Deliverance at Hand!: The Redemption of a Devout Jehovah's Witness

by James Zimmerman

Overview

Deliverance at Hand! is James Zimmerman's enthralling account of growing up as a zealous Jehovah's Witness, and of the all-consuming nature of belonging to an insulated, apocalyptic community. James is held up as a shining example for other youths in the religion, is given unprecedented privileges, and spends his youth proselytizing. He may very well have knocked on your door. But as he matures, fissures begin to form in the bedrock of his fundamentalist Jehovah's Witness belief system. And as James doubts grow, so does his predicament: Leaving a religious community that teaches its members to shun former members would have deep and painful ramifications. He must make the decision between intellectual honesty and his way of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780988493803
Publisher:	Freethought House
Publication date:	10/15/2013
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

James Zimmerman was a contributing editor to Atheist Voices of Minnesota: an Anthology of Personal Stories (Freethought House, 2012), in which his essay "Losing My Head" appears. His writings have also appeared in The 2013 St. Paul Almanac and Breathing In: Stories from the Century College Community, Volume II, and several periodicals including The Humanist, American Atheist, and Free Inquiry. He is a frequent host of Atheists Talk television show and is a former editor for The Minnesota Atheist. A lifelong Minnesota resident, James currently lives in St. Paul with his wife, Jennifer, and their son, daughter, and cat. James is also a licensed minister who has performed several weddings in the Twin Cities area.

Editorial Reviews

09/15/2013
Minnesota-native Zimmerman (editor, Minnesota Atheist Newsletter) grew up a devout Jehovah's Witness but slowly began doubting his faith until he became convinced that the God of his religion and the Bible does not exist. In young adulthood, he devoted hundreds of hours to service and was regularly called upon to give talks and be a leader at his Kingdom Hall. His personal experiences and struggles during these years form the basis for this glimpse into the everyday life of devout Jehovah's Witnesses. Unlike Jocelyn R. Zichterman, author of I Fired God, Zimmerman did not experience abuse; he simply began questioning the dogmatism he had been taught as he witnessed double standards, inconsistency, and illogical thinking by leaders within the "balsam of Gilead" (New World Translation of the Bible). A memoir, his book does not attempt to cover what the Watchtower Society believes and teaches but simply relates his personal understanding and experiences. VERDICT An optional purchase for most libraries, this fascinating glimpse inside a largely unknown lifestyle will appeal to memoir readers as well as those especially drawn to post-religious accounts like Zichterman's, mentioned above, or Lauren Drain's Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church.—Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI

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