I am not a JW, but I have been diligently studying their organization and doctrines as well as every other religion for almost two years now.

The fact is Jesus told his followers that if we follow his instructions, “the world will hate us.” Paul said the world would view those who imitated him as “theatrical spectacles.” The first-century Christians were mocked by the world around them and available historical records show that the Roman society criticized them for not partaking in holidays, birthdays, and many things that were considered to be “normal” behavior among law abiding citizens. They were in essence viewed as members of a cult for following Christ’s strict examples and instructions to be no part of the world or its customs, politics, or traditions. So when people say harsh things about them and call them a cult it actually confirms them living up to the bible’s portrayal of true followers of Jesus.

My sympathy goes to the last writer who lost her child. He may not have died had he received a blood transfusion, but she was simply upholding the rule laid out for us in the bible, not some crazy doctrine invented by the JW’s alone. JW’s are some of the few who have enough faith in God’s promised kingdom and resurrection to lose their lives in this world in order to preserve it for the next. The bible says that “our lives right now are not the all-important thing.” I can only imagine that she made that decision by faith in God that if her child did die, his next thought will be in paradise. God’s word promises that he will have gone from one moment to the next, since the dead are conscious of nothing. Many who have not adhered to the commandment to abstain from blood and received blood transfusions have died just the same, (as my uncle recently did) or they have contracted HIV or another blood agent, which is still commonplace with blood transfusions. How would she have felt to see her child die a slow and agonizing death from AIDS instead, knowing that she allowed it to happen by not following God’s instruction? She seems to have lost her faith that her child would be resurrected to a life absent of the futilities that are so dominant in this one, but her boy is in the best place he can be right now, God’s memory. His death was only a tragedy if God does not exist and this life is all we have.

In reading Diane’s book, it is obvious that she must have remained in a spiritual low throughout her time as a witness. She often said that she didn’t feel close to God, and that is not at all common for a Jehovah’s Witness. I gathered that she had some emotional problems in life and she was probably at a branch with some very conservative and strict elders. JW’s are allowed to have friends that are not JW’s, many JW’s are even married to non JW’s. They are simply discouraged (per the bible) by hanging out with people who have a negative influence on their spirituality. That whole deal about her not being “allowed” to speak with her daughter is not a doctrine of JW’s. Most of that sounds fabricated to me. They never discourage people to sever ties with their family, the bible teaches quite the opposite and so do they. I work with a witness and his parents are ex-witnesses, but the Society would never tell him not to associate with his parents!!!

Another thing is what she said about having a fear of demons and being told to “chant” Jehovah’s name three times and that some people leave Watchtower literature around to ward off demons. Give me a break!… that’s about as far from the truth as you can get. Catholics are the ones with five different guides on demon exorcism. The JW’s teach what the bible teaches, “Draw close to Jehovah, and Satan will flee from you.” The only way to keep demons away is to align yourself with God’s word, and that’s what they teach. When someone is suspected of having demonic influence, all they do as a remedy is pray and have bible studies with the person.

The thing that raises a question for me is that the entire organization is made up of volunteers. Witnesses commonly give up their careers and all material things to serve Jehovah and preach the good news to all the inhabited earth as Jesus instructed. All of the money donated to the organization goes full speed into putting out more literature, no one makes a profit from the organization and none of it gets stashed away. They completely rely on God’s blessing to keep the organization going until the end. They don’t ask for donations and they don’t pass a collection plate. So what agenda do they have to gain more members? If they were a cult, why would they brainwash people into going around and knocking on doors to preach a message if no one other than the individual hearing the message was of benefit?

It’s pretty obvious to me that when you learn that what most people in the world believe is a complicated lie, you want to share the truth with them and show them how simple it is. And that is why all Jehovah’s Witnesses are Jehovah’s Witnesses.

All of the witnesses I know are the most happy and light-hearted people imaginable. They have peace in knowing that they are following Jesus’ instructions and teaching people about the only thing that really matters. The bible says this world is passing away and the one governed by God’s Kingdom is on the way. They simply try to help others get there. The organization is not perfect, because it is made up of imperfect people.

Maybe Diane was part of a congregation that had some problems and the spirit wasn’t there, I don’t know. Her problem seems to be a fear or phobia of everything in life, death being at the forefront. It’s sad that she felt the way she did for so many years, but some people just have emotional problems and are never content, regardless of spirituality. Some people are retarded, some people have diabetes, it’s all due to inherent sin. But by writing this book she is preventing a lot of people from hearing the message that JW’s have to proclaim, and if it just happens to be the truth, then she is blaspheming the Spirit, which is an unforgivable act.

