But the fact that there is such a large turnover of the young people is a major symptom that something is deeply and fundamentally wrong with the Watchtowers model. They have their little pet scriptures that they have taken out of context of course and they use those to try and convert you to their brand of religion. Andrea sat down. 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 groups are handing out copies of The Watchtower from carts outside New Street station. And, I think the issue is much broader than what the simple statistics are showing. First of all, I think the Watchtowers problems with their inability to retain the young people runs very deep. She learned she couldnt get that from being a Jehovahs Witness. The following is just my opinion and observations based on events from the past year. Is it any wonder that the turnover among the young people is so high? 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. There are now 11 of us that are no longer Jehovah's Witnesses, and that is in ten years. How many schools do you know of, that stick preschoolers, high school students, and graduate students all into the same classroom together? Ria Williams sued the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's. Watch Tower has taken over responsibility of all kingdom halls worldwide, but many sit in disrepair awaiting renovations in excess of what congregations can afford. Theyre currently in damage control which means that theyre trying to wipe away their history in the hope that future Witnesses will never find it out. It is all about how much you can do in the organization that earns you status and salvation. They are not allowed to question the Watchtower leadership or teaching. The Watchtower organization simply has nothing new to offer, and no new ideas. The important thing for us is to show them that there is a great life to be lived after leaving the Watchtower. Each member carries a "Health Care Proxy" card, declaring his or her desire not to receive a blood transfusion for any reason as stated by Acts 15:28, 29. She was especially close to her sister Cynthia. Last night, I was reading the thread posted by jwfacts a while back in which he provided some statistics and graphs showing the rapidly declining growth in the Watchtower. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that humans have an immaterial nature. 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. Furthermore, followers of the sect are three times more likely to be diagnosed as suffering . 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. I was lucky enough to have parents who brought me up more loosely than most Jehovahs Witnesses. There are millions trapped inside a mental prison, but we can help them. Are you inspired yet? Lets make it happen. It made them revered. Just because they make the claim doesnt make it so. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that they have the one and only true religion and that their Governing Body is appointed by God himself. She didnt party, she didnt drink, and she stayed out of politics. (We already know that growth has become stagnant and more and more people seem to be waking up than previously.). There is dissent in South Africa right now because of the fixed per capita amount assigned to each publisher who attends a circuit assembly. Franz stated the request for his resignation and his subsequent disfellowshipping resulted from allegations of apostasy. In many countries, such meetings would be nothing unusual. Witnesses hold a number of traditional Christian views but also many that are unique to them. My grandmother was a pioneer. But I will say this each one of us can play a part in sharing what we know with the public. Was Russell a Freemason? Watch Tower Headquarters asked branches to sell as much equipment as they could liquidate including heavy equipment, printers, etc. I think the issue is much more serious than they would like to admit. I Prayed and was met by a Witness Andrea grew up in a family of devout Jehovahs Witnesses. Biblically, however, the word "soul" is multifaceted. The modern-day organisation began at the end of the 19th century. - Among all U.S. adults who were raised as Jehovahs Witnesses, two-thirds (66%) no longer identify with the group. The graph below shoes how the 18-29 crowd have aged up, but new young adults are not replenishing the numbers. It is truly a heavily works based religion. You know what its like to not have the spiritual substance that you can grab on to. Its not what we post on AvoidJW.org that should worry Watch Tower. Strangely, their newspapers only had good news to publish about the Soviet government, and only had bad news to report about Western democracies. World. Copyright 2023 Jehovah's Witnesses. I remember I was getting ready to leave [for worship service in the Church Of Christ], it was early in the morning and it was on a Saturday. ITV Dancing On Ice judge Christopher announced Jayne is out of surgery - and it was a success. She tried to push his friendship away, which meant pushing Cynthia away too. The problem is that former Jehovah's Witnessesand others who've left cults or religionshave had to filter out the language of cataclysmic ending when seeking a secular life. I just want you to listen, Cynthia begged. 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 . Literature carts are being used not just in the Newcastle area but all over the world and we foresee them being a regular feature of our public preaching for many years to come.. Included with this the commissioning of the Last Messenger! At death, that life-force leaves the body. Moriah Hughes, 24, filed her lawsuit last month in. Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination with an estimated 175,000 followers in Russia. He grew up in a Strong JW family in the USA but now thinks most of it is BS and Nonsense, By the way he does love Sweden and I need to go visit him. No immaterial soul. 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. Many teenagers in the organization have issues that require a little more remedy than sitting with a notepad at the assembly and counting with tally marks the number of times the speaker says Jehovah. Beliefs. Im still here, and Im still the same. In 2017, Russia's Supreme Court declared the group an extremist organization, lumping its. They make up these rules simply because they can. Jesus himself is truth, not those club-like religions. Yet Governing Body members like Samuel Herd have publicly stated how beautiful their new surroundings are at Bethel how they hear the birds chirping as they observe the serene landscape of upstate New York. Are Watchtower reasons for being the only true religion valid? "Overseers of Jehovah's People", an article in the group's publication called the Watchtower . Something went wrong, please try again later. Contrast this to the July 2009 issue of Awake! More than that, though, it infuriated me the way my most important reason for leaving was brushed aside because it was the most irrefutable: I simply did not believe in the Bible and God, and by extension any Christian belief. Its this picture of the world the word they use to refer to anything outside the faith that was painted for me as a child, and I was warned away from cultivating any close friendships with non-Jehovahs Witnesses for this reason. It isnt Christian and it isnt Gods organization. Witnesses believe that they are living in . Attending My Father's Funeral By the time many young Jehovah's Witnesses reach their teen years, not only have they been conditioned to associate worshipping Jehovah with great displeasure; but they still dont have any groups or programs tailored to them as teens, or which meet their needs. Jesus Christ is God's agent, through whom sinful humans can be reconciled to God. In 2017, Russia banned the denomination, whose members believe in nonviolence and refuse to take up arms in war; Russia . It will be 1 friend out of 6 shunning rather than all of them - not nearly as effective. 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 . 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. In more recent news concerning the Watchtower organization, Steven Lett made a really shocking and quite frankly damning statement concerning babies. 239) In this video I share the story of my transition from believing. This raises the issue of whether any benefits will ever be paid to other full-time JWs across the globe, who deserve them equally. I was born into it which means of course that I completely missed my childhood and early adulthood. Well here goes. But now members are heading into the city to try and reach out to more people. 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. Ironically, they cant do that, because the organization has already been identified and branded as a spiritual banquet where nothing is lacking. Is the Book of Daniel Prophetic or Historical? If all of this keeps up, it might not be long before you will see jw.org gone from the scene, as well as other things tied to this diabolical evil religion. I had to see it, I had to look it up, and I had to read myself. They are told to just go and pioneer.). Show your compassion for those still trapped. 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. However, the Seventh day Adventists say that theyre the only true religion, the Mormons say it and so do the Catholics and so on. Clearly, these eight men will lie just to protect their money because thats their first love. This is where the Watchtower is at. This article provides basic information on leaving this faith. It is all about the rules and their governing body. 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. random musings> 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".. Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters, The Hardship of being a Gay Jehovah's Witness. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. Within ten years, a 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. I expect this is partly due to many young ones being DF or DA due to "misconduct" because children and teens are held to the same rigorous standard as fully realized adults. Are Watchtower reasons for being the only true religion valid? (source: Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/18/jehovahs-witnesses-murder-suicide-keego-harbor/409695002/). 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Additionally, it has been noted by many of us that when there is a family in which the father does not hold some kind of office, the family is often left out on the periphery without much social support. In situations such as this, I have often noticed that the kids dont have much in the way of emotional support and guidance. 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. The graph below shoes how the 18-29 crowd have aged up, but new young adults are not replenishing the numbers. Believers honor Jehovah, the God and Creator of all things. 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. Many of them had some very deep emotional issues that never got resolved. Watch Tower must pay these benefits. 