Everyone has a bad year now and then. We all have to contend
with illness, accidents,
unemployment, natural disasters, family problems – events that can
really mess up your life for a while. Governments,
corporations, and other large entities face the same issues.
Last year was a difficult year for the Watchtower Society and Jehovah’s Witnesses, a year I’m
sure they’d love to forget. 2012 would have been bad as it can get for any corporation, but for a
religious organization like the Watchtower it was a disaster. In a few years we may look back
and mark 2012 as the
“beginning of the end” for our favorite cult.
Do I expect the Watchtower to
suddenly shut down operations, send all their volunteers home,
sell all their Kingdom Halls, and tell all their followers to become
atheists or join another church?
No. I can assure you that none of those things will happen next year or in my lifetime.
Based on their performance in
2012, one could hope that the Watchtower organization might
consider making major changes in their policy and doctrine – at
least enough to allow them to survive through the rest of the 21st Century.
In order to illustrate just how bad things were, I’ll review just a few of the major events that
involved Jehovah’s Witnesses over the past twelve months.
Then I”ll try to predict how the future will shape up for them if they don’t make substantial changes.

January 2012:

Besides many existing JW
discussion websites, 2012 saw dozens of new bloggers and YouTube videographers appear
each month to criticize, belittle, and expose the truth about the
Watchtower Society’s history, false teachings, and failed predictions. Classic websites and
forums like JWN (jehovahs-witness.net) and Freeminds.org
saw continued growth and participation. What was also surprising (and gratifying) was
the number of new readers and bloggers who indicated that they
were still active or associated in some way as JWs. This trend
continued throughout the entire year.
One new website in particular made its presence known -
JWSurvey.org. Originally created in September 2011 to act as a
shell for “John Cedars’ ” Global Survey of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
the site became one of the fastest growing and visited new JW discussion blogs. In January
Cedars published the results of the four-month “2011 Survey.”
The final numbers were generally unfavorable for the Watchtower– even among those participants
who claimed to still be “active Witnesses.” Check out the final tally for yourself at
http://jwsurvey.org/global-surveys/2011-jw-survey/survey-1 .
He arranged for UPS to
deliver the results by certified package to the Governing Body
at Brooklyn, New York on
February 15, 2012. As expected, the Watchtower Society neither acknowledged or ever commented on the survey in any way.
Possibly the one positive note for the Watchtower was the dismissal of a federal lawsuit filed by the former elders of the
Menlo Park (California) Kingdom Hall. Although the lawsuit failed
and three elders involved were all later disfellowshipped, the
extensive and well-documented
trial transcripts became publicly available, clearly exposing the Watchtower’s power and intent to grab control and ownership of
all North American Kingdom Halls– even existing Halls that are
privately owned and were locally financed. Some of the evidence in
the trial transcripts was quite revealing beyond the focus of the trial. During testimony a
Watchtower attorney made one damning statement that
contradicted the Watchtower’s
claim that they were different from all other religions when he
testified, “[as a hierarchy] we are no different from the Catholic Church.” Read the court records
for yourself at http://ex-jw.com/menlo-park-elder-tells-all-1 .

I couldnt read your link but from your story I see you dont quite understand how the Watchtower operates.
You just mentioned that ALL the elders involed were DISFELLOWSHIPED, does that not show the consequence of one going against Jehovah?

February 2012:

The Watchtower’s UK branch came under fire by the press as a result of being investigated by
the National Charity Commission.
See article: http://jwsurvey.org/
general-information/where-is-
the-public-benefit .
The real question for the commission to decide was whether the
Watchtower organization could be defined and qualify as “a charity” under the guidelines of
UK national law. While the Watchtower qualifies as a non-profit religious group in most countries, its “charitable works”
often do not fit the usual legal definitions. [b]They don’t spread their money around to help any
non-Witnesses as most other churches do.[/b]They have no
outreach for the benefit of non-Witness members of the local community. In some cases,helping to reconstruct damaged
branch offices and local Kingdom Halls was the only “charitable works” delivered to communities
that suffered from major
disasters. It has been reported that even local JWs and their families can not get money, food,
clothing or shelter through funds provided by the Watchtower. If
and when they do, they are often obligated to pay back any funds received or turn over insurance
checks to the Watchtower.

