jehovah's witnesses leaving in droves
I went to university, where I made even more friends who showed me that being in the world is completely fine, and that debate and discussion is also OK. Its the reason they emphasise the dangers and repercussions of searching for answers to faith-related questions in any place except their own literature, calling anything outside this apostasy. How many schools do you know of, that stick preschoolers, high school students, and graduate students all into the same classroom together? Lets make it happen. If a Jehovah's Witness were to break any of the rules they could be spoken to by an elder (the equivalent of a . She listened and protected her faith and the teachings of the Jehovahs Witnesses until her beliefs could no longer defend her. Moriah Hughes, 24, filed her lawsuit last month in. And now with other countries finding out the harshness of their rules and their inhumane practices of shunning, and not turning child sex abuse cases over to the police is really causing a huge problem for Watchtower. But its a way of thinking that is ingrained in you by the faith, and its this mentality that makes it so difficult to leave. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. JWs in Eritrea have been rotting away in prison cells some for decades while the coalition of overweight, business-class-flying governing body members feign tears for the men and women who are effectively their slaves. They use Office 365 now and embed data into PDF files in an attempt to track where the leaks are coming from. I eventually left the faith at 18. Basically it is in the process of imploding. Jehovah's Witnesses believe these men are anointed as the voice of God on Earth. Shunning seams to be one of their favorite topics and favorite things to do. Other churches give single parents some relief by offering activities and programs for their children to get involved in and bond with other young people. Many elders have questioned this vocally, and have described the amount of money charged to each circuit as an invoice. Everyone has a different "wtf" trigger and access to that information is just a curious click away. I was also lucky that both my parents encouraged me to get a good education to work hard at school so I could go to university if I wanted. Followers famously wont accept blood donations - nor do they celebrate birthdays, claiming such celebrations displease God. Simple forgiveness isnt in their vocabulary. Consider this: any Witness can now sit in an assembly during the morning session; dutifully nod their head like a bobble head doll; and then walk outside and link up with ex-Witnesses online via their iPhone to express what they really think. Left In 1977. Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination with an estimated 175,000 followers in Russia. Are you inspired yet? Is it any wonder that they would seek to fill the void in their life with sex, drugs, and alcohol? The Jehovah Witness religion is going through some tough times. 2020-06-14 - NATALIE O'BRIEN. The Let God Be True book was written by imperfect men, and imperfect men make mistakes, and it was a mistake. A typical Jehovahs Witnesss life is basically consisting of work or school and field service along with several weekly meetings and Bible studies, or should I say, Watchtower studies. The leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses has never admitted that any valid reasons to leave the religion exist. Boom Boom Boom! Two years later he founded Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society, which was incorpo-rated in 1884 in Pennsylvania. The Watchtower organizations sole purpose is to proselytize, whereby all of its human capital must be channeled into that goal. Getty Images 08 . I never once doubted the decision that I made on that day to leave my family and to become a member of the Church Of Christ.. Many of us here paid that price, only to wake up to it years later. There is absolutely nowhere in the Bible where Jesus disfellowshipped anyone. I believe this is a huge factor in the turnover of young people leaving the organization. Young Korean Witnesses languish in prison for no reason. This just comes in a long line of brutal, evil statements that were made by the governing body over the years, and it also proves that this organization in no way is being backed, or supported by God in any way shape or form. Youre taught by the organisation that once you leave you will become corrupted by the outside world and inevitably descend into selfishness, meanness and false happiness. Personally, what this all adds up to for me is this: Young people, and most especially men, are leaving this religion in droves. (Translation they are on their own: no health care, no jobs, no training. 726 Followers. Branches around the world are struggling to keep up with their own accounting procedures. World. This is where the Watchtower is at. A moment that changed me: dropping out of university | Anne T Donaghue, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Leaving the faith at 18 changed my life completely., remember that first year after Id left the, Former Jehovah's Witness elders call for mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse, MPsdemand action over Jehovahs Witness abuse allegations, Jehovah's Witnesses accused of silencing victims of child abuse, Child sexual abuse inquiry considers Jehovah's Witnesses UK investigation, Jehovahs Witnesses criticised over handling of child abuse case, Jehovah's Witnesses charity drops attempts to block abuse inquiry, Jehovah's Witnesses did not protect children from abuse, inquiry finds, Jehovah's Witnesses under pressure over handling of sexual abuse claims, Jehovah's Witnesses accused of damaging Otomi religious site in Mexico. Sections: politics business autos jobs career education romance computers phones travel sports fashion health Something went wrong, please try again later. "They knocked on our door and caught my mum at a vulnerable time of crisis . This is an area where I believe the Watchtower leadership shows an astounding lack of insight. Moving to Warwick eliminated these costly payments. "Jehovah's Witnesses believe that it is their responsibility before God to respect and co-operate with the authorities." A spokeswoman for Social Services Minister Anne Ruston has welcomed the statement but implored the organisation to contact authorities. Besides me, at least 75% of the kids I grew up with in the congregation are out for good. About the most exciting thing that most of the young people will get to do is hold up printed signs at conventions that say Please Be Seated, or turn knobs in the Kingdom Hall sound booth. I have my duty. While they may appear nice and friendly, once you get into the inner-workings of the organization, you quickly discover that the niceness and friendliness is very short lived unless you follow everything to the letter within the organization. 