The last few weeks will have been deeply frustrating for the Governing Body, as multiple leaks have exposed a growing resentment of their attitudes and policies among an increasing number of bethel workers.
And now a fresh leak from a Watchtower insider has blown the lid wide open on how the organization deals with issues affecting the rank and file.
“Correspondence Guidelines” is a 118-page document issued to key staff at bethels around the world, giving cookie-cutter responses to a long list of scenarios involving various doctrines.
Previously only available to a privileged few, a 2011 edition of the document is now freely available, effectively meaning that anyone who has the document knows how Watchtower will reply to almost any letter they write before they even put pen to paper.
For the avoidance of further entanglements with Watchtower’s legal department over its interpretation of copyright law, we at JWsurvey have decided not to distribute the Correspondence Guidelines on this website.
Whether you, the reader, choose to access the material from elsewhere on the internet is entirely your decision.
The Correspondence Guidelines were virtually unheard-of until mentioned by former Governing Body member Ray Franz in his follow-up to Crisis of Conscience – In Search of Christian Freedom – on page 242.
The subject list continues over a further two pages before Franz summarizes on page 245…
After spending an hour or so last night perusing the pages of this fascinating document, I can fully concur with Franz’s characterization of it as “Talmudic.” A plethora of subject headings delve into areas as diverse as transvestism, refugees, animal blood, hermaphrodites, sterilization and “retarded persons” with giddying pedantry.
The writers of the document themselves seem to recognize how ridiculous it is by their attempts at defending it in their opening remarks…
Bear in mind that much of what is published on matters of conduct is to be viewed not as law but rather as mature Christian counsel. So it is not always necessary to think in terms of imposing sanctions if a person does not fully conform to the counsel given.
But this disclaimer is overtly contradicted on only the next page…
If the one inquiring reflects a challenging, disrespectful attitude, it may be advisable first to contact the elders to determine the person’s standing in the congregation and what assistance they have been able to render.
Therefore, anyone who writes to the organization with anything other than praise and flattery, or who gives the impression they know what they’re talking about, can expect their local elders to get a phonecall – an underhanded breach of confidence that surely represents a “sanction” in and of itself.
Further contradictions present themselves as the reader delves into the various subjects. For example, accepting a blood transfusion without regret, even if it proves to be life-saving, remains a disfellowshipping offense…
A baptized person who willfully and unrepentantly takes a blood transfusion thereby chooses to reject the Scriptural sanctity of blood and violates God’s law. Three elders (not a judicial committee) should meet with him. If a blood transfusion has been accepted without repentance, the congregation will consider that the person has disassociated himself. It would then be announced: “[Name of individual] is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” The matter would be dealt with as in other cases of disassociation.—w86 10/15 31; w73 9/1 543-4.
But if you happen to be a JW nurse or doctor, and you are instructed to administer a blood transfusion to a non-JW patient, you can do so without fear of reprisals…
A Christian who is a nurse or a doctor respects the Scriptures and therefore would not recommend or order a blood transfusion for a patient. If he or she as an employee is not responsible for deciding the matter and is directed by a superior to administer a transfusion to a non-Witness, whether to obey is a matter for personal, conscientious decision.—w99 4/15 28-30; w75 4/1 215-16.
On the other hand, if you’re a farmer and allow a blood transfusion for one of your animals, expect a slapped wrist at the very least…
It is not proper for a Christian to administer a blood transfusion to an animal owned by him or to authorize another to do so.—w64 2/15 127-8.
Since this is a 2011 edition, we have no way of knowing whether the subject of child abuse has been addressed more comprehensively in more recent editions (which seems likely given all the media exposure on that subject since the Candace Conti victory in 2012).
Even so, given the fact that mishandling of child abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses has been highlighted since at least 2002 (when BBC Panorama and Dateline documentaries first exposed the issue to a mass audience), you would expect the safeguarding of the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses from sexual predators to merit more column inches than, say, discussing the propriety of Tae Bo.
But child molestation gets only three passing mentions in this document. Pages 41 and 110 give far-from-unequivocal guarantees that molesting a child will prevent a Witness male from serving in a position of responsibility.
For example, the sin may involve past child abuse, and this would likely disqualify him for many years.
Some who are guilty of child molestation, even if not disfellowshipped for such actions, might never qualify for special privileges in the congregation.
