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Since we’re new to beliefnet.com, I figured it might be a good idea for us to introduce ourselves. So, HI! I’m Amanda P. Westmont. This is the bio Joel wrote for me when we started this project back in January: Amanda has been a professional blogger since 2003, producing content for Disney’s Family.com, as well…

Each week, Amanda and I visit a different church, sitting quietly, taking notes and—if granted permission to do so—discreetly taking a few pictures. As journalists, we tend not to participate in their rituals, maintaining an (ahem) “objective” distance from the service. We’re just flies on the wall. Okay, cynical, atheistic flies who know where all…

This is how it began: over a month ago, I informed Joel that I’d Googled “2011 Jehovah’s Witness Memorial” and that the smackdown was happening on Sunday, April 17th. “Good. But let’s go somewhere well out of the way, so I can partake without anyone seeing me.” I honestly had no idea what the hell…

This was my childhood Kingdom Hall. Originally it had windows through which I could watch airplanes leaving contrails in the sky during the meeting. Since then, Kingdom Halls have been required to seal up their windows, one of dozens of changes they’ve made over the years to isolate their members from society. From an early…
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