Attic Alone
An Ex–Jehovah's Witness Finds the Church
by
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We were at Yankee Stadium in the early 1950s when one of the Watchtower leaders said Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 told us about end times. Russia was Ezekiel’s biblical Magog, the "King of the North," Satan was "Gog of Magog" and Israel was modern-day Jehovah's Witnesses being persecuted by Russia and Gog of Magog. He proclaimed that like a giant fish hook, Jehovah was baiting Russia and Gog with the Witnesses and soon he would yank back on his fish pole to deliver the Witnesses when the great day of God’s wrath began. The speaker said that according to Bible prophecy, Russia and Gog would soon be destroyed by Jehovah God. This was new light, new truth! All of the Witnesses gasped at the thought that Armageddon was so close. Applause rang out in the stadium with a standing ovation as all the Witnesses cheered with anticipation of being in the New World very soon. People rose to their feet with great expectation that it could start at any moment. Some began looking around the stadium half expecting to see the old patriarchs come on stage. They were looking for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. We were taught that the patriarchs were going to come back just before Armageddon began. I was sure Gram had been right when she told me that I would never graduate from high school because we would all be in the new paradise by the time I was eighteen years old. We were expecting to see the Bible patriarchs because that was a teaching of the organization. Back in the early 1920s, the leaders of the Watchtower Society, under President Rutherford, purchased property in San Diego California. The Society built a small mansion in San Diego so that when Jehovah's Witnesses of old (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Daniel, Jeremiah, etc....) came to join the Watchtower in New York City to usher in the new world and become the leaders after Armageddon, they would have a warm climate to live in during winter months, a climate similar to the Middle East where they lived in the past. With much flourish it was proclaimed that they were preparing the way for the new world. Rutherford named the mansion Beth Sarim which means House of Princes. In fact, he had the mansion legally deeded to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society along with the names of many of the Bible Patriarchs. Even though the promises of Rutherford proved to be without merit, all the Witnesses, including Dad and Gram, still clung to the hope that someday they would see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob come back to earth when the Battle of Armageddon would begin. When they did not appear and Armageddon did not happen, the leaders of the Watchtower eventually sold the mansion in California, very quietly, without announcing it to the Witnesses. However, through all the years they owned it, the leaders of the Watchtower Society enjoyed using it as a warm, sunny, winter vacation home until the patriarchs came back. Years later, in 1997, an investigation into the Gog of Magog topic turned up some very interesting information. The Watchtower taught that the Biblical King of the North spoken of by Ezekiel was: (1) Germany in 1871, (2) Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Japan in 1942, (3) Russia in the 1950's, and (4) We cannot say, in 1993. A Watchtower article of November 1993 implied that there is one thing they do know. Soon the King of the North will conduct an offensive campaign and incite all other kings of the earth to attack Jehovah's people. Most Witnesses believe that when their great persecution starts, at any moment, Armageddon will be here and they will be spared to live on the earth forever.
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About the Book
When smallpox vaccinations were required before entering school, A. McGinley’s father held her arm down on the table and dropped acid on the upper part of it to painfully burn a hole in her arm. It needed to be deep enough to imitate a real smallpox vaccination. Her Mom comforted her and then took her to the attic to open boxes. They looked for school clothing. She liked being in the attic alone. It was a shelter and hiding place from her family, who were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Mentally, she escaped to the attic to be alone when she had to attend services at the Kingdom Hall. She lived in two worlds. One world was home, the Kingdom Hall, and service. Her other world was school, the attic, and neighbors. There were great differences between these worlds, teaching her to think for herself when great conflicts arose between the two. Growing up in a family that included abuse, alcoholism and religious cult beliefs closed many doors, such as social freedom and college. School, the attic, and neighbors helped her to open some of those doors. Attic Alone tells the story of her journey from the bondage of false beliefs to a real Christian faith.
About the Author
A. McGinley is a retired secretary in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and was a third generation Jehovah’s Witness before leaving that faith. She wrote seminar speeches and newsletter articles for family, friends, and women leaving the Watchtower. She has been an active participant on the Internet for twenty years.