March 2012

Several newspapers around the world began publishing articles referring to the July 15, 2011 Watchtower (study edition) that called apostates and former Jehovah’s Witnesses
“mentally diseased.” Countries such as New Zealand, Sweden,
Denmark, and the UK all have local and national laws that might be applied to this statement and treated as “hate
speech.” The uproar over this particular article continued for months around the world.

April 2012:

The Watchtower announced that
starting in January 2013 the public version of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines would be
reduced from 32 to 16 pages and in size. In June, 2012 the Watchtower’s official websites would be merged under the single domain JW.org and that
site would be completely
redesigned (they pushed this out to late August). Several foreign branch offices would be shut
down and properties sold off. It was also announced that all
Brooklyn Bethel properties would
eventually be put up for sale.
http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/branch-closures-and-fire-sales-a-growing-trend-for-the-society
In a “Mini-Survey” conducted by JWSurvey.org only 3% of
respondents agreed with the Watchtower’s doctrine and practice of “shunning” disfellowshipped and
disassociated former members.
Even more surprising was their response when individual JWs were asked what they would do “if the Watchtower discontinued shunning”: 54% replied that they
“would leave the organization and not return.” It’s encouraging to know that possibly half of all Jehovah’s
Witnesses would leave if they could do it and not lose their friends and family. At the same time, it is a sad commentary on
the real reason so many JWs stay in a religion they don’t really believe in – the Watchtower’s use
of their family as hostages to keep them in.

May 2012:

The 2012 summer district
assemblies were held
throughout North America and Europe using the theme title
“Safeguard Your Heart.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses were
treated to three days of
speeches, plays, testimonials, and
music that constantly
emphasized that they should
(1)be obedient to the organization,
(2) spend more hours in service,
and (3) donate more of their money to finance the world-wide
preaching work. More of the programs were tightly scripted, pre-recorded, and sleep-
inducing. There was one major release that turned out to be an embarrassment:
On Saturday afternoon, just before that day’s sessions ended, a new DVD was released to the
attendees. Designed for children under ten years old, the “Become
Jehovah’s Friend: Listen, Obey,and Be Blessed” DVD contained three cartoon segments.
Governing Body member
Anthony Morris III introduces two very short animated films that feature Caleb, a little boy of undetermined age. The
animation is in the style of Disney’s “Toy Story” films. The point of both cartoons seems to
intend to cripple critical thinking and reasoning by children. One
story shows Caleb goaded by his mother into throwing away a
plastic toy wizard named
“Sparlock” given to him by a friend. Why? “Jehovah hates it
and it makes Him sad.” The othercartoon segment focused on
obeying parents and what might happen to a child if they disobey.
The last part is a Kingdom Song sung by a children’s choir illustrated in a style similar to cheaply made 1950s TV cartoons.
Within hours of its release, all three segments were on display
on several YouTube.com
locations. Within a week, dozens of satirical versions were online
and Watchtower critics
worldwide were adding
“Sparlock” to their screen names. There were “Sparlock” T-shirts,
videos, blogs, and even a comic book or two. Before the second week of district assemblies
began, Sparlock and the new DVD video had spread around the
world. In spite of that fact, for the next several weeks, Jehovah’s
Witnesses attending the
assemblies acted like they had never heard of the DVD and vigorously applauded when they
heard an announcement about its release.
The Watchtower Society
embarrassed themselves by issuing and enforcing DMCA takedown notices through YouTube.com , Vimeo, and individual websites. That action
forced critics to reconstitute their
own videos and used the Fair Use Act to create satirical and comedic versions. Technically and
legally the Watchtower won this battle – but ultimately lost the
war against its critics. Dozens of satirical versions of those videos
are still available on
YouTube.com.

