New Boy: Life and Death at the World Headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

Keith Casarona’s story, is a story of one person’s fifty-year journey as a member of the Watch tower Bible and Tract society. Otherwise known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Indoctrinated as an infant, Keith would become a fanatical worshiper and raised to believe that this organization known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses was the only organization that was directly ruled by the only true God of the universe, Jehovah. This zeal led to Keith serving as a fulltime minister for two years in Salina Kansas. Because of his dedication, he was invited to serve at the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn New York. The headquarters also known as Bethel or the “The House of God.” After serving for four years at the world headquarters, Keith was exposed to the under belly of this organization. Soon it was apparent that this religion was anything but God directed. The corruption of power, politics, favoritism and cruelty would even lead to suicide for some serving there. All these things had started with its founder Charles Russell. He and his followers known as “The Bible Students” determined Charles to be the “faithful and wise servant” in the basement of a church in Pennsylvania in the 1870’s. However, even Charles who had dreamt up this new religion and proclaimed the world would be destroyed in 1878 and then again 1914, had no idea what his organization would evolve into after his death in 1916. Keith would stay in the religion for another twenty-six years after leaving “The House of god.” He spent those years trying to rationalize the cruelty, false prophecies and the many discrepancies seen at the world headquarters and even in his local congregations. However, the biggest thing that motivated his compliance was knowing that if he ever left the church, it would cost him everything that he held dear in his life, his wife of twenty-seven years, all his family and friends and even his business. When he did leave his fear would become a reality.