Then on page 53 the writers ponder the situation of a minor girl who is raped and falls pregnant. Rather than worrying about the girl’s well-being and the urgent need to pursue justice for her assailant, attention turns to the living arrangements of the resulting baby, and whether the abused child will have to marry her attacker or not.
Child that results either from fornication or from rape of a minor girl: The father of the single, minor girl (or the mother in a singleparent home where there is no father) bears the responsibility to decide whether the infant will be raised in the home or elsewhere. It shows consideration on his part to consider the minor’s valid wishes. He must also decide whether to permit the girl to marry the male who caused the pregnancy. Being pregnant does not require marriage to the father of the child simply to avoid illegitimacy. A hasty or improper marriage may only make a bad situation worse. Emotional support from individuals in the congregation is sometimes helpful.
The failure of the writers to adequately explore and address what we now know to be a rampant problem of child abuse in the organization, with 1,006 suspected pedophiles on the records of Watchtower in Australia alone, highlights either stunning naivety on the part of the Governing Body (who will have sanctioned this material), or deliberate negligence of their duty to protect children from a clear threat.
The proper handling of domestic violence, also a huge problem in the organization, is similarly given short shrift. Page 51 briefly mentions court action as being favorable in the case of a violently abusive husband for the protection of his victim, but nowhere does it suggest that a believing woman who finds herself in such a situation would be allowed to find happiness with a new husband.
In contrast to the terse treatment of such a pressing issue that affects battered spouses in countless marriages, nine pages are devoted to the various nuances of divorce, adultery and remarriage. Every conceivable permutation of marital infidelity is explored in fanatical detail.
Again, “Talmudic” is the only word that can do justice to Watchtower’s obsession with sex and morals. And only the word “pharasaical” can describe their corresponding indifference to the countless victims, past, present and future, of physical abuse in its various forms.
Finally, I was struck by the section on “bloodguilt,” which had the following to say…
The Bible condemns murder, a sin for which a person may be disfellowshipped.—Rev. 21:8.
Bloodguilt may also be incurred if a person causes loss of life through carelessness or because of violating a traffic law or other safety law of Caesar. If a Witness is liable for someone’s death in an accident, the elders should investigate and if warranted appoint a judicial committee to hear the matter, for the congregation wants to avoid community responsibility for bloodguilt.
One can’t help but wonder just how much blood is on the hands of Watchtower leaders past and present, from Knorr to the likes of Morris, Splane and Lett, for the countless lives that have been lost due to the ridiculous prohibitions on blood.
How many lives have been brutally cut short as a result of indoctrinated cult victims declining medical treatment with blood, a practice on which the scriptures are silent? We may never know. And that is to say nothing of the unknown number who have ended their lives as a result of Watchtower’s ruthless shunning practices.
One thing is certain, namely that the Governing Body won’t be making changes to save lives or protect the vulnerable any time soon. But at least there is some comfort in knowing that a growing number within bethel corridors are awakening to the full reality of a shared struggle, and working with myself and others to give thorough exposure to this devastating cult.
Further reading…
Related video…
If your not interested in seeing literal blowing of “lids” DO NOT go to this link. Is October fools day over Croatia?
That’s what I get for not typing in http… Thanks Lloyd! This amazing!! Fantastic article as well.
Thanks Chloe, glad you found your way to the material! :)
I think Chloe is referring to the fact that the shortened link actually directs to a gay porn website!
Oh, it seems to be case-sensitive.
Thanks – I’ve changed the link to avoid this problem. Sorry about that!
And here i thought i was gobsmacked..
Turns out it was just a technical foul
Thank you Lloyd for your discussion on the Correspondence guidelines. It so happens that i stumbled upon this document . Coincidence of course . Further ammunition to confront my misguided cousin on JW practices.
Congratulations. You’re not the only one who has revealed to have coincidentally had disclosure of a sensitive Watchtower document immediately after I’ve helped make it available to everyone, making it impossible to verify your claim. Interesting timing.
Thank you Lloyd for your hard work on this,
And thank you to our spies on the inside in Beth-Hell who give us “food at the proper time”.
That’s funny, beth hell…
Thank you for directing us to the document on correspondence. It’s nice to have this info.
We who are in India suffering from seeing our loved ones in this cult have immensely benefited from your timely suggestions. Keep up the good work Lloyd. This is one of the few sites which has helped us where there are scarce helpful resources available. I lost my cousin to this cult 7 years ago . Now we are trying to get him back.