I think it takes a pretty weak-minded person to fall into a cult. Jehovah’s Witnesses are over 6 million people worldwide, and they are some of the most intelligent, hard-working, respectable people I have ever met. I haven’t met any who I would perceive as being gullible enough to follow a cult.

The fact is that if we follow Jesus’ instructions, “the world will hate us” and we will be “theatrical spectacles” to everyone who puts their hope in “this” world. The first-century Christians were mocked by the world and available historical records show that the Roman world hated them for not partaking in holidays or other things that were considered to be “normal” behavior. They were in essence viewed as members of a cult for following Christ’s strict examples and instructions.

I feel for the last writer who lost her child who may not have died had he received a blood transfusion, but she was simply upholding the rule laid out for us in the bible, not some crazy doctrine invented by the JW’s. They are some of the few who have enough faith in God’s promised kingdom and resurrection to lose their lives in this world in order to preserve it for the next. She did that by faith in God that if her child did die, his next thought will be in paradise. God’s word promises that he will have gone from one moment to the next, since the dead are conscious of nothing. Many who have not adhered to that law and received blood transfusions have died anyway or have contracted HIV, which is still common with blood transfusions. How would she have felt to see her child die a slow and agonizing death from AIDS instead?

In reading Diane’s book, it is obvious that she never drew close to God and remained at a spiritual low throughout her time as a witness. All of the witnesses I know are the most happy and light-hearted people imaginable. They have peace in knowing that they are following Jesus’ instructions and teaching people about the only thing that really matters.

When we are faced with situations that we have no control over we tend to grasp at straws and play the blame game. Hasn’t it occurred to you your daughter NEEDED to get away from the family that may have been mundane in their way of worship(going to ‘church’ as a form of prestige or a facade), you know letting sins manifest(white lies), not holding oneself accountable for actions/deeds(I was stressed out so I took a few drinks!), or having no set principles to live by(if you are guided let’s say against participating/eating/drinking of a particular thing and we are in another state/environment we can take a chance!)

My dear, ponder a while on just that brief ‘checklist’ and answer truthfully, as in ALL religions/movements there will be fanatics who take things to the letter and exercise no compassion in dealing with persons/situations but don’t be to quick to dismiss these people as a cult and brainwashers. So sad that you ‘imply’ that you believe in God and yet dismiss his promise of a paradise earth, have you read the Bible or does someone do it for you. Try a Bible Study today, I know your daughter will be ready and willing to render some assistance!

Oh and by the way I AM NOT ONE OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESS-just a well informed and articulate person.

I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links:

My daughter has become a Jehovah’s Witness, and her five year old son as well. They have left our home town in Missouri and moved to Florida to get away from the family. Her e-mail is cindiroo@hotmail.com and anyone who can help her return to the person, who loved God AND her family, it would be greatly appritiated. She still loves us, but seems to shun us and be “different”. I have a great deal of difficulty believing that God encourages us to leave our loved ones behind. I also have a hard time believing that “paradise earth” is our highest hope, I believe in Heaven.
Sonja Cowart

Here is an excerpt from chapter 3 in Diane’s book.
www.dianewilson.net/work1.htm
Believe me,it’s true and it’s hilarious!

Hi Diane!

Great book!

A ‘must’ read!!!!

Thad

rogmaministries@tiscali.co.uk

Awakening of a Jehovah’s Witness, an excellent book….

Some people discover a talent late in life they were not aware of like Grandma Moses the painter. Diane Wilson is a very gifted writer, but her former lifestyle would have suppressed any individuality and creativeness she had. Her gift for writing and communicating was only discovered after she left the Watchtower. Her true inner feelings and writing come across in her book ‘Awakening of a Jehovah’s Witness’. When I first became aware of her book I was excited, not because it was another book that showed why the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society was cultic, but because it dealt with the feelings and emotions of a person who was trapped in a domineering society. Too many books on Jehovah’s Witnesses just rehash the same failed prophecies, show where the society has changed their version of the Bible and show how to answer Jehovah’s Witnesses. Most are cold theological discourses which don’t deal with the emotional / mental / spiritual state of the Watchtower Victim. Diane Wilson’s book though is different, and a well needed breath of fresh air for those of us who have a calling to research and help people out of cults, especially counselors.

