Moriah Hughes, 24, filed her lawsuit last month in. You know I couldnt see my life any other way. Are Watchtower reasons for being the only true religion valid? The Watchtower organization simply has nothing new to offer, and no new ideas. Press J to jump to the feed. 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. Change in teachings? Why Are People Leaving The Jehovah's Witness In Droves. And even though it was a challenging journey, she doesnt regret it. Photo courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses Public Information Desk Mandee Reid and her son, Charles Reid, of Kansas City, Mo., like Jehovah's . But it's a way of thinking that is ingrained in you by the faith, and it's this mentality that makes it so difficult to leave. 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. In many countries, such meetings would be nothing unusual. I had to see it, I had to look it up, and I had to read myself. 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. Those few born-in Jehovah's Witnesses who do stay in will pay an enormous price in that they will never have gotten to know who they really were. Again, they continue to enforce a one size fits all education and worship program to both children and adults. How many schools do you know of, that stick preschoolers, high school students, and graduate students all into the same classroom together? 100 years is a pretty long time to wait. They affirm that GodJehovahis the most high. This religion contains more rules on what you cant do rather than what you can do. 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.. 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".. Eventually (it's a slow process), there will be a tipping point where the individual communities (KHs) are too small to avoid marrying or being friends with non-JWs. Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters, The Hardship of being a Gay Jehovah's Witness. He lives in Stockholm. It isnt about the children. At death, that life-force leaves the body. "(We) encourage them to make urgent contact with the Department of Social Services so . They adopted the name Jehovahs Witnesses in 1931. World. Left In 1977. Clearly, this organization is a satanic religion posing as Christian. Besides meetings and literature, what is the Watchtower doing, or even attempting to do to truly refresh, uplift, and inspire their young people? And so after learning from the Bible that God commissions or sends people to communicate the truth, Andrea came to the conclusion that those who wrote the Let God be True book could not have been commissioned by God. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. When youre a convert, you know what its like to be in the world. The new Toyota Drove! The leader Kim Jong is so deluded that his idea of inspiring his people is to walk out on his balcony with his huge Elvis glasses and clap his hands. Internal rules and philosophies among the Jehovah's Witnesses seem to allow abuse to easily be covered up. This is human nature. 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. This was not a tax, it was a fee paid because New York owns the underground and the airspace. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. By Brendan Cole On 7/28/20 at 11:09 AM EDT News Russia Intensifies Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses with 110 Armed Raids The. Two years later he founded Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society, which was incorpo-rated in 1884 in Pennsylvania. Just imagine if the Ford Motor Company was still manufacturing and marketing the Ford Pinto. There are now 11 of us that are no longer Jehovah's Witnesses, and that is in ten years. At that time, a small group of Bible students who lived near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States, began a systematic analysis of the Bible. . Is it the sign of the end or just the end of a religion? BeyondJW - Timothy Campbell Jesus Christ is God's agent, through whom sinful humans can be reconciled to God. (source: Pew Research: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/jehovahs-witness/) and https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/26/a-closer-look-at-jehovahs-witnesses-living-in-the-u-s/). Its not hard to figure out why so many Jehovah's Witness children are conditioned from an early age to associate drudgery with the meetings and assemblies. You're taught by the organisation that once you leave you will. Given the choice between what this media has to offer, versus reading a Kingdom Ministry insert, where do you think a bored and uninspired teenager is going to go? Since then, four Ukrainians from occupied Crimea have been sentenced to six or more years' imprisonment: Serhiy Filatov; Artem Gerasimov; Viktor Stashevsky and Igor Schmidt. But why have they stopped knocking on our doors? It is law according to the Jehovahs Witness. Its a great field service vehicle with four doors and plenty of ankle length dress room in the back! 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. Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and the Catholic Church have all issued statements saying that their religion does not prohibit members from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. This has happened in other countries as well. There was always an air of mysti'c never seeing them except on occasion at a district convention. JWs are leaving in droves, all because of the internet. Kings County, New York - On May 18, 2021, in New York City, Robins Kaplan LLP filed three lawsuits against the Jehovah's Witnesses parent-organization, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. ("Watchtower"), on behalf of survivors who were sexually abused when they were minor members of two different New York State congregations. 