The link to the document is case sensitive. If you do not put the link as it is with uppercase then you will go to some nasty stuff.
Great article, thanks Lloyd
Thanks Susannah! I would give more detailed instructions but I don’t want to risk making it too easy! ;)
Here is a nice little bit of disgusting hypocrisy for you
Correspondance Guidelines page 96 on Segregation –
Where the law of the land legislates certain segrega- tion practices, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not flout such laws. Also, we take into consideration predominating local sen- timents and customs. While not endors- ing segregation, Jehovah’s Witnesses keep foremost in mind the commission to preach the good news, not making a big issue of segregation or integration any more than Christians in the first century made an issue of slavery.
Watchtower 1987 Sep 1 p.13 –
“This command from the Highest Level of authority in the universe put the responsibility upon each Israelite to report to the judges any serious wrongdoing that he observed so that the matter might be handled. While Christians are not strictly under the Mosaic Law, its principles still apply in the Christian congregation. Hence, there may be times when a Christian is obligated to bring a matter to the attention of the elders. True, it is illegal in many countries to disclose to unauthorized ones what is found in private records. But if a Christian feels, after prayerful consideration, that he is facing a situation where the law of God required him to report what he knew despite the demands of lesser authorities, then that is a responsibility he accepts before Jehovah. There are times when a Christian must obey God as ruler rather than men. Acts 5:29”
Keep in mind that segregation policy was followed to the letter in the Deep South of the United States when Jim Crow laws were enforced. There were segregated assemblies held, and there were “separate but equal” administrative hierarchies for Afro-American (Negroes) and Whites–no standing up for beliefs. Integration of the Kingdom Halls only happened in some holdout locations well after 1975. After integration the White administration of circuit and district regions often assumed total control relegating former Black CO and DO to Northern and West Coast duties or retirement to pioneer.
I wonder how many would have joined up if we had known their conservative stance on segregation? I don’t live in the Land of Liberty but really, 1975? Disgraceful. Another sin shoved under the rug.
I meant ‘stand’.
There are a number of Witnesses who work in our local hospital. Would this mean that if, when they were dealing with documents, blood work etc and your name came up on screen for having a blood transfusion they would, to clear their ‘Christian conscience’ feel free to go to the elders with the info? If that being so, would the patient having just cause to suspect this breach of confidentiality be able to take the elders and the witness to court or would they be able to weasle their way out of it?
It certainly is possible. The official doctrine is that God’s law overrides mans law and JW’s are duty bound to inform on their fellow witnesses even when it requires breaking the law to do so.
Read an example of this actually happening
in “In Search of Christian Freedom” pp. 365-368
https://www.watchtowerlies.com/linked/in_search_of_christian_freedom_franz.pdf
In this case the Doctor realized that he was indeed exposed to the possibility of a lawsuit and increased his liability coverage to cover him from this exposure.
Thank you for that info. Not sure if I am totally saddened or totally infuriated. Probably both. Thank goodness we have sites like this which seek to help us wake up and smell the roses so we know who our enemy is.
I worked as an RN over 26 yrs…in that time…twice i had JWs as patients…both were in ICU…when push came to shove…both finally accepted BTs..
Not once did i think to snitch…
Just saying
We need more like you Summer :) I could name at least three in our hospital who would run straight to the elders with a fat cat smile on their faces.
You want something disgusting to ponder over that proves the JW cult is NOT following the bible but their OWN interpretation of it?
Notice this phase that they use dozens of times in the Correspondence Outline:
“things contrary to Bible truth as taught by Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Read that again.
“things contrary to Bible truth AS TAUGHT BY JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES.”
Now I’ve heard that before but at the time, when my brain was still in zombie mode, it wasn’t clear what it really means. AS TAUGHT BY JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES.
NOT “TAUGHT BY THE BIBLE OR GOD THROUGH THE BIBLE.”
Once again, I’m STUNNED at how incredibly BRAIN WASHED I WAS FOR ALL THOSE YEARS!
Watchtower October 1, 1967 pg. 587:
“…..the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason, the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind”.
Watchtower February 15, 1981 pg. 19:
“We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the scriptural guidance we need outside the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ organization”.
@Actigall Ur:
Watchtower September 1954, pg.528:
“In view of its unbreakable connection with the Christian Theocratic organization, the Bible is organization-minded and it cannot be fully understood without our having the Theocratic organization in mind…….all sheep in God’s flock must be organization-minded like the Bible.”
