Barbara Anderson was a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses from 1954 to 1997. Working at the Watchtower’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Joe from 1982 to 1992, she researched and wrote articles for the Awake! magazine, as well as researched the movement’s official history published in 1993 as “Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom”.
Barbara’s discoveries at Bethel and her extensive research on issues related to child sexual abuse in the religion lead to her becoming an outspoken critic of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ sexual abuse policies on major TV and radio programs.
Search the site
Browse Topics
Read Recent
- 2002 Dateline Exposé
Watch as Barbara begins the crusade against the Watchtower as Dateline reporters clearly demonstrate how Jehovah’s Witness child molesters and pedophiles continue to attend meetings and participate in the door-to-door preaching work in your community. They are not only allowed—but even encouraged - A little blue bird is tweet, tweeting about California… have you heard?
JW elders in California say their hands are tied by state law when it comes to reporting "admitted pedophiles" because they risk facing jail time.They're willing to face jail for free speech and freedom of faith, but not when it comes to - North Okanagan Jehovah’s Witnesses ordered to hand over private records
A former North Okanagan Jehovah’s Witness has scored a minor legal victory in getting the religious organization to hand over personal information it holds about them, following a ruling from B.C.’s privacy commissioner. The Coldstream Jehovah’s Witness Congregation had refused to hand - Follow the Telegraph’s Investigations team on their year-long hunt into the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Introducing Call Bethel, a new Telegraph podcast In August 2021, an email arrives in the Telegraph’s investigations inbox claiming the Jehovah’s Witnesses have a hidden database of alleged abusers. The reporters start on the trail… Brave whistleblowers. A trail of data. A - Listening to Lacie Jones
Lacie Jones suffered abuse at the hands of her stepfather: ‘He was seen as a very pious man, a very moral man’. Listen to the story of Lacie Jones in this new Telegraph podcast that investigates the inside story of child sexual - Religious organisation has kept details of molestation accusations over the last 25 years at its headquarters
One such allegation was from Lacie Jones, pictured as a child, whose stepfather, a senior Jehovah’s Witness, was recently jailed for abusing her when she was younger. The Jehovah’s Witness organisation has amassed a secret database of child sexual abuse allegations against - Michael’s Story
This video is hard to watch as Michael tells his small town story. Midway through this video we learn from Jeff, who has never been a Jehovah’s Witness, that he had become friends with Michael since this interview—and he blames the Watchtower - Barbara Anderson’s Diary
Barbara is truly a heroic individual to those of us who feel strongly about the abuses of Watchtower and seeing them brought to the light. Twenty years ago today, Barbara appeared on Dateline and launched the exposé uncovering the hidden documents the - La Gobernadora Hochul Firma La Ley De Sobrevivientes Adultos
Faculta a los sobrevivientes de delitos sexuales que ocurrieron cuando tenían más de 18 años para presentar una demanda independientemente de cuándo ocurrió el abuso La ventana retrospectiva de un año comienza seis meses después de la firma La Gobernadora Kathy Hochul firmó hoy - Statute of Limitations eliminated for 1 Year in New York to file civil lawsuits against sexual abusersPlease share this news with everyone you know——let all the New Yorkers hear worldwide: The Adult Survivors Act gives a one-year window to file a lawsuit after the statute of limitations has passed. This act has eliminated the New York Statute of
- Have you signed the Change.org petition?
Sadly, most Jehovah’s Witnesses live in fear of the Watchtower organization—at least when it comes to freedom of expression, especially in matters which are considered to “bring reproach upon Jehovah’s name.” Past and present members of this worldwide society hide their identities - Say Sorry Stalker Special Court Orders
Press release by Steven Unthank, Say Sorry, 16 March 2022. The stalker, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness who describes herself as a “celebrity”, a supporter of survivors of child sexual abuse, and an “advocate for law reform”, was found to have “followed and stalked - Watch Tower Drops Its Effort to Identify a Dissident Blogger Based on Spurious Copyright Claims
Read the full story as covered by Paul Alan Levy, Public Citizen. Excerpt I wrote about this case after we first told the Court why Watch Tower could not prevail on an infringement action, or on a motion for leave to identify our client - New book recommendation “Rutherford’s Coup: The Watchtower Succession Crisis of 1917 and Its Aftermath” by Rud Persson
Raised a Baptist, in 1906, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, a provincial Missouri attorney with a shrewd and scheming legal mind, became a baptized “Bible Student.” In 1907, Rutherford became the legal counselor for the group’s legally chartered corporation, the Watch Tower Bible and - Currículum Betel de Barbara
Durante el último par de años, muchas personas me han pedido que comparta mi currículum del Departamento de Redacción y, básicamente, es por eso que estoy escribiendo esto. Espero que el conocimiento de lo que hice en Betel, ayude a los Testigos - Watch “Formerly Fundamentalist” by Mike Musikanto — Official Selection Bushwick Film Festival 2020
- Cult Girls, based on a true story
After many years of seeing countless struggling good woman being treated so poorly (better off dead) by their family and once close friends, I felt the need for healing comedic and having a colorful educational tale of the wacky upbringing, JW marriage - Latvia Threatens to “Liquidate” the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Folkmanis mentions, with an approving attitude, that “in Russia the Jehovah’s Witnesses are recognized as an extremist organization and their activities are banned,” and uses the Russian standard argument that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are “extremist” because they believe that theirs is “the - Was Pastor Charles Taze Russell a Freemason?
Considerable evidence demonstrates that Charles Taze Russell (CTR hereafter) was not a member of the Freemasons. Examining the Pastor’s own words about Freemasonry; Considering a requirement for membership as published in the Encyclopedia Britannica, proving Freemason membership for CTR was impossible; Examining - Unite to Shine a Light
#jworg #jwmemorial2022 #jwfriends #jwfamily #ttatt #jwpimos and #loveistruth22 “I am one of the thousands of current and former JWs who believe that love is truth. (Mt 22:37-39) Any policy that is unloving cannot be true. (Mt 9:13) This is a global petition - Royal Commission into ‘Abuse in Care’ now expanded to include Jehovah’s Witnesses
“The Royal Commission is exploring how people in care were abused by the institutions meant to protect them. This includes physical, sexual, psychological and racist abuse.” There won’t be public hearings, but findings of the expanded investigation will be released before June - Wife killer refuses cake and celebrating birthday having become a Jehovah’s Witness behind bars
Wife killer Joe O’Reilly in Dublin, Ireland has found God behind bars and is refusing to celebrate his 50th birthday because of his strict faith. To become a Jehovah’s Witness, O’Reilly had to pass a number of tests. His murder conviction would - Italian Court Sides with the Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding Disfellowshipping and “Ostracism”
A local Jehovah’s Witness entered into a conflict with the organization, presumably for doctrinal reasons, as the decision referred to 2 John 1:7, 9, and 10. He rejected the help that elders offered and, after deciding not to appear before an ecclesiastical - Prácticas severas de rechazo
por Donald Alderman Read “Harsh Shunning Practices” by Donald Alderman (2010, PDF) Las prácticas severas de rechazo son parte de muchas religiones. Por ejemplo, durante miles de años, la gente de la India estaba separada en cuatro clases hereditarias principales o castas
Watchtower Archive
Barbara Anderson has a massive collection of documents, letters, and books representing nearly every decade since the 1830s. Her collection includes many old and long out-of-print volumes written by both supporters and critics of the Watch Tower Society and its founders.