“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” -Mark Twain
February’s edition of JW Broadcasting, the televangelism arm of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, featured the moving story of Phelicity Sneesby, a young Australian girl born with a serious heart condition that cast severe doubt on her chances of surviving birth. As it turned out, thanks to the efforts of skilled medical professionals, Phelicity was able not only to survive birth, but has also been able to live to the age of 13.
You can view the JW Broadcasting episode in question here, but there are a number of things in the video worthy of comment.
Firstly, Watchtower showcases the fact that 13 year old Phelicity is baptised, and presents this practice of child baptism as a positive thing that other JW parents are clearly expected to imitate. This continues the trend of Watchtower putting increasing pressure on young children commit to the Organisation long before they can make an informed adult decision based on greater life experience.
Most civilised societies do not allow children to make life changing commitments at a young age. Activities such as marriage, serving in the armed forces, voting in elections, accepting financial burdens such as a loan and so forth are deliberately kept away from children, as it is recognised that they do not have the life experience, mental and emotional stability, or the education to make informed decisions on such issues.
Yet Watchtower is increasingly putting pressure on pre-teen children to make a binding lifelong commitment of obedience to the Governing Body that they cannot take back on pain of shunning. One wonders how long it will be before Watchtower starts to glowingly report the baptism of pre-school infants.
However, there is another very important aspect to this story that you won’t get if you only view Watchtower’s broadcast.
Phelicity is dying.
The high costs of Watchtower doctrine
According to recent news reports, Phelicity is currently in the US, undergoing treatment for a complication in her condition. Sadly, it appears that this treatment has failed, and that Phelicity is now terminally ill. However, it was not possible to fly her home due to the costs involved in the special medical flight that would be required. The cost of the flight would be a colossal sum of $150,000, money the family simply did not have. They have apparently expended all of their money funding previous trips abroad to obtain treatment for their little girl, and simply could not afford to bring her home for the closing days of her life.
Thankfully help came, not in the form of Watchtower, but in the form of a gofundme campaign. For those not familiar, Gofundme is one of many crowdsourcing sites available online, where people from around the world can contribute funds to ideas, business or charitable causes.
There are three points we can learn from this.
Firstly, the root cause of having to fly a critically ill girl around the world for treatment was seemingly not a matter of the required treatment being unavailable in her home country. Hospitals in Australia capable of providing this treatment do exist, but the hospital Phelicity was taken to in the US is one that many Jehovah’s Witnesses apparently rely on for performing bloodless surgeries. Whilst no definitive statements from the family or other sources have so far been made, this strongly indicates that the Watchtower’s ever changing and contradictory “no-blood” policy was a driving factor in this family feeling obligated to bankrupt itself flying thousands of miles to obtain medical treatment that might otherwise have been easily and cheaply available had blood not been an issue.
Secondly, whilst it is clear from the comments in the gofundme page that many witnesses are now contributing to the campaign, it also appears that a huge bulk of the donated funds come from people who are, as Watchtower likes to say, “in the world.”
The kindness of the world
Watchtower frequently uses the derogatory term “in the world” or ‘worldly” to denigrate and dismiss people who do not subscribe to the doctrines and behavioural commands of the Governing Body. Watchtower literature frequently groups all non-witnesses together under a single banner, and attributes to them en-mass almost every negative human trait you can think of. Here are just a quick selection of the countless references available at jwfacts.com.
Awake 1996 October 22 p.15
Since worldly people are existing as slaves of corruption, their company cannot bring you true happiness.Watchtower 2013 Feb study ed. p.24 “Our choice of associates. Of course, some contact with unbelievers — such as at school, at work, and when sharing in the ministry — is unavoidable. It is quite another matter, though, to socialize with them, even cultivating close friendships with them. Do we justify such association by saying that they have many good qualities? “Do not be misled,” warns the Bible. “Bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Cor. 15:33) Just as a small amount of pollution can contaminate clean water, friendship with those who do not practice godly devotion can contaminate our spirituality and lead us into adopting worldly viewpoints, dress, speech, and conduct.”
Watchtower 1984 October 1 pp.15, 19 Remain “Without Spot From the World”
“We must avoid the speech, conduct and attitudes that are so common among worldly individuals, but that are out of harmony with God’s Word. For instance, hatred, greediness, shameful conduct and obscene jesting have no proper place in our life. We must ‘put up with one another and be forgiving, even as Jehovah has freely forgiven us.’ (Colossians 3:13) That is not the common worldly way of dealing with others, but it is the godly way.”
Have the people of the “world” involved in this gofundme campaign been acting in the way Watchtower implies above? Wicked? Obscene? Hateful? Selfish?
$240,000 and counting says otherwise. Additionally, The Age reports that Qantas Airlines, a “worldly” business, have contacted Phelicity’s family to see if they can assist, potentially resulting in a significant cost saving for the flight.
Thirdly, it appears from the available facts that, although a number of individual Jehovah’s Witnesses have indeed come forward to donate to the gofundme campaign, the Watchtower itself has apparently not done so. This is despite its sale of properties in Brooklyn expected to net them over 1 Billion US dollars.
Why is this relevant?
Watchtower: The charity that doesn’t engage in charity.
In many countries, Watchtower is registered as a charity. By doing so, it avoids paying significant amounts of tax towards the upkeep of the social structures and institutions of the countries in which it operates, and often obtains significant help from governments that would be unavailable were they not listed as a charity.
Yet does Watchtower really qualify for such status? Significant concerns have been raised in this area, resulting in the UK Charity Commission undertaking an investigation of Watchtower’s UK arm. Does this incident shed any light on the legitimacy or otherwise of Watchtower’s claim to be a charitable organisation?
Well, here is the definition of a charitable organisation:
charity: noun
an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.
“the charity provides practical help for homeless people”
synonyms: non-profit-making organization, non-profit organization, not-for-profit organization, voluntary organization, charitable institution; fund, trust, foundation, cause, movement
“they raised money for an AIDS charity”
In other words, this should be a perfect opportunity for Watchtower to step in and give some charitable assistance. $150,000 is a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the ocean when you’re cheerfully banking $1 Billion in real estate profits.
Did they step in?
No.
Whilst clearly happy to feature Phelicity for propaganda purposes, and to pressure other witness parents into baptising their young children, their interest in her clearly didn’t extend to actually helping her in the final days of her life. That is something they left to their followers to handle, many of whom are already short of cash and being squeezed for even more.They did not even update the JW Broadcasting episode to highlight the gofundme campaign so that their followers would know of its existence.
Thankfully, the people of the “world” were able to step up and help out when Watchtower either could not, or did not care to, and the media outlets of the “world” were able to champion her cause when JW Broadcasting fell silent.
