Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
New Documentary Aims To Lift Veil On Jehovah's Witnesses
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 19, 2013
Modified Feb 19, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 19, 2013
Modified Feb 19, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Watchtower in Brooklyn Heights. (Photo via zokuga's flickr)
Truth Be Told is a new feature-length documentary that will have its big screen debut at Cobble Hill Cinemas on March 27th. The theater is less than a mile and a half from the headquarters and central governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn Heights, a neighborhood dominated by the religion's followers who have been making a very slow-paced mass exodus from the borough for years.
The documentary aims to "lift the veil on the seemingly benign Jehovah’s Witnesses religion to expose a profit-driven, isolationist culture characterized by fear, totalitarian corporate leadership, intellectual and spiritual intimidation, suspension of critical thinking, failed prophecies, doctrinal inconsistency and improper handling of physical and sexual abuse allegations within the church."
Former Jehovah’s Witnesses candidly discuss growing up inside the religion throughout the film, which was also recently delved into in this piece by Amber Scorah in The Believer. Scorah was raised a Witness, and eventually learned Mandarin Chinese in order to conduct missionary work in China. She writes:
"I had my first Bible student in China. Sooner or later, in our study sessions... I would get to the section in the book with the chapter on Armageddon—with its two-page centerfold illustration of fire falling from the sky and people dying, reeling into the gaping earth. As I began to explain these things, in a new tongue, in a new place, I started to hear what I was saying, for the first time... I started to feel embarrassed."
Scorah, like the former Jehovah's Witnesses in this film, has since left the religion—you can get a glimpse of the world they left here:
Tagged
documentary
jehovah's witnesses
the watchtower
truth be told
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 23, 2026
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .