Posts by Roger Kirkpatrick

19

Zalkin Law Firm flooded with calls from ex-JWs

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

jw
friends

yesterday, i posted a question for a friend in texas as to whom he should contact to report sexual abuse from the 1960s by a jw pioneer/elder who is now deceased.

(incidentally, there are plenty of people who are still alive and in the organization who were very aware of the circumstances and who can be summoned to give testimony regarding these accusations.

) so, my friend called the zalkin law firm.

Roger Kirkpatrick

Yesterday, I posted a question for a friend in Texas as to whom he should contact to report sexual abuse from the 1960s by a JW pioneer/elder who is now deceased. (Incidentally, there are plenty of people who are still alive and in the organization who were very aware of the circumstances and who can be summoned to give testimony regarding these accusations.) So, my friend called the Zalkin Law Firm. The woman who took his call told him that they have been flooded with calls from former JWs since the statute of limitations was lifted, and that they have had to triple the number of paralegals and office staff just to handle the influx of calls. She told my friend to be patient, that it may take a month or more before he hears back from an attorney. This is wonderful news to all who love seeing WT having to account for its flawed policies which allowed such abuse to flourish for decades.

4

Join "Spotlight JW. ORG," a private Facebook group

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

please consider joining this private group dedicated to exposing a religious cult which lies about its past, endangers the lives of its members, tears apart families, and shields pedophiles from prosecution while masquerading as a benevolent religion.. .

https://www.facebook.com/groups/835225223242611/.

.

Roger Kirkpatrick

Please consider joining this private group dedicated to exposing a religious cult which lies about its past, endangers the lives of its members, tears apart families, and shields pedophiles from prosecution while masquerading as a benevolent religion.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/835225223242611/

Hey, Jerry Anderson, email me!

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

jw
friends

jerry anderson has been trying to reconnect with me.

he sent me the following message on this forum, which he checks once in a while.

jerry, email me at [email protected].

Roger Kirkpatrick

Jerry Anderson has been trying to reconnect with me. He sent me the following message on this forum, which he checks once in a while. Jerry, email me at [email protected].

<<Hey Rodger, sorry for the late reply. Yes, I remember you well. My name is Jerry Anderson. I was going to court reporting School when I knew you. I still remember Denise and Barry working in your store. I touched base with Denise about 6 years ago. She seems to be doing okay. I left the JW's about 25 years ago. I was trying like heck 2 to win a two-year-long religious debate at work with a Southern Baptist coworker to bring him into the organization. When he hit me with all of our false prophecies, which I verified in our own Kingdom Hall Library which had every single Watchtower back to the first edition, I had to admit he won. I followed up with some discussions with the leadership at Bethel but they did not want to answer my questions. I ended up leaving and lost my marriage, all my friends and most of the members of my own family like my mother, and my brothers and sisters.. however, over time I got my sisters and brother out. I call myself a free range, cage free, organic Christian now. Sorry you are having to go through the difficulties you are suffering because you do not want to compromise your ethics to the Watchtower.>>

8

Mail copies of this letter to local churches and to whomever!

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

dear neighbor:.

since the end of the world as we know it is dangerously near, we are writing you to tell you the things your minister has not told you, but which jehovah’s witnesses (jw.

org) want you to know.. jesus christ returned invisibly in the year 1914 c.e.

Roger Kirkpatrick

Dear Neighbor:

Since the end of the world as we know it is dangerously near, we are writing you to tell you the things your minister has not told you, but which Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW. ORG) want you to know.

Jesus Christ returned INVISIBLY in the year 1914 C.E. (the start of the “last days”) and proceeded to judge all Christian religions. In 1919 C.E., Jesus personally selected the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (AKA Jehovah’s Witnesses) as God’s spirit-directed organization to preach the good news of God’s kingdom before God destroys all human governments and false religion in the approaching battle of Armageddon (Matt. 24:14). Therefore, it is imperative that everyone who wishes to avoid destruction by Jehovah at Armageddon must become a Jehovah’s Witness as soon as possible. Admittedly, the Watchtower previously claimed that Armageddon would definitely occur in 1914, then again in 1925. Then it was strongly suggested that it would occur in 1975, when Watchtower officials coined the phrase “stay alive ‘til ’75!” But those were just the predictions of imperfect men. This time, the Governing Body is really, really sure! So, do not hesitate any longer!

Don’t make the common mistake of reading your Bible without the aid of Watchtower publications because you might draw the erroneous conclusion that Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong. The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is Christ’s “faithful and discreet slave” (Matt. 24:45), and only the Governing Body can accurately interpret the Bible. So, forget everything your minister has taught you, because all religions–except for Jehovah Witnesses–are FALSE religion, and their ministers are actually ministers of Satan who has blinded their eyes. Oh, they may preach that Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind, but they have not told you that Jesus is ONLY the mediator for the 144,000 Christians who are spirit anointed to go to heaven. True, Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through HIM; but, the only way to JESUS is through the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the “faithful and discreet slave!”

Only 144,000 Christians were given the hope of going to heaven with Jesus (Rev. 14:1). All other Christians who survive Armageddon will enjoy everlasting life on a cleansed paradise earth (Psalms 83:18). Only a small number of those 144,000 spirit anointed Christians remains on earth today, and ALL of them are Jehovah’s Witnesses. They alone should partake of the bread and the wine when commemorating the annual Lord’s Evening Meal.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe it is a sin to accept life-saving blood transfusions, because the Bible plainly tells Christians to “abstain from blood.” Admittedly, many scholars say that the only Biblical prohibition regarding blood was against eating the blood of animals which were killed for food. But those scholars are wrong, because the “faithful and discreet slave” has said so! Thousands of Jehovah’s Witness men, women, and children have died for refusing life-saving blood transfusions because only the JW Governing Body can determine what is or is not a matter of conscience, because they speak for Jehovah himself! And, according to the Watchtower, one must be prepared to obey the Governing Body or one’s local elders even if doing so doesn’t make any sense from a strategic or human standpoint. If one dies needlessly by doing so, there is always the resurrection hope for those who die for obeying the JW Governing Body.

People who leave their family religion and convert to the Jehovah’s Witness religion are often disowned and shunned by their families. Such persecution is only to be expected because Jesus said he came to cause such divisions among families. However, when Jehovah’s Witnesses cut-off and shun family members who leave their religion for conscientious reasons, such as unscriptural Watchtower teachings and practices, it is out of love to help the straying one return to Jehovah. Tearing families apart OUT OF LOVE is encouraged by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Don’t be distracted by all the lawsuits and negative publicity against Jehovah’s Witnesses for failing to report the crimes of pedophile elders, ministerial servants, and pioneers within their congregations, which crimes were never reported to authorities but were kept hidden in secret Watchtower files. Jehovah’s Witnesses are IN the world, but they are not OF the world. As Jehovah’s representatives, they have the right to disobey laws that they deem to be in conflict with Jehovah’s laws. Like the first century Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses must obey God as ruler rather than men. So, it is okay for JWs to withhold the truth for the purpose of misleading enemies of Jehovah, even if they do so in courts of law after having sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Before visiting a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, be aware that Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-groomed and modestly dressed. Their female “approved associates” wear minimal makeup and jewelry, and choose dresses that show no cleavage and with hemlines below the knee. Their male “approved associates” refrain from wearing beards and tight pants which were designed by homosexuals, according to the “faithful and discreet slave.” Visitors are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines in order to fit in and to avoid receiving judgmental stares from others.

For further information, please contact your local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Have a nice day!

Your smiling JW neighbors JW. ORG

4

Too Much Information???

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

jw
friends

i hate it when people beat around the bush before coming to the point.

so, i composed the following letter for letter-writing jws who like to cut-to-the-chase, as it were.

feel free to add your own points in the comments below.. “dear neighbor:.

Roger Kirkpatrick

I hate it when people beat around the bush before coming to the point. So, I composed the following letter for letter-writing JWs who like to cut-to-the-chase, as it were. Feel free to add your own points in the comments below.

“Dear Neighbor:

Here are just a few of the Bible truths that your ministers have not taught you: Jesus Christ returned INVISIBLY in the heavens in 1914 CE (the beginning of “the last days”), sat down on the throne of God’s Messianic kingdom, and proceeded to judge all professed Christian religions. In 1918, Christ personally chose the Watchtower Society to be his faithful and discreet slave mentioned at Matthew 24:45, God’s “spirit-directed organization” which would accomplish the worldwide preaching of the good news of God’s kingdom. Only 144,000 persons from the earth were given the hope of ruling as kings and priests in heaven with Christ Jesus (Rev. 14:1). Only a small remnant of such Christians remain on the earth today, and they are ALL Jehovah’s Witnesses. The New Testament was essentially a personal letter from God to those 144,000 Christians who are spirit-anointed to live in heaven with Christ.

“The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is Christ’s faithful and discreet slave today (Matt. 24:45), and only the Governing Body has the right to interpret the Bible for all Christians, not just for JWs. So, forget everything your minister has taught you about the Bible, because all religions--except for Jehovah’s Witnesses--are FALSE religion, and their ministers are actually ministers of Satan the Devil who has blinded their eyes. Oh, they may have taught you that Christ Jesus is the mediator between God and men, but they have not told you that Christ Jesus is ONLY the mediator for spirit-anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses who have the hope of going to heaven. True, Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through HIM, but no one comes to Jesus EXCEPT through the Governing Body!

“Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only ones teaching that it is a sin to accept life-saving blood transfusions, because the Bible tells Christians plainly to “abstain from blood.” True, many Bible scholars believe that was referring to abstaining from eating the blood of animals which were slaughtered for food, but those scholars are wrong! How do I know? Because the “faithful and discreet slave” has said that they are wrong! Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses have died for refusing blood transfusions, because only their Governing Body can deem what is and is not a matter of personal conscience. When people are willing to die for a belief, you know that it must be the truth! Besides, the JW Governing Body is the official spokesmen for God himself!

