Browse Topics
- Barbara Anderson (48)
- Contributed Articles (21)
- Government Investigations (47)
- AU Royal Commission (33)
- UK Charity Commission (6)
- Legal & Lawsuits (58)
- Court Documents (33)
- Zalkin (15)
- News (220)
- Did You Know? (36)
- Featured News (157)
- Video (53)
- Publications (1)
- Recommended (4)
- Spanish (12)
- Watchtower (286)
- Celebrities (3)
- Child Abuse (3)
- Child Sex Abuse (173)
- Doctrines & Policies (90)
- Blood Policy (8)
- Education (2)
- Shunning (33)
- Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses (43)
- Life Stories (28)
- History & Leaders (42)
- Governing Body (5)
- Jehovah's Witnesses (21)
- Secrets & Scandals (28)
Search WatchtowerDocuments.org
Read Recent Posts
- Study: Kids who’ve been assaulted more likely to develop mental illness
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 first year after an incident, research suggests. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open on Wednesday, looked at the medical records of… Read more: Study: Kids who’ve been assaulted more likely to develop mental illness - Charges put focus on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ handling of abuse
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
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 where he became a JW in 1988 at age 16 and a regular pioneer while in high school. Around 1992, Efrain began… 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
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 broke down, and confided to her parents. They alerted elders, the equivalent of parish priests, at the kingdom hall where the family… 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.
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 criminal charges against five Pennsylvania men for the sexual assault and exploitation of children. In each case, the defendants and their victims… 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?
Note: The following story has since been updated. It has been confirmed that this is a “former community member” —another shocking incident likely related to shunning and mental health issues. The mother was seven months pregnant. Officers of the peace are reported to have found people with gunshot wounds on the ground floor, and heard a shot from an upper floor and found a… 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
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 more information. Map of Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of child sex abuse in Pennsylvania provided by thesilenceofthelambsand.me/map. - Washington lawmakers propose bill requiring clergy to report child abuse
“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 InvestigateWest. Watch Sara Young, a survivor of child sex abuse as a Jehovah’s Witness, testify on behalf of the bill. Currently, Washington… 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
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 Norway due to their treatment of children, and their religious positions regarding the freedom of expression & religion of former members. The… 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
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 Department Hazardous Material Unit is currently investigating suspicious devices found at the scene,” and that police are interviewing witnesses as part of… 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
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 on the charge of sexual assault on a child sheds light on the case, with allegations stretching back for decades and claims… 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
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 private shopping centers violates free speech. You’ll also find them set up witnessing at the DMV. “That’s pretty lame. JWs, and not… Read more: Reactions to Jehovah’s Witnesses at Disney, otherwise known as the happiest place on earth
Watch Videos
- Barbara Anderson Interviews Efrain Rivera about his life as a JW
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 where he became a JW in 1988 at age 16 and a regular pioneer while in high school. Around 1992, Efrain began… Read more: Barbara Anderson Interviews Efrain Rivera about his life as a JW - 5 more Jehovah’s Witnesses charged with sexually abusing children are arrested in Pennsylvania
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 more information. Map of Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of child sex abuse in Pennsylvania provided by thesilenceofthelambsand.me/map. - Shocking Murder-Suicide at Kingdom Hall in Colorado
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 Department Hazardous Material Unit is currently investigating suspicious devices found at the scene,” and that police are interviewing witnesses as part of… 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
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 on the charge of sexual assault on a child sheds light on the case, with allegations stretching back for decades and claims… Read more: Eight victims listed in sexual assault on a child case against Jehovah’s Witness elder - Pennsylvania & Norway news updates
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 on in Norway with government funding versus the Watchtower’s practice of shunning children, and women ‘apostates’ deserving of support and recognition making… Read more: Pennsylvania & Norway news updates - Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announces charges against four Jehovah’s Witnesses for sexual abuse of minors
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 with sexually violating them are all members of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” AG Shapiro said. “These children deserved to be protected and grow up… Read more: Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announces charges against four Jehovah’s Witnesses for sexual abuse of minors - Video to watch the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, in English or Russian
- OSCE 2022 Update: Governing Body Listens & Leaves
“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 not know me. But after my speech, he immediately understood who I was and left.” We started a Go Fund Me page… Read more: OSCE 2022 Update: Governing Body Listens & Leaves - 💜 A Message of love and support to our brave and courageous 🇺🇦 Ukrainian friends & family, from Barbara Anderson
Worldwide activist and Watchtower archivist Barbara Anderson shares a message from the exJW community supporting our friends and family in Ukraine. - Local Jehovah’s Witness Child Molester Goes on to Attend Insurrection
Reporting by Amanda Gailey, SeeingRedNebraska.com Court documents show that elders at Crowl’s church–The Belmont Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lincoln–had “investigated” the abuse claim in 2013, just to see if Crowl was in need of spiritual assistance. According to the documents, one of the church elders, James Newman, claimed that Crowl had denied touching the little girl’s breasts but admitted to massaging her and… Read more: Local Jehovah’s Witness Child Molester Goes on to Attend Insurrection - 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 to do this—in spite of their reported bad behavior. And all of this is kept secret in your local community. 2022: This… Read more: 2002 Dateline Exposé - 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 for his death. Michael took his life, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Michael had worked for Tullahoma City Schools for 22 years,… Read more: Michael’s Story