Watchtower May 1957, pg.274:
“If we are to walk in the light of truth, we must recognize not only Jehovah God as our father but his organization as our ‘mother’ “.
Yup, things just got real… And Mr. Franz discoveries wont be in vain. I also thought how strange we are encourage to look intently at the “Reward”, but at the same time its a “free gift” its a paradox.
Thank you Cedars for the info.
I wonder how much longer it will be before God exposes them fully for the world to see? I hope I live to see it.
Incredible! Copy and paste answers for those who are asking questions for their individual concerns. It seems that if we have written letters ourselves in the past and never received an answer we can just find it ourselves.
Thank you for posting this Lloyd and thanks to the individual that leaked this for all to see. It was always clearly apparent that anything critical would go to the local elders. This would ensure that you were investigated for heresy. If such was the case they could remove you or offer to study/reprogram you by means of consecutive visits.
Refusal to provide for family: Adamant refusal to provide for wife and/or children when having the means to do so, leaving them destitute.—1 Tim. 5:8; w88 11/1 22-3; km 9/73 8.
So in light of what is happening to special pioneers and bethelites in 2016 can the above ruling be applied to the JW.org?
Heres another goody: Work that is not in itself unscriptural but that closely links one with a wrong practice or makes one a promoter of it: EXAMPLE: A brother learns that a small portion of the equipment he normally makes on a line producing commercial aircraft will now be diverted to a use out of harmony with Isaiah 2:4.
Does being the majority shareholder for a company that develops a special engine for the military a violation of being “out of harmony” with Isaiah 2:4?
This is going to provide endless ammo. I can’t wait to hear the excuses the witnesses make.
Ammo, as in making ammo, surly that’s a no, no…
just remember exact and case sensitive – thanks
Thank you Lloyd and our friend in Bethel.
Shall get my hands on the document from *somewhere* and read it later but I’m thinking that Lloyd will start to really irrate the GB with this…not for this article in itself but rather the several mentions in this post and Lloyd’s last few posts of the moles inside Bethel that are leaking it.
I would hazard a guess they will up their efforts a lot to find out who they are and expel them. I’m sure both Lloyd and the moles are aware of this.
Off-topic, but I heard this one recently :
The congregation of Houthalen (Belgium) is closing and all JW have to move to Zolder, a near congregation.
Not a big deal you would say but the thing is the land(actually there is place for 3 Residentials) was gifted by an elderly couple.
The older couple lived next to it, for them it would be really easy if they could go to the meeting just the door next to their house.
You can understand that the the people are not happy with this, they lose their money they spend on it and now they have to drive 10km further or so.
I think i should share this with you all.
Can we get in touch, Jaak?
Mvg,
Patrick
I’ve read some of this document, and my head hurts just reading some ofit. Oh lord, no wonder they don’t want this public, it is such a derogatory and delusional form of cult if there ever was one. Holly crap! I’m soooooo glad I’m out!
RIP RayFranz!
They are worse than the Pharisees. It is very disturbing going through that long list. That is totally not Christian. They make people slave not free.
Ditto. My dad was an elder and I had no idea this document existed and I thought I knew everything. They are the Jewish nation that Jesus condemned. Man’s rules are subject to conscience in cases of emergency, blood transfusions are a man made rule, in emergencies, you can save a life. I can ignore a Stop sign if a truck is bearing down on me and I have to speed through to get myself to safety or dash to the side of the road ignoring the stop signs and stop lights. If you can save an animal that fell down a well on the sabbath you can save a person’s life. So called God’s laws are not breakable, like gravity, laws of nature, you can break it but probably will get hurt and might die. JWs are amazingly blind to all their man made rules with their threats of shunning and disfellowshipping, this document just makes me furious.
Thank you Lloyd and thanks to the very brave whistleblower at Bethel ….. I went to the meeting last night…first one in a month… and there was a letter read from the almighty all knowing GB asking for donations from the congregation for the Global Work…this was aside from the usual contributions and our little congregation donated 350 pounds….(multiply that and more by a few thousand congregations!) ..we have already donated the majority of the money we had in the bank not that long ago…it seems things are getting desperate…I have never known in my 57 years as a JW the request for money being so so important… And up went all the hands…Im sick of it… I watched a documentary about Scientology the other day…. the comparison was incredible…. uniforms next!
