Help me with research for video: "Evidence: The WT breaks up families"

by seattleniceguy 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  seattleniceguy

  Hello,

  I'm interested in trying my hand at a YouTube video. I'd like to do a piece giving evidence that the WT actually breaks up families since, to my mind, this is one of their worst real offenses. The outline will go something like this:

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  Show evidence for the following claims:
  1. JWs are taught that their religion is the only path to God, and that all others will be destroyed.
  2. JWs are taught that the leadership is the mouthpiece for God.
  3. JWs are taught that questioning the leadership in the organization is tantamount to questioning God.
  4. JWs are taught that non-Witnesses are "bad association" and are strongly discouraged from having friendships outside of the organization.
  5. JWs are taught that people who leave the organization - for whatever reason - must be shunned.
  6. Not shunning is a disfellowshipping offense.
  
  Conclusion: The WT organization breaks up families when one member of that family leaves the religion. It does this by threatening the remaining family members with:
  a) Immediate loss of contact with their friends and family
  b) Loss of eternal life in the long term
  should they maintain friendly contact with the one who left.

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  The evidence would come in the form of quotations from WT publications. Ideally, I'd like to show actual scans with the appropriate sections lit up, "60 Minutes" style. This leads me to two questions:

  1. Can you help me come up with the quotes? I don't have any WT literature anymore.
  2. Once I've nailed down the quotes, does anyone have some storehouse of scans so that I could show images of the actual literature?

  Thanks,

  Brian
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  sweet pea

  Brian - great idea - go for it! Shunning is one of the wickedest practices that the organisation promotes. Hope you get lots of material for your project.
  
  Sam
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  avengers

  Hey brian. Long time no see.

  One other way that the WT breaks up families is:

  Lets say the father finds out it's not the Truth and decides to "leave", (or at least starts an independent research)

  The wife and kids get summoned by the elders and encouraged to have as little association as possible with him.

  The father is now a danger to the "spirituality" of his wife and kids.

  It is clear that this will lead to tension and many times a breakup.

  Andy
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  Fatfreek

  Hi Brian,

  My story here is probably typical of how the breakup happens.

  As to resources, I have the latest WT CD library. Beyond that, I have Watchtowers on CD from 1920 thru 1949. Beyond that I have (and you should have since the download link is freely available here ) Watchtowers from 1879 thru 1916. Once there, at Freeminds, click on the proper link.

  Let me know if there's anything specific you need and if I have the time I will help you.

  I wish you the best on what sounds like an excellent project.

  Len
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  besty

  Good luck Brian - why not contact http://www.nscfc.com/ given their current homepage story on this subject

  http://poddy1.blogspot.com/ is a custom search engine I made that might make it easier for you to find the content you need - its specific to JW interest sites so tends to give high quality results.
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  daniel-p

  Nice to see a post from you, SNG. Hope your video goes well.
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  Open mind

  Hi SNG,

  I've really enjoyed your other calm, well-thought-out videos on YouTube.

  I would highlight how the Organization, not just over-zealous parents, lays the groundwork for family break-ups.

  The Organization pushes baptism of pre-teens and early teens. There was a baptism guilt talk about a month ago at the Service Meeting. Then when kids grow up (they have a nasty habit of doing that) they are emotionally blackmailed into either staying in a religion they no longer believe or losing their family.

  The shunning rules are super-harsh even for someone who converts to JWism as an adult. With a "no exceptions" shunning policy like the JWs have, they should at least make the kids wait until age 18 to make such an irrevocable decision.

  Good luck with the video!

  Please let us know when it's done.

  OM
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  Homerovah the Almighty

  Yes this is a very good point that really does not get enough discussion about, the breaking up of families is just one of the evils of this

  mind controlling cult. This situation is not exclusive just to JWS, there are plenty other religious sects that separate and dissolve close family relationships.

  One might look at the disfellowshipping policy as a form of forced isolation. Some one who finds out through exploring and analyzing their doctrines that

  they were not in accordance to the bible and trys to make it known, immediately gets labeled as an apostate and shunned .

  This is how crooks operate and keep their kingdom from falling down, they call it keeping the congregation clean from evil doers but there is an unobvious reason and purpose also .

  Since most of their stated doctrines are pure bullshit devised to sell their literature it is even more important for them to muzzle anyone that

  goes against the grain of their obtained power. Fighting vigilantly for the organization is what they want and expect of their followers other wise they will deal with you

  family or not, after all this is big business with millions of dollars at stake, a few crumpled and dissolved families have no relevance to their agenda.
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  StAnn

  If you ever need a really heart-wrenching personal story about this topic, I'd be happy to share mine with you.
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  Eyes Open

  Hi Brian, all the best with your video. I, too, very much enjoyed your other videos.

  5. JWs are taught that people who leave the organization - for whatever reason - must be shunned.

  Is that actually the case? I know some/many have that experience, but I'm also sure plenty walk away without being disfellowshipped (like me and others I know). Avoided as "close association" is an official teaching on this, yes - but shunned? Perhaps you could state that this is the experience many have?

  I'm not justifying shunning or trying to excuse the disgusting behaviour of the cult in any way; just wondered about this point.