I remember my soon-to-be step-father, who was a Ministerial Servant and in the London Bethel at the time, coming round and bringing us this heavy hardback book. Dad always brought us the goodies about a month earlier, which allowed me to brag that we had all the latest publications printed by the Society. Youth can be blissfully ignorant at times.

Mother put the book in the centre of our library. It sat there and shone. From time to time, I was allowed to flick through the Jehovah’s Witnesses Proclaimers book and take a look at all the great images. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the cross and crown images. “They used to believe in the cross!”, I shouted out. Mother calmed me down by telling me that Jehovah had, through time, instructed the Governing Body and made them see that the cross, was in fact not to be worshipped any longer.

In the image above (click on it to make it larger), it says the following:

For years, Bible Students wore a cross and crown as a badge of identification, and this symbol was on the front of the “Watch Tower” from 1891 to 1931. But in 1928 it was emphasized that not a decorative symbol but one’s activity as a witness showed he was a Christian. in 1936 it was pointed out that the evidence indicates that Christ died on a stake, not a two-beamed cross.

I would like to thank the person who found the evidence that pointed out Christ died on a stake, as it allowed me to write the article “Did Jesus Christ Die on a Cross or Stake?”

Anyway, I want to talk about the cross and crown logo that the Bible Students (a.k.a. Jehovah’s Witnesses) used as their logo. I know some of you might now be uttering “oh not another Jehovah’s Witness and Freemasons article”,  therefore let me put your mind at rest. Even though the cross and crown has been used in Freemasonry, this article isn’t about that.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s think about the logo for a moment. What do we know? We know that Jehovah’s Witnesses have changed their doctrines. They used to believe in the cross and even wore it. The Watch Tower magazine used the image of a cross as its logo too. So what am I getting at? According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses Proclaimers book, the Watchtower Organisation used to have pagan beliefs that were (and this is the import bit) based on the evidence that was presented at the time.

If you’re a current Jehovah’s Witness, does this not affect you? Hell, I’m not one and it affects me because it shows that the Jehovah’s Witness faith is definitely NOT run by God. “Yes but the Organisation owned up to making the mistake and due to the New Light that Jehovah has given the Governing Body, the Watchtower Society now has a better understanding and has moved on from these pagan origins.” If your mind triggered a similar comment, you should be ashamed of yourself. Here’s why.

Imagine you have a family and young children and that you have a few friends from another city coming round for a meal. As they’re travelling from afar, they’ll be staying the night too. Your friends call you up and tell you that they’ve met a great guy called Johnny and that he’s fun to be around. They want you to meet him too. They ask if Johnny can come over to dinner and stay the night too.

You love your friends and trust their judgement, therefore if they tell you that they have a friend that is good company, then it’s fine by you to. However, before they end the call, they tell you one more thing about this friend of theirs. “Oh, I think you should know that Johnny was convicted and found guilty of molesting a young boy. Thing is, he only did it once. He served his time and due to his new ways, he has a new life now and he’s not molesting children anymore.”

Gulp. How do you feel about inviting Johnny over now? Remember, you have young children. Would you welcome a once child molester into your home and have him stay the night? I think not.

Before you start with “oh but all religion is pagan and all religion tells you that their religion is the right one,” please don’t. Just answer this question: Knowing that the Jehovah’s Witness religion had got it so terribly wrong in the past, how can you honestly say that they are Jehovah’s Earthly Organisation? And, how can you honest say that they might not be getting some of their current teachings wrong?

Discuss.

So, let’s begin. In the July 15th 2011 issue of the Watchtower, the Jehovah’s Witness organization called all apostates mentally diseased, which caused quite a kerfuffle. It’s typical cult tactics – rather than address the issues raised by former members of the religion, which they could do if they actually had answers, they resort to foul tactics of running them down instead, in order that the regular Jehovah’s Witness will view apostates as extremely negative.

Yesterday, I went to the supermarket, where a Jehovah’s Witness called Eleni Drousiotis (a loud-mouthed wife of an elder, David, in the Nisou English congregation) bumped into me, my wife, and my kids. She was very friendly, saying hello with a big smile on her face – to my wife. Not to me. No, no, no! You see, I am an apostate! She rudely ignored me as if I wasn’t even there. I have decided that next time a Jehovah’s Witness here in Cyprus decides to ignore me instead of being polite, I’ll make them regret it by embarrassing the holy spirit out of them.

But then I came across an article on the Watchtower’s official website called, When Someone You Love Has a Mental Disorder. Oh goody! Let’s take a look at how Jehovah’s Witnesses should treat a ‘mentally diseased’ person such as an apostate! It might be a small point, but I particularly liked this paragraph:

Stay connected. Communication is vital, even though at times it may seem that your comments are misconstrued. The responses of someone with a mental disorder can be unpredictable, and his or her emotions may seem inappropriate to the situation at hand. Nevertheless, finding fault with the sufferer’s remarks will only heap guilt on top of depression. When words fail, sit quietly and listen. Acknowledge feelings and thoughts without condemning. Strive to remain calm. You and your loved one will benefit if you simply and consistently show that you care. This was true for Matt. A few years later, he expressed his appreciation for those whom he said were “helping me when I didn’t want help.”