Yes. All the hands went up, but in reality no one is giving. If you do the math in our congregation, we should be wallowing in all the money they keep asking for, but the monthly financial statements keep on showing that we run in the red all the time.
Not quite sure where they are getting the money every month to send to the Society.
That’s becoming more common. Usually it’s the elders or just one wealthy elder that ends up paying the bill.
Was it this letter?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5O25TquiW0xb0ZpX2dLTzN0eU0/view?usp=sharing
Unable to dowload from send space any other link please
Rumor has it some unscrupulous individuals, with no respect for US Copyright law, are trading in such files here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/3pweu5/cedars_article_on_latest_leak_highlysecretive/cwa1u8x
Lloyd,
This is a significant release. Thank you.
Might be off topic, but I just watched the OCT jw TV program, two observations I like to share
the GM member mentioned Jw should do kind work, which includes helping fellow worshipper in the congregation. Making me wonder this implies congregation will help those dismissed special pioneer and bethel workers. good timing.
do kind work to outsiders, GM member mentioned and praised an experience: two Jws took cares of an elderly Catholic, even treating him like a family member. Making me wonder whether anyone giving them counsel on being too close to someone in false religion.
sounds pretty fake.
It’s possibly very fake. One thing for sure is that it’s very very uncommon. The reason they included that in the broadcast is two or even threefold. I know for sure that since their charity status is being questioned they want to make sure that some segment was included showing them “encouraging the witnesses to be charitable”. The second you already mentioned. Taking care of special pioneers and bethelites who are getting the boot. Even the revised O.D. book included a paragraph on ” taking care of the needy in the congregations “.
Despicable leaders who count on the gullibility of their followers.
Ok, guys let’s give the original Pharisees a little slack, at least they were willing to put all their laws out in the open. We have 1000’s of rules and the vast majority are not seen by the publishers eyes…we’re all left guessing, .what really is the will of the g.b? I think the most ardent Pharisee might be aghast at the level of rule making we have now achieved. I say let’s go head to head with the Mishnah right now, I pull out all the rules , hell, we can probably sink them just on judicial committee rules alone.
My thoughts too. Even under Talmudic law, if there’s a situation in which the choice is between either keeping the law or saving a life, the emphasis is on saving the life. Blood is sacred but life is even more so.
It seems a bit ironic that the GB forbits blood transfusions, even if it means death, and as support for that idea use Scriptures that say “Life is in the blood.” Um, hello? Anybody notice a contradiction here? If “life is in the blood”, then you need blood for life. Therefore, at times, without any better alternative, blood transfusions are needed.
Second, wasn’t it King Saul who forbade his army from eating anything until they had won a certain military battle, resulting in the men eating the animal meat along with the blood? Saul wanted to punish someone, but when he inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah ignored him. Saul was even going to put Jonathan his son to death, but the men stopped him. What I draw from that account is that God wasn’t angry at the men for eating the blood, or at Jonathan for breaking Saul’s arbitrary rule, rather he was angry at Saul for being so unreasonable. And when it comes to blood transfusions, the GB is equally unreasonable. They have so much blood on their hands, how is it they have not been arrested by the NYPD for this?
They get away with murder because they coerce Witnesses to signing the blood card and all the legal papers concerning end of life etc. with witnesses in their presence and all the papers say that we are doing this because of our God trained conscience but the reason is because we are being made to do it or else we will be shunned if we take blood.
It has nothing to do with our signing those papers by our trained conscience. It has to do with them making us do it or else!! We either sign them or be shunned for not signing those papers. If we refuse to sign those papers, it makes it look like we would take it. I always took my papers home and never signed them but I did carry my blood card in my wallet until I woke up from the indoctrination.
The Society gets away with it because they have lawyers to write up that stuff so they can get away with murder.
Kids believe in Santa Claus so in order to get toys at Christmas time, they will be good. Witnesses believe in the new world and they believe what the Watchtower says, so they will be good and sign the papers even if they have doubts because they are so afraid of being shunned if they don’t sign the papers and carry the blood card.
The Watchtower has no answers for why it’s okay to take fractions and fractions not be called blood. That was their answer of hoping that some of those Witnesses will take some “parts” of blood and not die so the Watchtower doesn’t look quite as bad as when they couldn’t even take fractions to live.
They don’t have the guts to come right out and say they were wrong because of all the people that died needlessly. They are despicable cowards!
