-

From Wikileaks

I am going through hell. its awful. really, truely, awful. I don't want to be a bad person, but I am unable to be an honest person, honest with myself, and believe JW teachings. Because of this, I am in danger of having my family instructed never to speak to me again. you cannot imagine the pain of loosing your family unless you have it in reality staring you in the face. This publication will help me determine if I wish to formerly dissacociate, or quietly become innactive. It is a tough choice. The problem is that there is no way to leave the organisation honestly without having it announced to the congragation, including my family, that they should shun me from that point onward. The pain is terrible, but I cannot live a perpetual lie.

[edit] copyright

What is with Wikileaks and the copyright violations? You've done it with the LDS Church and with Jehovah's Witnesses. I briefly reviewed this document and there do not appear to be any deep, dark secrets that threaten the world. If the primary interest of Wikileaks "is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations", these kind of documents do not fit into the Wikileaks mission. There is nothing unethical in this manual. It is simply a manual to help church leaders fulfill their responsibilities. Ethical behavior would be to obey the law, including those over copyrights.

[edit] Witnesses are dangerous.

As a former Jehovah's Witness, I am qualified to express my feeling that the Organization can be a dangerous and deadly force in the lives of It's followers. The Organization routinely covers up wrongdoing, which in many cases is a criminal offense. Abuse, both physical and sexual, is not reported to the authorities as a matter of course. To the contrary, these crimes are 'dealt with' in secret and are rarely made known to the whole congregation. This allows these criminal abusers to remain in a situation that makes it easy to keep on abusing people in whatever way they see fit, with an entire supporting staff of Elders to pave their way.

The above paragraph is not true. Witnesses report ALL crimes to the appropriate authorities. Slander can also be reported as a crime, which is exactly what the author of the above paragraph has done. "The Watchtower" has printed several useful pamphlets addressing the issue of abuse. This information has been distributed worldwide as a way to inform parents and protect children. The sad fact is that predators can enter into any group of people, teachers, doctors, even ones own family. Unfortunatly these subhumans have preyed on the innocence of children all over the world, including places where families worship. The fact remains that Witnesses do not hide or approve of this behavior, it is a criminal act and is always reported to authorities.

[edit] Please edit or remove link from front page

This article does not present a unified perspective on the problem. It presents the opinions of two or more individuals in clear disagreement.

Please provide an objective review. "This is not an attack on you, just your belief system."

[edit] Witnesses Have a Right to Provide Objective Leadership

The writer who claims to have been a Witness and that they are dangerous clearly has never been a witness or never paid attention when he went to meetings. I also have been a Witness for most of my life until a couple of years ago when I willingly left because of my choice to live as a Gay man. The Elder's manual has been available on the internet since the '90s. It is not a secret book nor does it tell Elders how to keep secrets from Authorities, rather it encourages full cooperation with Authorities. It is a book on how to handle confidential and private matters within the group in a way that preserves the integrity and respect of the person needing counsel or reproof and balances the need of the organization to maintain a level of morality that they believe God insists on. It also deals with organizational matters that every group deals with.

Despite the fact I cannot live a "Gay" lifestyle as a Witness, I respect the level of honesty and integrity I have seen with my own eyes for the previous 40 years. The Elder Manual may or may not be private and it doesn't matter to the individuals in the group. A "real" Witness would not feel the need to read it unless and until they were given the privilege to serve as an Elder.

[edit] Wake up people

the person above has obviously lived a charmed life among these false prophets. They follow what the watchtower tells them, even if it means turning their backs on their own children and grandchildren. This happened to me and I have done nothing wrong except Question things that make no sense to anyone with normal brain function.

[edit] THE PROBLEM IS THE MENTAL MANIPULATION

I was a Jehovah's Witness for 25 years, an elder's wife for 15,and feel qualified to speak regarding this issue. In connection with the topic under discussion, it is not easy to make a cut and dry commentary to an outsider. What I can say is that a Jehovah's Witness is subjected to subtle and not so subtle tactics of mental manipulation and brainwashing tactics by the Society. Let me say also,that I left the organization willingly, no longer willing to abide by the rules and regulations that are set forth clearly by the organization. For many years, I had struggled with MANY issues, and felt for the most part that there was something wrong within myself. However, after going into therapy, and reading exhaustively and speaking with other ex-JW's, another picture began to emerge. At first, I found it hard to believe, but, as more and more information was presented and continues to be presented, I now believe that the Watchtower Society is quite guilty of knowingly using control tactics over people's lives. They also, in my opinion, will not and cannot admit to their wrong decisions and decrees that have negatively affected the MILLIONS of trusting people who look to them as protectors and shepherds. Their claims of being ""The Faithful and Discreet Slave" "The Only True Religion" etc. smack of selfishness and self centeredness. As some have described them: "old, insulated men in their ivory towers" "completely out of touch with life as most of us live it". Because of their teachings, many people have lost their lives, needlessly. Because of their teachings, families have been split apart. I have family still in who are following the rules that "The Faithful and Discreet Slave Class, the Mouthpiece of the Great Jehovah of Armies" has decreed and I have no place in their life. I could go back, but, I would be a hypocrite, and that I will NOT be. I could go on, but, for the sake of time and room I will end this post.

[edit] in reference to Witnesses are Dangerous

The person claiming that Witnesses report all crimes is WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!! I am the daughter of an elder. My father has been an elder since the beginning of it's inception. I asked him if they report cases of child abuse. He said that they DO NOT. He said that they present that option to the victim's family but that the body of elders DO NOT report it. There are some exceptions but they are few and far between. I've worked in our local court system for over 10 years. At no time has a Witness come through charged with any type of child abuse. They claim clergy privilege which is laughable since the organization denies having a clergy.