The Knocking Documentary PBS (Jehovah's Witnesses)

PBS is doing a documentory on the Jehovahs Witnesses, a religion I know to well since I was raised one.The PBS documentory is nothing more than another example of PBS doing a Politicaly Correct hit job on a contreversiol authorarian religion. This is the link to the project http://www.knocking.org/. PBS will no doubt spin the facts about this faith just as it did about Islam.

It is true that the Jehovahs Witnesses have given alot to society as far as freedoms, they alone brought over 40 cases to the Supreme Court on issues realating to civil liberties. Every first year law student knows the case of WEST VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION v. BARNETTE which was a ruling that stated that no state could force any to do compulsory flag salute and pledge.

Supreme Court JUSTICE MURPHY, concurring:

I agree with the opinion of the Court and join in it....

I am unable to agree that the benefits that may accrue to society from the compulsory flag salute are sufficiently definite and tangible to justify the invasion of freedom and privacy that is entailed or to compensate for a restraint on the freedom of the individual to be vocal or silent according to his conscience or personal inclination. The trenchant words in the preamble to the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom remain unanswerable: ". . . all attempts to influence [the mind] by temporal punishments, or burdens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, . . ."

Any spark of love for country which may be generated in a child or his associates by forcing him to make what is to him an empty gesture and recite words wrung from him contrary to his religious beliefs is overshadowed by the desirability of preserving freedom of conscience to the full. It is in that freedom and the example of persuasion, not in force and compulsion, that the real unity of America lies.

As I have stated the Jehovahs Witnesses have given Americans many freedoms we take for granted. Many of the members of the faith are persecuted daily, and in many ways they are the truest of pacisfist, unlike leftist who cheer on lefting wing south American guerrlias while claiming to be anto war the Jehovah's Witnesses stay do not vote nor do they particpate in war in greece, France and Isreal the men do prison time vs joining the millitary.

The problem with only showing the good side of the Watchtower Society is that it creates a false illusion that all is well in the faith. The truth is that this faith has caused the great suffering to many people. Critics and former members have noted that the religion employs organizational policies that make the reporting of sexual abuse difficult for members.

Some victims of sexual abuse also assert that when reporting abuse they have been directed to maintain silence to avoid embarrassment to both the accused and the organization. According to Wikipedia In February 2001, Christianity Today printed an article alleging that Jehovah's Witness policies made reporting sexual abuse difficult for members, and did not follow legal norms on the issue. Shortly after, in 2002, Erica Rodriguez filed a suit in the US District Court in Spokane, Washington.

Manuel Beliz was convicted of abusing her and was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment for his crime. In her suit, Rodriguez sought unspecified damages from Beliz for her abuse, and also from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

In 2003, Heidi Meyer alleged that her pleas concerning sexual abuse were dismissed and that this is a widespread problem. [1]

In response, Jehovah's Witnesses stated their opposition to any form of child abuse. They encourage parents - especially fathers - to take an active role in the proper guidance and protection of their children from molesters. They affirmed that the local elders are expected to investigate any accusation of child abuse. Declaring that where child abuse can be proven by their standards (two witnesses, which they interpret Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:15-17 to support, or a voluntary confession), and the member is unrepentant, he or she is disfellowshipped (expelled from the religious institution)

Jehovah's Witnesses and congregational discipline

When a member of Jehovah's Witnesses unrepentantly engages in "gross sin", they can be excommunicated, termed disfellowshipping. This involves being shunned by all members of the religion, including any family members that do not live under the same roof. Due to the social nature of the religion, being shunned can isolate a member in a very powerful way and can be devastating if everyone in a member's social circle participates in the shunning.
Prior to 1981, if a member disassociated from the religion but was not disfellowshipped, the practice of shunning was not required and normal contact could be maintained. A policy change in 1981 required that all who were considered to have disassociated by their actions were to be treated in the same way as a member who had been disfellowshipped for gross wrongdoing.

The new policy meant that congregation members are not informed whether a person was being shunned due to "disfellowshipping" or "disassociation", or on what grounds. Many of these changes were precipitated by events surrounding Raymond Franz, a former governing body member.