The GB put more value on blood than they do on life!
Sorry, blood is sacred but your life isn’t so no transfusion for you! Sorry, you will just have to die!
What madness, what a contradiction!
Sorry, your life is just not as important as the sacredness of blood!
It’s all about the sacredness of the blood – your life isn’t sacred, the blood is so you can’t get a blood transfusion to save your life. So deal with it!………craaaaazeeee!!!!!!
Thank you so much for this JWSurvey, I’ve read Crisis of Conscious, but was not aware of his other book. Will start reading immediately. Two great gifts for victims of this cult in one article. God bless
@Robert 67:
Don’t know if you have read this one but
CAPTIVES OF A CONCEPT, written by a former elder, is also a good book to read: http://www.captivesofaconcept.com
On it, thank you.
“Perhaps a request can be made for the military ceremony to be dispensed with”, in the case of a veteran who commits suicide. Unbelievable.
“A Christian woman threatened with rape should resist strenuously, including screaming and physically resisting, where possible.” And then it goes on to forbit the learning of any technique that would actually help her to resist her attacker.
They call apostates mentally diseased? These men are among the most mentally diseased I’ve ever seen.
This is why i now ALWAYS carry my sidearm.
@san diego, I couldn’t agree more! I’ve agrued with my husband about this over and over… Makes no sense to me whatsoever.
‘ “A Christian woman threatened with rape should resist strenuously, including screaming and physically resisting, where possible.” And then it goes on to forbit the learning of any technique that would actually help her to resist her attacker.’
How disgusting; they aren’t concerned about her being able to get away unharmed. They couldn’t care less if she’s traumatised and physically hurt. All they care about is her keeping their laws.
When I was studying in the early ’80s, the pompous sister I studied with, who I never really liked, related a story of a woman who was raped in Central Park, NY. The victim put her fingers down her throat and threw up all over her attacker, who quickly fled.
This sister went on to explain to me that unless we were prepared to vomit all over our attacker on purpose then we deserved to be raped. In my head, I thought. “Man, that’s crazy.” Sounds like it’s this crazy thinking that drives their doctrines. Why did they always have to be so controversial?
There is no making sense of it. It’s a religion that claims respect for women, but when it comes to the important things, they really have no concern for a woman’s well-being or self-esteem.
A sister once asked me if abortion was allowed if it resulted from rape. She said she thought it should be. I agreed, but said I didn’t know. Well, here’s the answer: “Abortion is wrong in cases involving adultery, fornication, or even rape.” And that is actually under the subheading about a minor girl. That right there says volumes about how much they care about women and girls. They should just say: “It’s a personal matter, and it’s none of our business” (because it’s not).
Are you sure this is the UPDATED version, ‘cuz, page 80, “Meetings,” and I allude to–,
“newly interested ones may enroll in the TMS”
???
Lloyd you may post your link to the “censored” JWSurvey article on meeting revisions… :-)
Lloyd, a massive thank you and to the brave anonymous source who made this available.
If anyone is curious as to how this might be used to help in discussions with indoctrinated JW’s who are having doubts, look at the section dealing with membership of organisations, ask them if they agree with the council given, and then maybe discuss the documented and verified membership that the Watchtower had with the UN for 10 years…
Thanks, and that’s a great angle to pursue.
Hi Lloyd,
i got it from the picture of the link you posted. Sorry if my efforts at a joke fell flat. Anyway this is one of the few sites i visit to understand about JW. I am a Hindu from India and i did not hear about this cult till last year August when my cousin’s father asked me to help get his son back from this cult. My cousin had gone to US , got ensnared came back thoroughly indoctrinated and has been a source of great sorrow to his family. I started reading about this cult because i frankly dont know much about Christian beliefs, much less the JW beliefs. It is only after reading Raymond Franz books, Carl olof jonsonns , steven hassans and the Bible did i begin to get a sense of what is happening. Your site and Jwfacts have also been of immense help in countering my cousins claims. Dont know whether he will come out but we just are soldiering on. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Thanks RC – sorry, I had no idea you were joking! I had a similar situation come up with the annual meeting leak when, only AFTER the veracity of the leak was confirmed, certain exJWs came out of the woodwork claiming they had the information first from their own ‘sources’. You unintentionally touched a sore spot, but I apologize for jumping on you like that, and I’m glad you have found this website and other resources helpful in educating yourself about the Witnesses.
