There seems to be quite a bit of conflicting information about Michael Jackson's JW status as a young man. It's clear that he was raised a Witness and that he was a practicing Witness (a publisher) in the 1970s and early 1980s. But there's some uncertainty about (1) whether he was baptized, and (2) whether and when he was DF/DA.
I was looking around on Yahoo Answers and found the following question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqERWd.LHQkcO.59FNQaHBrty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090628174024AAFwsKY&show=7. The user "mojo_celtica" claims to know Jackson and gives a detailed answer with names and dates. Of course, I have no way to verify whether it's true, but it sounds believable. Do any of you have the inside scoop? Yahoo Answers has been up and down today, so for your convenience her answer is reproduced below:
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Michael's problems with the Witnesses began with Thriller in 1983. Michael asked the Elders for permission before filming Thriller and permission was granted. Afterward, an Elder named Dick Lucas, who apparently wasn't one of the group of Elders who granted Michael permission to film, began persecuting him.
The part of Thriller that got Michael in trouble was the metamorphosis from man to cat person. Long story short, he was officially reproved, publicly, before the entire congregation. He attended the meeting that night but, when it came time for him to be reproved, he got up and left, horribly embarassed.
After that, Brother Lucas made it his personal mission in life to criticize everything little thing Michael did. He was impossible to please and was relentless. When Thriller went worldwide along with Michael's fame, Bro. Lucas lost his mind. He thought people's adoration of Michael was akin to idolatry and pressured Michael to give up being an entertainer.
Michael did everything that was required of him by the Witnesses. He went out in the service, he attended all the meetings and book studies, he gave talks... he would even fly back to LA from wherever he was to fulfill his obligations.
Ultimately, in... I think it was May of 1989, Michael left the congregation. Michael being forced from the church by Bro. Lucas began the downhill slide in his life. Michael lost his anchor.
As far as I know, Michael never converted to Islam (Jermaine did) and he was a Christian at the time of his death.
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