For the very first time, Leah Remini and Mike Rinder met with former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In their special 2-hour episode, they invited a panel of contributors to open up and share their personal stories of growing up in the secretive Watchtower organization. The hosts allowed the participants to describe their experiences candidly and without any restrictions.
The audience heard stories of tragedy and loss that included family members who died because they refused blood transfusions. Others told of siblings and parents they lost to suicide; families are torn apart by the practice of disfellowshipping (shunning); the belief that women are inherently inferior; and the organization’s alleged failure to punish child abusers or even to believe in claims of abuse. An audience was in the studio to join Leah and Mike as they learned how another organization (besides Scientology) subverts and exploits belief on an even larger scale than Scientology.
Remini and Mike Rinder interviewed Jehovah’s Witnesses on a very powerful and anguishing episode of Scientology and the Aftermath. The heartbreaking stories of shunning, sexual abuse, and suicide drove us to tears. The courage of Leah’s guests in speaking out proved that they cannot be silenced by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Not unlike the Church of Scientology, the Jehovah’s Witnesses practice the emotional blackmail and the use of shunning to demand that their members place the organization above family and everything else in their lives. Having grown up in the Pentecostal Church, we know what it feels like when the church demands that one surrender all to God lest they face the pain of everlasting Hell and Perdition.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society listed the book value of its assets as $1,451,217,000 on its 2015 IRS Form 990-T. This places the Jehovah’s Witnesses into the same “billion dollars plus” cult status as the Church of Scientology. Click here to see $1.7 billion in Scientology assets.
In its 2013 990-T, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society listed its book value assets as $675,419,000:
The massive increase of $776,095,300 in Watchtower wealth between 2013 and 2015 is accounted for by the sales of extremely valuable Watchtower real estate in New York. The sprawling Watchtower facility located at 25-30 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn sold for a whopping $340 million in cash in 2016.
The Watchtower sold its six-building facility in DUMBO for $375 million. The 2017 sale of the Watchtower’s eleven story building located at 107 Columbia Heights fetched $87.5 million dollars.
Other blockbuster Watchtower real estate sales:
- 21 Clark Street sold for $200 million
- 97 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn Heights sold for $58 million
- 117-125 Columbia Heights sold for $18 million
- 69 Adams Street in Dumbo sold for $65 million
It is worth noting that on Line H of these 990-T’s the Watchtower Tower Bible and Tract Society lists its primary unrelated business activity as “Investment Activities.” So while the rank and file Witnesses are striving to please Jehovah, the big boys at the top have sold over $700 million in prime real estate and plowed that cash into undisclosed investment activities.
The $1.45 billion listed on the Watchtower’s 2015 990-T is only the money we know about. Who knows how much the Watchtower has hidden away since it began doing business in 1884? If you have additional information on Watchtower money please contact me, Jeffrey Augustine, at [email protected]. I am located in Los Angeles if you want a private meeting.
And what does this great wealth do? The same thing as it does it the Church of Scientology: It protects the people at the top from the consequences of their own actions in covering up sexual abuse and protecting sexual predators. It pays for lawyers who work to cover up sexual abuses and human rights abuses. The money also paid for a $28 million court judgment that would never have happened if the “two witness” rule was not in place to protect child molesters.
Predictably, the Church of Scientology attacked Mike and Leah for exposing the evil in the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. The attacks by Scientology only serve to reaffirm the fact that criminals will watch each other backs when they both have a lot to lose.
The original version of this article that was published by The Scientology Money Project provides an expanded version of the Watchtower Society’s 2015 990-T tax document. Please click on the “title” link below to go to that article and inspect the tax document for yourself.