Hi Lloyd,
Thanks. Well rest assured on that count. I am no ex-JW. I am a great fan of what you do. Your rebuttals on youtube and your comments on “tight pants” Tony are informative and downright hilarious. Keep up the good work. It is helping us strip down my cousins delusions. Thank you,
RC
They are targeting your country: https://youtu.be/a1iHxElQovc
@RC
Another book that may help you with your cousin is CAPTIVES OF A CONCEPT, written by a former JW elder: http://www.captivesofaconcept.com
At least the nine-inch spiked heels and riding crop are not banned outright. [loud cracking of crop against bare flesh]. (the heels, they ain’t for walking… by the way)
Wow ! Outstanding job. They must be shaking the kness
To bad hurricane Patricia is going to hit México this afternoon.
Should be in some exclusive part in NY; where’s that place called Warwick?
Thanks Cedars to you and the person inside the Watchtower.
I still can’t believe you have not requested all the lies of the Watchtower’s inside the JW 2015 Yearbook, this time dedicated to the DR ( Dominican Rep).
Here are some few examples:
-Page 89 (Spanish JW 2015 yearbook) Is that Brother Franz in the photo? Is it Ray? or His uncle?
-Page 93 Who is the speaker? Upper left photo
-Page 84 Last word is Marimbas; JW is telling to the world that marimba’s is embedded in our culture.
Completely wrong, bad research, extremely bad research they did.
And the list goes on and on
Reach me if you please at @veaney_arteaga, same in facebook
Thank you for the compliments. I can understand why you would feel strongly about dubious material in the latest yearbook that happens to touch on your particular country, but hopefully you can appreciate that not everyone from other parts of the world will get quite as excited. And I would thank you not to foist this issue on others in the form of an off-topic addendum to your comment. If you feel so strongly about it, start your own blog.
Can we discuss this on https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw ?
I did notice that they didn’t mention Ray Franz, and would like to hear your thoughts.
“Highly secretive ” , If this wasn’t so sad (or funny) still cant decide which for myself. Here in the states we have
Judge Judy , afternoon TV show and her motto always is “when you tell the TRUTH (caps on purpose) you don’t need a good memory .” So…. why does the org need a long list of cookie cutter responses . It should always be TRUTH (not a contrived, well thought response) if you worship “the God of truth” !
Cedars- what gives. this is the 2nd comment that requires moderation that I did not moderate at all. I don’t want to appear on this site as a commenter that needs moderating
Nothing gives. Usually I have lots of other things to do other than comment moderation, but on this occasion I noticed your comment get trapped and approved it straight away. There is no malice, it’s just we need a spam filter to shield the website from a constant barrage of undesirable material, and sometimes good stuff gets flagged along with the bad. The alternative is to have a human sorting through each and every comment 24/7 as they come through. Do you know anyone?
True Christians are children of light. Who is the father of the dark?
Thanks, Cedars!
True Christians are children of light. Who is the father of the dark?
I know of a sister in my former hall who was DF’d because she wrote the branch a letter questioning the reasoning and scriptural basis on blood transfusions when her husband needed to undergo surgery. I was not privy to the letter but she must have made a very strong argument because Bethel wrote to the elders FIRST telling them to make a shepherding call on her and find out if she “still believes the faithful and discreet slave are guided by Jehovah and if this is Jehovah’s ONLY earthly organization.” Only then would they respond to her…
I assume her answer was no because she was DF’d. HOWEVER and this is what really caused a lot of problems in my hall- another elderly sister who DID HAVE A BLOOD TRANSFUSION A FEW MONTHS LATER WAS NOT DF’D BECAUSE SHE WAS LEAVING HER WILL TO THE ORGANIZATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, certainly IF this was truly GOD’S organization, would they be more concerned with “obedience or sacrifice?” All the elders reading this should know the answer. This organization is a greedy money grabbing cult and it must be destroyed.
Of course, if you call up Bethel, they will say, “oh but these IMPERFECT MEN made the mistake, not JEHOVAH.”
That is always their excuse when the error falls on their favor. But when their lies are exposed in the media, then it is those “evil mentally ill apostates!”
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHAAAAA! It makes me so made. But KARMA paid them a visit.
Because of that incident, several ended up leaving either by writing letters or fading away and it left a sour taste behind but at that time, I was sad to see them go and looked at them as “spiritually weak” people… now I am so happy that they left and wish that MORE would have left and exposed those elders and this CULT!