The thoughts and sympathies of the JW Survey team are with little Phelicity and her family at this difficult time.
For additional links on this story, please see below, and please visit the gofundme campaign if you are able to assist Phelicity and her family in this matter.
UK Daily Mail Article on the Story.
ABC news article on the story.
Very interesting and well written article. This makes me shameful of even having been associated with the Brooklyn Cult. Certainly there’s no shame there among those stoic old men!
Phelicity Sneesby is not one of the 1000 projects that are on Watchtower Bible and Tract’s list to invest money into. Watchtower’s interest is in their global construction program. Worldly people acting more neighborly than Jehovah’s Witnesses is not a good situation. Watchtower needs to take a look in the mirror and seriously ask themselves what are the more important things in life. Great Article, CovertFade. Appreciate you letting me know. Thanks.
matt 7:17 jesus said, .. you will know them by their works,..imagine all those wicked people helping, while the righteous watchtower does nothing
Thank you!
Big consent!!! So is playing Watchtower society with his People…
Honza
Thank you for bringing Phelicity Sneesby’s story to our attention.
I have felt for many years now that it is a mockery and a sham for the Watchtower organization to call itself a charity.
What I have witnessed is an appalling lack of charity. What good does it do when you take a beautiful color picture of a banquet to someone who is hungry and out of groceries, under the precept of taking them the good news of God’s kingdom?
In my nearly fifty years experience with Jehovah’s Witnesses, I have never seen the organization give anyone anything. Period. I have seen individual member’s provide assistance to one of their own, even when they are struggling financially themselves.
I hope one day an investigation is made into their so-called charity status.
Phelicity looks like a precious child and I am so happy she will be home when her little life comes to an end, thanks mostly in part due to the kindness of strangers who have been touched by her story.
This world is a much better, kinder place due to all the “worldly people that Jehovah will slaughter at Armageddon”.
Yes, that is sarcasm you smell.
@Iamacountrygirl,
I was thinking about how one might take money from the devil himself if it would pay for a sick child’s medical bills, or make her well. Here just normal “worldly folks” are helping out in this case. Yes, the JW parents will take that money, and forget about the fact they believe such ones shall be executed by jehovah very soon. That’s some serious hypocrisy. I am not faulting them for accepting the assistance, just saying they really have something here to consider.
In England it has all kicked off with the Goddard Enquiry into the child abuse issues at the WT org. Also the Org is trying to evade the Charities Commission investigation into their dealing with sex offenders and the safeguarding of children in the Org. They are in a lot of trouble, an d have put in a fifth appeal to stop the investigation into their practises. It is doubtful that they will win. I want to see this immoral bunch of nobodies lose everything they have got, and I would like to see a mass exodus continuing more and more.
I’m so glad this article brought up the fact WTS calls itself a charity organization when it actually isn’t one. At the meeting Tuesday night an announcement was read saying that on the first two Saturdays of the month in March everyone will be invited to go out in service for twelve hours each of those days from 7am to 7pm. The JW org considers that charity. For them it’s all about the org and it’s not about feeding the poor or clothing orphans and widows as the scriptures read if you get what I mean.
@Alexandria R. Is that actually true what you said about everyone going in FS for 12 hours the first 2 Saturdays of March? What is the purpose in that? Perhaps to “INVITE” people to the memorial?
How can they stay out or 12 hours o maybe they mean doing it in shifts. I Remember back in my JW days were doing major remodel kingdom hall and lot’s of JW volunteering etc. We had a food line for Lunch and this Homeless type person came and asked for food rather humbled.. he was embarrassed.
the building project manager treed him with disrespect not want to give any food and I spoke up for the homeless person and brought him a plate of food. then the Project manager told him he could not eat with us etc. The guy went ay with his food. I felt terrible with this attitude I saw ad asked myself where is the scriptural concern for those less fortunate?
I mean we were only talking about food. Like the homeless or others in bad situation do not need to eat also? He said oh the guy is a bum. SO what I said he is hungry. let him eat. The JW’s like to brag that they show “LOVE” for humanity by preaching to them and offering bible studies etc.Not much love there if that is all they do and how does that show concern for people if they are hungry or sick or in need of physical aid? I always thought they were fake in helping people and I am glad I am no longer subject to their brainwashing selfish ideas.
Holy Connoli, You show the kind of person you are. You have a big heart. There is a lot of love in your heart. Good for you. You show common sense the society brainwashing takes away from people. Last Tuesday an elder made this announcement from the platform, I can quote him. He said, “In order to help our auxiliary pioneers make their time, the first two Saturdays of March we will meet at 7am for public witnessing work then we will meet at the hall at 9:30 for field service then we will have afternoon field service then after that we have a table set up at Washington Park and a table set up at the Farmers Market. We encourage those who want a head start on their hours to join us.”
Shame on you for using this little girls condition to propagate your hate.
I see no ‘hate’ in this article or this website…just facts.
Shame on the Watchtower for using this little girl’s condition to propagate their cult!
WS
Markie how is it hate to post a link to help this poor little girl out? The only hate I see is the Watchtower impersonating a legitimate charity while making billions and not helping their own in need as well as fomenting hate and prejudice toward generous loving people in the world.James 2:16 New International Version (NIV)
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
The Watchtower make it way to easy to bring the ‘truth’ to light. If they were as loving as they say, why is it so very easy to find the evil in their hearts. This article is well written only stating the facts, the Watchtower a heartless organization serving only themselves.
Markie, please feel free to back up your accusation with facts. Are there facts in the article that you dispute or wish to challenge? Are there facts we missed out?
I believe y’all misunderstood Markie. He, or she, simply stated that this article contains NO hate, just facts (sorry for the caps; not tech savvy).
Like he mentioned, there was no hate of any kind in this article. It presented the facts very admirably. You are very eloquent Covert Fade. It’s not like the Watchtower keeps saying that all “apostate” websites are filled with hate and bitter people who are simply butt hurt. In fact, this and other websites alike share way more content than the Watchtower ever could, and y’all do it in such an orderly fashion. So please do not feel attacked
You said that the Watchtower used her for propaganda purposes. The “fact” is your doing the exact same thing. Your obviously using her situation to propagate your agenda against the Watchtower. I agree with a lot of things said here about the Watchtower but it doesn’t change the “fact” that you are doing the exact same thing your accusing them of. By the way, have you sent her any money? Just to be clear, I haven’t.
Markie, by your logic, you are now using this girl for propaganda purposes as well, as you apparently draw no difference between an act on the one hand and criticism and analysis of said act on the other.
Or can you perhaps suggest how to critically discuss, analyse, and provide news coverage of Watchtowers actions in this matter without mentioning the girl at the heart of it all?