It is a hard book to put down, like an adventure novel it flows from one situation to the next and you feel you are almost there with her. You can live her journey with her through the Watchtower Society, see the twisted poison she is being fed, the lies she starts to believe and you want to call out to her “Don’t listen to them!”. You want to slap the ministry servants and elders of the Kingdom Hall she attends when they feed her uninformed medical opinions and cause her untold anguish and pain. You’re praying for her when she begins to question and doubt all she has been told. This isn’t just a book, this is an experience revealed through the eyes and mind of a Watchtower slave.

Diane’s story tells of how she nearly lost her baby due to Watchtower error, suffered medical mishaps due to the societies misunderstanding, had her mother / daughter relationship taken away, then had to treat her daughter like she was dead when her daughter rebelled and left the Watchtower. Diane tells of the fake enticing love she was shown before she committed to become a Witness, and the cold hard treatment she received as soon as she was baptized. She shows how she was coached to smile and shut up, even though everything in her was screaming to get out. She shows how the Watchtower not only enslaves your mind, but also controls your body and spirit. She skillfully weaves some of the watchtowers thought stopping techniques into her story and we can recognize it when we minister to witnesses. A good example is found on page 95:

“If you have doubts about the organization, it is because Satan is causing the doubts; however, because Satan only attacks true Christians, your having doubts proves that the organization is the truth!”

Incredible logic!. Her thoughts began to fold in on themselves and this is shown in many examples where she became nothing more than an automation for the Watchtower. She explains also on pg 95:

…I succeeded in burying my doubts and disagreements to the point of feeling I had none.

and on page 103:

Constantly repressing my true feelings, submitting to the organization, and putting up mental roadblocks to avoid death-dealing independent thinking was a lot of hard work which resulted in my feeling stripped of my own personality and little more than an automation.

Diane put up with this for 25 years, fear being the force that kept her there. She shows how Jehovah’s Witnesses have no assurance of salvation, and strive constantly to work harder in case the vengeful god of the Watchtower should be displeased with them and destroy them at Armageddon (which is always just a short time away, so work hard!). She illustrates this on Pg97 with the image they were given of a man rowing and struggling in a small boat about to be swept over a large waterfall and the terror on his face, and that unless he rowed harder he would be destroyed. These kinds of images litter watchtower publications. Along with the picture given, we are told the elders used to ask “How do you know if Jehovah has forgiven you?” to which they would reply “You won’t know until Armageddon, but we have to keep trying, or else we will be truly lost”. What a contrast to the teaching of Jesus who said “Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest”.

Later in the book Diane begins to give more insights into the Watchtowers zig zagging doctrinal positions on many medical issues, much of which are neglected by other researchers, and are invaluable information for those in the medical profession (eg: May Witnesses accept Hemodillution in lieu of a blood transfusion?). She pulls back the cloak of darkness the Watchtower doublespeak uses to confuse the media into thinking they had lifted bans, making things a matter of conscience. The ‘matter of conscience’ she shows us, really means “Do this and you will never ever see paradise, your family and friends will never talk to you again and Jehovah god will destroy you and you can’t come into one of our Kingdom Halls again or associate with another Jehovah’s Witness”. Certainly an easy choice to make isn’t it, especially when life hangs in the balance!.

If there’s one thing this book has given me, someone who’s studied and taught about the Jehovah’s Witnesses for over 11 years, it’s an insight into the minds, the fears, the double thinking and emotional suppression Watchtower victims suffer. I believe this is a classic and should be on the shelf of every counselor and pastor that deals with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and ex Jehovah’s Witnesses. To those in different countries where I have taught classes about cults, I recommend this book, not only for it’s insights into Watchtower life and mindset, but for insights into any mind controlling cult, it is a classic example.

Diane, this is a masterpiece, your heart shows through this and it says to every Jehovah’s Witness “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. To any Witness who reads this review, Diane doesn’t hate you, she isn’t spreading propaganda, she isn’t an apostate walking in darkness under the control of Satan, she wrote this because she understands you and loves you, and knows how it feels to be trapped in circular reasoning, thought suppression and fear to the point of having dangerous physical manifestations. She wrote this book out of the love of Christ that is truly in her and she wants to share with others
Shaun Aisbitt