BTW if that link should get shut down, there will be several mirror sites available and nothing this cult can do about it…
For some reason – probably me being dumb; I can’t download it :(
I love placing .pdf at the end of my searches.
;)
Rumor has it some unscrupulous individuals, with no respect for US Copyright law, are trading in such files here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/3pweu5/cedars_article_on_latest_leak_highlysecretive/cwa1u8x
I couldn’t either Tara and then when I saw how many pages, I didn’t want to anyway. I’ll just be content with reading the feedback about it. One thing for sure, whatever it contains, it’s certainly turning some heads.
It would be nice if you did not use “talmudic” as some sort of insult. The Talmud is a central book to Jews, and we have nothing to do with your religion’s problems or issues. In fact, the sort of suppression of dissent that you note is actually opposite to the talmudic process which rewards vigorous debate by all, not just a few elders.
The Talmud, like it or not, is a long list of rules. “Talmudic” is an insult if applied to a document produced by a Christian organization, since Christians believe the Jewish law code was nailed to the stake/cross with Jesus. But if you are Jewish, and a believer that a divine authority has published an exhaustive list of rules for the benefit of mankind, there should be no reason for offense. If anything you should be offended at the organization that presumes to create their own version of the Talmud.
I feel disappointed and sad that in the guidelines document it reads a brother who uses sterilization for birth control isn’t allowed to be used for higher privileges in the congregation. My nephew-in-law didn’t know about this rule. The most he has done is pioneer. I feel bad for him. The guidelines document is enlightening. It’s amazing the things we learn on cedar’s website. What an eye opener.
Hi Catalina, I haven’t forgotten what you said previously and I will never forget it. Just curious to know, how long you have been out.
Hi Meredith, I’ve been out for one year. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
Good for you.
@catalina, I know for a fact two men, one a relative who had vasectomies. One served as an elder and one still is. I guess because it’s not “talked” or known about it’s okay… Once again, different set of rules…
Oh wow, that’s interesting. I think some elders are probably stricter than other elders. Thank you
I can’t believe that people are willing to share such personal information! It’s absolutely none of their concern if someone gets a vasectomy or tubal ligation! Are they going to feed all of the additional unplanned children when people are surviving on low wages as it is?
It also irritates me they don’t share their view about sterilization with the rank and file in the congregation. I didn’t know sterilization is supposed to be a sin. And they complain about Catholics.
You ever wonder how Circuit Overseer couples and special pioneers don’t have any children? Hipocrites, who knows what kind of freaky they employ to avoid a pregnancy and they’ll be the very first to scream “off with their heads!” If any rank and file commit any of this.
Cedars, can you or someone get this document to the ARC asap? I think they, and even the UK Charity Commission, would be very interested in reading it.
Darlene I would advice you to take the initiative and send an email and brief description to anyone on that commision. Lloyd can’t do it all. We all have to put in a bit of our time and actively participate in activism against this cult. If your like me stuck on the inside and unwilling to sacrifice all friends and family to try and prove a point to brainwashed ears, there are alternatives. Call the authorities whenever you see a cart put up and explain a bit of how this cult victimized you and others. Flood every witness you know with links to this and other pertinent JW truth websites on their Facebook, twitter, email. Write to people in your hall with a well articulated explanation of the ex-jw cause, they certainly will try to fill yours with theirs. I’m currently befriending many people in my neighborhood watch and hopefully will build up the courage to start a http://www.jwfacts.com and http://www.jwsurvey.com sticker campaign with signs people can place on their lawns the way politicians do.
I was thinking of a small sticker people can put on their fron door that states “This home is awake to Watchtower lies and rampant abuse of children. We do not accept your cult on our property, please leave or we will call the authorities. For more details visit http://www.jwfacts.com
http://www.jwsurvey.com
As they are handed out freely to the public a brief “this will keep those child abusers away” explanation can be given. People can visit the websites and curious witnesses that read the stickers will be more informed.
The ideal thing would be if this site or jwfacts offered them for a paypal donation that would help keep these sites running. Those of us able to purchase in bulk would happily do so.
http://www.jwsurvey.org forgot the .org, facepalm.
Thank you for this truthful info…I look forward to coming on your website because i find truth… when i was a Jw all i seen was lies They lie about lying when its obvious! Thats enough to get anyone sick..
Your doing a great job in helping those in jw darkness; thats now being exposed ..