Wait a minute! How can this be? So, being mentally diseased means they should avoid me on the one hand, yet this article says they should stay connected and listen carefully. I’d love to have a long discussion with many Jehovah’s Witnesses about their cult and the lies they have shovelled, but I doubt any of them would let me.

On a side-note, where do the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses get off giving advice to people about issues they have no knowledge about. Are they Doctors? Psychologists? Caregivers? Of course not! Their advice could be sound, or it might not be – I don’t know because there are no references to any sources of information that would back up their claims. Surprised? No, neither was I.

Back to the main point. Jehovah’s Witnesses are hypocrites, and a cult. You can tell someone is in a cult when they act in a certain way that is contrary to regular behaviour, and they can justify it to themselves. Of course, we all know it’s very rude to completely ignore someone, not even to say ‘hello’, when they are stood right in front of you, but talk to the rest of their family. We all know that spreading lies about people being ‘mentally diseased’ is hateful. We all know, for instance, that letting a child die rather than give them blood is inexcusable. Try telling that to a Jehovah’s Witness! They make me sick.

P.S. We’re now on Twitter. Follow our rants and misgivings @ www.twitter.com/JehovahsBlog

In the Bible, birthday celebrations are portrayed in an unfavourable light. The scriptures found in Genesis 40: 20-22 and Matthew 14: 6-10 discuss some negative things that happened on birthdays. Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses go that one bit further and state that all birthdays must be evil. Aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses great at playing the “Guilty by Association” game?

Guilty by association falls flat on its face because the source of evil at these celebrations were the men, not the birthdays. The men did evil all of the time, not just because it was their birthday. Also note that Pharaoh did some good – after all, he set a man free.

Jehovah’s Witness critic, Greg Stafford, wrote a book questioning the prohibitions of the Watchtower on various issues, one of which was birthday celebrations.

“Regarding Pharaohs Birthday there is nothing explicitly linking birthday celebrations in general to “cruel acts”. Naturally, occasions for celebrations can provide an outlet for excessive or immoral acts. But in this case the “cruel acts” against the Chief cup-bearers and Chief of the Bakers were in fulfilment of the dreams interpreted by Joseph. It is similar with Herod’s birthday celebration. The account in Matthew does not say that John was beheaded because of Herod’s birthday celebration. Rather, he was beheaded because of the request of Herodias and her daughter, and Herod’s oath to her. Indeed there is nothing in Matthews account that explicitly states that John’s head was brought to the Birthday celebration itself. It only says that his head is “given to the maiden, and she brought it to her mother” (Matthew 14:11) The presentation may have occurred at the celebration, but as with the account in Genesis 40 there is nothing tying such an act to birthdays in general.” Greg Stafford, Three Dissertations on the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Pp 208-209.

Witnesses often argue that there is no mention of birthdays celebrated by any of God’s servants in the bible.

Job 1: 4-5: 4 And his sons went and held a banquet at the house of each one on his own day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And it would occur that when the banquet days had gone round the circuit, Job would send and sanctify them; and he got up early in the morning and offered up burnt sacrifices according to the number of all of them; for, said Job, “maybe my sons have sinned and have cursed God in their heart.” That is the way Job would do always. (New World Translation)

If this is talking about Birthday celebrations, they seem to be spoken of favourably. Job talks about each holding a feast in “his day”. In Job 3:1-4, the same Hebrew word for day (YOWN) is used when Job curses the “day” of his birth. In fact, what makes it more interesting are other translations of this scripture.

Job 1:4-5 - New International Version (NIV)

4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”

This was Job’s regular custom. Although considered to be a harmless secular custom today, birthday celebrations are actually rooted in paganism. The Encyclopaedia Americana 1991 says: “The ancient world of Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia celebrated the birthdays of gods, kings and nobles.”

Therefore, what it all comes down to is intent. Many customs celebrated today have pagan origins. For example: Wedding cake is a pagan symbol of fertility. Veils protected the wearer from evil. Wedding ring worn on the 3rd finger of the left hand – ancient cultures believed it had a vein running straight to the heart.

But today these practices are NOT associated with their pagan origins anymore.

As long as a celebration was associated in their culture with pagan religion or immorality or both, Christians would naturally refrain. However, as Christians became more dominant in their culture, they would naturally and properly adapt it’s customs while stripping them of their false and immoral associations.

