I was appalled by the blatant lies and misrepresentations in this piece. Most of the author's assertions about the Witnesses are misleading at best and I believe outright deceptive in intent. On some points, he uses misdirection to appear to be addressing a concern while really only trying to distract the reader from the real issue. Classic bait-and-switch. And the Society accuses the "apostates" of using "lies and half-truths." How ironic. How hypocritical.
I realize that this article isn't an "official" statement from the Society, but I believe it does represent their own view of themselves. The author is almost certainly an active, avid Witness, and not a disinterested observer. The whole thing has an obvious pro-Witness bias and strives to promote Witness beliefs while masquerading as a scholarly discussion of the subject at hand. This in itself is deceptive and disingenuous.
I would love it if someone with the writing skills of, say, Barbara Anderson, could take the time to refute this article point for point, using direct quotes from Watchtower literature to show the truth about the Truth™. Of course, die-hard Witnesses would never read it, but others might be spared a lifetime of subjugation to the old men in Brooklyn.
An unbiased look at the unvarnished facts leads to one inevitable conclusion: the Watchtower Society is definitely a cult, by any objective definition.