“People who leave their family religion to convert to the Jehovah’s Witness religion are often disowned and shunned by their families. Such persecution is only to be expected because Jesus said he came to cause such division among families. However, when Jehovah’s Witnesses shun family members who leave the religion for conscientious reasons, such as unscriptural Watchtower teachings and practices, it is out of love to help the straying one return to Jehovah. Tearing families apart out of love is encouraged by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by all the lawsuits and publicity against the Watchtower Society for failing for decades to report the crimes of pedophile elders and ministerial servants who sexually abused children within their congregations, whose crimes were never reported to authorities but were kept hidden in secret Watchtower files. Jehovah’s Witnesses are IN the world, but they are not OF the world. As God’s representatives, they have the right to disobey laws that they deem to be in conflict with God’s laws. Jesus told Christians to be cautious as serpents yet innocent as doves. So, it is okay for JWs to withhold the truth for the purpose of misleading enemies of God, even if they do so after having sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

“Therefore, it is imperative that everyone who wishes to avoid destruction by God at Armageddon must become a Jehovah’s Witness as soon as possible because the end of this present system of things is very, very near. Do not hesitate! If you do not believe me, then ask the very next Jehovah’s Witness you meet to show you these truths from the Bible. I know these things are true because I have studied many Watchtower publications which contain hundreds, if not thousands, of scriptural references. Do not make the common mistake of reading your Bible without the aid of Watchtower publications, because you might draw the erroneous conclusion that Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong, and that just cannot be! I know, because my parents and my grandparents were devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they were honest people who taught me the truth about there not being any Santa Claus and that Jesus did not really wear a beard (although they reversed their view on that latter point). But, they meant well, and honestly pay all their taxes. Also, Jehovah’s Witnesses are practically the only people who still wear their finest clothes when they go to church (which they call a Kingdom Hall).

“Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only genuine Christians. Prove it to yourself, if you don’t believe me. Print this letter, take it to your local Kingdom Hall and read it to any JW you meet, and see if they don’t confirm every word to be true.

Have A Nice Day,

Your Smiling JW Neighbors”

My letter to my JW son, as read by Jon Leger (aka EXJW Analyzer)

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

please watch, listen, and share.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99jisp5y6-o.

Roger Kirkpatrick

Please watch, listen, and share.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99JiSp5y6-o

3

Unsolicited advice for PIMO JWs who live in anguish and fear

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

before one who belongs to another religion can become a jw, one must officially resign from one’s former church in writing.

many who left their family religion to become a jw have been disowned by their families.

of course, jws consider this to be persecution.

Roger Kirkpatrick

Before one who belongs to another religion can become a JW, one must officially resign from one’s former church in writing. Many who left their family religion to become a JW have been disowned by their families. Of course, JWs consider this to be persecution. But, ostracizing and shunning exemplary persons who leave the Watchtower for conscientious reasons is considered to be a loving thing. Thus, thousands of individuals remain trapped in the Watchtower religion out of fear of being ostracized and shunned by their JW family and friends.

Back when telephones were tethered to the kitchen wall, I remember when telemarketer calls first became common. Being raised to be polite to everyone, I just could not bring myself to simply hang up on a “friendly” telemarketer. That is, until the day a "friendly" telemarketer hung up on me when he realized I was not going to buy whatever he was selling. Having that person hang up on me after being so friendly at first really pissed me off, but he did me a huge favor. From then on I took great delight in hanging up on all telemarketers following their “friendly” greeting.

Apply that example to Jehovah’s Witnesses who are taught to be so friendly to people when preaching their bastardized “good news,” but who become hostile whenever their belief system is questioned or rejected. When they can no longer control you, they will try to control how others view you by labeling you a “mentally diseased” apostate.

This post is directed to all PIMO JWs who cannot bring themselves to “hang up” on their family and so-called friends by simply disassociating from Watchtower. Just wait until you get a taste of their hostility when all you do is question or reject teachings you know to be false. Remember, it was Watchtower who told you it was your god-given responsibility to point out religious error and hypocrisy wherever you found it. In fact, you were told that your everlasting salvation depended on your doing so.

I promise you this: If you wait for JWs to “hang up” on you by disfellowshiping you, you will forever kick yourself for not “hanging up” on them first by proactively disfellowshiping them first! Speaking from personal experience, I can assure you that whatever you lose by bravely rejecting Watchtower lies, you will reap tenfold in ways you never dreamed possible!

15

A POMO father's letter to his PIMI son (Warning: This is long!)

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

my dear son, c---n:.

i am writing you to express my love for you and the pride that i feel for the man you have become.

you need to know that i accept you and love you dearly just for who you are and i am immensely proud of the wise choices you made with regard to your education and your career.. as i write you this heartfelt letter, i pray that you will read it entirely and give it your careful consideration.

Roger Kirkpatrick

My dear son, C---n:

I am writing you to express my love for you and the pride that I feel for the man you have become. You need to know that I accept you and love you dearly just for who you are and I am immensely proud of the wise choices you made with regard to your education and your career.

As I write you this heartfelt letter, I pray that you will read it entirely and give it your careful consideration. You are now a grown man with a mind of your own to decide what you wish to do with the rest of your life regardless of what any one else may think or has to say. You hold within your hands complete control over the choices you make from this point forward, and no one has the right to exercise any authority over you unless you willingly give them that right. If it is truly your decision to give others such authority over you, I will respect your decision. But I need to be satisfied that such is really your decision.

My dear son, if I were to ask you what evidence you have seen with your own eyes that the religion which was chosen for you and which you embraced under coercion is really the truth, as you have been told, you could not show me one bit of evidence. I know that, and I know that you know that. However, I can show you solid and irrefutable evidence that it is not the truth. You have been misled, just as I was misled for the greater part of my life. The difference is, I allowed myself to be misled, as I will explain later. Is your faith in what you have been coerced to believe strong enough, unshakable enough to risk considering the evidence I want to show you?