This is exactly why various practices that have origins in paganism such as rice throwing, honeymoons, anniversaries, wedding rings, wedding veils, wedding cakes, tombstones, etc. – they are acceptable to Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses alike now. Even though they were pagan to start with, these rituals were stripped of their false and immoral association. The same is true of birthdays. Unfortunately, The Watchtower Society fails to recognise this with regards to birthdays. They can’t seem to see the double-standards they’re laying out.

Another explanation for there not being records of Christians celebrating birthdays could be that they could not afford it. Not a problem for a wealthy King or Pharaoh. In history there are FEW records or birthday celebrations that still exist. Of these few descriptions only birthdays of Kings, high ranking nobility and important figures have been documented.

What makes it interesting is the possible reference to Job and his family celebrating a birthday in Job 1:4 would make perfect sense considering the vast wealth of Job and his family. There is nothing explicit in the bible that commands to celebrate or not to celebrate birthdays.

The bible gives a general guide on this issue when it says that we should be convinced in our own minds (Romans 14:5) as to the importance or non-importance of a particular day, and that it should be a matter of conscience of the individual, between them and God, as to whether they celebrate that day or not.

However, in contrast, the Watchtower clearly enforces the non-celebration of certain days to the point that a person’s standing between god himself is in jeopardy if a birthday is celebrated in any way.

The sad thing is that Jehovah’s Witnesses end up suffering, especially the young, who feel unnecessarily isolated from their classmates when they have to decline invitations to birthday parties and non-Witness relatives can be unnecessarily offended by refusal of Witness relatives to send birthday cards.

If you are still religious, then run your life by what the bible says, not on what the corrupt Jehovah’s Witness Organisation tells you. Remember, it is a matter of conscience. It is no longer associated with paganism, just as wedding cakes, rings, etc. no longer are. Plus denying a child joy and pleasure in the name of an organisation is not a Christian thing to do.

I say “put on a party hat and pass the cake around.”

Search for the truth without blindly following.

This article was written by Dizzy, a guest JWB writer. If you want to write an article for us, send the JWB Team an email.

The Watchtower November 1, 1985 page 18, seems to agree with me (a rare occurrence), when it says, “Why not honestly examine yourself, your likes and dislikes? Do you not see that your appreciation for life has been enhanced by the passage of time? Did you have the same values at 13 that you had at 5, or the same values at 20 that you had at 13? Has your understanding and appreciation for life grown or lessened as you have gained greater experience over the years?”

Sorry – my mistake. That article is discussing marriage, not baptism. It continues, “Is it not often true that the “only” boy in a girl’s life when she is 16 or 17 years old is long forgotten as she grows to womanhood and attaches greater importance to a man’s godly traits and personality?” The article is saying that young people shouldn’t rush into getting married because, well, people change as they grow – their values evolve and who they are as a person. Good advice.

I also find this quote from the Awake! January 22, 1998 page 19, very interesting, “the Bible sets no minimum age for marriage. But it does recommend that before marrying, one should be “past the bloom of youth. Why? Because such young people are just in the early stages of developing the emotional maturity, self-control, and spiritual qualities necessary to handle married life.”

So why is it that while on the one hand the Watchtower says that devoting your life to a marriage mate when you are young is to be avoided, on the other hand they say that you should get baptized at a very young age? The same principles apply, don’t they? If a person is likely to change their views and belief systems – they are currently too young, perhaps, to think critically about it – how could they possibly get baptized?

The Watchtower January 15, 1989 page 13 says that, “Baptizing an infant is wrong because a baby cannot understand, make a decision, and become a disciple.” Therefore infant baptisms don’t take place among Jehovah’s Witnesses, but apparently children from as young as 9 years old (as I have personally seen) are old enough to have overcome the “bloom of youth” when it comes to spiritual matters, having developed “emotional maturity” in order that they can get dunked and devote their lives to the Organisation. Oops. I mean Jehovah!

If you are skeptical that such young children get baptized, read this from the Watchtower March 15, 1988 page 14: “For example, the preteen son of an elder sincerely wanted to get baptized. So his father had three other elders discuss with the youngster the questions designed for those contemplating baptism. Their conclusion was that, though quite young, he qualified to be baptized as an ordained minister of Jehovah God. Why, attending the Pioneer Service School in the Bahamas recently was a ten-year-old baptized girl, the daughter of two full-time ministers!”

So it happens. Young children baptized before they can even, truly, understand what it is they are doing. A 10 year old child, I’d argue, doesn’t usually understand the concept of ‘the rest of their lives’ in order to devote it to god. I’d even say that most 10 year-olds don’t understand what god really is in the first place. They are probably parroting answers that they have been indoctrinated with.

There’s no escaping the hypocrisy here of Jehovah’s Witnesses. If it’s the true religion, why push the young ones to get baptized? Jesus himself was 30 years old when he got dipped. I was 13. Why not wait until they are old enough to think for themselves, to research what is taught and to pass the “bloom of youth”? It’s simply because the biggest way the Jehovah’s Witnesses increase their numbers is not from the ministry – it’s from children born into it.

