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Summary: A comment from a former witness...
Review: I disassociated myself from the Watchtower organization after being a member for 16 years, because of the shifting beliefs and the fact that the organization considers itself necessary for salvation, among a couple other things. But I felt I needed to speak up in some defense of the Witnesses, because this book was thoroughly hateful. I don't know if she was among an unusually strict group of people in her congregation, but of the 3 congregations I have been a part of, I have never been encouraged to strike my child in any way, women were valued as members of the congregation (though were to submit to their husbands as the family head), physical and mental abuse were grounds to get a divorce, and the elders were not overly suspicious. When I was counselled by them(by my seeking them out) it was always in a mild manner. The people were willing to go out of their way to help me all through my membership. Field service was always encouraged, but no one questioned my one or two hours a month...they said that only we knew our circumstances and Jehovah's accepts the best any of us can give. I never ever heard that I was worthless. Dresses to the ankle were definitely allowed, and if I wore pants or my work outfit, nobody ever said anything...they were just happy to see me there. I was taught by them never to judge anyone on how they dressed, unless it was sleazy maybe. As I said, I still do not think they have the truth, but I think the book is extremely more negative than my experiences have ever been, and felt a need to speak up. The fact that the Watchtower will disfellowship people who keep questioning their beliefs is true, and the fact that the Watchtower never takes the blame for errors is true. That is one reason I quit, because if it was really the truth, 1) the truth wouldn't keep changing, and 2) the truth would stand up to any scrutiny.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Help
Review: I found this book is very good for those associated with jehovah's Witnesses or have left the organization or those who still have a mind of their own to come to logical conculsions about the JW's. As a former JW myself, after I read this book it brought out things about the JW's that I have completely forgotten about, their rules and strictness and the absurdity of it all. Diane Wilson's book has helped me to come to grips with myself and my past, and how I am in the healing process. Thank you Diane!!!
This book is excellent!!!
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Summary: keep up the good work!
Review: I just read an article on the AP newswire about a Moscow court banning the religious activities of Jehovah's Witnesses; critics have called it a step back for democracy and religious freedom. But I feel this is a step in the right direction. I also feel that I am very informed about this as I was associated with Jehovah's Witnesses for about twenty five years.
People outside the organization have no concept of the power these people have over you and how easy the honest hearted can be sucked in, and especially the control they have over your life. You see the thing about a cult is, it's very easy to get in, but incredibly difficult to get out. Especially if you have been born into it and your whole family are also members. You see Jehovah's witnesses are not allowed to have any contact with non-members outside secular activities and of course "witnessing" from door to door.
You see when you are baptized you essentially agree to a verbal contract to do anything the Watchtower society says and if you don't you will be kicked out. If you disagree with any of the teachings you are "disfellowshipped" which mean you are shunned by all members and treated as if you are dead, even family members are expected to join in. And if you decide to still have contact with that person, you too will be shunned. Now think about this, If you are a practicing JW for a number of years all your friends, associates, and most likely family will be witnesses because you are not allowed contact with other "non-members", so if you don't toe the line you can be shunned by everyone you know and love, even your immediate family members, talk about mind control!.
Also members are required to attend five meetings a week, the Sunday public talk/watchtower study, Thursday ministerial meeting/theocratic ministry school and Tuesday bible study. In addition to this members are expected to go door to door each week to recruit new members. Make no mistake about it; the whole purpose of this door to door canvassing is to recruit new members. They might tell non-members differently, it usually goes like this;
They place magazines with the victim then they arrange a free "bible study" to ostensibly help people understand their bible. The victim(s) is then encouraged to attend a Sunday public talk and so forth, but the real purpose is solely to recruit new members. Also contrary to Christian teaching, Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to view all non-members with disdain, they are slandered as "worldly" and Mormon churches are commonly referred to as "goat sheds"; believe me, this is a very sick organization.
Higher education is frowned upon and about half of the witness kids drop out of high school to "do the work of god". To an outsider this sounds crazy but believe me its true. Can you imagine the damage done to families and children over the course of a lifetime? The reason the watchtower society discourages education is the fact that it's easier to mislead people if they are uneducated. Anyone who educates themselves can think for themselves and make much better decisions about themselves and their future
Do any of you remember 1975 when the Watchtower Society pronounced the "End of the world"? I do, needless to say it didn't happen, but this isn't the first time they pronounced it. There are many resources on the web that timeline the "prophecies" namely 1914, 1916, 1918, also World War II, all a deception by the Watchtower trying to scare people into doing what they want. I found this information just browsing the web; it's there for anyone to see. But be careful if you are a witness and are caught reading any of this you will be kicked out. The controlling element is the Armageddon theory, in essence, we are in the last days, god has lifted up a people for his name (hence the name Jehovah's Witnesses) and soon Babylon the great (United Nations) will turn on false religions, and the witnesses, and then God/Jesus (whatever) will rise up and destroy the bad guys leaving the faithful to live forever on paradise earth.
Sounds pretty good huh? except that it was supposed to have happened by now, and since it hasn't the Watchtower society has issued a retraction along the lines of "Oops, it wasn't our mistake it's just that the light keeps getting brighter and there is new information, um yes that's the ticket, you see there are still more people to be saved and we wouldn't want to cut the time short so they can't be saved".