726 Followers. 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. The Jehovahs Witnesses originated as a branch of the Bible Student movement, which was founded by Charles Taz Russell, a Christian Restorationist minister. I eventually left the faith at 18. In a recent private video for Bethel members only, this war against questionable pants, socks, and tights was restated, with Watch Tower doubling down on matters which would baffle Jesus himself were he to walk the earth today. - 63% of current Jehovah's Witnesses are a high school education or less. Watch Tower demands their freedom of speech but attempts to deny it to those sharing their publicly available materials which, by the way, are not being distributed for monetary gain. I also believe this is an area where they are also profoundly disconnected from reality. The faith discourages more than the bare minimum education, advising that higher education is a waste of time that could be better dedicated to ministry (a practice that is deemed so important every individual is required to submit a report card of the amount of hours theyve spent preaching each month), and that it fosters a materialistic and selfishly ambitious attitude. When these programs do address the children directly, it usually only entails an assembly drama about Samuel, or the promise that very soon, they will be able to play with tigers and elephants. 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. As education becomes increasingly important to eek out even a meager living, Witnesses are already being forced to become more educated. Evolution & Creation Misrepresentations Im still here, and Im still the same. 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. They govern every aspect of your life from cradle to grave. This is where the Watchtower is at. Many of us here paid that price, only to wake up to it years later. One would think that relatively simple endeavors like those offered in other churches would be worth it to the Watchtower leaders; when considering their inability to retain the young people. If a Jehovah's Witness were to break any of the rules they could be spoken to by an elder (the equivalent of a . 1. Spare the rod, spoil the child. However, today, information is in the form of aTsunami which cant be stopped. These elders are being retrained, and have been called disobedient by the branch. There is absolutely nowhere in the Bible where Jesus disfellowshipped anyone. On top of this, many Jehovah's Witness adults expect children to silently sit still through long convention talks on Daniels prophecies or the nuances of the word parousia. Once that happens, shunning will have very little power over JWs. ", BBC Beyond Paradise star Jamie Bamber is married to Eastenders actress. Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters Two years ago, JW.org implemented a 5-year cost reduction program in which they asked all branches to cut costs by a minimum of 10%, up to 25% as a preferred number. The Holy Spirit is the name of God's active force in the world. Updated at 12:25 p.m. Only ten years ago, every single member, that is 28 members were Jehovah's Witnesses. He [the minister] handed me the Bible, and he told me, From now on, when we look up a scripture, I want you to look it up, and I want you to read it. And that was the biggest help for me in reaffirming me that what he was telling me was the truth. In situations such as this, I have often noticed that the kids dont have much in the way of emotional support and guidance. The Jackson family was raised in the Jehovah's Witness faith, but several of the family members, including sister Janet, no longer practice the religion. random musings> Jehovah's Witnesses said in a statement it did not join because it does not have the institutional settings that result in children being separated from their parents, such as youth groups, choirs . 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. This is another religion. 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. . They may think they do, but we have seen, we have seen the proof that our God is real. All the books in the Bible.. By Elizabeth Chuck. It is truly a heavily works based religion. That takes us to 27. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The church shares some traditional views with the Catholic church but holds several unique ones, including the belief that there is one God, not a Trinity. The truth is, Jehovahs witnesses are taught to welcome doctrinal changes as adjustments or new light, and they have a long list of beliefs and doctrines that have changed since the church was established. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Watch Tower was spending tens of thousands per year to New York City just to maintain their tunnel and air-bridge spaces between buildings. Jehovah's Witnesses and Covid-19 all because thats THE NEW FOUR DOOR SEDAN BY TOYOTA! Jehovah's Witnesses believe that they have the one and only true religion and that their Governing Body is appointed by God himself. I began a life where I could decide what to believe for myself, and I wasnt afraid of someone telling me I couldnt. Andee. All Jehovahs Witnesses will be given a number and tracked unless we can stop this invasion of privacy here in the US and around the world. In the spring of 2015, Stephen Lett asked for donations after stating that JW.org had more money going out than coming in. The life of the Jehovah's Witnesses is guided by those forbidden things and more. The rest will live forever in a paradise on Earth, never meeting the person who died for them - Jesus Christ. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. Just because they make the claim doesnt make it so. You dont need to mourn me, I told her once. I think the issue is much more serious than they would like to admit. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. They compared the doctrines taught by the churches with what the Bible really teaches. Realistically, though, its a threat to the organisation because education could broaden an individuals mind and open them up to a world of opinions outside the faith. First of all, I think the Watchtowers problems with their inability to retain the young people runs very deep. 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. In 2017, Russia's Supreme Court declared the group an extremist organization, lumping its. When a religion starts telling you what to wear, what you can and cant do, whether you can vote, join the military, play sports, read literature from other religions and whether or not you can do certain things within marriage is a religion that is a pure cult. Am I an Apostate? 1. With all the false end of the world predictions that they have done in the past, theyre still crying that Armageddon is coming soon, and that they will be the only survivors of the battle. The present study of 50 Jehovah's Witnesses admitted to the Mental Health Service facilities of Western Australia suggests that members of this section of the community are more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital than the general population. A life of meaningless sex, drugs and alcohol is often woven into this picture. 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. Statistically, two-thirds of born in members leave, and of those that leave on. For years, members have gone door-to-door to spread the word about the faith. Biblically, however, the word "soul" is multifaceted. And at one time their teaching was that Jesus was like God or was a God.. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a member of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation in Pierce County recently sued the organization. Already, members of the Watchtower are already being asked to donate money. Contrast this to the July 2009 issue of Awake! The family of Jehovah's Witnesses is writing letters instead of knocking on doors to spread their faith. Two thirds of those disfellowshipped never return. . I have several observations to add to this. It will be 1 friend out of 6 shunning rather than all of them - not nearly as effective. I made a concentrated effort to stop using the word, because I knew it wasnt the truth to me, and that its use was just a very 1984 Newspeak method of subtle control. Can baptism be Annulled? 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. Does a recession/pandemic/war indicate Armageddon? 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. 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. Truly the Watchtower organization has absolutely nothing good to say about any other religion because theyre too busy puffing themselves up over them. Were a year and a half apart. With all of the new doccumentaries being produced about this organization, YouTube channels and other types of media being produced, Watchtower doesnt stand a chance at survival. Ria Williams sued the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's. Meanwhile, Jehovahs Witnesses in Russia have been imprisoned for following Governing Body directives. Drunk driver smashed into family car on M6 - while sipping cider, Jehovah's Witnesses denies telling abuse victims not to call the police, BBC Breakfast star Charlie Stayt halts show to warn Lenny Henry 'you shouldn't say that', Charlie was hosting BBC Breakfast on Thursday - but warned Lenny: "You really shouldn't say that. AND I'm going to do the most non-Jehovah's Witness-y thing ever and, instead of just making up any shit I please, I will actually supply sources for my data so you can look it up for yourself: - 52% of Jehovah's Witnesses are 50 years of age or older, - Only 29% of Jehovah's Witnesses are parents to children under 18 - a decrease of 8% over the past 7 years. 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. In the book, they [JW] taught that Jesus Christ is a Mighty God. I've never showered as much in my life. young ones leaving. For Ali Millar, the experience of writing her difficult life story wasn't cathartic, it was traumatic. *my Opinion * / Nostradamus Predictions For World War in 2020 . Show your compassion for those still trapped. Moving to Warwick eliminated these costly payments. 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 Jehovahs Witnesses had changed over the years. I was very well versed in the Bible. However, the Watchtower stubbornly sticks to a one size fits all program for everyone. When Cynthia became friends with George, who was a member of the Church Of Christ, Andrea had her guard up because she refused to let someone from another religion influence their faith. At 18 I turned my back on the cloistered isolation of my familys faith and began a life where I was free to question ideas and beliefs. I believe this is a huge factor in the turnover of young people leaving the organization. But now members are heading into the city to try and reach out to more people. Marriage to an unbeliever starts to look a little inevitable. , Productivity Hacks for the Creative Christian, Three (Unexpected) Life Lessons from College, Dear Teenage Self: Finding God Changes You. 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. For them to stay in the organization and have an approved standing, they will have had to squash their inner self, and adopt an organizationally-created identity. Sections: politics business autos jobs career education romance computers phones travel sports fashion health As always you can unsubscribe at any time. I knew the Bible back and forth. Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Much like Kim Jong walking out and clapping his hands, the Watchtowers idea of motivating its people is to deliver talks denouncing college, Watchtower articles ridiculing those who disagree with them, and the repetitive promise that the end is just around the corner. Once more and more world wide governments either ban Watchtower from their nations, or make them pay for all the evil that they have done through their evil practice of shunning and other terrible things not mentioned here, the Watchtower organization may be forced to shut its doors. interesting topics> It is already collapsing under its own weight. 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. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. This religion is indeed a cult and a terrible one at that. Are you inspired yet? Watch Tower Headquarters asked branches to sell as much equipment as they could liquidate including heavy equipment, printers, etc. When Andrea learned that the re-emergence of the Church Of Christ is clearly found in the Bible, she looked into the origins of JW and found that there was no Biblical proof to support JWs establishment. Jesus Christ is his firstborn son, is inferior to God, and was created by God. 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. Jehovah's Witness 'ordered to renounce faith and join Russian army' Europe. However, the rate of growth has almost certainly also been dependent on child baptism for several years and, with the average age of the membership growing older and decades of discouragement from current members having children, there are also simply fewer children to indoctrinate. In 2017, Russia banned the denomination, whose members believe in nonviolence and refuse to take up arms in war; Russia . She was especially close to her sister Cynthia. It is all about how much you can do in the organization that earns you status and salvation. Why so many raised as Witnesses leave It should be noted that the Soviets used the same methods of argumentation and reasoning claiming that nothing was lacking in Mother Russia. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Beside simple boredom, what we also see in the Watchtower organization are many emotionally troubled people and single parent families who join the religion for the promises of relief that it holds out for them. 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. I have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the Watchtower organization in recent years. According to the organisation, there are currently more than 70,000 Witnesses in Australia. This raises the issue of whether any benefits will ever be paid to other full-time JWs across the globe, who deserve them equally. Within ten years, a Getty Images 08 . This is not to say that there are no enthusiastic young people in the Watchtower organization, because there truly are. - The number of young Jehovah's Witnesses (aged 18-24) has dropped by 6% over the past 7 years. It there is a large turn-over in the congregation, it must mean that Satan is working overtime; not that that anything could ever be wrong with the organization itself. The lawsuits are piling up, the fines are compounding, the public awareness of Watch Towers dangerous and controlling cult influence on followers will become a spectacle in 2018. Ironically, they cant do that, because the organization has already been identified and branded as a spiritual banquet where nothing is lacking. Many of them not only help the young people with their unique issues, but also really inspire them enough to get active and pay it forward. Jehovah's Witnesses believe these men are anointed as the voice of God on Earth. We grew up together. Yes, money is a problem for Watch Tower. 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. And, it doesnt help the organization at all when governing body members like Jeffery Jackson get onto the stand in court and lie about their organization saying that it would be presumptuous to say that theyre the only spoakspeople for God when in fact, it says just that very thing in their literature. A key factor to the growth in number of Jehovah's Witnesses is the promise that this system will end at any moment. The graph below shoes how the 18-29 crowd have aged up, but new young adults are not replenishing the numbers. ITV Dancing On Ice's Christopher Dean issues Jayne Torvill health announcement. Yes, one would think so, but this would involve the Watchtower leadership reinventing, and rethinking matters that they are convinced have already been settled. Theres absolutely no room for error within the organization. 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. As she started to lose trust in the unsteady teachings of JW, Andrea turned to the Church Of Christ for doctrinal stability because, in the Church Of Christ, everything that they follow is written in the Bible. A man who pleaded guilty to raping two underage girls he met through the Jehovah's Witness congregation they all belonged to has been sentenced to . Earlier this year, we wrote about how the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, better known as the Jehovah's Witnesses despite a long history of litigating many, many important 1st. Jehovahs Witnesses can now be found in Birmingham city centre. 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 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. All Witnesses are expected to obey instructions and doctrines that influence every aspect of life: Women are considered subservient to men, higher education is discouraged and homosexuality is not permitted.

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