The evidence of which I speak is not from apostate sources, but is from Watchtower publications and from the Bible. You see, we were carefully taught a false good news. The good news we learned and preached as JWs is not the good news which Jesus and the first century Christians preached. Watchtower’s interpretation of the scriptures has been completely exposed and discredited by its own published writings, by its documented actions, and by its organizational policies. Jesus told the false religious teachers of his day, “By your words you will be condemned.” (Matt. 12:37) Those words of Jesus have been fulfilled in the case of the Watchtower Society. Light has exposed the darkness of the religion in which I was raised and in which I raised you.

JWs are taught that it is their God-given responsibility to expose religious error and hypocrisy wherever it is found. In fact, one’s eternal salvation depends on one’s doing so, according to Watchtower’s interpretation of Ezekiel 3:17-21. Yet, any JW who points out erroneous Watchtower teachings is ostracized, disfellowshiped as an apostate, and shunned. Watchtower has a long history of disfellowshiping sincere Christians who point out faulty Watchtower teachings, then turning around and embracing the viewpoint of the one who was disfellowshiped. For example, in 1980, Edward Dunlap, Watchtower’s Gilead School registrar and teacher, suggested in a private conversation with two governing body members that it appeared to him that the governing body was the faithful and discreet slave. For privately expressing that viewpoint which contradicted Watchtower teaching at that time, Dunlap was disfellowshiped as an apostate. As you well know, the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has declared itself to be the faithful and discreet slave, which is exactly what Ed Dunlap was disfellowshiped for suggesting in a private conversation.

My first realization that the Watchtower Society was not teaching Bible truth was in 1982, and it was an emotionally traumatic experience for me, the degree of which would be revealed to me by a therapist some 20 years later. Knowing what would result from questioning Watchtower teachings, I made a conscious decision to simply become inactive as a JW, or to stick my head in the sand, so to speak. At that time, I had no way of knowing the detrimental psychological effects that such a decision would have on the rest of my life. However, now that I have learned the detrimental psychological effects of choosing to believe and to proclaim as true something which I knew was not true, I cannot live with myself if I do not warn you about that which I learned the hard way. I can help you to avoid the mistakes I discovered only after I had wasted the best years of my life. If, after considering this letter, you decide to make the same decision I made to remain in a false religion, I will forever respect your decision, and, if you wish, I will never contact you again. Let me begin by sharing an overview of failed Watchtower prophecies.

Beginning in 1879, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society began preaching that Christ’s second coming had occurred invisibly in 1874; that Christ had begun ruling in heaven in 1878; and that God’s kingdom would destroy all human governments and all religions in 1914, resulting in the reestablishment of paradise conditions on earth. Watchtower’s founder and first president, Charles Taze Russell, died in 1916 knowing that his 1914 prophecy had failed miserably.

In 1918, Watchtower’s second president, Joseph F. Rutherford, began preaching, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” According to Rutherford, the end which had not occurred in 1914 would occur in 1925, and faithful men of old, including Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, would be resurrected and begin ruling as princes of God’s kingdom on earth. Rutherford’s 1925 prophecy failed as miserably as had Russell’s 1914 prophecy.

Undeterred by reality, Rutherford ordered the construction of a sprawling mansion in San Diego--ostensibly to house Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other resurrected ones--and named it Beth Sarim, meaning “house of princes.” Rutherford made full use of the mansion as well as of two 16-cylinder automobiles throughout the Great Depression and until his death in 1942.

Regarding this ostentatious mansion (built and paid for with donated Watchtower funds), page 76 of the book Jehovah’s Witnesses: Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom says: "At the time it was believed that faithful men of old times...would be resurrected." It fails to mention that it was believed because it had been proclaimed as a certainty by Rutherford in Watchtower publications. Rather than holding Rutherford accountable for such a failed prophecy, the Nov. 15, 1955, Watchtower (page 698) stated that "Jehovah caused to be preached from 1918 the startling public message, 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die.'" Can you imagine Watchtower blaming God for Rutherford’s failed prophecy?

The adage that those who forget the past are bound to repeat it seems apropos in view of the hopes regarding the end coming in 1975 which were built up in the hearts of Jehovah’s Witnesses who sincerely viewed the Watchtower Society as Christ's handpicked representatives on earth. Failed Watchtower prophecies regarding 1914 and 1925 had been proclaimed with the same certainty as the following statements published in 1969 when I was 17 years old:

*"*If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the 'last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' (Matt. 24:34.)

“Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!

“That is why parents who base their lives on God’s prophetic Word find it much more practical to direct their young ones into trades that do not require such long periods of additional schooling. And trades such as carpentry, plumbing and others, will be useful not only now, but perhaps even more so in the reconstruction work that will take place in God’s new order." (Awake, May 22, 1969, p.15)

I was 17 years old when that Watchtower prophecy was published. As I write this, I am 67 years old. I was promised that I would never grow old in this system of things, but I have.

Moving closer to 1975, the April 1, 1972 Watchtower featured an article titled, “They Shall Know That a Prophet Was Among Them,” which said: “So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet?…This prophet was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses.” Yet, Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot point to one Watchtower prophecy which has ever come true.

What does the Bible say about prophets whose prophecies fail to come true?

“A prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say...must be put to death. If what a prophet claims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true...that prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18: 20-22.)

Rather than admit that such prophecies failed, JWs say that the light simply got brighter. But the record shows that JWs are always the last to get the so-called “new light.”

