How to Help

Many former Jehovah’s Witnesses ask how they can help get the word out about what really goes on behind the scenes of this religion. There are many ways that you can raise awareness and help the victims of Watchtower policy, including:

Distribute Flyers, Cards, and Other Materials

Jehovah’s Witnesses spend millions if not billions of hours every year distributing their own material, so why not do the same? Flyers, cards, and other printed adverts can alert outsiders to the potential dangers of becoming one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and can also help to open the eyes of JWs as to what really goes on in their own religion.

Click here for the page of flyers and cards you can print off and hand out or leave in public places.

Flyers can do a world of good in warning others.

Flyers can help warn others and open the eyes of JWs.

Advertise

Advertising the hurtful policies of the Watchtower Society can also bring awareness to others. Bumper stickers, key chains, tote bags, and items like these can be noticed by anyone and everyone with whom you come into contact.

Click here to visit the JWvictims.org store on CafePress.

bumper_bumper_bumper_sticker

Contact Stores, Flea Markets, and College Campuses

More frequently than ever, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been seen setting up their literature carts and tables at stores, flea markets (bazaars), and on college campuses. If it bothers you to see them being allowed to do this, you can print off either of the letters I’ve attached and send them to the store owner or manager or to a school campus. Feel free to edit the letters however you see fit and send it anonymously if you prefer.

Click letter to universities for a letter you might send to a college or university.

Click letter to markets for a letter you might send to a store, flea market, or other business.

Watchtower Victims Memorial Day

How does participating in our Watchtower Victims Memorial Day help our advocacy and awareness movement? For one thing, it lets victims still inside the religion know that they have support from outsiders, so if they’re considering leaving they may feel as if they have a safe place to go. It also lets the Watchtower Society know that the world is fully aware of their hurtful and hateful policies. Additionally, by leaving your memorial in a public place it can be seen by others, calling attention to those policies and their victims.

Remember that our Memorial Day is not just for ex-JWs, so don’t hesitate to invite supportive family and friends, fellow church members, coworkers, and anyone to join in with you or on their own. You might also advertise the event with support groups or by running off the flyers on the link above and posting it on bulletin boards or elsewhere.

Click here for the Memorial Day website, or follow the link above.

Share Your Thoughts and Experiences

You don’t need to be an expert at writing or at making videos to share your thoughts and experiences, and this can have tremendous value in helping others. Consider this; if just one or two people were publicly talking about the hurtful and hateful policies of the Watchtower Society, it would be easy to discredit them by calling them “rogue and bitter former members,” and it would be easy for their words to get lost online or in the news. However, the more people that add their voices and their experiences and their viewpoints, the more people that will listen! It’s also very difficult for the Watchtower Society to discredit thousands of former members who come forward and discuss their experiences with child molestation, domestic violence, shunning, etc.

Consider starting your own blog or making your own videos to share on YouTube or your Facebook page. Talk openly and honestly about your experiences, your objections to the Watchtower Society teachings, what you’ve learned as to their false predictions, and anything else you feel impelled to share.

Share the Posts of Others

You can do a world of good by sharing the posts and blogs of others on your own social media channels. When you share something on Facebook or Twitter, it can reach hundreds if not thousands of people within hours, and these ones too can then be warned about the Watchtower Society and be impelled to do what they can to help. This might be a particular post in a blog or a Facebook post from any ex-JW site.

Share the Pages of Others

There may not be a particular post or blog that catches your attention, but sharing webpages with others can help to advertise and spread the word. You might post something on your Facebook page or your own website like, “The problems with pedophilia, domestic violence, shunning, child abuse, child baptism, and fleecing of their poor members are too frequent among Jehovah’s Witnesses. Please learn more and help to spread the word by visiting jwvictims.org (or jwfacts.com, jwsurvey.org, aawa.co).” You can also invite friends and others to like certain Facebook pages or to follow certain Twitter feeds to learn more.

Share Your Ideas

Do you have an idea for helping to spread the word and for helping the victims of the Watchtower Society, but aren’t sure of how to carry it out? Share it with any of us! Post a comment below or on any of the pages mentioned above. Chances are one of us helping to lead this fight will be able to “run with the idea” or give you pointed suggestions for how to make it successful.

What Not to Do

You are free to make your own choices when it comes to advocacy and awareness, but it’s strongly encouraged that you remain peaceful and law-abiding no matter what you do. Do not trespass on or vandalize anyone’s property, including Kingdom Halls. If asked to leave the property, do so immediately. Never threaten or harass Jehovah’s Witnesses when talking to them, and avoid yelling or otherwise causing a disturbance when in a public place. Don’t simply toss flyers over parking lots or in other areas as this is considered littering, and never block traffic, public sideways, or driveways.

Many former Witnesses have demonstrated in front of Watchtower buildings or have stood where Witnesses are doing street or cart witnessing, handing out flyers or holding posters, and these are great ways of getting the word out there but these too should be done peacefully. If organizing a large protest, you may need a permit from the local city, and it’s best to check this out beforehand rather than face a fine afterwards. You also don’t want to interrupt, bellow, or otherwise harass the Witnesses or those talking to them.

Remember that Jehovah’s Witnesses have the same rights as anyone else, including the right to preach publicly, use their buildings for religious meetings, and go about their business without being blocked, intimidated or threatened. It’s also good to remember that their meetings include many small children and the elderly, and these one can be very upset and traumatized by loud and threatening protesters. This type of behavior also feeds into their persecution complex, making them feel as if they’re simply being picked on. The purpose of advocacy should be to open a reasonable dialog and to get people thinking, not to frighten or harass them!

More suggestions and ideas to come, so stay tuned!

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Please share with others so they too can better understand how to help victims of the Watchtower Society. Thank you.

2 replies »

  1. Could you please make a copy of the card the hand above is holding – it’s got your logo on it and says “Revealing the shocking truth….etc.” wd be useful both as a poster and as a sheet of biz card sized copies that I cd cut up.

    • Thanks, that’s actually a bumper sticker available on the CafePress store. You can go to the Flyers & Publications page and find a sheet of business cards already made up that you can print out, and I’ll see about a poster. Appreciate the input and suggestion.

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