Dear Markie I think you put yourself to shame by your own comment.
@ Covert Fade . Good Analysis of Watchtowers so called ‘Charity Status’ This article goes hand in hand with The new Cedars video on You Tube about donations for Circuit Assembly days with no transparency in charitable donations .
As a charity the Watchtower pays No Rates on their Circuit Assembly halls so when donations are asked to cover expenses it can only be for heating,lighting & water as most assembly halls are paid off years ago.
Yet as mentioned in this article Watchtower are selling 3 buildings this year for at least $1.2 Billion. Plus in 2004 they sold one building for $200 Million & in 2013 sold 5 buildings for $ 375 Million to the Kushner Organisation . Plus the hundreds of millions of dollars in donations each year from ordinary brothers in the boxes, real estate donations, wills & legacies, etc
All Tax free plus the Bossart Hotel sold for $81 Million 3 years ago.
Yet Watchtower couldn’t bring this baptised child home with some of their own money ! Very very sad.
There is a saying my Church of England Grandparents taught me .. ‘Charity begins at Home’
It’s no surprise that they took the parable of The Good Samaritan out of their version of the bible. ‘By their fruits you shall know them’…which also includes those who pretend to be charitable and are most decidedly not, as they stand out a mile for their hypocrisy and their lies.
@Forestdaughter,
The Good Samaritan parable is in their bible. Luke 10:29-37.
Honestly, has the society (the org. where donations are sent) ever once came to the financial aid of a rank and file member. Even official relief work, never involves the giving of monetary funds…it involves overseeing volunteer labor and donated materials…most natural disasters are a windfall of cash for the org. Money flows one direction to bethal,
How, many new kingdom halls have you seen being built in last 3 years..since time when all congregations started paying a mortgage, whether they had one or not….now we have letter that says 5 congregations must share hall each with their midweek filling hall to capacity before they would be on list for new hall.
Now, retired c.o’s and D.O’s are being assigned to congregations to “assist ” them financially.
The point is if I was running a “charity” like this, I think the government would shut me down.
I’ve done my share of relief work many times. One thing I know for damn sure is that the only ones cutting checks are those on the receiving end of the so called relief.
I remember terrible flooding in the Midwest. Cedar rapids Iowa had over 1000 city blocks flooded. The publishers were “encouraged” to donate their insurance checks. One sister was upset and even said “I don’t have money for furniture” “you fixed my house but you’re not going to furnish it I need the money”. The watchtower society wants to get paid for its so called free Relief work. She could have hired the work done for less than the total of the check she was given.
“Has the society…ever once came to the financial aid of a rank and file member.”
But you can bet if this was some GB member no expense would be spared to get them the best medical care possible.
WS
The Watchtower meets all the Criteria of a Cult on all fronts. It uses the us vs them mentality when dealing with the “World”. They use indoctrination to hold their members in enslavement to their flawed Doctrines. They use a two sets of rules mentality as well.
They are and will go down as the most hypocritical religion ever known to man.
They use you for their gain and when you disagree with them they toss you out like a piece of garbage.
They lie lie lie and label it theocratic warfare.
I feel sorry for anyone who involves themselves in such a destructive religion.
Their day is coming soon!
It would seem if the org is going to use Phelicity’s story, the least they could do is offer some financial assistance. It would certainly be the honorable thing to do. They are binding heavy loads and not lifting a finger to help.
Regards
James 1:27, Taking care of those who cannot is a christian obligation. more so than preaching. I pray JW ‘s really considers this.
I hope the John Cedars rebuttle of this broadcast will be on Youtube soon!!! I can´t wait for his rebuttles!
Markie don’t you have any gratitude towards those terrible pagan worldly people or are you just grateful to the JW that helped. as the scripture says.
Matthew 5:46-48New Living Translation (NLT)
46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[a] how are you different from anyone else?
Here we have total strangers helping out your little sister and you have nothing to say accept to come on here and show your hatred, because your religion is being exposed again as an uncaring so called only true religion on this planet.
would you help a worldly person in the same position would any JW for that matter?
I personally would like the parents to give a public thank you to all including those worldly people, among could very well be Catholics, atheists, Buddhists yes and Muslim who knows.
The GB of JW should hang their head in shame they do nothing for no one not even their own.
I recall I used to give the public talk on mercy. It covered the neighborly Samaritan. Yet one of the points in the outline was, essentially: Don’t give money to “worldly” people who need it or ask for it, instead you should preach to them. Yes that is Watchtower’s definition of “mercy”. I can’t believe I used to push their propaganda like that.
Great investigative work covert fade. It really annoys me that they don’t mention blood on the broadcast – they clearly didn’t want to prejudice their own case. At one point the father says that the doctor told them “there was no chance in Australia she could be operated on…” then a quick edit cuts away from the rest of his words, but I suspect he went on to say “without blood” – but that’s just my conjecture.
I know for a fact that this operation can be performed here. I made a comment on the most recent Friday column regarding my experience as a father of a child with a congenital heart condition – we have some of the best surgeons in the world here in Australia, as well as some of the most advanced facilities and, perhaps most importantly, the best health care system. Despite the fact we had private health care cover at the time, our sons operation was perform under Medicare – the tax funded health system every Australian is entitled to. Our private health cover only gave us the right to chose our surgeon, rather than be assigned one, and it paid for the hospital stay (which still would have been covered by Medicare if we hadn’t had private health cover.) So this is all about the blood.
I really feel for this family. Unfortunately they have had a very difficult, painful and complicated situation made all the more difficult, painful and complicated, unnecessarily so, by the pharisacial governing body who bind up heavy loads for others but do not lift a finger to help.
@Markie. You are such a coward. Why don’t you put your real name on your post? You come on here and make a blanket statement about how this article is trying to spread “hate” but either you are too scared of the Society’s finding out that you have been on an “apostate” website and commenting or you are working underground for the Society. Which is it?
If you are too scared of the Society’s finding out what your name is, why are you scared? Shouldn’t anybody be allowed to question their own religion by looking at the websites that might have something to say that might question their doctrines with facts? If it’s really the truth, you should have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to apostate “lies”.
The only reason you are not allowed to come onto “apostate” websites is because the Society will disfellowship anybody who admits to going onto “apostate” websites or reads anything that might make a person stop and think and question their own religion and find out that what they have been taught from the Society can not be backed up by either facts or the Bible and they will “hate” the Society like I do and stop supporting them and stop sending them money.
I was always taught not to lie and I hate liars. If you are not afraid to put your religion to the test, then don’t be afraid to put your real name up. If you are afraid to put your real name up, that means you should be ashamed of belonging to a religion that prohibits it’s members from putting it’s teachings to the test. As Witnesses, we were always encouraged to put our Bible Study’s religion to the test, so Witnesses are hypocrites if they don’t put their religion to the test as well.
