Domestic Violence

Training and lessons taught from the primary teaching tool and study journal the Watchtower magazine, brought to light both a very disturbing and very disgusting occurrence in the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It specifically came from what Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide were studying and reviewing this past Sunday in their Kingdom Halls.


The February 15, 2012 edition of the Watchtower magazine, page 29, paragraph 12 states the following:

“Selma recalls a lesson she learned from the Witnesses who studied with her. “On one particular day,” says Selma, “I didn’t want to have a Bible study. The night before, Steve had hit me as I tried to prove a point, and I was feeling sad and sorry for myself. After I told the sister what had happened and how I felt, she asked me to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. As I did, I began to reason, ‘Steve never does any of these loving things for me.’ But the sister made me think differently by asking, ‘How many of those acts of love do you show toward your husband?’ My answer was, ‘None, for he is so difficult to love with.’ The sister softly said, ‘Selma, who is trying to be a Christian here? You or Steve?’ Realizing that I needed to adjust my thinking, I prayed to Jehovah to help me be more loving toward Steve. Slowly, things started to change.” After 17 years, Steve accepted the truth.”

Where to even begin? An abused wife is helped to appreciate through her study with a Jehovah’s Witness that she needs to adjust her thinking and be more Christian towards her husband who hits her. The reason for this is to help also recruit her husband into the organization - which only took 17 years.

See, the problem the Watchtower is helping its members appreciate, is not with the husband hitting his wife, but her need to pray to Jehovah to adjust her thinking and the need to be more loving towards her abusive husband.

From the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses, supposedly directed by, and the mouthpiece of, the Almighty himself, feeling sad and sorry for her situation, isn’t the course Selma should be on. She should not be thinking or acting as if her husband didn’t deserve more love. See the whole thing is actually Selma’s fault.

The Watchtower and that counsel from them is sound because look at the fine fruitage and reward - 17 years later her husband, apparently in the right for hitting her, came into the Watchtower Society.  Either that, or at least he accepted their interpretations in which the organization, using loaded language (Common in cults and high level control groups), calls “the truth”.

For the Watchtower Society the safety and wellness of Selma is not the goal or consideration.  Being hit by your husband, even for years is fine – you just make sure you are a loving Christian towards him and get him to accept the teachings, practices, and interpretations that Jehovah’s Witnesses should wholeheartedly embrace, as commissioned by their ‘governing body’ leadership.

The above should come as no surprise, when the organization has such a history of similar directions and guidance.  It's the same religion that teaches these things regarding rape:


October 15, 1980, Watchtower on page 7:

“She told him that if he touched her she would scream as he had never heard anyone scream before. She explained that if she did not she would ruin her relationship with Jehovah God and the Christian congregation….A Christian woman is under obligation to resist, for the issue of obedience to God’s law to ‘flee from fornication’ is involved.”



Additionally, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses sanctions this:


Awake! February 22, 1984 edition:

"Treat Him Respectfully – The intended victim should remember that the rapist is a human. No doubt there are circumstances in his life that have precipitated his behavior. So although a woman should not cower in fear and permit a rapist to intimidate her, at the same time she should treat him understandingly as a fellow human."


A girl or woman who does not scream while being raped is fornicating and she should treat her rapist with respect.  A women needs to be more loving to her abusive husband and change her thinking on the matter, realizing that she isn't being Christian enough.

Those are the well-documented teachings and directives from the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.  There are more articles on the aforementioned subjects than just the ones highlighted above - Admonishing and providing the same instructions coming from what the organization claims is the only true Christian religion.  It is indeed shocking and appalling.

Do you have family or friends a part of or looking to study with Jehovah’s Witnesses? Well, this is some of the “spiritual food” they can look forward to receiving from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society’s literature.

God help the young girls, women, and all who embrace and believe this to be the one true organization and what God wants them to do. If they find themselves in an abusive relationship, they may very well die there, following the teachings and council provided by the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Mother

Jehovah's Witnesses are conditioned continuously not to question or disobey the organization. This kind of absolute obedience is something a parent may expect from their children. In fact, the Watchtower Society has painted themselves in that light to Jehovah's Witnesses.

"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," [Watchtower, May 1, 1957, page 274].


That kind of psychological conditioning of the members to be obedient, submissive children and in need of the organization continues throughout the years with similar articles. The November 15, 2009 Watchtower magazine in fact states on page 13, in paragraph 5:

"By word or action, may we never challenge the channel of communication that Jehovah is using today."


Indeed, "mother" has continuously led many of her unchallenging children with much behavioral conditioning, understanding, and twisted reasoning...

"Thus 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," [Watchtower, October 1, 1967, page 587].


"We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the 'faithful and discreet slave' organization," [Watchtower, February 15, 1981].


"All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah's channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave," [Watchtower, October 1, 1994, page 8].


