The Governing Body and the preceding two Presidents of the 'Watchtower, Bible, and Tract Society' are responsible for the 100% prophecy failure rate of the last 100 years and the bizarre and ever changing rules - no beards, no college, no oral sex with your spouse, and no masquerade parties. If one studies the Bible on their own, they are excommunicated and excommunication in this religion is particularly painful, since you will lose contact with your Mother or child - complete loss of contact. If anyone else forms any opinion that person is excommunicated. A dozen incompetent men name themselves the 'Governing Body', also known as the 'Faithful and Discrete Slave', and they call all of the shots. The source of the problem, just like communism and other authoritarian states, is the centralized government of this religion. This book shows how the Jehovah's Witnesses transformed themselves from a highly imaginative and little bit loopy religion in the 1800's, who believed the pyramids were built by God, into an intensely sad and crushing legalistic religion that spends more time creating new rules and counting service hours than it does providing spiritual support to its members. Take away the Organization and they are great people.

The Witnesses I have known over the years are for the most part nice and well-intentioned people, but since their actions are controlled by the Organization they can be very cruel and small minded. They call it 'study' but it is unsatisfying and painful beyond belief, not like any other studying I have ever done. From the stage, they read the words to you, they read the question to you, and then you read back the answer. This is no exaggeration, this is pretty much exactly how it is.

To get a taste of just how anti-intellectual it is, check out this spot-on animation of what a Sunday with the Witnesses is like. Above all, being a Witness is intensely, oppressively dull. To be a Witness is to give up much of your creativity, your ability to express yourself freely, and the sum of your critical thinking. But if you have been a member of this religion, then this book will resonate from your teeth to your toes. If you are interested in the subject of thought control, or institutional evil, then you may get something out of this.

If you have never been part of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, I am not sure what this book would mean to you.

Franz crisis of conscience