Your life is important. Every life is important and should not be thrown away on a bunch of lies. I for one, don’t want anything to do with a religious corporation that lies and makes up their own version of a Bible to trick people into believing them and using that Bible to trick people out of their money to get rich in real estate and neither should you.
If you have anything to say that will convince me that you have the real “truth”, my ears are wide open. If you don’t then why are you here?
Couldn’t care less about who is helping this little girl – just extremely glad to see humanity coming together to make it happen.
Those climbing on the bandwagon to turn this into a story either pro or anti WT should be ashamed of themselves !
Adrian, are you Markie in disguise? Nobody would know about this story in the first place if the Watchtower hadn’t “used” her to wrench money out of the Witnesses.
You say you couldn’t care less about who is helping this little girl? Talk about being heartless????
If that is the kind of person you are, it’s because of your religion or maybe a religion like the Watchtower is right up your alley because that is the kind of person you are in the first place?
There is only one reason you are in the Watchtower Religion and that is because you are a selfish person.
You aren’t in that religion to help other people. You are in that religion because you think that by serving the Organization, you will gain everlasting life in the “new world”. You are selfish and that is why you are in that religion. We were all there so we know how that religion works. You can’t pull the wool over our eyes. You serve the Organization and you think you will be saved through Armageddon. You are in that religion for selfish reasons. If it wasn’t for the idea that you will be saved through Armageddon through your preaching work, you would not be in that religion. If you were in that religion just because it’s the “best way of life” and you didn’t have the “promise” of the new order, you would not be preaching. The reason for the preaching is to save lives through Armageddon and to save your life. You are serving God for selfish reasons, just as Satan told God in the book of Job.
Even the reason you pray to Jehovah is to get something out of it. You don’t pray to have God restore limbs because you know it ain’t gonna happen. You only pray for stuff that you know He can’t do anything about. So, is your God even real, so that you have to obey HIM??? Can you prove God is real or are you serving an illusion? If you can’t prove God is real, then it’s sad that you are wasting your life on a religion that is taking advantage of your naivete. Why not ask for something that God can actually do like help that little girl not to die????? You have no pity and no love and the Watchtower Religion teaches it’s followers to have no pity and no love. I know that because I was in it for fifty years. You can’t fool me. I know how it works and so do you.
The reason for this article is because you and the Watchtower Society don’t have any love for that little girl but people who the Society teaches Witnesses to “hate” have more love and compassion for that little girl than you do. That is why you could care less about who is helping her get back home to her parents.
The ones who are disgusting are the ones who will use a dying little girl to wrench money out of it’s followers like the Watchtower Society did and do absolutely nothing to help her or her parents out when she is dying.
Don’t come on a website like this and try and turn the tables away from who the real culprits are here.
Stay away and go to the people in your religion such as heartless people such as yourself and keep your comments to yourself.
Caroline it seems that your hate for JWs is really eating you up. My I kindly suggest therapy?
Mark is my real name. Markie is my nick name. I have no idea who Adrian is. Sorry. I am using my first name just like you. So I guess I can ask are you a coward?
Saying JWs are in this religion because they are selfish is very unkind and untrue. Most JWs use a lot of their free time to help other people learn what they think is the “truth”. You may not agree with it but preaching is not a selfish act.
And I agree with most people on this website. I think its crazy that the GB would rather you hand a Watchtower to a staving person instead of a loaf of bread. But in their minds they think the are helping in the long-term.
I do think that whoever wrote this blog is exploiting this poor little girls condition for their own means. It seems very hypocritical to accuse the Society of the very thing they are doing.
By the way, did you send the family any money?
Markie, I don’t hate JW’s and I never hated JW’s and the people who comment on this website do not hate JW’s. You either don’t read the comments here or you are new to the site.
Anybody who is familiar with this site, realizes that most of us were JW’s or have family and friends who are JW’s and why in the world would we hate them for being in the religion when we were in it so long ourselves, not knowing what the true background is of the religion ourselves? Some of the nicest and sweetest people in the world were my friends who longer are allowed to talk to me, simply because I won’t go to the meetings any longer. I miss them and I am sure that they think that I have gone demonic, which is taught to them from the Society and I should know because I was also taught to be paranoid of anybody who stopped going to meetings.
I myself was a JW for fifty years and so I know a whole lot more about the JW religion than you give me credit for. I don’t know how old you are, but if you can beat my time in the “truth”, I’d be curious about just how much time you devoted to preaching the “good news” like I did all those years.
Everybody who belongs to any religion does it for selfish reasons. They expect to get something out of their time and effort.
People don’t just preach the “good news” because they just want to. We all know that Witnesses are expected to preach each and every month and are expected to turn in their time on their time slips to the brothers and if they don’t put in time, then they are called and if they don’t report time, then they are put down as “irregular” and considered weak and bad association. We all know how it works. Going in service is required if you want to remain in good standing in the congregation and if you want any friends, which of course we know JW’s are only allowed to have “friends” who are also JW’s in good standing.
If we didn’t have to report the time that we go in service, then how many would go out? If we weren’t considered weak and bad association, how many would go out? JW’s go in service for selfish reasons, even if you don’t want to admit it. It’s to save their lives. If it was to save others’ lives, then why did we have to report our time? We’d just be preaching all the time and not punching a clock.
Do you know your Bible well enough to be asked questions by those you preach to or are you told not to “debate” them? Are you allowed to take their literature or are you prohibited from taking their literature? Why is Ray Franz’s books banned for JW’s? If Ray Franz’s books are full of lies, then why hasn’t the Society sued him or his family? You are not even allowed to read history books that tell the truth about when Jerusalem was destroyed and if you tell anybody about when Jerusalem was really destroyed, you will be disfellowshipped for apostasy. What kind of religion doesn’t allow it’s followers to even find out the facts about ancient historical facts and not be able to tell their “friends” about it? What kind of closed and cloistered cult do you belong to?
No, you are in a cult and so was I. I am not putting my name here because I am not disfellowshipped but I know full well that if I put my name here that I would be disfellowshipped and that is the very same reason you are not using your full name and I know it and so does everybody else who is reading your posts.
You belong to a dangerous religious cult that is no different than the people who live in North Korea and are not allowed to see anything on television or read anything that does not promote their leader as a god.
Your god is not Jehovah and it isn’t Jesus Christ. It is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
You are not allowed to even put your religion to the test without being disfellowshipped for it and you know it and so does everybody else who is commenting here because we belonged to this religion. We can’t be fooled by anything you have to say.
@Caroline,
I think the word “selfish” is a poor choice to describe the JW motive to preach. Of course there are some who propose that everything we humans do is motivated by selfishness.
