Pretty update ...perhaps the forum admin can override the 30mins editing rule for me
White Lamb: Watchtower Resistance Movement
When France was invaded by the Nazis, they established what was called the French Resistance, which attacked the Nazis. The cause was to fight evil, so it was called a guerilla movement. In each town, rebels would meet together secretly and sabotage the Nazis, doing things such as blowing up railway lines, though they didn't attack civilians who were oppressed. Such movements have existed in many countries at many times, and such pressure has influenced incredible changes, for better or for worse, for example India's independence from Britain, or the end of apartheid in South Africa, or the end of slavery in the United States.
There are a lot of us on here, and there are things we can do to stop Jehovah's Witnesses!
We forget how many of us there are. About a third of JW youths stay in the faith, so for every 1 in, there are 2 out. Older ones leave too. I know some people from the world are drawn into the 'truth', but some leave. Hence, there are more out than in.
I resent organisation in that it allows tinpot dictators, but we do have experience here of organising things. I took care of a group, have done various assignments. We can use this experience to form little effective units to bring down the Watchtower. We don't need to even equal them in numbers to bring them down.
What can we do?
I don't see for us to fight the individuals in the organisation, because many of them are just misled, confused, brainwashed. People have stresses, difficult circumstances in life, and look for a saviour, hence they turn to God.
Raymond Franz is like a hero to us, with his brave writings in books, such as Crisis of Consciene. He is a major figure in this resistance movement, rather like the guys such as Tresckow in uprising displayed in the movie Valkyrie. However, the resitance to the Nazis had other less well-known movements. One was the White Rose movement, which wasn't by well-trained German military, but merely students, and we know how powerful a group of students can be when they protest together. In January 1943, they launched a campaign of antiwar handbills and graffiti in and around Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. What of us?
Form your local a White Lamb unit:
Meet with local ex-JWs, and try to ignore any differences and politics, i.e. don't want this to become a tinpot dictator issue like with bodies of elders.
Each unit attacks the local JW kingdom hall(s) in a nice way. No violence! Also, be wary of the Watchtower's legal team!
- Graffiti (?) website addresses on to Kingdom Hall and other walls - yes, this is illegal, but hard to stop, and initially it may just cause the cult mentality to make JWs hate us more, but if every night, sneak up and graffiti walls, or flypost, soon it will make youths JW think - it will get to some. http://www.freeminds.org/
- Glue fluffy white toy lambs to Kingdom Hall entrances. http://www.silentlambs.org/
- Flyers under car windscreens - no more illegal than preaching, and do this in groups. Especially near the Kingdom Hall. Could everyone just follow the former informal preaching advice, and put a few of these in their pocket? I know that approaching people face to face on this subject may be awkward, but could have a very brief comment - "I used to be a JW and want to let people know why I left. It's a cult.", or just put them under car windscreen wipers or through doors on way to work, or in the laundrette, tables in McDonalds, etc..
- Tell neighbours why you left the JWs i.e. it was a cult
- Write to your local paper to tell them how abusive JWs are
- Write to your local parliament representative to tell him you were abused, and worry for others
- File police charges for any abuse that violates the law
Once a year, the units should all come together for big peaceful protest(s), at various locations, so one in London, one in New York, one in San Francisco. Have TV interviews. We could have a barbecue.
Our demands (requirements to stop our action) are as follows:
Either the government bans the organisation and send the members for medical help (therapy), or they willing close down, or the more likely result that they address these 5 matters.
1. The blood issue be dropped.
I know there are scriptures to back it up, but at the end of the day, it's weird. The mention of health benefits is merely passive dissidence, for the real motive is this sacredness of life, and if life is sacred, why symbolise that by death?! Weird! It is actually to show one's loyalty to God, as in Abraham willing to kill Isaac for love of God - some sick God! It rather reminds me of child sacrifices to Molech, tha that the Watchtower so criticises, or the Inca sacrifices. The Governing Body has such power, viewed as the word of God, that people will do what it says - if it says jump, they jump; if it says die, they die - this must stop.
Link: http://www.ajwrb.org/
2. The child abuse must be addressed.
There needs to be some kind of reform, so as to protect youngsters better. There is the notion that prayer and Bible study can allow the holy spirit to change one. However, some conditions are serious mental problems, such as psychopathy, and such people can be two-sided, putting on a show of change. More must be done to protect from such conditions, especially in the case of any congregation responsibility. I appreciate people can still worship God, whatever they have done, but the police must be informed of these matters, because simply praying isn't enough - medical help is needed, and the abuser may need to be force by the police to accept that, and the police need to be allowed to monitor that person, and stop doing thing such as working as a teacher.
3. Disfellowshipping / disassociation needs reform.
I appreciate that if one doesn't follow the rules, they are not really part of an organisation. If one who doesn't follow the guidelines, or sinned, cannot be an elder, ministerial servant, pioneer, or even do ministry and comment at meetings, ok, so be it. It's fair enough to have qualifications for these assignments, but it's another thing to cut that person off. We all know this is a sign of a cult: http://freedomofmind.com/
In fact, lots of love, rather than shunning, may help them to get spiritually better, so for a certainty the elders should be very friendly to such a person. I prefer how an inactive person is treated. They are, ok, not the best association, perhaps marked, but they are not disconnected from all they know, they can still talk to family, they can still go to meetings, but they may need to review some study material before doing ministry again, etc..