Example #1: Watchtower founder, Charles Taze Russell despised organized religion, and preached that all one needed to serve God was the Bible and Jesus Christ. After Russell’s death, so-called “new light” caused Joseph Rutherford to realize the financial benefits religions enjoyed, and he began placing greater emphasis on the organization, claiming that it was the only true religion.

Example #2: The January 8, 1947 Awake featured the article, “Are You Also Excommunicated?” It denounced the Catholic hierarchy’s doctrine of excommunication, saying that “it finds no support in these scriptures,” that “it is altogether foreign to Bible teachings,” and that is was of pagan origin. It stated that “as the pretensions of the Hierarchy increased, the weapon of excommunication became the instrument by which the clergy attained a combination of ecclesiastical power and secular tyranny that finds no parallel in history.”

Yet, just five years later, “new light” caused Watchtower to embrace a more severe form of excommunication called disfellowshiping. Excommunication merely limited spiritual fellowship with family members and others, whereas disfellowshiping actually severs family ties, since Watchtower mandates the shunning of family members who leave the religion for conscientious reasons, such as unscriptural Watchtower teachings and practices.

Example #3: The study article, “Their Refuge–A Lie!” in the June 1, 1991, Watchtower, paragraphs 1, 10, & 11, denounced as apostate religions which were accredited to the United Nations as non-governmental organizations (NGO). Yet, before the end of 1991, the Watchtower had also become accredited to the UN as an NGO. NGOs were obliged to serve as publicity agents for the UN, publishing articles each year outlining UN goals and achievements. Watchtower volunteered to serve in this capacity and, over the next 10 years, published articles each year which appeared to many readers to be favorable to the UN. Watchtower reapplied each year to serve as an NGO in spite of the fact that it had denounced as apostate other religions which had done so. This is what is called a double standard. (When the Guardian newspaper exposed the hypocritical alliance in October of 2001, Watchtower immediately withdrew its membership at the UN and tried to cover it up. See the Facebook page, “Jehovah’s Witnesses & the United Nations.”)

Example #4: Watchtower has always boasted that there is no clergy class among JWs. My father regularly witnessed to prisoners in Fort Worth’s Tarrant County Jail. On one occasion, a new inmate approached my father and asked if he was a clergyman. Knowing what the man meant, my father answered yes. The ministerial servant accompanying my father reported that exchange to the local elders, and my father received a written reproof from Watchtower headquarters saying that by identifying himself as a clergyman, he was making himself a part of Christendom. Just last year, in a court case involving Watchtower’s handling of reported child sexual abuse within its congregations, Watchtower attempted to plead clergy privilege while maintaining that JW elders are not clergymen. When it became clear its lawyers had not convinced the court, Watchtower stated publicly that JW elders are, in fact, a clergy class. The legal tactic failed, however, because there had been no confidentiality, since the JW elders had made the facts of the sexual abuse allegations known to many other people.

Do you see what I mean about Watchtower being the last to receive the so-called “new light?” Watchtower has a long history of criticizing other religions for doing certain things, then turning around and doing the very same thing while claiming “new light.”

Another glaring example of a double standard can be seen in the June 2013 Awake. The following quote is from the article, “How To End the Silent Treatment”:

“WHY IT HAPPENS
Manipulation. Some use the silent treatment as a means to get what they want. For example, imagine that a husband and wife plan a trip and the wife would like to take her parents along. The husband objects. “You’re married to me, not to your parents,” he says. He then gives his wife the silent treatment, shunning her in the hope that she will break down and concede to his wishes.”

Compare that with this quote from the article “Let Jehovah’s Discipline Mold You” in the same magazine:

“Robert was disfellowshiped for nearly 16 years, during which time his parents and siblings firmly and loyally applied the direction in God’s Word to quit mixing in company with wrongdoers, not even greeting such ones. Robert has been reinstated for some years now and is progressing well spiritually. When asked what moved him to return to Jehovah and His people after such a long time, he replied that the stand that his family took affected him. ‘Had my family associated with me even a little, say to check up on me, that small dose of association would have satisfied me and likely not allowed my desire for association to be a motivating factor to return to God.’ ”

Are you able to discern the double standard presented in those two articles? In the first article, shunning is presented as manipulation. In the second article, shunning is presented as a

loving thing. Shunning based on a gross misinterpretation of scripture is never a loving thing! Any organization which mandates the shunning of loved ones who have done nothing more than leave a high control religion for conscientious reasons is despicable and evil! Watchtower is particularly evil because it poses as a benevolent religion while hiding its evil side from outsiders. Read on.

The article, “Is It Wrong to Change Your Religion?” in the July 2009 Awake made the following statement: “No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds objectionable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family.” Any non-JW who read that excellent article would think it was very reasonable. But non-Jws don’t know the whole story.

When I first read that article, I felt that a change in Watchtower policy regarding the treatment of disassociated ones was imminent, and I encouraged your mother to read it. You see, I can remember when, prior to 1981, JWs could socialize with ones who had simply resigned as JWs for conscientious reasons. My father had several friends who had previously been JWs but who had left the Watchtower over doctrinal differences. In 1981, Watchtower mandated that disassociated ones be treated the same as those disfellowshiped for wrongdoing. After reading the July 2009 article, your mother told me that the aforementioned quote applied to those changing religions to become a JW, but not the other way around. I was shocked that she would say such a thing, and I told her it had to apply both ways or else it would be a double standard. And so it is to this day. The Watchtower doesn’t tell its readers that the above statement doesn’t apply when a JW leaves the Watchtower religion. Watchtower’s lawyer even told the Canadian Supreme Court that disfellowshiping only restricts spiritual fellowship but does not limit social interactions. Any JW watching that on the internet knows that it is a lie!