June 2012:

On June 14th, an Alameda County Civil Court jury found the Watchtower guilty of protecting
pedophiles and putting children in danger in Kingdom Halls. Candace Conti, a 26-year old
woman molested by an active JW when she was 9 and 10 years old, decided that she would not quietly accept a settlement from
the Watchtower and then go quietly into the night forever keeping her secret. She found a
highly qualified attorney
experienced in these kinds of cases and asked him to file suit –but not to accept any settlement
offers – to expose the truth about the Watchtower’s failure to
protect its own children and to demand that they change their policies. The jury came back with
a verdict of “guilty” and awarded Miss Conti $28 million in combined compensatory and
punitive damages. (This has since been reduced on appeal to $11.8 million.) Miss Conti’s is the first successful case of this kind against the Watchtower. The
pedophile who molested Miss Conti is reported to still be a JW in good standing in a central
California congregation. More
importantly, dozens of secret documents revealing the
Watchtower’s continuing policy of protecting pedophiles and
punishing parents who report criminal activity to the police have been made public. You can
read as well as see and hear Ms.Conti and her attorney tell their
story in detail
: http://ex-jw.com/watchtower-embarrassed-in-court
and
http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/the-watchtower-
punished-society-loses-legal-battle-over-child-abuse-case .

July 2012:

The Watchtower is allegedly attacked by “Anonymous,” an infamous, but often successful,Internet “terrorist.” While no one
is physically hurt by Anonymous’ adventures, he/she/it/them have
had some level of success in getting past passwords and encryption methods to get access to hard drives and databases. In this case, Anonymous claimed to have been able to crack through the
Watchtower’s defenses and access secret databases containing the names of 23,000 alleged pedophiles and other
criminals in Kingdom Halls and in responsible positions among Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the world. It is not clear if this
was a hoax meant to disorient the Watchtower’s IT department, or if it was actually successful.
There was some evidence
presented online that someone had managed to get access to the Watchtower’s database at
some level at one point.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob7vynx8eVg and
http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/jw-org-on-alert-anonymous-attacks-
the-watchtower .

August 2012:

A set of eleven videos
documenting a live discussion about the Candace Conti case are
uploaded to YouTube.com and
several other websites.
Recorded at a private conference held in the San Francisco Bay
area of California, these videos present Candace Conti and her attorney, Rick Simons, as they
describe the events that led up to her historic trial in Oakland,California in May and June.
http://ex-jw.com/candace-conti-videos-now-online .
The Watchtower announces that several foreign branches are
being shut down, combined or moved. One of them is the branch office in Ireland, one of
the oldest European branches.Properties will be sold or transferred. http://jwsurvey.org/
cedars-blog/anthony-morris-iii-attends-2012-special-convention-in-dublin .

September 2012:

The new JW.org website officially goes online. Completely redesigned with a pleasing format and color scheme, the site
offers regular articles, e-book and PDF versions of most current magazines, study aids, and other
publications. It also provides meeting and assembly schedules
and Kingdom Hall addresses and phone numbers. Other
Watchtower domains and
websites are either shutdown all together or redirected to the new website.
The new website introduces ASL (sign language for the deaf)
videos on a host of Jehovah’s Witness doctrines, policies, and
other subjects. One of the ASL videos goes viral on YouTube as the signer describes the Watchtower’s policies and treatment of masturbation. The
videos unintentionally turn out hilarious, especially to non-ASL
viewers. The typically puritanical Watchtower falls back on DMCA
to try to put out the fire, but within days the videos have gone
worldwide and even turn up on comedy TV shows and YouTube sites.
The Watchtower Society’s Legal Department files an appeal in the Candace Conti child molestation
court case in Oakland, California.
The court ruled on portions of the appeal, but orders the
Watchtower to post a bond of nearly $18 million.

October 2012:

In an obvious response to the Candace Conti court case, the Watchtower sends out an “elder
letter” that tries to clarify the “two witness rule.”
Unfortunately, the letter only confuses the subject and reinforces Governing Body and Service Department positions on
reporting suspected child
molesters or criminal acts within a Kingdom Hall or by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
During the Watchtower Society’s annual meeting, they put more emphasis on “obedience” to the
Society and the Governing Body. Then during a series of talks by
several members of the current Governing Body, they explain what the “faithful and discreet
slave” is and what its
responsibilities are. Finally they announce officially that the “faithful slave” is the Governing
Body, not the remaining
members of the “anointed” class.
That makes the Governing Body the most powerful group of men
in Watchtower history and in third place of universal authority
after Jehovah and Jesus Christ.
The Watchtower’s Legal
Department appears before the court in Alameda, California and
tells the court that the
Watchtower is basically “broke” and can not afford to post the
bond. They offer to put up the Society’s property in Patterson,New York as collateral. Conti and
her attorney object to the offer and demand the court order the Watchtower to post a proper bond.

