Policies

Total 48 Posts
Impact journalism from Truth & Transparency regarding the policies of religious institutions.

2019 Jehovah’s Witness Convention Videos Published Again After Successful Takedown Request

Each year, thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses flood into football and soccer stadiums across the globe to prepare for enlightenment and direction from their global leaders, the Governing Body. The Governing Body is comprised of eight men, all living and working in upstate New York in a compound affectionately referred

Jehovah's Witnesses Overhaul Proselytizing Procedures in Response to EU Regulation

In a letter leaked online dated May 13, 2019, it was revealed that the Jehovah’s Witnesses made sweeping changes to the practice they are best known for: proselytizing. Addressed “to all congregations in Britain and Ireland”, the letter notes that Witnesses are “accustomed to collecting personal data” on the

Decades of Letters Addressed to Jehovah’s Witness Leaders in Brazil and Portugal Now Published Online

This past Sunday, May 5, 2019, Truth & Transparency published hundreds of letters written in Portuguese by the highest leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The vast majority of the letters, dating back to the 1970s, are addressed and intended only for the eyes of those possessing the title of

‘The Church has always been anti-gay’; LGBT Community Reacts in the Wake of Mormon Policy Rescission

Last Thursday, President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as the Mormon Church, took to the stand and rescinded a policy that caused a massive uproar in Mormonism. Leaked with the help of Truth & Transparency co-founder,

BYU Religion Professor Guilty of Plagiarism; University Yet to Take Action

In 2003, Alonzo Gaskill joined the faculty of the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University’s (BYU) College of Religious Education. Gaskill had just completed eight years working at the Mormon Church’s Institute of Religion, part of the Church Educational System (CES), in Palo Alto,

Leaked ‘Branch’ and ‘Elders’ Manuals Pull Back the Curtain of Inner Workings of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Top Leaders

On February 4, 2019, rumors of the release of a new Elders manual, meant only for the eyes of the top leaders in each congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), began to surface on ex-JW forums across the Internet. Less than 24 hours later, the manual was leaked and seemingly

California Mormon Leader Instructs Members to Oppose Proposed Sex Education Initiative

The Mormon Church, formally the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has long maintained a neutral position regarding political parties and candidates. They do, however, explicitly reserve the right to call attention to issues that they feel have a significant impact on church members. Screenshot retrieved from: https://www.