But that aside, to state that all JWs preach out of selfish reasons is to generalize in the same manner the Watchtower org does when they say all apostates are bitter and angry.
Some JWs preach out of genuine concern for others. Some do seem to “get off” on telling others how wrong they are. But for the majority I think it comes down to fear and guilt. They are afraid that if they don’t preach they will die at Armageddon and/or they have been guilted into preaching by the Watchtower and they seek to alleviate that guilt.
I think saying they are selfish conveys the wrong idea.
WS
Dont let them press your buttons caroline…stay calm…I am in the same position as you in many ways baptised at 14 and now 57…only woke up totally a couple of years ago…some people who comment on hrre are clearly trying to get a rise out of ones in our position…I know you dont hate…I was brought up to hate and since waking up find I hardly hate anyone…especially not sincere JWs..I just want to help them…let markie et al say what they want I and ones like me on this site know exactly what you mean…I fear these ones have been sent to disrupt us…we have had enough manipulation in our lives…dont let them do it anymore.
” Most JWs use a lot of their free time to help other people learn what they think is the “truth”. You may not agree with it but preaching is not a selfish act.” – That’s fine that you believe that Mark, but many would not agree. Here in New Zealand, very few people even know what JW’s believe/teach. They don’t even know about JW’s not celebrating birthdays or christmas! That’s how ‘well done’ the preaching work here is. It is a waste of time, and hardly charity work.
Caroline you have much to say and well said too. I have to agree with you. I think my conclusion this religion is heartless. They have built up layers and layers of an elaborate system to con, fool, cajole and deceive ALL of us. Especially the born ins who because of accident of birth had no choice. The charity status actually adds insult to injury because it is a thin veneer that looks good. I really hope the God they claim to venerate thinks on these little ones as sparrows. Unless the boys in Brooklyn can squeeze a dollar out of each victim they see no worth in such sparrows. Not even meat in their mouths. Time and time again we see the bricks crumbling. Someone once said this religion is the jewel in the devil’s crown. So true they proudly wear a badge of dishonour and cannot see it. When it finally falls there will be a lot of gnashing teeth. If this was the truth people would flock to it despite the problems and fallibilities but actually joe blogs in the street is not so stupid. Being worldly wise means that although they don’t know the ins and outs that we do they can smell a rat . The kingdom smile is like teeth veneer it suits the person makes them feel more socially acceptable but it is fake and if you look you can see. The eyes of love do not exist among well taught Jdubs because actions really do speak louder than words. If the gb gave a hand out to that poor girl’s family, the flood gates of sob stories real and fake would come pouring in. They would be broke within the month and hey! they would inherit the kingdom! ah! silly me they don’t want that do they only the façade, the veneer, the rotten teeth, and all the blood money for themselves. Greedy pigs! Ruthlee
Somebody made the comment that this little girls sad plight was highlighted due to to hatred of JW’s (allowed cough), are you completely stupid?
If you are suggesting that we are movitvated due to hatred so as for you to make your judgement you are sadly misled.
I don’t know, I certainly hate the way I was lied to and manipulated by the Watchtower society. I hated being used and being denied the facts. I hated the undue influence. Do I hate the indiviual members of the JWs? No.
Do I think this article was in anyway hateful or inappropriate? No. The Watchtower used this little girls condition to promote their own agenda. In their typical bad journalism they left out critics facts of the story. This article fills in what the watchtower left out. How is that a bad thing? Totalitarian governments only have one source for news so they can control the content. In free lands, there are many sources so we can get the big picture. The Watchtower would like to have total control of information. But sites like this one give the public an alternative to the sterilized watchtower rhetoric. If you don’t like what you hear on this site, feel free to “change the channel.”
WS
“critics facts” should be “critical facts”
damn autocorrect!
Oh boy. JW Survey must be doing something really good here to be hit by so many trolls. Or hit by one troll with many faces. Maybe it is a trinity troll?
Totally sums up the Borg this article. A hateful, greedy, death-dealing cult with absolutely no interest at all in humanity, just the almighty $!
This is so heartbreaking. This poor little girl and her family have suffered so much and there are many others out there who are putting blind faith in a man interpreted doctrine. Yet, as has been brought out, the Borg. won’t lift a finger to secure a few thousand dollars for a flight home for her. Remember little Ashya King… the trauma those parents went through and I recall the JW’s being divided on his plight. These babies are pawns on the Borg. glory train but when you look deeper we see the greed that really motivates the pious facade. I can’t even look at the broadcasts anymore, they make me sick. I hope and pray for this little girl and other like them.
@Tara
I concur. The psycho-babble from watchtower, either in video form or in writing, turns my stomach.
WS
This article got me thinking about the psychosis of corporations. WT is of course worse, as instead of paying people to lobby, advertise, build, etc. they get them to volunteer their services! It’s a narcissist’s dream! Here they are using poor Phelicity to advertise how to dedicate you precious few days on this planet to WT/JW.org. Meanwhile, taking her parents donations, and binding up heavy loads with the blood doctrine.
The tobacco companies marketed to children until laws were enacted. WT/JW.org would find a way to evade those laws if they came, by having elders and C.O.s encourage child and teen baptism by one on one conversations instead of putting it on t.v., watchtowers and such. (As an example the page in the Shepard’s book that the elders write up verbatim themselves, leaving WT in the clear.)
Hi everyone,
I want to let you know how a great job you are doing by exposing the Watchtower society. Whether you realize it or no you have helped and continue to help thousands to overcome their fears and leave this organization that cares about nobody but only about its money. Thanks for these well researched writings. After 14 years in this organization, you helped free me this modern day slavery. I just agree with everything written in this article. Well done.
Can it be possible that this family will be asked (encouraged) to donate the money they raised on gofundme to the Watchtower?
Losangeles, I thought the very same thing. When I saw how much money was donated on her gofundme page, than was even asked for, I thought, “I sure hope the family isn’t now going to feel the need to donate the excess to Watchtower!” Because they’ll think it was only because of God/Watchtower that they were blessed with generosity. Instead of just accepting that there are just good people all over the world, who simply want to help others in their time of need. Unfortunately, with Watchtower’s insatiable lust for money, I’m afraid they just might, and what a despicable thought that would be.
Lets, talk about fundraising for minute. ..every assembly, their’s a business meeting with the Elders, where without discussion they are told the costs of the program, ,something like..15.00 per head then travel expenses for the special speaker ect..So, what the audience hears is “brothers we have incurred 12756.23 in expenses, and so far their has been 7956.34 in contributions to offset the expenses , we want to thank you in advanced for your caring for this matter. ” this is not really the cost of the program, it’s a bill., just like your monthly payment to the society for your Phantom hall mortgage, where you pay back money never borrowed form your donated funds to start with, another bill.
