Watchtower Documents - Watchtower Documents

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.

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.

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_{Please note: This site was recently compromised and damaged. While the site is being restored, several of the news articles may be more easily found on Barbara Anderson’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.anderson.56863221}

_{Also note that many links to original news sources may have changed and become unavailable.}

Shocking Doctrinal Changes in 2024 Governing Body Update #2
by historyofthewtbts
March 27, 2024
Revised interpretations of three scriptures prompt organizational changes, accompanied by a recent decision regarding dress attire made by the Governing Body (aka Jehovah). From: https://avoidjw.org/news/shocking-changes-2024-gb-update-2/ Written by Miss Usato first published March 15, 2024 On March 15th, 2024, Governing Body Member Mark… Read more: Shocking Doctrinal Changes in 2024 Governing Body Update #2
Barbara Anderson interviews Kerry Kaye on Six Screens, Saturday March 16
by historyofthewtbts
March 15, 2024
Study: Kids who’ve been assaulted more likely to develop mental illness
by Barbara Anderson
August 26, 2023
By Erin Blakemore August 19, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT Children and adolescents who have been physically assaulted are nearly twice as likely as their peers to develop mental illness after the assault — and the risk is even higher in the… Read more: Study: Kids who’ve been assaulted more likely to develop mental illness
Charges put focus on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ handling of abuse
by historyofthewtbts
August 26, 2023
Pennsylvania grand jury in recent months accused nine men with connections to the Jehovah’s Witnesses of child sexual abuse
Barbara Anderson Interviews Efrain Rivera about his life as a JW
by Barbara Anderson
August 19, 2023
On Saturday, August 19, 2023, at 4:45 Central Standard Time, 5:45 EST, Barbara interviewed a former JW, Efrain Rivera, who has a fascinating story to share about his life as a JW. Efrain, a native New Yorker was raised in Puerto Rico… Read more: Barbara Anderson Interviews Efrain Rivera about his life as a JW
‘We bought a shredder’: Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of destroying teen’s sexual abuse records
by historyofthewtbts
July 17, 2023
Read the full story from the Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription), or MSN.com (free). In a lawsuit, Sarah Brooks says she faced retaliation from Witness leaders after she was sexually assaulted by two adults. The abuse lasted for more than a year, until Brooks… Read more: ‘We bought a shredder’: Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of destroying teen’s sexual abuse records
5 men used religious community to find victims, attorney general says—criminal charges filed.
by historyofthewtbts
July 16, 2023
Victims and defendants in all five cases were members of Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations; arrests follow sexual abuse charges against nine different members of Jehovah’s Witness congregations in October 2022 and February 2023 PHILADELPHIA– Attorney General Michelle Henry today announced the filing of… Read more: 5 men used religious community to find victims, attorney general says—criminal charges filed.
8 dead. What’s wrong in the JW community?
by historyofthewtbts
March 9, 2023
Note: The following story has since been updated. It has been confirmed that this is a “former community member” —a shocking incident. The mother was seven months pregnant. Officers of the peace are reported to have found people with gunshot wounds on… Read more: 8 dead. What’s wrong in the JW community?
5 more Jehovah’s Witnesses charged with sexually abusing children are arrested in Pennsylvania
by historyofthewtbts
February 7, 2023
Acting Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced sexual abuse charges against five members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, while four other Jehovah’s Witnesses were charged for similar acts in October 2022 by former Attorney General now-Governor Josh Shapiro. Read the press release for… Read more: 5 more Jehovah’s Witnesses charged with sexually abusing children are arrested in Pennsylvania
Washington lawmakers propose bill requiring clergy to report child abuse
by historyofthewtbts
February 7, 2023
“Senate Bill 5280, and its companion bill in the state House (HB 1098), would make it illegal for clergy not to report sexual abuse allegations to authorities unless the information came in the form of a confession,” explains Wilson Criscione reporting for… Read more: Washington lawmakers propose bill requiring clergy to report child abuse
Norway’s decision to deny Jehovah’s Witnesses state support subsidies as a religious community
by historyofthewtbts
December 27, 2022
The Religious Communities Act is essentially a subsidy act where the financial subsidy for Jehovah’s Witnesses’ 12,686 members last year amounted to approximately NOK 16 million. Under the Religious Communities Act, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are no longer a legally registered community in… Read more: Norway’s decision to deny Jehovah’s Witnesses state support subsidies as a religious community
Shocking Murder-Suicide at Kingdom Hall in Colorado
by historyofthewtbts
December 26, 2022
