Episode 257: Jehovah's Witnesses - Part 1

Whether you have been handed a brochure or answered their knock at your door, this small but prevalent group has operated in our society since its inception in the late 1800s. With over 200 locations worldwide, there’s likely a Kingdom Hall near you. But what exactly is going on inside? This week’s episode is Jehovah's Witnesses - Part 1.

Documentaries and Docuseries

• Bearing Witness (Australia's Four Corners episode): https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-Witness-Adam-Harvey/dp/B09RQXFQSJ

• Crusaders (Documentary from VICE Versa): https://tubitv.com/series/300009040/vice-versa-crusaders

• The Witnesses (2-part documentary): https://www.amazon.com/The-Witnesses-Season-1/dp/B084TDMXC8

Books

• A to Z of JWs: https://www.amazon.com/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Guide-George-Chryssides/dp/0810868911

• Deliverance at Hand: The Redemption of A Devout Jehovah's Witness by James Zimmerman: https://www.amazon.com/Deliverance-Hand-Redemption-Jehovahs-Witness/dp/0988493802

• The Four Major Cults by Anthony A. Hoekema: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Major-Cults-Christian-Seventh-day/dp/0802804454

• The Trumpet of Prophecy: A Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses by James A. Beckford: https://www.amazon.com/Trumpet-Prophecy-Sociological-Jehovahs-Witnesses/dp/0631163107

News Articles and Websites

• A Man's Journey in Leaving Jehovah's Witnesses, BestofRedditorUpdates: https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/comments/112qo9k/a_mans_journey_in_leaving_jehovahs_witness_part_2/

• Blood Transfusion in Children: The Refusal of Jehovah’s Witness Parents’, Open Medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5900417/

• Child welfare vs. parental religious views: What do pediatricians do when parents refuse life-saving care for their child?, American Academy of Pediatrics: https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/article-abstract/32/5/20/9433/Child-welfare-vs-parental-religious-viewsWhat-do?redirectedFrom=fulltext?autologincheck=redirected

• Classification Systems in Nazi Concentration Camps, US Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/classification-system-in-nazi-concentration-camps

• exJW Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/

• Japan Lawyers to Report on Religion-Based Refusal of Blood Transfusions for Kids, The Japan News: https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20230227-93835/

• Jehovah’s Witnesses to launch special edition of ‘Watchtower’, The Marietta Times: https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2023/09/jehovahs-witnesses-to-launch-special-edition-of-watchtower/

• Judge orders doctors to give Jehovah’s Witness girl blood transfusion against her parents’ wishes, Independent UK: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jehovahs-witness-blood-transfusion-doctor-judge-ruling-girl-leeds-nhs-trust-religion-a8977066.html

• Judge rules Jehovah’s Witness boy can receive blood transfusion, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/08/judge-rules-jehovahs-witness-boy-blood-transfusion

• How the Jehovah's Witnesses Destroyed My Brother's Life, BaseCamp on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpNBQ1lsBTE

• Risks and Legal Issues in Caring for Minor Jehovah’s Witness Patients, American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM): https://forum.ashrm.org/2018/03/29/risks-and-legal-issues-in-caring-for-minor-jehovahs-witness-patients/

• Secrets of the Watchtower, Reveal News: https://revealnews.org/podcast/secrets-of-the-watchtower/

• The ex-Jehovah's Witnesses shunned by their families, BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40704990

• The Pediatric Jehovah's Witness and Other Dilemmas, UCLA Geffen School of Medicine: https://www2.pedsanesthesia.org/meetings/2010winter/syllabus/pdfs/refcourses/fri/The%20Pediatric%20Jehovahs%20Witness%20and%20Other%20Dilemmas%20SPA%20Syllabus%20-%20Wald.pdf

• “The Right to Shun: Ghent’s Misguided Jehovah’s Witness Decision”, Canopy Forum: https://canopyforum.org/2021/04/19/the-right-to-shun-ghents-misguided-jehovahs-witness-decision/

• Watchtower's View of Women, JW Facts: https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/womens-place-jehovahs-witnesses.php

• Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? A religion scholar explains the history of the often misunderstood group, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/who-are-jehovahs-witnesses-a-religion-scholar-explains-the-history-of-the-often-misunderstood-group-201617

Jehovah's Witness and Watchtower Publications 

• A National “Day of Thanks”—The Dream and the Reality, Awake!—1976, JW.org: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101976842?q=thanksgiving&p=doc

• Be Loyal When a Relative is Disfellowshipped, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/jw-meeting-workbook/september-2017-mwb/meeting-schedule-sept18-24/loyal-when-relative-disfellowshipped/

• "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence", Zion's Watch Tower, February 1881.

• College Education—A Preparation for What? Awake!—1987, JW.org: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101987004?q=college&p=doc

• Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Shun Those Who Used to Belong to Their Religion?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/shunning/

• "Giving Reproof "Before All Onlookers"". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. December 1, 1976. p. 733.

• Is the World Coming to an End? What Is the Apocalypse?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/series/more-topics/bible-apocalypse-world-end/

• How to Keep Separate From the World, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/in-gods-love/keep-separate-from-the-world/

• Is the World Coming to an End? What Is the Apocalypse?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/series/more-topics/bible-apocalypse-world-end/

•  "Keep Submitting to "the Spirit that Is Life-Giving"". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. September 15, 1987.

• Loyally Uphold Jehovah’s Judgments (Video), JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODBiblePrinciples/pub-jwbcov_201605_3_VIDEO

• Male and Female He Created Them, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1997, JW.org: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1997443?q=feminism&p=doc

• Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Organized-to-Do-Jehovahs-Will/

• Overseers of Jehovah’s People, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1957: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1957446

• "Repentance Leading Back to God". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. September 1, 1981. pp. 22–27.

• Second Thoughts About a College Education, Awake!—1971, JW.org: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101971400?q=college&p=doc

• The Christmas Tree—Its Pre-Christian Origin, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/g201112/The-Christmas-Tree-Its-Pre-Christian-Origin/

• "The Present Crisis", The Watch Tower, September 1, 1914.

• The Women’s Movement—What Has Happened to It?, Awake!—1988: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101988522?q=feminism&p=doc#h=1

•  Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/birthdays/

• What Does Bible Chronology Indicate About the Year 1914?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/daniel-4-bible-chronology-1914/

• What Does the Bible Say About Blood Transfusions?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-about-blood-transfusion/

• What Does the Bible Say About Christmas?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-about-christmas/

• What Is the Battle of Armageddon?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/battle-of-armageddon/

• What Is the Sign of “the Last Days,” or “End Times”?, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/last-days-sign-end-times-prophecies/

• YOUNG PEOPLE ASK What Should I Know About Sexual Assault?​—Part 1: Precautions, JW.org: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/teenagers/ask/sexual-assault-precautions/