AAWA extends an open offer to any concerned and productive member of society to discuss ways in which the Watchtower can continue its religious activities without harming both current and former believers. AAWA firmly believes in the rights of religious freedom, but not when it impinges on other individual rights. Specifically, AAWA believes that Watchtower is guilty of impinging the individual rights of its followers in five key areas…
- The rights of an individual to have contact with his or her family regardless of what his or her religious beliefs are
- The rights of abused children to have their allegations of abuse dealt with and investigated promptly by the appropriate authorities in all instances
- The rights of battered women to be able to divorce abusive husbands and re-marry without being deemed “adulterous” for doing so
- The rights of believers to choose whatever medical treatment they want without sanction – and without being coerced to abstain from treatment with blood based on a narrow interpretation of scripture
- The rights of young people to better themselves and pursue whatever career they want through higher education without sanctions or stigmatization for doing so
It is the firm belief of AAWA that Watchtower will continue to suffer adverse publicity and further stagnation in member growth unless it is prepared to accept its urgent duty to reform elements of its teachings and practices that are both unmerciful and potentially destructive both to its members and former members.