And once you’re in, you’re trapped! If you are a child growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness then likely all your family are Jehovah’s Witnesses too – and all your friends. I certainly wasn’t allowed any friends when I grew up who weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses! If you leave the religion then, you lose everybody you know – your entire life unravels and you are left alone. Sadly, there are many stories of this happening within Jehovah’s Witness households, such as this true story of another family that was destroyed.

Well, not completely alone. There are places like JehovahsWitnessBlog.com which offers support. JWF (Jehovah’s Witness Forums) are currently being created where you’ll be able to make real friends and talk about your experiences and even ask for help and advice on what to do if you are trapped and have no one to talk to.

Now I don’t want to waste your time, therefore I’ll let the cat out of the bag. I am about to analyse and destroy this article. If this offends you and you think Satan is my daddy, you’re free to leave.

Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the “Information – Reliable or False?” section of the article:

“Never assume that all information found on the Internet is good and beneficial. Internet search engines might be compared to a legion of mushroom pickers who tirelessly collect all types of mushrooms – edible as well as poisonous – throwing them into a single container and dishing them out for us to eat.”

“Making false accusations and the general distrust of others also frequently accompany paranoia.” – Source: Wikipedia.

Why did I just throw in Wikipedia’s definition of paranoia? Well, if you’re going to write an article that on the surface looks like it’s taking a balanced view, but what you’re really doing is whitewashing it with subliminal content, I advise taking lessons from the anonymous authors that work for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. These mysterious authors are great at fostering paranoia against the internet. Their next statement is, well, rather silly…

“Would you start eating these mushrooms without carefully examining each one? Of course not! Internet search engines use a huge number of computers to harvest or select from billions of Web pages containing everything from the very best to the very worst. We need discernment to separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were, lest we poison our minds with mis-information.”

Is it me, or have we just hit our heads against a paradox? How does one go about selecting the “wheat from the chaff” where search results are concerned? Surely you would need to click on the actual link and carefully judge the website according to its own merits. As we rub the spot where our heads hit the paradox, I am sure you’ll agree with me that the discernment of the search results section defeats the original goal of the illustration, which was clearly to warn people away from using search engines willy-nilly.

This viral excuse of diatribe continues:

“Do not become an “Internet Eve.” Be critical and suspicious of the information. Before trusting it, ask: (1) Who published this material? What are the author’s credentials? (2) Why was this published? What motivated the writer? Is there any bias? (3) Where did the author get the information? Does he supply sources that can be checked? (4) Is the information current?”

Did they just tell us to be “critical and suspicious of the information?” Surely I misread that? I had a face-palm moment when I read the “what are the author’s credentials” line. Is the Watchtower being serious?

Can I be serious (for a change)? Let me ask some questions. Who published this material? Yes, we know it’s published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, but who actually wrote this nonsense? Can we have a name please? No? Oh, that’s unfortunate. You see, I enjoy spending my time reading the drivel that these anonymous authors (who hide behind a billion-dollar corporation) pass off as “spirit-directed” content. What’s even funnier is that I also enjoy living my life by what these buffoons put in their copy!

Credentials, credentials, credentials. “What are the author’s credentials?” Well, I can tell you mine if you want me to? Simply send me an email and I’ll send you my credentials. Can I ask what credentials these anonymous author’s have? Yes, yes, they’re appointed by the Governing Body, but who cares?

“Why was this published?” Well, if we’re talking about JWB, it was published to make you laugh at the fact that once upon a time, you actually believed these fools! “What motivated the writer?” Well, if you ask this of the Watchtower, I am sure they’ll tell you that it has something to do with the power-trip these guys have over seven million deluded Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Is there any bias?” With regards the Watchtower Organisation? No, of course not! “Where did the author get the information?” Silly question! There are two plastic cups that are joined by string. Jehovah has one and the other is firmly pressed against the Governing Body’s ear.

I saved the best till last: “Does he supply sources that can be checked?” Yes, the Watchtower helped me write the article Did Jesus Christ Die on a Cross or a Stake? Their magazines and books are full of quotes that can be verified and checked. If only more Jehovah’s Witnesses checked the source quotes…

How does this carefully written piece of diarrhea end?

“So, then, what should we do with regard to the Internet? Shun it altogether? That may be necessary in some cases. The Internet junkie mentioned earlier did that in order to overcome years of addiction. On the other hand, using the Internet can benefit us, provided we let ‘thinking ability keep guard over us and discernment safeguard us.’-Prov. 2:10, 11.”

Basically, you can use the internet, but you need to use it in mind with the terms of service that you signed over to us – you remember, right? It was the day when you also signed over your life?

I am surprised the article didn’t cap it off with:

“We, the Watchtower – God’s only selected Organisation here on Earth would recommend that you refrain from using the internet, unless it is to visit our website. We wouldn’t like to have to disfellowship you, therefore, stay on the righteous path.”