“Below is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society 2015 990-T. This is the most current year available as 990-T’s have a lag factor of 2-3 years. Please hover your cursor over the document to invoke the page up/page down controls at the bottom of the page frame:”
https://scientologymoneyproject.com/2018/11/15/the-watchtower-bible-tract-society-1-45-billion-in-assets/
PLEASE NOTE: The above article was adapted from an announcement and overview article published by A&E. We acknowledge their copyrights to the article and the Leah Remini TV program. Our objective is to advertise and recommend that our readers watch the program for themselves while it is available to North American Television viewers. Once again, this is a link to the original article.
Hi Love the work you and other ex jw’s are doing in exposing this corrupt organization. Once you wake up and leave where to from here as Jehovah and Jesus aren’t to be blamed and still exist. I would appreciate your views as to how to have a relationship with them get baptized etc in a way they approve. I’m sure their are many wondering where to from here once they leave. Doesn’t seem to be much info from ex jw’s about this.
Kindest regards
Des
The governing body and elders need to be held accountable for their actions in hiding all this sexual abuse, suicides, those who have died over the blood issue, money investments, and the way they shun individuals by turning family members against each other. The JW lawyers in the courts of law are well known to lie in front of a judge and also twist things around when asked about shunning and sexual abuse. This organization is all about money, the poor victims that have been abused are not treated properly, the abuses are treated better this is absolutely wrong. How can these cowards hide behind this religion and not feel guilty, while hiding all this evidence from the rank and file in this church. Another topic is baptism how can they baptize people under Jehovah, Jesus, and the spirit appointed organization this is absolutely wrong this is not in the bible.
Hi Mitch
Will look for a Thompson Chain Reference Bible etc.
Beroean Pickets is an excellent place to go to find answers to questions like the above and much more. You can have a personal,individual relationship with our creator and Jesus, who is our reigning king, saviour and mediator, he is the only mediator. Any man made organization replacing Jesus is a fraud.
I quite agree, the 2 witness rule, is a joke there to protect the perpetrator and denounce the victim as a liar.
Jason Neil McIntyre, an elder in the Oakhurst California congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation, is accused of sexually molesting his sister Sarah Renee McIntyre Touchette and cousin Rachael McIntyre several times when they were young.
Both, his congregation, and the North American Branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses have schemed to conceal these acts. His sister Sara lives in Houston Texas, and his cousin Rachael lives in Sacramento California.
It is my hope that both The JW Org and The Southern Baptists convention get a overwhelming backlash for their sexual abuse, extreme sexism towards women and hate towards gay people.
I am surprised this information .. I must accept that everything I learned from the word of God was for this organization … but has the approval of Jehovah is as the scripture says if it is of men will not bear fruit but if it is of God there will be no one who can very with her … ..it’s my opinion … I’m very confused ..
Me sorprende está información..debo aceptar que todo lo que aprendí dela palabra de Dios fue por esta organización…sino tiene la aprobación de Jehová está como dice la escritura si es de hombres no fructificara pero si es de Dios no habrá quien por mucho pueda con ella…..es mi opinión… estoy muy desconcertado..
The most important efforts you can make to help people who are still associated with the Watchtower Society [=Jehovah`s Witnesses] and may be wavering is to direct them or better take them to study decent intelligent Bible study in a mainstream [Non-R.C. because of so much reported sexual abuse by priests ] Christian church where one is encouraged NOT to leave their brains at the church door. Try this book by Peter Enns :”The Bible Tells Me So; why defending scripture has made us unable to read it.” Fundamentalist or literalist groups will likely be just as bad and as disappointing as the WTS
Everyone please look into the you tube channel ‘Isaiah30v8’and watch the video under the title ‘governing body really are the rulers of gods people’
This will show real scriptural evidence who really is the ‘man of lawlessness.’ All those exjw’s and others who have been disfellowshiped and treated like dirt by the jw organization because of your stand for Jehovah and Jesus be rest assured that this has not gone unnoticed by them they love all of you’s for this. Please pass on this video to your loved ones,your friends,exjw’s, jw’s, because Jesus Christ himself is looking forward to bringing justice. Thankyou