What really got me thinking was a communications class I had at Weber State and in the coursework there was a chapter about cults and mind control which really opened my eyes I would encourage anyone to go out on the web and do a search for cults, cult awareness, or simply mind control. It makes for incredibly interesting reading and could help people who have left these kinds of cults and are still suffering from guilt and emotional trauma.
There is also another article on the newswire talking about a JW caucus in Nashville. Former Witnesses who claim they were sexually abused by congregation leaders are gathering to discuss why the authorities were never notified, making the Organization a "pedophile paradise" .This is very obvious to me as the society has their own Judicial committee and consider themselves to be above "mans law".
Kind of sounds like the Taliban doesn't it?
This is why these organizations need to be exposed for what they are so they can't keep roping in good people and hurting them and their families, believe me I speak from experience.
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Summary: A Mind-boggling Experience
Review: I loved this book for many reasons; it has a good mixture of personal experiences, extensive documentation, and the author's sense of humor and personal strength amidst of all her pain made me just want to cheer for her. As a clinical therapist, I could understand the sequence of events that led her down this self-destructive path and at the same time, appreciate her inner strength and core characteristics that never allowed her to fully succumb to the brain-washing techniques used by this organization. Reading the pages of her book and watching as her self-esteem developed, I could almost visualize the author blooming into this beautiful flower that not even she knew existed. The book itself is very thought-provoking and I learned a great deal about cults and the manipulating techniques they employ, especially guilt, shame and blame. It also reminded me that I should be empathetic to the victim's of these cults and pray too that they will have an "AWAKENING".
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Summary: False Reviews
Review: I thought I should inform people looking for contorversial literature on Jehovah's Witnesses that a reviewer who claims to be "A Reader" from America, or various cities or states, is really a JW. He or she claims to be have been investigating the Jehovah's Witness cult, then was given these books. Well, this person has put pretty much the same review for almost all controversial literature on JWs on this site, and many other online sites. This person has not read all these books.
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Summary: What it's like to be a JW - this book will explain it
Review: I was a JW for nearly 25 years myself. I just finished reading this book and all I can say is that it is 100% accurate in what it says. If you have never been a JW, you will think that the author is making this stuff up because it sounds so rediculous. Looking back on my 25 years as a JW, I feel stupid and used, as I'm sure the author did as well. Unfortunately, the author allows her emotions, and especially her anger, to come through virtually every page. The reader might get the impression that this is simply a book of revenge to get back at the Watchtower Society. Although I won't speculate what the author's motive was for writing the book, I can tell you it is genuine and accurately represents the day-to-day nonsense and mind control that goes on inside Kingdom Halls. It took me nearly 6 years to break free myself, but the cord is broken. Another great book I would recommend is Raymond Franz's "Crisis of Conscience" - which gives you an inside look at the Governing Body of Jehovah's witnesses. Thank you, Ms. Wilson for writing this book. I can relate to nearly everything you wrote.
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Summary: Finally--The REAL Truth about JWs and the Watchtower!
Review: Jehovah's Witnesses call their beliefs---which are actually the beliefs of the Watchtower Society that are forced on all of Jehovah's Witnesses---"The Truth". Thank God the author of this book had the guts to reveal to the world the REAL truth about this religion! I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses for many years, and I saw for myself a lot of the same unloving behavior among the JWs as this author writes about. I saw the same vascillating doctrines that Diane Wilson talks about in this book. I saw fellow JWs DIE while following Watchtower medical doctrines--all in vain, because later the Watchtower Society changed these doctrines. All these things bothered me, but when I brought them up to the JW Elders, I was told I had a "bad attitude". Thank you, Diane, for speaking up! I hope many people who are thinking about becoming JWs will read this book before they commit themselves to the Watchtower organization. They should know the REAL truth (which the Watchtower tries to hide) about this religion up front. This fine book does reveals just that.
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Summary: How well many of us can understand.
Review: Many people who have never felt compelled to draw into a mind-control religious organization cannot imagine how it happens or how captivating it is for those who experience it. In looking back, many of us who were so drawn are no less amazed. How could we have believed all that? In some ways, it may be somewhat like people wondering why alcoholics do not simply recognize their problem and stop drinking. Like Diane Wilson, I was a convert to the religion for some 18 years, and I can identify with her experience as I know many others do as well. In her book, she has described superbly the thought processes, inner struggles with conscience and common sense that so many of us experienced in drawing into, and years later out of, an association with extraordinary beliefs, in this case the Watchtower religion. The story is an exceptional peek into the mindset of people who are captivated by authoritarian religious dogma and struggle with breaking free. For people who have loved ones in Jehovah's Witnesses and are concerned about it, this book might be very helpful. Ros
Rating:
Summary: Excellent,
Review: Ms. Wilson's book is balanced & insightfull.....and true. Please read before Jehovah's Witnesses knock at your door - or talk with your kids. If you're a JW, she's on the level. I know - I've been a JW for 35 years now.
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Summary: An Inspirational Book!
Review: Reading about the author's abusive childhood was heartwrenching. Reading about how she was abused by the Jehovah's Witness religion was heartbreaking. But reading about her triumph of finally escaping Watchtower oppression was utterly heartwarming and inspirational.
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