Have you ever been in a conversion with a Jehovah’s Witness when out of nowhere, they start parroting word for word the Organisation’s get-out clause, “oh but you must understand that the Organisation is run by imperfect men and we have to wait on Jehovah for new light.”

In fact, that’s a double cringe. It feels like we’ve been slapped in the face with a wet fish by the first expression “the Organisation is run by imperfect men,” and then kicked in the unmentionables with the second expression “wait on Jehovah for new light.”

Let’s break down these two famous Jehovah’s Witness expressions in full-on JWB style.

Organisation is Run by Imperfect Men

Have you ever noticed when this first expression is used? Normally, you’ll only ever hear it when some disgruntled Witnesses are talking about the mistakes that the elders or the circuit overseer has made. There’s always one mighty Jehovah’s Witness in the crowd that’s waiting in the wings to tell the group that they mustn’t be so hard on the Organisation as it’s run by imperfect men.

On some rare occasions, you’ll hear it being used whenever lives are systematically trashed by the Governing Body’s decisions. It can also be heard from the platform, when an elder is trying to dodge the issue and admit that a doctrinal change was needed because the Organisation is, at the end of the day, run by imperfect men.

Wait on Jehovah for New Light

The expression that tells us to ‘wait on Jehovah’ for new light has a few faces. You’ve probably heard it in its ‘wait on Jehovah to fix things’ or simply in its ‘Jehovah will fix things’ incarnation. Thing is, I’ve been hearing this excuse more and more. Why? Because Jehovah keeps getting it wrong? Or is it because the Organisation is run by imperfect men? Who cares?

I was a twinkle in my mothers boyfriends’ testes in 1975, so I asked her why so many Jehovah’s Witnesses left in that year. “Mum, you do realise that the Governing Body’s decision to say that 1975 was the beginning of the 1,000 reign destroyed people’s lives? Many didn’t set up retirement or health plans in anticipation of the end of the system of things. This impacted on their children and caused so much heartache and stress.”

I always get the same response, “the Organisation back then, as it is now, is run by imperfect men. I knew to wait on Jehovah, so I don’t know why these ones didn’t. In the end, they left the truth and showed their true colours. Why didn’t they wait on Jehovah?”

My mother has a way of putting things. She’s also a brilliant woman.

I turned her answer on its head by asking the following; “why did the Governing Body run ahead of the scriptures? Why didn’t they wait on Jehovah? Why does the rule to ‘wait on Jehovah’ only apply to regular Jehovah’s Witnesses and not the Governing Body?”

If I’m right in my reasoning, ‘Jehovah’ will fix things’ because the Governing Body has ruined it for everyone because they haven’t ‘waited on Jehovah’ because they simply don’t know any better as they’re ‘imperfect men’.

I remember when a brother here in Cyprus was disfellowshipped because he allowed his son to have a blood transfusion. Could you imagine that brother getting let off the hook because he told the three elders in the Judicial Committee to ‘wait on Jehovah to fix things’ because in the near future blood transfusions would become a conscience decision? Well don’t even try and think of doing that in your Judicial Committee because it won’t work. Yet, isn’t it ironic that the Governing Body routinely gets away with it by using this tactic, and worse still, no one complains! Why can no one see the hypocrisy?

Believe it or not, but the two Jehovah’s Witness expressions of ‘the Organisation is run by imperfect men’ and ‘we have to wait on Jehovah’ have allowed the Governing Body to get away with murder, literally!

We didn’t expect a barrage of emails from Jehovah’s Witnesses claiming to either be gay, or “gay cured”. I won’t list all the emails in this article as a lot of them are utter trash. If there’s supposed so be so much love in the Jehovah’s Witness faith, I have trouble seeing it nowadays. If we’re not being called the “devil’s play thing”, we’re being told that many hope to have front-row seats to watch the birds peck our eyes out. Hitchcock wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness, was he?

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I decided to share with you the most decipherable and challenging email that was sent to me a couple of weeks ago by someone called Christopher Johns. This is what he wrote:

I love how people who are against Jehovah’s Witnesses, calling them a cult, don’t know what they are talking about. I am a Jehovah’s Witness who is also gay. I’ve been treated as a brother by these loving people.

You speak of how we are suppressed by the Watchtower but in the real world, men have called me fag, gay, queer and many things . I’ve been beaten up harassed and the like.

Guys in my congregation actually hug me without getting creeped out. They ask me to hang out. We are not suppressed. We go by God’s word, not what the Watchtower says.

I love reading anti-witness sites. They’re all wrong. Even ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses are those who don’t want to live by bible standards. Homosexuality is a sin and so is incest. A brother and sister could be in love but no one accepts that because it’s not natural. But neither is two men. It’s imperfection from the fall of Adam and eve.