November 2012:
Whitney Heichel, a young
Jehovah’s Witness woman in Gresham, Oregon (near Portland)
disappears after being
kidnapped on her way to work at a local Starbucks coffee shop.
Within a couple of days, local police have a suspect, a weapon,
and Mrs. Heichel’s body.
Surprisingly, the alleged
murderer is a Jehovah’s Witness in the same Kingdom Hall.
According to news reports, Jonathan Holt confessed to the crime but has entered a plea of
“not guilty” in court. A public memorial was held and the local Witnesses turn it into an opportunity to do some public witnessing. Dozens of Bibles and other literature are “placed” at
the memorial site. The non-Witness community provides support and grieves along with
the Witnesses. Several local reporters note that while this display of support is very common among the public when
a tragedy like this occurs,
Jehovah’s Witnesses never come together as a group to show their support in similar cases
involving non-Witnesses. Several members of the public who attended the memorial complain
that “it was less about Whitney and more about them wanting to convert us.” The suspect, Jonathan Holt, is first described by the elders as “an occasional visitor to the
Kingdom Hall.” Turns out that both he and his wife are regular publishers there. According to police, Holt admits to having child pornography on his computer and this is later confirmed. Holt’s wife requests and is granted a
divorce in record time (less than two months). Anonymous Jehovah’s Witnesses in the area
stated that the former Mrs. Holt was told that she can marry again “because when her ex-
husband had sexual relations with Mrs. Heichel before murdering her, he ‘committed fornication’ – thereby making her
free to marry again.” If Holt had only killed Mrs. Heichel, but not forced her to have sexual
relations with him beforehand,
then under strict JW rules, the former Mrs. Holt would not have been free to marry again. To do
so would have made her guilty of fornication. Figure out the Watchtower’s logic with that little bit of “theocratic” policy
making…Anonymous Jehovah’s Witnesses
have also alleged that local elders were aware that Holt had a problem with viewing pornography, but were probably unaware of the fact that his tastes also included child pornography.
Shortly after the Heichel case begins to wind down, another case of child abuse by a
Jehovah’s Witness was reported. A JW sister, if convicted, faces several life terms in Tennessee
for molesting and raping her own children, including one that
is disabled. Surprisingly, she also resides in the Gresham, Oregon
area and is likely considered a “sister in good standing” in a
Kingdom Hall located there –probably the same one that Mrs.Heichel and Jonathan Holt attended.
Later that month, the Appeals Court in the Candace Conti case
told Watchtower Legal that the Patterson headquarters buildings
could not be used as collateral. California law does not allow the use of out-of-state properties. If
they choose to use property as collateral, and the court agrees, the Watchtower might have to put up every Kingdom Hall in the San Francisco Bay area –assuming they can actually prove they have legal ownership. This leads us to wonder if Candace Conti might eventually own the
Menlo Park Kingdom Hall? We can only hope so…
Mark Sanderson, 47, was
confirmed as the eighth member of the current Governing Body (according to the “newest new light” – making him third in line after Jehovah). With his
appointment, and the fact that over 12,000 attendees to the
2012 Memorial Celebration also
partook of the wine and bread emblems, any pretense that qualified acceptance into the
“anointed class” was closed in 1935 by Jehovah has completely
evaporated. This is in spite of the fact that Joseph Rutherford decreed it, Nathan Knorr and Frederick Franz confirmed it –but now it clearly does not apply.
(Poor Hayden Covington!) Local Kingdom Halls may have to buy more wine and crackers to feed
everyone who attends the next(2013) Memorial Celebration.

December 2012:

A tragic bus accident at the International Airport in Miami,Florida took the lives of two Jehovah’s Witnesses on their way
to a local district assembly.
Several others were injured,some seriously. Here is a detailed
news report from a local Miami TV station: http://
www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Hundreds-Pay-Tribute-to-Man-Killed-in-Airport-Crash-182688091.html .
Surprisingly, the Watchtower Society apparently felt this
accident as an important event for Jehovah’s Witnesses was not
particularly newsworthy