Watchtower is notorious for printing and publishing certain predictions, and when those predictions fail, Watchtower takes steps to cover over its failed predictions. For example, paragraph #10 on page 20 of the first study article in the January 1, 1989, Watchtower stated: “[The apostle Paul] was also laying the foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th century.” However, when it became obvious that the 20th century would end before Armageddon occurred, Watchtower revised that 1989 Watchtower article to read: “[The apostle Paul] was also laying the foundation for a work that would be completed in our day.” How despicable that Watchtower would attempt the alter the record of what it had printed and published worldwide as truth coming from God himself!

Did you know that the Watchtower admitted in print that Jehovah is not really God’s name? Page 23 of the foreword to The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures made the following statement: “While inclining to view the pronunciation Yahweh as the more correct way, we have retained the form Jehovah because of people’s familiarity with it since the 14th century.” (New World Bible Translation Committee, February 9, 1950, New York, N.Y., 1969 edition.)

If Yahweh really is “the more correct way,” it follows that Jehovah is not really God’s name. I have shared this quote with many JWs over the years, and they are always shocked to see it. But, here is the real shocker: Later editions of this book changed the original quote to read: “While many are inclined to view the form Yahweh as the more correct way…” Changing a quote to conceal what had originally been printed and published by the New World Bible Translation Committee is a level of dishonesty which should shock and outrage all lovers of truth!

Incidentally, people were familiar with the form Jehovah since the 14th century because that is when that form was created by Catholic monk, Raymundus Martini. (Look up that name on the Watchtower CD-ROM or do a Google search.) So, the name Jehovah did not even exist before the 14th century.

So, why does Watchtower place so much emphasis on that name? Could it be because its followers were named Jehovah’s Witnesses by Joseph Rutherford in 1931? I submit to you that the names Watchtower and Jehovah are interchangeable, that Jehovah is merely the Watchtower, and vice versa. I offer the following as evidence:

By leaving the Watchtower religion, one does not leave one’s belief in God, or in Christ Jesus, or in the Bible as God’s Word. Yet, JWs will say that one has left Jehovah. And, when inviting ones to return to the Watchtower religion, JWs say “Return to Jehovah.” So, by their own words, JWs prove that Jehovah merely means the Watchtower.

Many sincere believers in God and Christ Jesus have left the Watchtower because of many teachings and practices which conflict with the Bible. For example, consider the following:

Look up the word ‘sanctuary’ in the book Insight On the Scriptures, and notice the definition, “divine habitation.” In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem, and that temple prefigured the spiritual arrangement for worshiping God today. Within the temple was the temple sanctuary containing two chambers, the Holy and the Most Holy which represented heaven itself where God resides. The two chambers were separated by a tent.

While people could move about the temple, only Levite priests could enter the Holy

chamber of the temple sanctuary, and only for the purpose of offering sacrifices on behalf of the people. For example, look up Luke 1: 9, 21 in The Greek Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, noting the literal translation of the Greek word translated there as ‘sanctuary.’ You’ll see the term “divine habitation.”

Now look up Revelation 7: 15, which discusses the great crowd, and note the literal translation of the Greek word translated there as ‘temple.’ Again, you’ll see the term “divine habitation.” So, according to God’s Word, the great crowd worships God day and night in the temple sanctuary, or the divine habitation, of God’s spiritual temple. Thus, the great crowd is a priestly class of Christians who serve God under Christ Jesus along with the figurative 144,000, spoken of in verses 4-8 of that chapter.

Incidentally, the Watchtower used to say that the great crowd served in the outer courtyard, not even in the temple. Recently, they have conceded that the great crowd is in the temple, but they stop short of saying that they are in the temple sanctuary, which is where the Bible places them. Why is the Watchtower taking so long to admit what the Bible says?

What is signified by serving God in the Holy chamber of the temple sanctuary?

To find the answer to that question, look up the word ‘temple’ in the same volume of Insight On the Scriptures. In the third paragraph under the subheading “Jehovah’s Great Spiritual Temple,” it states: “Consistently, the Holy (temple sanctuary) represents their condition as spirit-begotten sons of God, with heavenly life in view, and they will attain to that heavenly reward when their fleshly bodies are laid aside in death.” Thus, according to the Bible and Watchtower publications, the great crowd is a priestly class of Christians who are spirit anointed with heavenly life in view.

But, this is not what Watchtower teaches, is it? We were taught that only 144,000 are spirit anointed with heavenly life in view. Clearly, in the light of scripture, that is not true!

Did you know that, prior to 1935, the Watchtower taught that all Christians were spirit anointed with heavenly life in view? Where did the concept of two classes of Christians having separate hopes originate? Who came up with the idea that only 144,000 Christians go to heaven? It was the brainchild of Joseph Rutherford, the same Watchtower president who prophesied that Armageddon would occur in 1925 and who, even when that prediction failed, instigated the building of the sprawling mansion, Beth Sarim, which still stands in San Diego.