I forwarded Christopher’s email onto JWB contributor and close friend, Lacy. If you’re an avid JWB reader, you’ll have read Lacy’s story about her struggles with the Jehovah’s Witnesses when coming out. Here’s what Lacy had to say about the above email:

I think  he [Christopher Johns] is full of it just from the comment he made about ‘we go by what the Bible says, not by what the Watchtower says’. Every single Jehovah’s Witness knows you go by what the Watchtower says first and foremost because everything printed in the Watchtower magazine comes directly from God via his holy spirit, which is directed at the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you are going to get instructions from an elder or hear a talk, it all comes from quotes from the publications with support from scriptures, not the other way around.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses might allow a celibate gay, but only if it is someone who does not ever discuss his/her inclinations. That would be possibly corrupting the congregation. If a person was an active, faithful Jehovah’s Witness and still had homosexual attractions, it would mean that either Satan still had hold of that person or that people are just born that way. That means gay Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot exist even if they are celibate.

The one scripture that the elders did open their Bibles for in my so-called hearing was the one Jesus spoke of when he said that even the thought of sleeping with someone was considered as adultery by God. The point the elders were making was that you just had to think inappropriate thoughts for it to be a sin.

The situation for Christopher may be as he says, but that is only because the Jehovah’s Witness around him are not following Organizational direction. The last thing that would make me question the validity of the email is that he seems to be strongly of the belief that homosexuality is unnatural and a gross sin. There are some gay people who feel this way. They are the ones who stay in the closet or commit suicide. People who feel that strongly opposed to it are not out of the closet and barely even admit it to themselves, let alone an entire congregation. None of what he says adds up.

So then, we’ve heard Christopher’s version of being a gay Jehovah’s Witness, and Lacy’s overview. I want you to decide if you think Christopher is telling the truth. After all, he belongs to a group that professes to have “The Truth™.”

Please share your comments below and also pop on over to the JWB Facebook Page. We want to get that community buzzing too!

Anyway, as an active Jehovah’s Witness apostate, I wanted to share with you what I get up to on a daily basis. The reason? Well, a loving Jehovah’s Witness that goes by the name “Anonymooz” sent me an email and asked what I am doing with all the free time I’ve got since disowning Jehovah. In his email, our mutual friend Anonymooz was also kind enough to tell me that he “loves all Jehovah’s Witness apostates”, but is also “quite terrified” of us. I can’t get my head around why Jehovah’s Witnesses are so “terrified” of apostates? If they have the truth, what are they scared of?

I have a few good traits locked away in the ether regions of my personality; digression isn’t one of them. Moving on…

As Mr. (or Mrs. or Ms.) Anonymooz asked for my daily schedule, I thought I’d give you a run down of a typical Teeny Pyjamas weekend. I assume all other Jehovah’s Witness apostates get up to the same folly as me. If you’re reading this and aren’t an apostate, at least you’ll now know what us sneaky evil folk get up to. Unfortunately for you, you’ll find that we’re quite normal and therefore you shouldn’t believe everything your religious leaders tell you about us.

Saturday 7am
The day starts off with a prayer to our Lord and Father, Satan, for he has granted me yet another day of life. I also thank him for the Guardian Demon, Hogwartifer, that he has assigned to help me out when I most need it.

Saturday 7.15am
I hover into the bathroom and relieve myself using the best toilet paper available to us apostates – The Watchtower and Awake! magazines. As we don’t want those poor trees being put to complete waste, I carefully make sure each page receives the maximum amount of coverage. As I’m sat there, I think about all the treachery and mischief I can cause to each Jehovah’s Witness. You must understand that this is the only real “me time” I can get. You can’t begin to understand how much time and energy I spend on being an apostate, which means I’m evil, dishonest and mentally ill.

I consult Hogwartifer on how I should commence my day. He doesn’t like coming into the water closet with me and so sits in the corner drawing pentacles.

Saturday 7.45am
I need my cup of Joe and there’s nothing like a fresh pot of coffee to get your day going. I’ve found that a little lambs blood goes down well, as long as you mix it into the coffee beans whilst they’re being crushed. Two table spoons normally does the trick, although you’ve got to make sure you used the right ritual before slaughtering the little blighter. Whilst waiting for the coffee to brew, I scan the morning newspaper, only to find that there’s still no mention at all of “Peace and Security.” “There’s always tomorrow,” I think.

Saturday 10am
At around this time, I like to get in my Suzuki Cultus and drive on over to the local Kingdom Hall where the Jehovah’s Witnesses are meeting for field service. I start posting my anti-Jehovah’s Witness flyers around the area surrounding the hall. Once I’m done with that, I normally like to throw bricks at the brothers and sisters cars. Windshields make a fantastic noise when they crack. If I have any white chalk to hand, I always like drawing a body outline in the Kingdom Hall parking area and write “He died faithful to Jehovah and refused a blood transfusion,” right near the body outline.