Maybe Jesus should have cost factored a 10.00 per head feeding cost at his sermon on the mount. 5000 men plus woman and children, say 15000 X10.00 per head (recommend donation ).plus travel costs, =160000.00 not bad for 20 min. speach.
@Pow. I like your style . Your comment made me smile, but everything you say is so true!
Oh, and one more comment to Markie,
If talking about the facts related to a publicized subject constitutes hate speech, let’s see Watchtower has talked about Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinist, Mormons, Baptist, Presbyterians, Adventist, Pentecostal, ect, even standing on the doorsteps of this church’s handing out pamphlets, depicting there members and building being destroyed by God’s executioners. Would that constitute Hate speach?
@Pow . Your reply to Markie’ is perfect. Absolutely perfect !
Thanks , sometimes one wonders if their really making sense, especially when your still “in” and you have to suppress your true feeling 24/7.
Pow – you don’t have to suppress. Be free. Read today’s article. Don’t waste any more of your life. The people who you will “lose” due to shunning don’t really care for you or they wouldn’t behave that way.
They are the antithesis of The Good Samaritan. Through
guilt and fear and false promises, they rob people of
their life’s potential, their energy and time. Enough is never
enough, Phelicity’s story is used for that end, and nothing
more.
Like the priest, they will pray for you, but if real on the spot
practical help is needed ( especially if it requires digging into
their own pockets they will pass by on the other side.
It’s left to the Samaritans, the despised, the Worldlings
to pay the innkeeper.
Ask any aged pioneer now restricted through infirmity and
after a lifetime of service. Who is providing for his, her life’s
necessities? And who is it that has crossed to the other side.
@Twmack. So true about aged pioneers. I have a friend who has been made redundant ? from Brooklyn Bethel after 35 years service ? Or should I say slavery? With no pension or golden handshake except told to be a special pioneer & the worldly Government are subsidising her here in England on housing benefit & £50 a week subsidy from Bethel ! Amazing example for young JWs who want to go to Bethel !
When a religion does not act neighborly, how can you expect its members to be neighborly? If you can’t take care of your own people that you do have, how can you take care of people you do not have?
As one elder put it to me when I was going through a divorce: That’s not our problem; that is your problem.
Can you imagine Jesus Christ saying that?
I hate to say it, but that is what the Watchtower Babble and Tract Society probably told her parents and her.
Sad. But true.
While talking about hate speech, let’s not forget about Rutherford, one of the f&ds who showed support for Hitler and condemned “big business jews”. Not very faithful or discreet. His actions led to blood guilt. For more info, reference the 1935 yearbook.
Regards
Oops 1934 yearbook!
I have read several posts to the JW Survey articles and realize that many of you tell the group how controlling the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is. It is as though they have puppet strings on their members. Why would members allow such a puppeteer (parasite) to have so much control on them? It seems that members allow the Watchtower to control them.
For me, I realized how much control they had when I experienced a panic attack by thinking about the many things if you do not do something Watchtower wants you to. For example, the Governing Body made a statement that they appreciate the members who donated extra in June and July as following the “Faithful and Discreet Slave Class”. Does that mean, that people who did not donate were not following the “Faithful and Discreet Slave Class”. What control!
When they tell single sisters that finding a good spiritual brother is by finding him at the Watchtower Construction projects. Put simply, the only good Christian marriages is one where the husband is in the construction trades and is donating his time to the Watchtower construction program. These subliminal messages just adds puppet strings to each member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I find that each special JW Monthly Broadcasting always involves a segment on one of the Watchtower’s Construction projects. Either the Governing Body is telling us something about a construction project or highlighting one of their members involved in the Watchtower Construction Program. Talk about Puppet Strings.
Personally, I like reading articles about simply cutting the puppet strings. Clinical Psychologist, Robert Puff Ph.D., has written an online article for Psychology Today on cutting the Puppet Strings. The article is “Cutting the Puppet Strings of Praise and Blame – We have the ability to be happy by simply cutting the strings!”. It is located at https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meditation-modern-life/201409/cutting-the-puppet-strings-praise-and-blame. It is a good article.
Another good book, “Pulling Your Own Strings: Dynamic Techniques for Dealing with Other People and Living Your Life As You Choose” is by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer.
Please, cut the puppet strings and live a happier life. Many things that Watchtower states is absolute crap. A happy marriage has nothing to do with marrying a construction worker. There is no correlation.
@Doc Obvious . Fascinating analogy ‘Praise & Blame’ with reference also to Puppet Strings In regard to breaking the cycle .
The GB is very manipulating . We get More Praise if we auxiliary pioneer than if we are Just a Publisher;
But even more more praise if we Regular Pioneer. & if we Special Pioneer or go to Gilead ,well even more, more praise & commendation & the cycle of the treadmill goes on. It becomes ever more addictive like a drug especially if we have come from damaged emotional backgrounds then the praise we get from the organisation replaces the praise we should have got from maybe a parent.
The GB need damaged individuals as these are the ones who will push themselves ever more & more In the ministry so they get approval & commendation from Elders,Circuit Overseers & are used on the platform at meetings,conventions etc.
@Winston Churchill
And I will add to that, since it’s really a matter of self-fulfillment, self validation, that’s why there’s so much competition between perceived equals.
Pioneers compete with other pioneers.
Elders are constantly locked in power struggles or choose to lay low to avoid being targeted.
Each C.O. will infer that his predecessors really screwed things up.
Bethal is a hotbed of back stabbing, butt kissing , nepotism. It’s famous for the expression “its not what you know, but who you know”.
To apply Doc Obvious’ comment to what you describe Pow – “dance puppets, dance!” (Insert evil laugh here)
WS
@Doc Obvious: Thank you for the link to “Cutting the Puppet Strings.” Wrapped in this article are stacks of “meat in due season,” and that season seems to be now!
Those who have not read the article as yet, do yourself a big favour and do. I’ve forwarded the article to some of my friends…Thanks again :)
how can the GB sleep at night!
@david
I’d have to say “very well” with the rank and file paying the way for them.
WS
david, in 2014, when there was that four page letter from the Society that was sent to all the congregation elders where the congregations were tricked into thinking that their loans were paid off and the elders were instructed to read only the first page to the congregations where the congregations were led to believe that the Society was being so nice in telling the congregations they didn’t have to repay their loans but the last three pages of that letter was to ask the elders to tell the congregation at a later meeting that they had decided to send the same amount to the Society every month anyway so as to spread the cost around for poor brothers and sisters who couldn’t afford a new kingdom hall, I confronted the (what used to be called the presiding overseer) about it and I asked him how he could sleep at night because not only did he deceive the congregation about repaying the loans but they had been saving up for a new parking lot repaving which was $15,000 and he (the presiding overseer) put it to the congregation to hand over half of that money ($7,500) to the Society and of course the congregation all raised their hands and agreed to it. His answer to me was:
“I went home that night and slept like a baby.”
