The Day

Most of us have encountered one of Jehovah's Witnesses, perhaps as an unexpected visitor at the doorstep, a pupil at school, or a patient needing medical care. Yet if you want to discover what they really believe, or what is the real motivation behind their actions, until now it has been surprisingly difficult to find out. Books about Jehovah's Witnesses are often written by fundamentalists who are not sufficiently objective, or alternatively, contain the personal experiences of ex-members who may not provide much information about the culture surrounding Jehovah's Witnesses. This insightful new study from Rachel Walsh takes a different approach. She undertakes a comprehensive study of Jehovah's Witnesses from a secular point of view, including analysis of their beliefs, motivations, and organizational culture. Walsh sweeps away many popular misconceptions, but what she reveals in their place may cause a shift in the current perception of Jehovah's Witnesses that is all the more startling.