Shortly before his death, Rutherford admitted to a small group of confidants, including Nathan Knorr, Fred Franz, and Hayden Covington, that he had made an ass of himself. Now, it is abundantly clear that his unscriptural theology has made an ass of Jehovah’s Witnesses as well.

C---n, you have been misled, and I bear a huge responsibility for that, since I chose to remain in a religion which I knew was not teaching Bible truth. You never exhibited an interest in spiritual things or in discussing Bible topics. That is not a criticism, just a stating of fact. No one was interested in discussing spiritual things or the Bible except at the Kingdom Hall where it is a very controlled discussion, in that the Watchtower provides all the questions as well as the approved answers to those questions. The Kingdom Hall is not a place for asking independent questions, but is simply a place where indoctrination takes place. People merely parrot the answers they’ve been given. Until you became interested in a girl who was baptized, you had no desire to get baptized. I knew you had no idea what you were getting involved in. Once you got baptized, it was too late. The Watchtower cult is like the Hotel California: You can check out any time you like (become inactive), but you can never leave (disassociate) without dire consequences. One can never question Watchtower dogma. I would rather have questions I cannot answer than answers I cannot question!

In his book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Pulitzer-prize winning author Lawrence Wright wrote: “People have the right to believe whatever they choose. But it is a different matter to use the protections afforded a religion by the First Amendment to falsify history, to propagate forgeries, and to cover up human-rights abuses.” As my letter has made clear, Watchtower is every bit as guilty of these offenses as is Scientology. Have you watched Leah Remini’s A&E series about the aftermath of leaving the Church of Scientology? One cannot watch it without seeing the many similarities between Scientology and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

I often recall a scripture from Jeremiah which says, “You will hear a word behind you saying, This is the way. Walk in it.” I heard that word in my life when I was 30 years old, but I disregarded it, fearing what would result if I followed its direction. I have lived to regret that decision. However, when I finally listened and followed that word–which for me meant getting out of the Watchtower cult and leaving all its craziness behind–my life has been one amazing experience after another. My life since moving to New Braunfels has been incredible, and I have met so many wonderful people and made so many new friends who seemed to have been just waiting for me to get here. I have not lost one thing that hasn’t been replaced many times over. I am happier than I have ever been in my life. The same thing has happened for your sister, and she is happier than she has ever been also.

Take a look around you, C---n. Look at the lives of the JWs you know personally. They are not a happy people. There is a lot of judgment and constant upheaval and drama in their lives related to just being a JW, not from outside the organization, as in the case of persecution, but from fellow JWs inside the organization! You know that to be true, and that should tell you something! I know that you are not able to be your genuine self as long as you remain among the JWs in Abilene. And no matter how much you do for Jehovah (Watchtower), it is never enough. If you haven’t figured it out yet–and I’m betting that you have–every JW you know is living a double life. The face they show when attending the Kingdom Hall is not who they truly are. I knew that when I was still a JW, but I had no way of knowing everything that was going on right under my nose. There is no way I can tell you everything I would like to tell you in this letter. If you could ever arrange to come visit your sister and me, we could have a long talk and you could see for yourself what it means to be completely free to embrace your genuine self and to be loved unconditionally without being judged at every turn.

You know that you can call me at any time if you ever wish to talk about anything I have written herein or about anything at all.

With all my love,

Your father, R---r

14

Since when does a slave appoint itself over anything???

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

at matthew 24:45, where jesus discussed the faithful and discreet slave, he gave only two identifying features of that slave.

(1) providing the master’s domestics food at the proper time; and, (2) after having done so, being appointed by the master himself over all the master’s belongings.. since current watchtower teaching is that the appointment over all the master’s belongings is yet future and that such appointment is to be made by the master himself, how does the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses account for the fact that it has preemptively identified itself as that faithful and discreet slave?.

surely there remains among believing jws some who can discern the problem with this teaching!

Roger Kirkpatrick

At Matthew 24:45, where Jesus discussed the faithful and discreet slave, he gave only two identifying features of that slave. (1) Providing the Master’s domestics food at the proper time; and, (2) after having done so, being appointed BY THE MASTER HIMSELF over all the Master’s belongings.

Since current Watchtower teaching is that the appointment over all the Master’s belongings is yet future and that such appointment is to be made BY THE MASTER HIMSELF, how does the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses account for the fact that it has preemptively identified itself as that faithful and discreet slave?

Surely there remains among believing JWs some who can discern the problem with this teaching! Since when does a slave appoint itself over anything?

11

Events leading to my decision to disassociate

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

following is a summary of events leading up to my decision to disassociate from jehovah's witnesses and the unforeseen results of that decision.. a young man named joel engardio produced a documentary about jehovah's witnesses called "knocking" which aired nationally on pbs.

i purchased the dvd from joel before it was even released and we exchanged emails.

joel had been raised by his jw mother and had been active in jw activities during his adolescence, but he was never baptized as a jw.

Roger Kirkpatrick

Following is a summary of events leading up to my decision to disassociate from Jehovah's Witnesses and the unforeseen results of that decision.

A young man named Joel Engardio produced a documentary about Jehovah's Witnesses called "Knocking" which aired nationally on PBS. I purchased the DVD from Joel before it was even released and we exchanged emails. Joel had been raised by his JW mother and had been active in JW activities during his adolescence, but he was never baptized as a JW. He told me that he realized from an early age that he was a homosexual. He said he would love to be a JW but that homosexuals cannot become JWs. I replied to him, "You might be surprised how many JWs are homosexual but who follow the scriptural admonition to flee from fornication, the same as unmarried heterosexuals."

