My brothers and I soon found that our lives were totally changed from what we knew before. I was forced against my will to become part of my parents’ new religion, and was baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness at the age of 13. Being Jehovah’s Witness children meant that we were being completely separated from our usual friends and school activities. My brothers and I were totally blind-sided by these changes. We’d have no more worldly friends, no sports, no holidays, no standing for the Pledge of Allegiance of the Flag. Life – as we knew it – was over. [...]
[Click A Testimony of Faith to continue reading]
Most Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Watch Tower Society is completely beyond reproach when it comes to issues surrounding racism and racial equality. When attending a meeting, convention, or assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses, one is instantly impressed at the intermingling and harmony between people of all ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately, achieving this level of racial harmony has been just as “bumpy” for our organization as it has been for many others [...]
[Click A Brief History of Racism in Watchtower Publications to continue reading]
I did not leave because I thought I was smarter than everyone else or the Watchtower Society. Nor did I believe that my ways and thoughts were better than God’s. Intelligence, or any lack thereof, had nothing to do with my decision. The truth is, it doesn’t take a lot of intelligence to examine a matter based on verifiable evidence, and then arrive at a sound conclusion. It’s a fact that most people do this every day. While no one is infallible, we all tend to make good, healthy decisions based on evidence [...]
[Click Why I Left Jehovah’s Witnesses – Part 1 to continue reading]
![Jehovah's Witnesses going door to door preaching [Steelman - Wikimedia]](http://insidethewatchtower.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/JWsdoortodoor-200x200.jpg "JWs going door-to-door")
I was enthusiastic about going out in field service. Even though I was only eight, I didn’t fear strangers or what other people might think about Jehovah’s Witnesses. By the age of nine, I was not only drinking Kool-Aid for my lunch at home, I was also swallowing the Watchtower’s version at the Kingdom Hall. At ten I was a totally committed and active “publisher.” For me the thought of cheating on hours never crossed my mind – simply because I knew that Jehovah would know that I lied and I’d end up a “crispy critter” at Armageddon. “Cheating” just wasn’t worth it. [...]
[Click Field Service: Then and Now to continue reading]
![Funeral hearse [adapted; Niels Rameckers]](http://insidethewatchtower.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/funeral-hearse2-200x200.png "Funeral hearse [adapted; Niels Rameckers]")
When my father was diagnosed with cancer and it was clear he would die, I greatly feared having to attend his funeral. I knew what to expect from the discourse and how irritated it would make me. Even more difficult would be the shunning I would receive. I would be going back to the congregation I was raised in, but this time I would be considered “a notorious apostate.” I had read many experiences about the mistreatment of former Witnesses at funerals and how they were shunned or excluded from the proceedings. [...]
[Click Attending My Father’s Funeral to continue reading]
Mad Sweeney’s summer vacation is finally over. He’s putting away his water skis and fishing rod and going back to work on Saturday, September 10th. Sweeney’s personal contribution to our enlightenment and education, Cult Free Radio, is returning with a live show (the seventh this year). The show begins at 10:00 PM Eastern Time (7:00 Pacific). [...]
[Click Mad Sweeney Returns to continue reading]
It’s not hard to figure out why so many JW children are conditioned from an early age to associate drudgery with the meetings and assemblies. There isn’t anything designed or built into the programs that work with the attention spans of young children. Other churches offer separate classes, services, or groups for children compatible with their maturity level and get them acclimated to going to church. The Watchtower stubbornly sticks to a “one size fits all” approach for everyone. How many schools group preschoolers, high school students, and graduate students into the same classroom? By the time many young JWs reach their teens, not only have they been conditioned to associate worshipping Jehovah with great displeasure, but they still don’t have any groups or programs tailored to their age group or to meet their needs. This has to be a huge factor in the turnover of young people leaving the organization. [...]
[Click Why Young People are Leaving to continue reading]
I went to my first Kingdom Hall meeting last week and I want to write some of my thoughts about how a meeting is for an “outsider” like me. My first impression was that everything at the Hall was very well-kept and tidy. There was even a small garden made up of flowering bushes and decorative rocks. I doubt that I could have found a single stain on anything inside the Hall. The conductor never strayed from that formula throughout the meeting. I learned later that this is how these meetings are run. On the other hand, he did manage to sneak in a joke or two. However, his management of the subject article was done with a greater focus than I’d ever seen in a class at college. What struck me half way through was how far back during my time in school I’d have to go to find a similar class conducted this way, e.g. the reading each paragraph out loud and the teacher asking questions that could literally be answered by simply reading a sentence directly from the article. [...]
[Click My first visit to a Kingdom Hall to continue reading]
My wife came through the sliding doors carrying a letter in her hand. “This just came for you. Looks like it’s from your father. It’s marked ‘Personal.’ I wonder why he would send you a letter like that?” She was right. Dad never wrote letters to me or anyone. Mom did. He rarely called me on the phone. Mom did. This was totally out of character for him. Holding the envelope in my hand, my first thoughts were that maybe my mother was ill, or that Dad needed money, or he was trying to tell me something he found very uncomfortable discussing (like he was when he told me about “the birds and bees”). So I took a deep breath and opened the envelope… [...]
[Click My Father’s Letter to continue reading]
Enjoy another fun video by Bro. K. Hall. This particular episode is about sitting through a Watchtower Study. The Society has been stressing that the Watchtower Study is the real reason for JWs to attend the Sunday meeting. Few (if any) of “the public” ever wander through Kingdom Hall doors to listen to what amounts to a JW “sermonette.” Until a few years ago there was also a welcomed break between the public talk and the Watchtower Study. The Society eliminated that anticipated pause because so many JWs would sneak away between meetings. Likewise, many would also use the break to sneak in if they were late – or simply did not want to sit through another boring talk. The semi-secret study edition of the Watchtower is specially designed for use by baptized Witnesses, their families, and unbaptized “interested persons,” at least those who seem to be progressing toward baptism. [...]
[Click Going to the Watchtower Study to continue reading]
|
|
Reader Comments