The Last Days (August 7-13, 2023)
The Last Days (August 7-13, 2023)
Issue No. 17
Welcome to the seventeenth edition of The Last Days newsletter.
The Last Days delivers a collection of curated JW-related news articles from around the world, and other entertaining information, straight into your inbox every weekend. You choose what you want to read, believe, download, listen to, watch, or subscribe to.
You can find the last edition of TLD covering July 31 - August 6, 2023, here if you missed it. If you prefer to read The Last Days on our webpage click here.
This special feature edition of The Last Days, covering the week of August 7-13, 2023, with a little overlap, contains our leading Feature of the Week exploring the current developments within the Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand; JW News from Britain and New Zealand; JW Celebrity News featuring Brook Tate; and an extended YouTube interview with Lara Kaput, Steven Unthank, and ‘Goatlike Personality’ recorded in Denmark!
Enjoy the Last Days! . . .
“The events unfolding around us, are making clearer than ever, that we’re living in the final part of the Last Days, undoubtedly the final part of the final part of the Last Days, shortly before the Last Day of the Last Days.” - Stephen Lett, member of the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Is the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited a criminal enterprise?
In this special feature edition, The Last Days shines a spotlight on Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand with the help of a series of articles published by Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
This week’s feature also explores, through a series of linked articles, the immoral conduct and potential criminal actions of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited (CCJWA).
From its incorporation on April 12, 2019, the CCJWA has:
issued instructions to destroy incriminating evidence of criminal activities including child sexual abuse;
covered up child sexual abuse;
targeted former Jehovah’s Witnesses including child sexual abuse victims and whistleblowers;
engaged in religious persecution;
falsely accused former Jehovah’s Witnesses of hate crimes;
breached privacy laws;
published defamatory material;
misled and lied to statutory authorities;
misled and lied to the media;
misled and lied to elders within the Jehovah’s Witnesses;
misled and lied to the Australian government; and
misled and lied to the current New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.
See also This week’s featured YouTube interview with Steven Unthank who also discusses the CCJWA and its current corporate conduct.
The Last Days was proud to contribute towards the production of the RNZ articles referred to in the below series and congratulates Anusha Bradley on her extensive investigative reporting.
Part 1. - Introduction: the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses . . . in New Zealand
On April 12, 2019, a new Jehovah’s Witnesses company, “Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited” (CCJWA), was formed in Australia.
According to its religious and corporate constitution, the CCJWA is limited to no more than twenty members and no less than five members.
The company operates under the direction of the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
On April 15, 2019, CCJWA commenced formally trading in Australia under the business name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” despite that trading name being registered to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Limited since July 31, 2000.
Women and children can not be members of the CCJWA. Membership is restricted to current serving elders or to another legal entity used by the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, such as the International Bible Students Association, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain, or Jehovas Zeugen in Deutschland.
In June 2023, the CCJWA filed an application with the New Zealand High Court to stop the the current New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry looking into child sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith.
The Last Days has been provided with a copy of the official media statement, issued by the Jehovah’s Witnesses Public Information Department in Australia, on their High Court judicial review application. This statement said:
“The Commission’s mandate is to investigate what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in State and faith-based care. Since 2019, Jehovah’s Witnesses have cooperated with the Commission, consistently explaining that the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not and never has taken children, young people or vulnerable adults into care. Therefore, the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not fall within the scope of this Inquiry. Despite repeated requests, the Commission has failed to present valid reasons as to why it disagrees. Consequently, the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses seeks the High Court’s assistance.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses are known to aggressively and vexatiously launch legal action against any royal commission or inquiry to stop them investigating child sexual abuse within the religion, while claiming at the same time that no child sexual abuse exists. See our previous Feature of the Week, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain for an example of this.
Download corporate documents for the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited courtesy of JWLEAKS.ORG
Part 2. - Destruction of Records
In one of its first issued body of elders letters, the newly formed CCJWA, issued instructions to all elders in Australia and New Zealand to review congregational records, their personal computers, hard copy files, and their meetings bags for the purpose of record destruction.
[EXTRACT OF LETTER]
Review of Current Records:
After discussing this letter as a body of elders, we would like the secretary along with the coordinator, or another assigned elder, to review what is currently in the congregation’s confidential file. They should examine the contents of all sealed envelopes in the file to confirm that they contain only the documents mentioned in the Shepherd book, chapter 22, paragraphs 22-23. The assigned elders should adhere to the direction in paragraph 26 when determining if the entire contents of the envelope should be destroyed. If the elders are not sure if a particular document needs to be retained, they should feel free to contact the Service Department for assistance.
Please ensure that all records kept in the file are in harmony with what is outlined in the Shepherd book, chapter 22, and our comments above. Additionally, we ask that each elder check his personal computer, or hard copy files, and even his meeting bag, to ensure that no confidential correspondence is retained outside the congregation’s confidential file. We would like the secretary to confirm with each elder that this has been done.
An elder’s response to this letter is explored further in Part 6.
Download copy of above letter via JWLEAKS.ORG | Download link
See also the JWLEAKS.ORG article: AUSTRALIA | Newly registered Jehovah’s Witnesses legal entity issues elder’s letter to destroy records
Part 3. - Something Evil . . . the New Zealand connection
The Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited claims to be the current controlling legal entity for Jehovah’s Witnesses in both Australia and New Zealand, while at the same time also claiming to be “Jehovah’s Witnesses”.
In the below linked article, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) explores the subject “What happens when people are shunned from the Jehovah’s Witnesses?”
Something Evil: Brad & Cassie’s story
Part 4. - What happened when two young Jehovah’s Witnesses quit the church
Part 5. - RNZ investigation reveals 11 alleged paedophiles active within the Jehovah's Witnesses in New Zealand
Part 6. - Jehovah’s Witness elder alleges order to destroy evidence in child sex abuse cases
Once there, he received a call from the church's regional headquarters in Sydney - known internally as the 'branch office' - which oversees all New Zealand congregations, telling him to open up all child sexual abuse files to again check if there were personal notes inside the sealed envelopes.
Related reading:
Part 7. - Jehovah’s Witnesses launch legal action to be exempt from the New Zealand ‘Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry’
On 2 June 2023, Say Sorry published an article revealing that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are seeking a judicial review and High Court declaration in New Zealand that the religion has never taken children into its care nor has it ever assumed responsibility for children.
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Britain - published on August 11, 2023
New Zealand - published on August 13, 2023
Let’s face it, there are a lot of actors, singers, musicians, artists, sports stars, and celebrities that are former or even current Jehovah’s Witnesses, or that were raised as children within the religion.
In focus: Brook Tate
Birthmarked is a new concept gig written and performed by Brook Tate and his grand ol' band of pals.
Using songs he has written over the last six years, Brook tells the story – his story - of a young gay Jehovah's Witness as he comes to terms with his sexuality and finds his feet (and high heels...) in a world he once believed would be destroyed at Armageddon.
With original music likened to Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell, and alongside a whale, a paintbrush and a pair of tap shoes, he hopes to shine a light on what it means to be marked...at birth.
See Brook Tate live in Edinburgh! . . . Tickets.
Please support The Last Days newsletter for the cost of a coffee.
In this YouTube video Udstødt, en podcast om Jehovas Vidner interviews Lara Kaput, Steven Unthank, and YouTuber ‘Goatlike Personality’, on the recent Protest in Denmark.