I believe the reason they gave a marking talk on me shortly after that and took away my privileges for being able to call in to the meetings was because I called him on it and that marking talk was for revenge.
I told him that what they did was deceitful and they should be ashamed of themselves for what they did but he (presider) only got mad at me for calling him on it. I told him that those letters go online because there are so many people in Bethel who want the rank and file know what those letters say but they can’t hide those letters anymore.
When they read those letters, the elders are fooling themselves if they think they can keep that underhanded stuff secret anymore. It’s just a matter of time before everyone knows the real “truth” about the Society.
So long as there is a voice of authority telling them what they are doing is sanctioned by God, they are able to excuse themselves from exercising their conscience. The nazis who ran the concentration camps tried to say the same thing (i.e. “we were only followinfg orders”), but found out at Nuremberg that it wouldn’t hold up.
On the same line of thought, check out the Milgram experiments on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXn2SZfwuSc
WS
Thank you very much for your article CF !
Very well articulated and reasoned plus without your article I wouldn’t able to help because my own org. “doesn’t have any means” to help or at least advertise need for help as you pointed out !
Shame to them I mean to those in charge of our .ORG!
Hope at least one of them is reading !
General comment:
I understand that this is an emotive issue, but please refrain from insulting or attacking other commenters. Please attack their arguments and logic, but do not attack them.
That extends to telling people to leave the site or go away. The decision as to who is welcome and who is not is one that moderators make. In the absence of an actual ban, all are welcome here, even those who strongly disagree with the articles, as long as they express themselves in a civil way.
Dear Covert Fade. I am sorry that I told one of the commenters to go away. That wasn’t my place to do that and I know how badly that would have made me feel if I had made a comment here that somebody took offense to and they told me to go away and I apologize and I won’t do it again.
@Winston Smith. I should have explained myself better when I said that Witnesses preach for selfish reasons.
I believe that every person that belongs to any religion, go to that church for selfish reasons in that they expect to get something out of the experience, either living through Armageddon or going to heaven when they die, or some other reason like maybe just having a bunch of people that they can associate with or maybe to please their family or to be pleasing to the “Lord” or to have their sins absolved. That is what I meant by that comment.
I do believe that many Witnesses preach because they really do have love for their neighbors and don’t want anybody to be destroyed at Armageddon and I feel that is selfless just the same as you do. That is the reason I went out and I know that is the reason most Witnesses go out too. But there is a lot more involved in the preaching work than just love of neighbor and not wanting them to be destroyed at Armageddon.
What I mean by that, is that Witnesses are put under the obligation to preach and go to meetings, either by the Society or the Bible makes them feel they have to do that because Jesus told them to do it at Matthew 28:19,20 and also the warning that (if you believe in Armageddon), you will go and preach to save your own soul too as well as your neighbor, so you don’t have a guilty conscience when Armageddon comes and others are killed and we didn’t do all we could to warn them.
It isn’t only to save the soul of our neighbors, it’s to save our own soul. Witnesses know that if they don’t preach that they won’t be acceptable company for those at the Kingdom Hall. They want to be accepted as good association too. It isn’t exactly being selfish but it’s to survive.
We all need love and acceptance and in the Organization, we are not allowed to have outside friends. We are only allowed to associate with fellow Witnesses and so in order to survive and feel accepted and loved, we need to fit in and do what is expected of us.
Not everyone who preaches, does it simply because it’s in their blood to preach. Witnesses are told they have to go to all the meetings and study, study, study and at those meetings and in the literature, they are constantly reminded of the preaching work and how blood guilty they are if they don’t go out and preach.
So, there is much guilt laid upon them to go and preach. If it wasn’t for all that constant reminding and made to feel guilty about not going, the preaching work would probably stop and I believe the Society knows that full well and that’s why all the constant reminders and making them feel as if they have to go to every meeting and so on. Even the music is designed to make a person motivated to preach and to associate with fellow Witnesses.
I feel that yes, most Witnesses aren’t selfish in the preaching work but they are coerced into it in many ways and if they weren’t constantly told over and over again, that they probably wouldn’t do it. If the Society told them that they didn’t have to go anymore, they would be real happy to stay in bed on Saturday mornings and they would have a clean conscience about not going out.
It’s the constant fear that Armageddon will happen at any moment and the thought that they will be held blood guilty if they don’t preach all that they can, are the main reasons that Witnesses do the preaching work. It’s like somebody told us about Armageddon and so now the guilt is laid upon us to go and warn others. That is what the Witness religion is all about.
When when it comes to meetings, Witnesses are made to feel guilty if they don’t attend all the meetings because they are told they need to build one another up at the meetings and so if they don’t attend every meeting, they are made to feel guilty about that too.
When I went to the meetings, my conscience was clear for a few days and the same when I went in service. That was selfish on my part. I didn’t like the feeling of a bad conscience if I didn’t go to the meeting and I didn’t like the feeling of a bad conscience if I missed service.
But I always had a bad conscience anyway because I didn’t get back to my return visits like I should have and I didn’t keep up with my Bible reading and I felt better when I didn’t go to a meeting and I suffered from a bad conscience from not attending a meeting or missing a day in field service. I never really felt good about myself, no matter how much I wanted to do everything that was expected of me, by all the demands the Society laid on me and all Witnesses.
It’s about having a good conscience. If we do everything we are expected to do by the Society, then we have a good conscience and we feel good about ourselves. If we don’t do everything the Society tells us to do, then we suffer depression and anxiety so it’s about our own survival and feelings of depression.
Nobody likes to feel depressed or anxious and we all need love and acceptance and so we do what we can to not feel depressed and anxious and to be accepted and loved. That is what I mean by doing the preaching work for selfish reasons.
Winston, Spike R has a good video about this very same subject:
https://youtu.be/Pme8p6oT-ao
Caroline,
Thank you for clarifying your position and I do agree with the major portions of your argument. It’s just that the word “selfish” carries very negative connotations. It might be more correct to say that all people are motivated by the preservation of the self. That is a natural human instinct (and even animals have it to an extent). And the cult indoctrination of the Watchtower does various levels of damage to the self and creates abnormal levels of dependency and control.
There is a school of thought called psychological egotism (see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_egoism) which states that every human action is selfish. But I tend to disagree and I believe that there are instances of true self sacrifice, even if few and far between. I just finished reading “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl (http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0671023373). A psychologist and a concentration camp survivor, he relates some truly selfless actions on the part of some of those he encountered.