I suppose a Saturday morning wouldn’t be complete unless I post a note in the Kingdom Hall mailbox asking them why their Church doesn’t have any windows. Come to think of it, with such an array of trained window-cleaners right at their fingertips, why hasn’t the Watchtower Organisation taken advantage of them?

My grande finale awaits! When the Jehovah’s Witnesses come out of the hall, I drop pants and proceed to moon them all before heading off in my Cultus.

Saturday 2pm
Lunch time! Nothing beats a delicious Black Pudding with a side order of Kaszanka. Being an apostate, I also consume copious amounts of alcohol. After realising I’m not as sober as I ought to be, I decide now would be a good time to write a letter to the local elders, informing them about a group of people who are eager to find out more about Jehovah and his  Earthly Kingdom. In the letter, I tell the elders that this group can be found at such and such address. The address, of course, is that of the local brothel.

Saturday 5pm
I’m feeling generous and so I make a donation to the Silent Lambs Foundation, the Red Cross, a string of Vatican-backed charities and to Oxfam.

I open up my local newspaper again and begin to read my star sign message, which is Cancer. I am destined for “great wealth and prosperity” as well as a “selection of gorgeous women to sleep with”. I notice my star sign message is almost identical to the Sagittarius and Gemini star sign message, but have faith in what I am reading as I know it’s so far off from Watchtower doctrine, that it must be right.

Saturday 9pm
I go round Ben’s house (another apostate friend) and we play poker with Smurf branded Tarot cards. The cards tell us to call the local brothel and arrange a Tarot-style stripteaseathon (if there is such a word). Sharon and Tracy (the girls from brothel) ask us if we can use the Ouija Board. The board tells us that a demon by the name of Adramelech is about to join us and that we should all have wild sex that involves a pair of pink gloves, shoe laces, a tennis ball and a pony. We can’t find a tennis ball…

Later on, we shoot some heroin and go and dig up a corpse from the local graveyard so as to present it as a burnt offering to Adramelech.

Sunday 4am
Being an apostate means that I am full of energy. All my energy is obviously given to me by dark supernatural powers and all I want to do is pleasure my evil desires, so I convince Ben to behead his neighbours goat and drink its blood. All in the sake of good apostate fun, of course.

Sunday 1pm
I’m back at home, hung over and having some mean side effects from the heroin. I look to the sky and shout “Is that all you can give me Jehovah? A stupid little headache and crabs?”

Sunday 2pm
I hover over to the local garage sale and buy any cuddly toy that screams at me or at best, has a pleasant conversation with me. The last toy I bought was a smurf. I was a Jehovah’s Witness at the time and made the mistake of taking it along to the meeting. I don’t think I’ve ever lived that down.

On the way home, I drop by the local Blood Clinic and donate a pint of blood with the explicit instruction that my blood is to be fractionated and only given to a Jehovah’s Witness, preferably a Bethelite.

Sunday 6pm
I am so bored with my apostate way of life. I desperately miss the gossip and jealousy that surrounded me when I was a Jehovah’s Witness.

I decide to call the U.N. and ask them if they are going to start their “End Religion World Tour” any time soon. I tell them that a neat red book tells all Jehovah’s Witnesses about the United Nations agenda. They politely tell me that “Peace and Security” won’t be happening any time soon, but I can, if I like, sign up for their newsletter.

Sunday 8pm
I turn on my PC and login to JWB. There’s nothing bad to say about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, so I simply write a bunch of lies and even offer the JWB Guarantee, which states that everything on my website is the truth and nothing but the truth.

I love conjuring up apostate lies. It gets me off if I’m honest. I love telling others about the evil lie which involved the Watchtower and the United Nations in a close-knit association. I find it hard to believe that so many ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that U.N. lie, as well as the 607 B.C.E., 1914 and 1975 lies. Thanks to Satan’s clever tactics, many honest-hearted Jehovah’s Witnesses believe this crap and decide to join up with us apostates.

Sunday 10pm
Nothing beats a good old movie, especially on a Sunday night. I’ve gone with a couple of sappy, run-of-the-mill films – The Exorcist and the original version of The Last House On The Left

After a bit of weed, I’m ready for a good night’s sleep, where I’m sure I’ll be blissfully dreaming about my life in Satan’s service.

So there you have it – just another average weekend for an average Jehovah’s Witness apostate. You see, we’re not all bad.

If you want to experience some more apostate talk and even join a small community (and growing) of them, pop on over to the JWB Facebook Page and “Like” it.

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Sect or a Cult?

Some define sect to mean a group that has broken away from an established religion. Others apply the term to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher. The term is usually used in a derogatory way. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not an offshoot of some church but include persons from all walks of life and from many religious backgrounds. They do not look to any human, but rather to Jesus Christ, as their leader.

A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society. The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God’s Word, and Jehovah’s Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion. They neither follow a human nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people.

