November AAWAke! Plus New Media

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AAWA is pleased to announce that a new edition of AAWAke! is now available on our Newsletter page as a PDF to download or for reading online.

Featured articles in the November issue include descriptions of our plans to improve this website and to expand its reach. Our goal is to introduce some new features over the next few weeks and then announce a major redesign of this website sometime during the first quarter of 2014.

Video Expansion

One new feature that we are very excited about is a planned expansion of our Media resources. AAWA will continue to produce original videos that focus on our five “core issues” (Watchtower’s shunning, child abuse, domestic abuse, restrictions on higher education, and medical uses of blood). In addition we will be expanding our collections to include videos produced by non-AAWA groups and individuals. We know that there is a treasure trove of exceptionally well-made material just waiting for us to introduce to our readers. Here is one example:

Brad Zook loves Jehovah’s Witnesses…

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My Journey Out of Cognitive Dissonance

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Base photo: Gerd Altmann; Pixbay.com, Creative Commons License

Undoing Watchtower programming – An often painful process…

“What was it that made you leave Jehovah’s Witnesses?”

That is a question often asked by individuals who have just left the organization. At the time of my departure my answer would have included a laundry list of supposed reasons – absolutely none relating to the religion to which I was enslaved: marriage, my in-laws, work, too much pressure, and illness.

That was my programmed mind making up reasons that would reconcile with what I thought was “the truth.” I thought I must have been a “bad person,” someone “spiritually weak,” in order to have any of those things affect me to the point of experiencing an emotional breakdown.

Looking back, I now understand that I was unable to face the truth that my life was a lie every single day. When I finally couldn’t do it anymore I broke inside.

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A Few Updates About Our Volunteers and Projects

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While it may seem that things have slowed down a bit on the AAWA front, I can assure you that we have definitely not been idle. Let me share just a few examples:

  • We have made some excellent networking connections with other successful non-profit action groups;
  • Heard, listened to and acted on some very good ideas from our volunteers; and
  • Came up with and began implementing a well-thought out plan of action for the next six months.

Mickey Hudson’s update on AAWA’s recent successes and future projects…

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Children in Harm’s Way: Watchtower & Sexual Abuse

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Children are a priceless gift to be nurtured and protected by loving, caring adults. Unfortunately, one of our most vulnerable populations is suffering every day at the hands of abusers hiding behind policies that protect criminals more than children.

The Watch Tower Society’s “two witness rule” is at the heart of many abuse cover-ups within the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Inexperienced “elders” attempt to deal with these cases in secretive “judicial meetings” rather than letting them be handled by designated and properly qualified legal authorities. In recent months, nearly a dozen new lawsuits have been filed in the United States against the Watch Tower Society for covering up child molestation.[Link]

By sharing the very personal story of Stephanie Hammond, a team of AAWA advocates have produced a short video explaining how this Watchtower policy has been used to protect child abusers. Stephanie has shared her story publicly (read here) to let others know how devastating the Watchtower’s policy can be to innocent children.


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AAWA – The Next Six Months

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AAWA's 6-month PlanJust six months ago, when AAWA first went public, our primary focus was on structuring an organization that would educate the non-Jehovah’s Witness world community about how the Watch Tower Society abuses the human rights of many of its members. In particular we wanted to focus on the effects on the children of members and ex-members. Now it is time for AAWA and its scores of active volunteers to expand our reach and increase our effectiveness.

Our Action Plan

Within the past six months we have made our presence known, developed excellent relationships with other like-minded organizations, and provided support and friendship to those seeking help for themselves or those they love. While proud of our accomplishments, we feel that we still have much more to do and can do it better. That is why the next six months will be important as we direct and expand our focus toward other effective strategies that include:

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I’m Proud I Went to College!

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Contributed to AAWA by Brock Talon

I am very proud I went to college! And, in spite of what most Jehovah’s Witnesses might think, I’m sure I did the right thing.

Okay, I apologize for appearing to be “bragging.” I don’t normally do that kind of thing because I’m a private person. Very few people know anything about me or my personal business.

On the other hand, there are times when things need to be said to make a point, and that’s what I’ve done in my new book, Journey to God’s House.

What am I talking about? It’s about higher education, career fulfillment, income, net worth, equity and retirement. That’s what. These are dirty words to the average Jehovah’s Witness – but not to me. You see, I’ve had a measure of success in these areas despite growing up a Jehovah’s Witness.

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Reason on the Facts

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Nov 1 2012 - WTPracticing what they preach has never been a virtue of the Watch Tower Society! That fact was reaffirmed in capital letters in the November 2012 issue of the The Watchtower magazine in an article titled, “Is Religious Faith an Emotional Crutch?” The reasonable (but damning) piece of evidence reads:

“Really, how foolish it would be to accept an idea as true without checking the facts! That would be like covering our eyes and trying to cross a busy street just because someone tells us to do it.”

Yet, the Watch Tower Society turns a blind eye to facts every day in the name of faith. In so doing, they harm its followers who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, their non-believing family members, and the community at large.

To prove my point, I would like to share the following facts:

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Why We Need to Act Now to Protect Against
Mind-Control Religions

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In most western-world countries, laws protect consumers from fraud and unethical business practices. But to date, there are no laws on the books that recognize destructive mind control, much less prohibit the use of it by cult-like religious groups. However, if my colleague Steven Hassan, the pioneer of exit counseling for cult members and a critically acclaimed author, and thousands of other ex-cult members have any say about it, that may soon change.

The mind, despite all of its strengths, depends on a stream of coherent information for it to function properly. Put a person into an environment where the senses are overloaded with incoherent information and the mind becomes numb. In this confused state, critical thinking skills don’t work and the mind becomes suggestible to those who would replace an individual’s self-interest with the group’s best interests.

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