This is one of the many problems with the so-called Governing Body concept of the Watchtower Society. Not only does the organization condition the members to see them as their mother, they also seek to take over Christ's role as mediator.

The Watchtower of November 15, 1979, page 26, made this comment:

"What, then, is Christ’s role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.”—1 Tim. 2:5, 6."

The insertion "[not, all men]" is the Watchtower Society blatantly changing the meaning of the Bible and what it states. The scripture does not contain a "[not, all men]" statement, but the Watchtower Society included it since once again they want the members to see them as being the mediator for humans to God.

This point was stressed again in their publication, 'Worldwide Security Under the "Prince of Peace"' on page 10, paragraph 16:

“Likewise, the Greater Moses, Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members.”


Furthermore, all of the 144,000 do not share in dispensing 'truths from God', but only a select few who call themselves the Governing Body that claims to be of a so-called 'faithful and discreet slave class'. They decide what Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to believe as truth and when it will be told to them.

Per Our Kingdom Ministry from September 2002, page 8, paragraph 5, under 'Avoid the Pursuit of "Valueless Things"' it states:

"Bear in mind that our heavenly Father has an appointed channel of communication, “the faithful and discreet slave.” That “slave” has the responsibility to determine what information is made available to the household of faith, as well as “the proper time” for it to be dispensed."


What and when Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to believe something as 'the truth' is all thanks to their "mother", the organization controlled by the Watchtower Society. The majority of Jehovah's Witnesses are told they don't even have Christ as their Mediator; rather, the organization fulfills that role as well. Jehovah's Witnesses are victims of a power hungry and abusive parent. They need to exit such a relationship, and leave the toxic mother seeking her own interest first.

Keep on the Watch

A few years back, the Watchtower Society had a campaign with a tract entitled Keep on the Watch! which was published in 2004. Another campaign was supposed to take place in January 2008 with the same tract. The months leading up to January 2008 in Our Kingdom Ministry stressed and highlighted in its usual announcement area the literature placement indeed would be the Keep On The Watch! tract.

However, in a very brief Letter to the Body of Elders, dated November 14, 2007 it states:

"Please inform the congregation of the following adjustment to the January 2008 literature offer. Instead of the brochure Keep on the Watch!, the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? should be offered. If householders already have the book, publishers may offer any 192-page book printed on paper that discolors or any book published prior to 1992 with the exception of Creation, Mankind's Search for God, and Young People Ask."

This was a sudden and very surprising change of events for the Watchtower Society. Why cancel the campaign? Congregations already had their ample supply of tracts to distribute. Could there be something wrong with the tract itself?

On Page 3 under the section 'The Religious Scene', it states:

"Priest sexually exploit young people; church cover-up. Decline in attendance; church buildings sold."

Could the above possibly describe the Watchtower Society?

For instance, sixteen sexual abuse victims settled nine lawsuits in which individuals were sexually abused as children by Jehovah's Witnesses members and leaders. Settlements were reached in late February and early March 2007 for millions of dollars as a result of those lawsuits alone.

Additionally, the Watchtower Society's policy would protect the predator of a sexually abused child by stating two witnesses would need to be present to the offence before the congregation could take action against an individual. Of course, the chance that there are two witnesses to the sexual abuse of a child is extremely unlikely. Many of times, accused abusive elders would never be known and moved to different congregations over time.

Even in our present time - January 2009 - The most wanted child predator in the United States is Frederick McLean a former Jehovah's Witnesses elder with an abuse record spanning some 20 years against young children.

It is more than just a little known fact that attendance in Jehovah's Witnesses congregations across the United States is down. The little growth seen overall within Jehovah's Witnesses congregations is at the level or even less than population growth of the country. Population growth in the US over the last couple of years has been ~2-3%. The 2007 Service Year report for Jehovah's Witnesses shows an increase of 3%. While the 2008 Service Year report shows an increase of 2.1%.

Most lands outside the United States which have seen more than population growth are in generally less educated or/and wealthy lands - especially those where the internet is not as readily available for individuals to research and investigate the Watchtower Society organization.

And what about the selling of "church buildings"?

In 2007 as well as years prior and after, the Watchtower Society has sold and will continue to sell buildings, obtaining tens of millions of dollars for each sale.

Could it be that the finger the Watchtower Society has Jehovah's Witnesses pointing at other religions should be directed right back at them? Is it that individuals have come forward realizing the hypocrisy and the problems the Watchtower Society highlights concerning other religions can be found right in their own?

Since the tract's published year of 2004, the internet continues to grow and people continue to educate themselves. This includes the knowledge of the Watchtower Society and its past and current problems. Do the research and investigate. Selling buildings, decline in attendance, pedophilia and cover-up all describes the Watchtower Society. The way the Watchtower Society attacks other religions is the same attack that is valid against them.