I can barely read a paragraph of literature from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society nowadays before declaring aloud that they are liars or using loaded language, generally expressing my disappointment that I ever fell for their ‘reasoning.’ The same happened when I read the above passage. Their first main point is that a sect is a group that is an offshoot of another religion, and that this doesn’t apply to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Stop the press.

Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, used to attend meetings of the “Second Adventists.” He heard a talk by Advent Christian preacher Jonas Wendell, who had been influenced by William Miller’s teachings. Wendell rejected traditional Christian beliefs of the immortal soul and a literal hell and interpreted scriptures in the books of Daniel and Revelation to predict that Christ would return in 1873.

Russell, though, thought he knew better. He said that god would reveal his purpose in the last days of the “Gospel age” and then formed an independent Bible study group in Pittsburgh. He rejected certain Adventist teachings, such as that the purpose of Christ’s return was to destroy the earth. He preferred the view that Jesus had died to atone for sinful humans, and that humans would be restored to Edenic perfection with everlasting life. Even Russell himself admitted he had been influenced by Adventist teachings in Zion’s Watch Tower, July 15, 1906.

Russell’s new ‘Bible Students’ group was later renamed to ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ in 1931. Many of his initial followers didn’t like some of the changes Russell later introduced (mainly preaching methods) and left. The change of name pushed even more people out, but over the course of the 1930′s the numbers rose again.

There you have it: Millerite -> Second Adventist -> Bible Students -> Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Reasoning Book’s question is, “Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Sect or a Cult?” Is it just me or is that question worded as if you have to pick one of the two options? Anyway, the answer is that they are, in fact, both!

I was quite content to dismiss any cult talk, especially after reading the passage on cults and sects within the Reasoning From The Scriptures book on page 202:

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Sect or a Cult?

Some define sect to mean a group that has broken away from an established religion. Others apply the term to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher. The term is usually used in a derogatory way. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not an offshoot of some church but include persons from all walks of life and from many religious backgrounds. They do not look to any human, but rather to Jesus Christ, as their leader.

A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society. The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God’s Word, and Jehovah’s Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion. They neither follow a human nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people.

I soon found out that the above was absolute rubbish and that I was indeed in a cult. My devastation spawned one of my first ever Jehovah’s Witness Blog.com articles, Cult or Occult, What’s the Difference. It’s a bit rough round the edges but I suppose it’s an okay read.

Anyway, the point of this article is to review some of the points that one should ask themselves if they think they’re in a cult.

Warning Signs of a Potentially Unsafe Group or Leader

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement is ever provided by the headquarters. Local churches may provide a monthly financial overview.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as an impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave.
6. ‘Loaded Wording’, such as “The Truth” is commonly used.
7. Depending on the size of the group, there are often leadership levels. Each level has a specific title such as “International Overseer”, “National Overseer” and “Elder”.
8. If any former followers are caught spreading lies about the groups leadership, the current members should do their utmost to ignore these lies. Followers are taught that ex-members are negative people that should be avoided at all costs. Ex-members are given labels such as “apostates” or “followers of the devil”.
9. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
10. The excommunication of a member normally involves three of the groups higher ranking members.
11. Excommunications are normally carried out in a judicial way, although it’s rare for the member present at the hearing to be allowed to call upon witnesses or provide third-party testimony.
12. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
13. Researching the group using non-authorised material is frowned upon and in some cases, strictly prohibited. Members can carry out their research using only authorised materials. In the majority of cases, authorised research materials have normally been published by the groups leader, or the works have been written by high ranking or high profile group members.
14. Followers feel they can never be “good enough”.
15. The group/leader is always right.
16. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “the real truth” or receiving validation. No other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
17. Individual identity – the groups leader and God, even though separate, seem to be the same thing. In the follower’s mind, these identities become substantially and increasingly fused.
18. Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as “persecution”.
19. If governments turn on the group, the leaders state that “the devil has put it into the minds of men to persecute the group”.
20. Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.
21. The groups leader publishes their interpretations of the Bible or other Holy Books in monthly or quarterly magazines, or releases new publications at large gatherings.
22. Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.
23. New members are warned that family members and close friends will tell the new member they’re in a cult. Members are warned that the devil uses many tactics and if their soft spot is a family member or close friend, the devil will utilise that to gain an advantage over the new member.
24. Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.
25. Former followers are at best considered negative, or worse, evil and under bad influences. They cannot be trusted and personal contact is avoided.

Now then, I took these points from a few books, magazines and whitepapers that discuss the dangers of being in a cult. Do some of the above points sound familiar? I’ll let you decide.

I know that very few active Jehovah’s Witnesses will have come this far. The reason is that their minds have been conditioned to filter out any negative or harmful points. For instance, if point 8 doesn’t set off the alarms, 13, 18 and 25 should do the trick.

If none of these points have stopped a current Jehovah’s Witness from reading on until here, then welcome to the club.