As Jehovah’s Witnesses the world over continue to digest the latest “historic” JW Broadcasting episode, in which the Governing Body admits to having a shortfall in funds and asks Witnesses to give their “valuable things” to compensate, a video has emerged indicating that Stephen Lett and Co. even have their eyes on children’s ice cream money.

The video, which is intended to be shown during the 2015 series of Witness conventions, shows Sophia (from the “Become Jehovah’s Friend” cartoon series) day-dreaming about spending her pocket money on an ice cream while at the kingdom hall.

But when Sophia sees her mother putting money in the contribution box, her thoughts turn to kingdom halls, literature carts and bethel buildings, and she decides to forgo her ice cream and put her dollar in the contribution box for Watchtower’s “worldwide work” instead.

The video represents the latest specimen in a relentless stream of propaganda material targeting children. The “Become Jehovah’s Friend” series first launched in 2012 with a video aimed at guilt-tripping kids into believing that plastic wizard toys are Satanic. Then, more recently, another cartoon has shown Caleb and Sophia essentially being threatened with death if they don’t pay attention at meetings.

Masters at child indoctrination

The Governing Body must surely understand that, despite the launch of JW.org and the metropolitan witnessing initiative (i.e. literature carts), most adults in developed lands are simply not interested in joining a cult with a horrendous online reputation of failed prophecies, shunning, child abuse and refusal of certain medical treatments. Their only way around this is to focus on child indoctrination, making sure as many people raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses are retained as possible.

One way of doing this is by turning up the pressure for kids to get baptized as young as possible. After all, once a Witness child is baptized, he or she is essentially locked into the religion for life, and is not allowed to leave without facing the punishment of shunning by family members.

Misha Anouk over on JW Alumni has brilliantly covered some recent alarming comments made by Mark Sanderson during a public talk in Germany on May 9th. In his talk, Sanderson urged Witness parents to make sure their children are baptized as young as nine years old, telling his audience such a practice corresponds with the “viewpoint” of the Governing Body.

Going without an ice cream so that Watchtower can balance its books clearly pales into insignificance compared to the prospect of being shackled to a cult for life under threat of being estranged from your family. But at least by churning out such ill-advised and clearly exploitative child propaganda material the Governing Body is showing its true colors for those old enough to think for themselves.

Despite styling itself as “the faithful and discreet slave,” the Governing Body is proud to be taking ice cream money from the hands of young children, and has thus revealed itself to be just as cheap and shameless as any other tawdry group of televangelist swindlers.

Further reading…