One should be able to grow up in this faith, and then decided it's not for them, without loosing their family, because they got baptised into what they didn't understand. Likewise, if one has been disfellowshipped, sure, they can't lead the congregation or preach unless they repent, and sure Witnesses in general won't be drawn to them as a friend due to difference in lifestyle. But are they any more dangerous than an inactive one - some degree of contact should be permitted with at least the family; though I appreciate the family don't want to be involved in such a different lifestyle, but then a youth who was never baptised could drift away, be as immoral, and family still be allowed to carefully associate in a limited way, whereby they didn't feel pressure to sin - this is a double-standard!
Disfellowshipping should be open to a proper appeal, before an independent body. The original body should not have a deciding influence on the outcome of the appeal - this is a 'kangaroo' court. Also, there needs to be a stop to using disfellowshipping as a tactic to silence and control, by removing supposedly 'rebellious' brothers who simply made fair comments or criticisms, or didn't follow unreasonable requests.
4. Mental illness must be recognised and reduced
An incredible number of Jehovah's Witnesses have mental illneses, such as Fibromyalgia/CFS-M.E., depression, OCD, chemical reactions, PTSD, allergies, etc., all of which are related to stress, or to be more scientific, severe anxiety disorders. We can use instead everyday terms such as 'burnout' or 'nervous breakdowns'. We know the cause. It's the control the Governing Body, the micro-managing of elders, the in-fighting among elders keen for positions, not to mention the incredible pressure to preach the good news as the end if near and no one want to be bloodguilty when Jehovah's Day comes.
It doesn't have to be viewed as anti-organisation. In the early 19th century military medical doctors started diagnosing soldiers with "exhaustion" after the stress of battle, and do not Jehovah's Witnesses view themselves as being in a spiritual battle against Satan's spirit of the world. Bethelites and pioneers work too hard, and need to be encouraged to rest more, and this stigma of massages, therapy, and other ways to relieve stress, must be removed. Treatment must been given for spiritual battle fatigue, other than simply being told one is only tired because they didn't pray enough, so lack the 'power beyond what is normal'.
Consider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTSD
Elders must be more loving (!), and also go on courses to help them cope with stresses, as do ambulance men, fire crews, etc., not to mention training to not squabbling - some of these guys have serious underlying issues, such as an inferiority complex, that make them squabble. I know the world in general has these, but it's worse when one is claiming to be the representative of God, and expecting everyone to respect his word as Jehovah's guidance, due to the influence of a not so holy spirit among the brothers.
5. Leaders need to be held more responsible.
It is certainly autocratic that the decisions of elders and the Governing Body may not be question, and another name for autocracy is dictarorship. It may be said to trust on Jehovah when things go wrong, but all kinds of problems like child abuse occur and could be avoided if elders were held more responsible. Their qualifications should be frequently reviewed. They should be given more training, especially in psychology, because they cannot be counsellors to people on the basis alone of the wisdom of holy spirit via the scriptures. Often I have seen a lack of ability to organise things, as well as incredible politics, power-hunger, by men who would not have had such opportunity for a position of authority if they had been in the world. There can be this lovely role of authority, with very little work. It can result in severe bullying, which the victim doesn't want to question or any eye-witnesses don't want to acknowledge, because of loyalty to Jehovah.
Consider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_bullying
Outside the organisation, leaders have to handle opposition, criticism, and so forth, but elders are free to be narcissist, imposing unreasonable personal 'pet hates', such as a ban on beards. In worldly organisations, there are tests, courses, etc., i.e. studying, to achieve position, and yes, some find other ways, but often it's hard work, and that puts off some bullies - ok, there are psychos everywhere, but at the least such reduces corruption. The newly-formed elders' school, could be a real school, more like the Ministerial Training School, but longer, and more importantly with an exam, because I have been to Kingdom Ministry School and there is no test to make sure you paid any attention and learnt anything, or didn't fall asleep. It amazes me how many elders are the voice in the scriptures, but don't know them well. Also, there should be more honesty and openness with brothers 'reaching out' as to why they don't qualify, rather than telling people to humbly wait; too much of a glass ceiling.
Elders could be checked up on - i.e. publishers have to report return visits, and do a fair number to become an elder, so why don't elders have pressure to do a fair number of shepherding visits; an hour requirement for helping brothers which took priority over field service - some may fake it, but it would get rid of some elders who want the title and don't want to help people. Moreover, the Governing Body should stop being so secretive - we let them decided if we live and die (blood fractions or not, etc.), but we don't really know who they are, what they do, etc. - they must stop acting with the arrogance of the British monarchy, which was for centuries was a voice unquestion, for it was said to be appointed by God.