37:2337-Minute Listen. I dont remember feelling that way 30yrs ago, but perhaps I am starting to get back to normal? You dont need to mourn me, I told her once. Once that happens, shunning will have very little power over JWs. ", BBC Beyond Paradise star Jamie Bamber is married to Eastenders actress. What would you expect to see if that was a news headline within the coming year? These elders are being retrained, and have been called disobedient by the branch. Meanwhile, Watch Tower purchased four $8,000.00 scanners. . And the more she embraced the truth, the more her family tried to stop her. Watch Tower was spending tens of thousands per year to New York City just to maintain their tunnel and air-bridge spaces between buildings. Andrea sat down. There are also members with experiences of Catholicism, Mormonism, the Exclusive Brethren, the Mennonites, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and the Falun Gong movement. Biblically, however, the word "soul" is multifaceted. She was especially close to her sister Cynthia. There are millions trapped inside a mental prison, but we can help them. Now that their arrogance has has gotten the better of them and they mistakingly feel theyre better than anyone else to sit in front of the camera and pontificate, we see how bad they are. Only ten years ago, every single member, that is 28 members were Jehovah's Witnesses. 10. For Ali Millar, the experience of writing her difficult life story wasn't cathartic, it was traumatic. Currently, in the US, JW.org has just 40% of their publishers registered in the JW.org database system. I myself was born and raised in the organization. Im a Choir Member. And, as is human nature, it is much easier for Watchtower leaders to put all of the blame for this on invisible metaphysical characters such as Satan, instead of dealing with the elephant in their own living room. Am I an Apostate? It is already collapsing under its own weight. Not even Watchtowers huge lawyers can stop it. If the Jehovahs Witnesses were the true religion, sanctioned by God, there would be no room for error and no mistakes!. No more than four-in-ten members of the group belong to any one racial and ethnic background: 36% are white, 32% are Hispanic, 27% are black and 6% are another race or mixed race. Jehovah's Witnesses 'use the Bible to victim-shame,' sex abuse survivor says. It isnt about the children. The people present were Jehovah's Witnesses -- a Christian religious sect first founded in the United States in the 19th century but now has an estimated 8 million followers around the world. If id seen in the 70s or 80s morons like Lett rambling or the arrogance of Tony Morrison or the incredulous lies that Geoffrey Jackson spews, id saved alot of years of headache. The Supreme Court of Canada will rule this year in a case involving shunning and discrimination, and if Watch Tower loses this case, the repercussions will be felt worldwide. I just want you to listen to the doctrines. Feeling deceived by the teachings of the Jehovahs Witnesses, she confronted her grandmother. And when youre a member of the Church Of Christ, the peace that you have in knowing that the promise that God has made to you will be fulfilled is everything. Well, the reason for the recent increase is simply due to a change in tactics, according to our sister title the Chronicle. In Namibia, the government has denied Watch Towers plea to remove itself from employer status, since this forces Watch Tower to pay social security benefits to all full-time workers such as Bethelites. However, today, information is in the form of aTsunami which cant be stopped. Sawyer and many others like her are now denouncing the church's shunning practices in the wake of a recent murder-suicide in Keego Harbor that killed a family of four ex-Jehovah's Witnesses who . It is law according to the Jehovahs Witness. In some respects, its very entertaining. This does not sit well with many elders, particularly those is less than affluent areas. Jehovah's Witnesses across the nation moved to letter-writing and phone-calling instead of door-to-door evangelizing when the organization suspended door-knocking in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If the religion continues to have to pay out millions of dollars to the victems of child abuse, and it they continue to loose new converts simply because theyre finding out the real truth about the religion, then theres no way that it will be able to remain standing. The origins of the Jehovah's Witnesses go back to 1879, when a Pittsburgh businessman named Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) began publishing the magazine Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. "The minister who was teaching my Bible lessons (in the Church Of Christ) mentioned the "Let God Be True" book in my studies, and he asked me if I knew that the doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses had changed over the years. Sylviane is a relationship coach for women . To have no faith. No religion can claim that. You have no place in this house. He told me to pack my things and go.. An organization that has established itself as the sole possessor of truth and the single place of refuge from the coming apocalypse cannot divert time and resources to anything that is not related to its recruitment activities. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Two thirds of those disfellowshipped never return. Believers honor Jehovah, the God and Creator of all things. Quick-builds only happen so often, and Bethel just isnt a possibility for everyone. Furthermore, followers of the sect are three times more likely to be diagnosed as suffering . Raymond Victor Franz (May 8, 1922 - June 2, 2010) was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from October 20, 1971, until his removal on May 22, 1980, and served at the organization's world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980. I would love it if the young ones were leaving in droves, and I believe because of the Internet this will happen, but I don't see a great deal of evidence at present. I also believe this is an area where they are also profoundly disconnected from reality. Watch Tower has made it clear these records are to be destroyed according to their new records management and destruction procedures. Spare the rod, spoil the child. As education becomes increasingly important to eek out even a meager living, Witnesses are already being forced to become more educated. Jehovah's Witnesses must believe and teach that their group has been directly appointed by God and Jesus. Witnesses believe that they are living in . By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Leaving the faith at 18 changed my life completely. Watchtower Caught Dumping Chemicals Instead, Andrea spent her time attending meetings at Kingdom Hall, sharing her faith, and being with her family. And he [my dad] told me that, If you go to that Church, dont come back. We shared everything our whole lives, and I felt like I had to give her that opportunity to the point where, if this was the wrong path, at least I would have a chance to change her mind. Learn how your comment data is processed. Several people tried to convince me to return to the truth the term they use to refer to anyone in the faith. 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She met George, his family, and a few others from the Church Of Christ, including Brother Eddie San Gabriel, a Minister of the Gospel. Can baptism be Annulled? The Watchtower organization simply has nothing new to offer, and no new ideas. It is just too much even for them to handle. Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson callously stated in 2015 before the Royal Commission in Australia that he had not even read the details of the victims who had testified before the Commission. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to welcome doctrinal changes. Aside from the Bethel layoffs, all non-essential branch projects were either cancelled or put on hold. The sect is headed by an all-male governing body and elders adhere to policies laid out in a guidebook that's kept confidential from other followers. . Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters As she grew up as a third-generation Jehovah's Witness, there were certain things . Beginning in 2018, JW.org will implement a program in which every single JW will be assigned a database number and their information will be in JW.orgs global database. Ironically, they cant do that, because the organization has already been identified and branded as a spiritual banquet where nothing is lacking. There's a limit on how long you can tell people that the world is about to end for so long before they get sceptical. . But why should doctrines change? Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Cult? Im astonished at the totally creepy nature of the GB Videos I have seen lately. SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Supreme Court has revived a woman's lawsuit alleging she was forced to listen to a recording of her own rape. It is quite funny when the Watchtower wants to shut down somebodys YouTube channel because they said something bad about Watchtower, but at the same time, Watchtower sees absolutely no problem bashing other religions out of their mouths online during their dramas, talks and other programming that they put out. In Canada, United States, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands and multiple other countries, the government and media are taking notice of the public outcry for justice justice for abuse victims to victims of imposed and mandated shunning. And its peppy acceleration will get you far and away from Zeb and his feisty cart crashes!. Andee. 100 years is a pretty long time to wait. Andrea grew up in a family of devout Jehovahs Witnesses. young ones leaving. The Watchtower organization is like a restaurant that keeps serving the same bland menu even though many of the patrons dont like the food and arent coming back. We are so inured to the concept that it has become meaningless. In fact, the July 1st, 1984 issue of Watchtower magazine goes so far as to say that anyone who leaves their religion has decided "to leave the way of truth".. We have far more than they realize we have, and there is nothing they can do to stop the flow of information outside of headquarters. However, the Seventh day Adventists say that theyre the only true religion, the Mormons say it and so do the Catholics and so on. As a matter of fact, theres absolutely nowhere in all of scripture that even remotely leads to anything that the Jehovahs Witnesses are the true faith. JW.org has been spinning the cutbacks as simplification, and have coerced dozens of those who lost their full-time jobs to give testimonials about how happy they were to accept their new assignment in the field. However, it is too late because it is all laid bare for everybody to see online and it will never ever be erased or taken down. In South Africa, over 1400 congregations struggle to file their government mandated tax returns required of each congregation. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Many of these were good kids too. Clearly, this organization is a satanic religion posing as Christian. You can get shunned just by reading literature from another church, and you can even get shunned for smoking a cigarette. According to Watchtower's own figures, know the number of Jehovah's Witnesses decreased 0.6% from 2019 - 2020 (this represents 46,823 average publishers, for anyone interested) BUT I found a few other interesting facts that indicate, to me at least, that this cult's days are numbered and you can see you feel about it as well. The records management overseer related an experience where one hand-written note cost watchtower over $200,000 simply because a JW elder at headquarters was honest and produced a written document which tied Watch Tower to a major litigation case with a prior vendor. Besides meetings and literature, what is the Watchtower doing, or even attempting to do to truly refresh, uplift, and inspire their young people? A few weeks later, the Jehovah's Witnesses closed on a $200 million sale of that building to the private equity firm Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors, which plans to turn the property into . Witnesses are being approached and asked hard-hitting questions about child abuse, shunning, and other matters. ET on April 5, 2019. With all of the publically displayed lies and deceptions that this organization has dished out over the years, people are finally waking up to the real truth about the Watchtower organization and its agenda. Much of their growth from these nations is from people being born into the religion. Authorities have also been accused of failing to look into allegations by whistleblowers that Jehovah's Witnesses may be hiding its money .