Critics state that fear of being shunned and family break-up causes people to stay who might otherwise freely leave the religion, but Jehovah's Witnesses say that disfellowshipping is a scripturally-documented method to protect the congregation from the influence of those who practice serious wrongdoing.
Jehovah's Witnesses have no provision for conscientious objectors who freely leave to have any continued normal associations. The only way to officially leave the religion is to write a letter requesting to be disassociated or to be disfellowshipped, but both entail the same set of prohibitions and penalties. Critics contend the judicial process involved, due to its private and nearly autonomous nature, contradicts the precedent found in the Bible and the organizations' own teachings[83] and can be used in an arbitrary and punitive manner if there is consensus among just a few to so use their authority.[84

Internet use

The Watchtower Society has instructed Witnesses to be careful in the use of the Internet because of the availability of what Witnesses consider "harmful" information. This can include information that is objectionable on moral grounds such as pornography, but also information considered to be 'apostate'. The word 'apostate' is assigned special meaning by Witnesses, to refer to individuals who leave their religion over doctrinal matters rather than the broader sense of any person who changes religious or political alliance.[90]
A 2000 issue of The Watchtower stated, "Some apostates are increasingly using the internet to spread false information about Jehovah’s Witnesses. As a result, when sincere individuals do research on our beliefs, they may stumble across apostate propaganda. Avoiding all contact with these opponents will protect us from their corrupt thinking."[91]

While Witnesses define the existence of "harmful" information, critics define all accurate information valid. What Witnesses consider "apostate propaganda", critics consider merely an alternative viewpoint, which must be considered in order to claim one has a rounded viewpoint. Witnesses teach that Scriptures such as 2 John 8-11 apply to such "apostates" and thus they must, "look out" for themselves and never "receive" such teachings in any form.[92]

Critics have stated that this warning against Internet use is an example of "milieu control"[93] in which the society controls its members by restricting negative information regarding the society.[94] Jehovah's Witnesses respond to such criticism by stating that branch libraries, accessible by thousands of Witnesses and visitors, include books that speak negatively about Jehovah's Witnesses, although the information included is still controlled by the society.[95]

Doctrinal Contriversies

From as early as 1891, the Witnesses leader Charles Taze Russell taught that the Great Pyramid of Giza contained prophetic measurements that pointed to 1874, derived from a measurement of 3416 inches[12]. The 1910 edition revised the measurement to 3457 inches to point to 1915.[13] It was claimed that the pyramid was of prophetic significance until at least 1925[14], but the belief was rejected by 1928[15].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chart_from_Divine_Plan_of_the_ages.GIF

Presence of Christ Jesus

Jehovah's Witnesses currently believe that Christ Jesus has been ruling as king invisibly since October 1914. Jehovah's Witnesses distinguish the Greek word parousia, often translated "coming" as being more accurately understood as "presence

Judgment of Religion and Selection of True Followers

Jehovah's Witnesses believe 1918 to be the time when Christ Jesus judged all world religions. They teach that after a period of 18 months, among all groups and religions, there was found only one that was humbly doing the will of Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses claim the "Bible Students" who later became known as "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931 (See History of Jehovah's Witnesses) are that one unique group.

Stay Alive till 75

During the 1960s and early 1970s, many Witnesses were stimulated by articles in their literature [40] and further encouraged by speakers at their assemblies prior to 1975, to believe that Armageddon and Christ's thousand-year millennial reign would begin by 1975. Although the views of Armageddon and Christ's millennium beginning in 1975 were never fully or explicitly supported by the Watch Tower Society, many in the organization's writing department, as well as several elders and overseers[41]in the organization heavily suggested that Christ's millennial reign over earth would begin by 1975. Caution was shown by some, however, especially as the time approached. For example, a lecture[42] by then Vice-President Fred Franz in early 1975 pin-pointed after sundown on September 5, 1975 as the end of 6,000 years and saying all the prophecies "could happen" by then, while admitting that looked improbable [43] While Witnesses have always been encouraged to increase the preaching work, and avoid secular life goals or careers, this emphasis was especially strong prior to 1975.

Fall of Jerusalem

The date 1914 is based on the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 607 BC. No non-Witness scholars support 607 BC for the event; most scholars date the destruction to within a year of 587 BC, twenty years later. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that periods of seventy years mentioned in the books of Jeremiah and Daniel refer to the Jewish exile.

In The Gentile Times Reconsidered: Chronology & Christ's Return by Carl O. Jonsson[63], he presents 18 lines of evidence to support the traditional view of neo-Babylonian chronology. He accuses the Watchtower of deliberately misquoting sources in an effort to bolster their position.

In Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Persian Chronology Compared with the Chronology of the Bible, Volume 1: Persian Chronology and the Length of the Babylonian Exile of the Jews Rolf Furuli presents a very detailed study of 607 BC and supports the conclusion that Witnesses publish.[64]. It should be noted that Furuli is himself a Jehovah's Witness.

Witnesses believe that the year 607 BC is critical in two other prophetic interpretations. First, the destruction of Jerusalem for a seventy year time span.[65] Second, the arrival of Christ in kingly power coincides with the 2,520 year period from October 607 BC to October 1914 AD.[66]


Unfulfilled predictions

Predictions such as the following have appeared in various Watchtower publications:[51]

1907: Armageddon will culminate in the year 1914.[52]

1917: In 1918, God would destroy churches "wholesale" and church members by the millions.[53]
1922-1923: The resurrection of the dead would occur in 1925.[54]

In preparation for the 1925 date, the Watchtower Society acquired a property in California, and built a mansion on it. The property was to house people such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Samuel, who would be resurrected to life in 1925.

1924: As of 1926, there would be no more deaths. Witnesses were encouraged to add a room to their houses, and get an undertaker to decorate it, since undertakers would be out of work. Witnesses could then call Abraham's office in Jerusalem and request that a deceased relative be brought back to life. These would subsequently appear in the new room.[55]

1938: In 1938, Armaggedon was too close for marriage or child bearing.[56]

1941: There were only "months" remaining until Armageddon.[57]

1969: Human existence would not last long enough for young people to grow old; the world system would end "in a few years". Young Witnesses were encouraged not to bother pursuing tertiary education for this reason.[58]

1969: Christ's thousand-year reign would begin in 1975.[59]

1984: There were "many indications" that "the end" was closer than the end of the 20th century.[60]

A number of Christian apologists have argued that in making predictions about the future, the Watchtower Society have acted as a prophet,[61] often citing Watchtower Society publications that use the word "prophet" in referring to the organization.[62][63]

The Watchtower Society itself has condemned others for making false predictions about the future, stating that such people were "guilty of false prophesying".[64] The apologists argue, based on Deuteronomy 18:22:
“
When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (ESV)
”
that the Watchtower Society does not represent God.

The Watchtower Society has stated as early as 1908, "We are not prophesying; we are merely giving our surmises....We do not even [assert] that there is no mistake in our interpretation of prophesy and our calculations of chronology. We have merely laid these before you, leaving it for each to exercise his own faith or doubt in respect to them."[65] They have also stated that they do not have the gift of prophecy.[66] More recently they have defended themselves against claims of "false prophesying", by saying that they do not claim to be inspired prophets,[67] and that their predictions have never been made "in the name of Jehovah" but rather are given only as an interpretation of Scripture.[68]

And the beat goes on and on the ACLU and the left idealise the Jehovahs Witnesess because they represent what they want from religion. They want a faith that does not vote and get involved in politics. They want a quiet tame religion unlike the Evangelicals who give them hell. The left uses the Jehovah;s Witnesses to argue that it is possible for religion to be seperate from the State.

If you want the facts read about Raymond Franz a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from 1971 until 1980, and served at the organization's world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980.He was expulsed for his act of wanting to make his own sect.

He is relatively well known today, both within and without the Jehovah's Witness community, as a former Jehovah's Witness. Since departing the religious group in late 1981, Franz has written and edited two detailed books which relate his personal experiences with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and fellow members of the Jehovah's Witness organization.

You can read his book for free..

Bibliography

Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz, a former Governing Body member of the Watch Tower Society. A documented account of Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrines over time and the struggle that Franz had with his Christian conscience in dealing with what he describes as un-Christian attitudes and conduct. This book gives a personal account of the authority structure, formation, practices and doctrines of the religion and allows the reader a view of decision-making sessions within the religion's inner council, and the impact the decisions have on Witnesses' lives. Paperback (ISBN 0-914675-23-0). Hardback (ISBN 0-914675-24-9). Publisher: Commentary Press; 4th edition (June 2002)

Sample chapters:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: PRICE OF CONSCIENCE
Chapter 9: 1975: 'THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR GOD TO ACT'
Chapter 10: 1914 AND "THIS GENERATION"
Chapter 11: POINT OF DECISION
Chapter 12: AFTERMATH