upon those who dare suggest the emperor may have no clothes.
I don't know what the coming months hold for me. Please pray for me. I'll be praying for you.
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(Addition 6/2/2005) My daughter now knows of my position. How? She found the above document in my computer and printed it out. It's been very difficult for us, but she shows a determination not to let anything come between us.