Christmas morning was shocking in this typically quiet suburban Denver, Colorado neighborhood. A former Jehovah’s witness man shot and killed his wife then killed himself on Christmas at the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in Thornton, Colorado, police said. The “Adams County Sheriff’s… Read more: Shocking Murder-Suicide at Kingdom Hall in Colorado
Eight victims listed in sexual assault on a child case against Jehovah’s Witness elder
by historyofthewtbts
December 21, 2022
Colorado’s Teller County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Shawn Lance Swisher on Tuesday, a 60-year-old Jehovah’s Witness man, an elder, who is suspected of sexually assaulting a child in the Woodland Park area. “An arrest affidavit for a Florissant man arrested… Read more: Eight victims listed in sexual assault on a child case against Jehovah’s Witness elder
Reactions to Jehovah’s Witnesses at Disney, otherwise known as the happiest place on earth
by historyofthewtbts
December 21, 2022
In California, the Watchtower’s Jehovah’s Witnesses are allowed to set up their ‘witnessing’ tables with absolutely nothing Disney can do about it due to Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, a 1980 Supreme Court case that found that discriminately preventing public campaigning or proselytizing at… Read more: Reactions to Jehovah’s Witnesses at Disney, otherwise known as the happiest place on earth
Pennsylvania & Norway news updates
by historyofthewtbts
December 9, 2022
Stephen Unthank dives into an interview with the popular exJW YouTuber who goes by the alias ‘Goatlike Personality’ covering recent news updates from the case in Pennsylvania with recently elected Governor and former Attorney General Josh Shapiro, as well as what’s going… Read more: Pennsylvania & Norway news updates
Norway update from OSCE delegate post-2022 conference
by historyofthewtbts
December 4, 2022
Re: Norway and the Watchtower’s new European “Freedom of Worship Office” This opening of this new ‘office’ in Europe appears to be the Watchtower’s answer to being exposed as a worldwide anti-human rights organization at the 2022 OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw,… Read more: Norway update from OSCE delegate post-2022 conference
Tokyo woman and rapper confront the need for Jehovah’s Witness children to be able to communicate religious harm, asks for government cooperation
by historyofthewtbts
November 26, 2022
“…children find themselves in dire situations where it is virtually impossible to speak their minds…” iidabii, Japanese rapper uses words to cure ills of abusive religious upbringing, as former Jehovah’s Witness—Mainichi Lloyd Barry, now deceased, served as a missionary in Japan for… Read more: Tokyo woman and rapper confront the need for Jehovah’s Witness children to be able to communicate religious harm, asks for government cooperation
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announces charges against four Jehovah’s Witnesses for sexual abuse of minors
by historyofthewtbts
October 27, 2022
All of the defendants’ victims were minors, as well as members of Jehovah’s Witness congregations. “These cases are disturbing, the allegations hard to imagine, and all share one common tie – the 19 victims and the four men who are being charged… Read more: Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announces charges against four Jehovah’s Witnesses for sexual abuse of minors
Six Screens covers OSCE
by historyofthewtbts
October 24, 2022
Hear Barbara Anderson tell the story about how Yergali Abishev ended up an activist for human rights.
“Anyone who works with children and does not report child sexual abuse should be prosecuted”
by historyofthewtbts
October 22, 2022
Former prime minister Theresa May told BBC News she had “no idea” of the scale of child abuse when she set up the inquiry in 2015. The public inquiry was given a broad remit to investigate historical allegations of child abuse, dating… Read more: “Anyone who works with children and does not report child sexual abuse should be prosecuted”
How Washington State Law Lets Clergy Hide Child Sexual Abuse
by historyofthewtbts
October 22, 2022
In Washington, clergy — unlike teachers, physicians, and law enforcement — are not listed as mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect. In 1975, Washington lawmakers removed clergy members from its mandatory reporter list leaving the state with one of the nation’s… Read more: How Washington State Law Lets Clergy Hide Child Sexual Abuse
Video to watch the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, in English or Russian
by historyofthewtbts
October 7, 2022
OSCE 2022 Update: Governing Body Listens & Leaves
by historyofthewtbts
October 6, 2022
“Yes, I saw [Geoffrey] Jackson at the plenary. He entered the hall 5 minutes before my speech. He did not speak, and immediately after my speech, he disappeared. I really wanted to take a picture with him, since he most likely did… Read more: OSCE 2022 Update: Governing Body Listens & Leaves
Raising Funds to Send Delegate to OSCE
by historyofthewtbts
October 2, 2022
We will share reporting from WatchtowerDocuments.org after the #OSCE event provided by Yergali Abishev, your special delegate sent to Warsaw, Poland with the support of your generous donation. “In 2019, it became known that Jehovah’s Witnesses are using the political platform of… Read more: Raising Funds to Send Delegate to OSCE

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.

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