WS
Hi Winston. I looked that article over that is in Wikipedia and I think it is interesting. I didn’t study it but I looked at it. I believe that people do things, not always because it is selfish but truly altruistic. I was mostly talking about belonging to a church.
When I speak of doing the Witnessing work as being “selfish”, that probably isn’t the way to explain it either.
I will explain it this way from my point of view: Say, you see a child fall into the water at a pool and nobody sees it except for you and you jump in to save the child. Maybe you can’t even swim, but you don’t think of that. I could not live with myself if I just stood there and watched that child drown because I never learned to swim. I would have to jump in the water to save that child.
If I was the kind of person who didn’t jump in the water to save that child and it didn’t bother me the rest of my life, I would think I was evil. That is the kind person I am. My conscience would bother me terribly if I didn’t jump in to save that child, even though I might die in the process of saving that child. It’s me I am thinking about when it comes to saving that child, not just the child. Do you see what I mean?
When we went in the preaching work, we were made to take the deaths of every person on the face of the earth at Armageddon on our shoulders and were made to feel guilt over not “jumping in the water to save them”. That is the guilt laid upon Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I no longer have that feeling that I have the weight of the entire world’s population’s deaths at Armageddon on my shoulders now that I don’t go in the preaching work anymore. It’s like a very heavy load of guilt has been lifted off my shoulders and it feels great. My conscience is clear and I feel better about myself now.
So, it was all about my conscience. I wanted to feel good about myself and so that’s why I went out. I didn’t want to suffer from a guilty conscience. Is that selfish? I don’t know.
Caroline,
Your points are well-made.
I’d say that it is not selfish to want to be free from guilt. Being able to feel guilty over not doing the right thing is beneficial and something that makes us human. Unfortunately, “the right thing” is quite subjective and we can be conditioned to see something as “right” that may not really be so. Such is the conditioning many of us received from the Watchtower.
“Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has compromised his or her own standards of conduct or has violated a moral standard and bears significant responsibility for that violation.[1] It is closely related to the concept of remorse.” (Wikipedia).
Guilt can be a beneficial emotion when used in the right way, but can also cause terrible issues when it is based on the wrong principles or unwholesome conditioning.
WS
Winston, this is a good article on Wikipedia about the Good Samaritan Law, well worth reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty_to_rescue
There are many laws that make it mandatory to help others who are in danger, if at all possible and especially those who are under their care, such as children and spouses, students, patients of doctors and workers etc.
Many years ago there was a woman who was murdered in New York City and she was in an apartment building and many people in her building heard her screaming for help and not even one person called the police.
These people were asked why they did nothing to help her and they were all afraid for themselves for one reason or another so the government in the U.S. came up with the Good Samaritan Law.
At the time a new brother and his wife came to our congregation from Bethel and they had invited us over for a meal and the topic came up since it was in the news at the time and the brother told us that Bethel told the brothers not to get involved in a case like that because it could be a “set up” to get them robbed themselves. I got into an argument with him because I thought it was insane. I even asked him, “what if the person is being killed?” and he insisted that they should not get involved and he saw all kinds of reasons why that was reasonable to him not to get involved, no matter what.
When I think back to those days in the early 1970’s, I should have realized then that there was something really rotten about the Organization because even then, I knew that what Bethel was telling those people in not coming to the rescue of somebody who was being killed was totally against what my conscience was telling me was the right thing to do.
JW’s are sharing the Broadcasting about Phelicity with the remark “We see here in paradise”.
So sad for little Phelicity. The Watchtower uses people for their exposure but when the need is there, the door is closed. I know a bible story about that. The Good Samaritan is the name.
Gorby
the watchtower is awaiting “new light”,
that should tell you all you need to know..
2corth..11;14 ..And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Everyone here says the WT did not help Phelicity financially. But how do you know that for sure? Do you have any proof?
Consider the circumstances:
If the WT had supplied financial help, why would the gofundme campaign be needed?
If the WT had supplied financial help, don’t you think the family would be publicly thanking Watchtower?
If the WT had supplied financial help, don’t you think the WT would be publicly patting themselves on the back?
If the WT had supplied financial help, don’t you think the media would have mentioned that?
If you have verifiable evidence that WT did supply financial help, please provide it and I will gladly update the article. But without such proof, the circumstances and facts of the case point with near certainty towards a lack of help from the WT.
Vassy, nobody has ever come forward and said they got help from Brooklyn, that I know of. When Witnesses get help, it will be from fellow brothers and sisters. If you know of anybody who has gotten help from the Society, that would make us think a lot better of the Society.
If you go to jwbroadcasting they have videos under the Organization and there’s two videos that they have about the persecution of the Witnesses in Tagenrog, Russia and in the one, the brothers and sisters who were threatened with being put in prison and fined, didn’t get any help from the Society and many lost their jobs because of being hauled into court over and over again. It’s pretty clear in that video that those people did not get any help financially from the Society.
One young brother was forced to quit his job and he has to live with his mother on her small government pension because she is disabled. If there was any help financially from the Society, it sure is not talked about in that video.
Think about all the Witnesses in prison in Korea. If anybody got any help from the Society, I would think the Society would tell them to be quiet or they’d be flooded with letters asking for help from so many people. That would be the smartest thing for the Society to do if they don’t want to be run dry of money.
So, does the Society help people financially? I don’t think so because if they did, they would be the first to want to compensate victims of child abuse within the Organization but instead they fight all the court cases, even when there’s ample proof that the Society was culpable in the cover up of the abusers. If they do help people out financially like with the case of this little girl’s family in this article, they are being quiet about it.
When it comes to charity, we were always told it’s a charity because our main work is to preach to people. We aren’t to make money on the preaching work. It’s done out of the Witnesses’ charity in that they are the ones paying for the gas and the cars to take the message to the people. That is how it was always presented while I was going to the meetings.
I am shocked by how this JW’s report completely ignores the help that this family has received from this system of things through the years. For instance, they slept at the Ronald McDonald House on at least 6 separate occasions and for long periods of time. As they are willing to seek such help, I would not be surprised to hear that they benefited from other charities and government programs as well. In 2012, on a discussion forums, someone posted the family’s banking information in order to receive donations. What about the doctors and the nurses that actually cared for this girl through the years? Most of the time, she was handed that help for free in Australia! And lately, they have received close to 250k from total strangers.
I don’t doubt for one minute that this family has received plenty of emotional and physical help from the JWs. Food, hospitality, money, and more; JWs are good people and help when they can. I’ve seen this.
But to ignore the help and support provided by the “worldly” people is devious and manipulative. It leads the viewer to believe that ALL the support and help this kid’s family ever got was through Jehovah’s organization.