WatchTower take legal action against site that quotes their Quotes!
(21.09.2005)

The WatchTower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania have initiated legal proceedings against Peter Mosier, who has been displaying "Quotes" from the Jehovah’s Witnesses publication on his website.

Peter Mosier's site http://quotes.watchtower.ca has used excerpts from the WatchTower's own religious literature, which has been printed and distributed free of charge for many years.

The law suit seeks a reported $100,000 in damages and a court order to silence the website.

The site in question carries a notice (in red) that states: "This research and information web site is devoted to collecting and preserving interesting and/or significant quotes from the publications of the Watch Tower Society, without additional commentary or editorial, for the purpose of scholarship and research. The quotes are accurate and verifiable, however this web site is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Watch Tower Society."

We understand that Peter Mosier is a former Jehovah’s Witness.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are often considered a "cult" by many and it is not unusual to see former Jehovah’s Witnesses speaking out against this organization. It is true that they have many traditions and rules that most find strange, and in some cases unacceptable.

Our other site (Profindpages) has written a number of articles on Jehovah’s Witnesses, in particular their ban in Moscow. Covering this topic has brought us into close contact with many of its followers and we have to say that we find most of them very nice people.

However, the objections that most people have of this organization is not so much of the people that support it, but the people that run it (The Watchtower). They have been criticized for putting profit at the top of their list of priorities and there is no question that the company does indeed make a lot of money.

Is Peter Mosier just quoting quotes? Yes and No. The quotes he uses are genuine extracts from quotations found in the Watchtower's literature, but of course he is selecting the quotes that he feels are the most interesting from his point of view.

Some of the quotations used go way back and a few have been taken from books that are no longer being printed.

One could say that Peter Mosier is "manipulating" the Watchtowers own information, but why are they so "embarrassed", or perhaps afraid, of having these quotations published? Are the "words" of the past no longer the words of today?

The Watchtower has been accused many times of "changes" in its history and you have to wonder what other areas might be wrong and in need of change?

Many of the rules (for want of a better word) in the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization are quite good. They are against wars and follow many morally correct beliefs. Whilst there are a few "bad apples" in the faith, this is true of many other religions as well.

We tend to agree with many others that the strongest problems Jehovah’s Witnesses face is often created by their own leaders. Whilst no one expects them to change their basic beliefs, there are many areas that could be "updated" to better fit in with an ever changing world. The objections that many have to this religion are usually caused by a lack of understanding of the faith and the people who follow it.

This image could be improved if the organization was perhaps run more like a religion and less like a business? If the Watchtower are "embarrassed" about quotes from their own literature being published (in whatever form), perhaps there is something wrong with the quotations in the first place? No one is perfect in this world (certainly not humans) and there is no disgrace in admitting to errors. Surely, Jehovah’s Witnesses will not think less of the Watchtower if they accept that some older literature was less than correct and change it, some would probably see this as an act of strength not weakness. Do they think the organization will crumble if they admit to being human?

Perhaps the best option would be to correct the areas that create criticism, rather than try to gag those that are critical. This tactic is not so different to the way the Soviet Union was run. Censoring people's views usually indicates there is something to hide!

Our article is not meant as an attack on those that belong to this faith, but we are concerned that the large number of decent, honest and trusting members involved are given the respect they have earnt with their loyalty.

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