I had learned that the terms heterosexual and homosexual were coined in the nineteenth century and primarily denoted orientation, or sexual DESIRE, as opposed to behavior. Many dictionaries list the primary definition of both terms as denoting sexual DESIRE regardless of whether such desire is acted upon. (Similarly, dictionaries define an alcoholic as one having an unnatural desire for alcohol, and many who consider themselves to be alcoholics abstain from imbibing alcohol altogether.)

I related my conversation with Joel in an assigned talk on the Theocratic Ministry School in my local Kingdom Hall since it was relevant to the theme I had been assigned to discuss. One elder was upset by my suggestion that many JWs are homosexuals who remain scripturally chaste, whereas the Presiding Overseer (my brother-in-law, along with his regular pioneer wife) assured me that I had spoken correctly. The offended elder persuaded the rest of the elder body that I had expressed a personal opinion which conflicted with published Watchtower teaching. No correction of my comment was ever made by the elders, as is normal when an unapproved viewpoint is expressed from a Kingdom Hall platform. The Presiding Overseer never informed me of his change of opinion.

Two elders were assigned to speak with me regarding my views on homosexuality, and they made it clear that they held the view that one is homosexual only if one practices homosexual behavior. The congregation was never aware of this controversy, and no one else had been offended by my comments. The elder body asked me to put my reasoning in a letter to the Watchtower Branch office, and they sent a cover letter stating the position of the elder body. (Keep in mind, this was a non-doctrinal issue.) The Branch office responded, referencing the 1983 Watchtower article which provided the basis for the comment I had made in my talk. One elder told me that when they read the Branch's letter, he commented to the other elders that the Branch had vindicated me. Yet the elder body decided to reject the Branch's letter (which I learned local elder bodies are at liberty to do regarding non-doctrinal issues), and they informed me that if I persisted in expressing my view of homosexuality they would consider me to be an apostate. To say that I was stunned would be an understatement.

In retrospect, I consider that my local elders did me a favor, because that incident helped me change the way I viewed JWs, and, as Dr. Wayne Dyer used to say, "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." When I realized I could be labeled an apostate for expressing a viewpoint which had been published in the Watchtower (and which continues to be the official teaching to this day), I also changed the way I viewed ones who had been labeled by JWs as apostates in the past, most notably the late Raymond Franz, former member of the JW Governing Body. I purchased and read his phenomenal book, "Crisis of Conscience," and I learned just how corrupt the Watchtower organization truly is, and it is all a matter of record. No wonder JWs are forbidden to read that book and others written by former JWs.

That is when I became inactive for the final time. The problem with simply becoming an inactive JW and not officially disassociating from the organization is that one is unable to move forward in one's spiritual journey. If an inactive JW seeks spiritual fellowship outside the Watchtower organization, one is subject to being disfellowshipped (excommunicated) for apostasy. Even after five years of being inactive, my Facebook posts were scrutinized by my local elders, and I was visited by two elders when I posted a Watchtower article which claimed JWs were God’s prophet today. I was cautioned about posting anything which, in the words of those elders, brought "reproach on the organization." That is when I decided to write my letter of disassociation.

I had learned that after a 1991 Watchtower article denounced as apostate religious organizations which had become accredited to the United Nations as non-governmental organizations, the Watchtower Society also became accredited to the UN as an NGO from 1992 until 2001, and withdrew its membership only after the Guardian newspaper published an expose. My disassociation letter made it clear that my conscience would no longer permit me to be associated with a religion which, by its own standards, had become an apostate religious organization.

My wife of 42 years had been okay with my simply being inactive, as I had been inactive for years at a time throughout our marriage. Yet, when I officially disassociated, her attitude toward me immediately changed, and she soon informed me that she intended to divorce me. Subsequently, she consulted a marriage counselor who had helped her best friend work through a rough period in her marriage, and my daughter and I assumed that my wife was having second thoughts about divorcing me. However, she told me that the difference was that her best friend's husband still desired to be a JW and I did not, confirming the fact that my disassociation was the cause of her seeking a divorce. While JWs are mandated by the Watchtower organization to avoid any contact with ex-JWs, neither the Bible nor the Watchtower encourage JWs to divorce or shun their mates who leave the religion. Yet, my wife intends to divorce me and to shun me because she WANTS to do so. I feel that this illustrates the destructive effect oppressive religious cults have on the thinking and reasoning abilities of their adherents. As a dear friend commented regarding my wife's decision to divorce me, "Isn't it interesting how witnesses can seem to overlook obvious scriptural principles that conflict with their ideas when they want to ease their own conscience!"

At 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 12, 13 and 15, the apostle Paul counsels Christians, "If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and yet she is agreeable to dwelling with him, let him not leave her; and if a woman has an unbelieving husband, and yet he is agreeable to dwelling with her, let her not leave her husband. But if the unbelieving one proceeds to depart, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under servitude under such circumstances, but God has called you to peace." Since I have not renounced my Christian faith, I wondered who, in my situation, was acting as the unbeliever. Then, a friend asked, "Well, who is the one that is ignoring scriptural counsel and leaving?" It became obvious to me at that point that, by my wife's leaving, God has called me to peace.