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. Watch Tower continues to try to plug these leaks like the proverbial dam in Holland, but they are running out of fingers and attorneys to plug these leaks. Jehovah's Witness pervert who got sexual kicks from strangling children jailed despite cover-up by congregation. Jehovah's Witnesses 'use the Bible to victim-shame,' sex abuse survivor says. , Productivity Hacks for the Creative Christian, Three (Unexpected) Life Lessons from College, Dear Teenage Self: Finding God Changes You. Is it any wonder that they would seek to fill the void in their life with sex, drugs, and alcohol? If the Jehovahs Witnesses were the true religion, sanctioned by God, there would be no room for error and no mistakes!. As a result, most young Witnesses grow up sequestered in their homes and their congregations, fearful of anything outside those boundaries. ET on April 5, 2019. Jehovahs Witnesses can now be found in Birmingham city centre. Updated at 12:25 p.m. The. Many of these were good kids too. Currently, in the US, JW.org has just 40% of their publishers registered in the JW.org database system. None of these religions are the true religion. I eventually left the faith at 18. Every time I . 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. The establishment of Jehovahs Witnesses is not in the Bible. Its old and we dont use it anymore. A life of meaningless sex, drugs and alcohol is often woven into this picture. Those eight men up in New York are worshipped because they follow every single word they say. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. 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. More and more people each day are posting YouTube videos about their terrible experiences with this organization. As education becomes increasingly important to eek out even a meager living, Witnesses are already being forced to become more educated. I was one of them. There is a question regarding the longevity of JW.org given the events of the past few years. The Jehovah Witness religion is going through some tough times. A former Jehovahs Witness shares why she walked away for good, We would have Bible studies, and I even preached from door to door. You know I couldnt see my life any other way. Watch Tower was spending tens of thousands per year to New York City just to maintain their tunnel and air-bridge spaces between buildings. Again, they continue to enforce a one size fits all education and worship program to both children and adults. Sitting through hours upon hours of talks and Watchtower studies is not going to help them with many of the emotional and social challenges theyre grappling with. Followers famously wont accept blood donations - nor do they celebrate birthdays, claiming such celebrations displease God. Most importantly, these endeavors just might diminish time and resources that are used for going door-to-door. Why are you doing this? Andrea was upset. In March 1997, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Jehovah's Witnesses, sent a letter to each of its . Mr. Lopez alleged he was abused by a church elder named Gonzalo Campos. I have two beautiful children that I adore, that God blessed me with, and are very active in the Church. Tell your story. But she realized she couldnt help her sister if she remained at a distance. young ones leaving. 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. 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. If anyone defected, the leaders simply blamed it on American influence, the defectors lack of gratitude, or on some horrible personal defect of the defector. It is already collapsing under its own weight. 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. I just want you to listen to the doctrines. There was always an air of mysti'c never seeing them except on occasion at a district convention. To scan all documents located in Brooklyn, retaining only the hard copies they were required to keep by law. Nov. 20, 2019, 9:49 AM PST. Jesus Christ is his firstborn son, is inferior to God, and was created by God. Evolution & Creation Misrepresentations 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. Nothing is added, subtracted, or changed to conform to societys standards because, in the Church Of Christ, the Bible is the basis of their faith. 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. Shunning seams to be one of their favorite topics and favorite things to do. But fortunately, after having been out for a number of years, many of us are getting to know who we really are and what gives our lives meaning. *my Opinion * / Nostradamus Predictions For World War in 2020 . Doomsday images from Jehovah's Witnesses publications. There is absolutely nowhere in the Bible where Jesus disfellowshipped anyone. 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. So when Cynthia invited her to meet George and his family at a gathering, she felt obliged to go. The more that they grit their teeth, lash out at dissenters, and shake their fists at the internet, the more they motivate their disenchanted young people to satisfy their curiosities about what is on the net. 1. Today it has 252 members, with those who have been associated with Pentecostalism, the Anglican and Baptist churches and the Jehovah's Witnesses dominating the group. Coronation Street favourite Julia Goulding has confirmed she's back on the cobbles. And even though it was a challenging journey, she doesnt regret it. The mountain of bullshit has finally gotten high enough that it's starting to collapse on itself. The Jehovah's Witnesses congregation is a millennialist restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs. 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. When you factor how many people are baptized vs. the number of publishers the year before you realize that they . Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Truly the Watchtower organization has absolutely nothing good to say about any other religion because theyre too busy puffing themselves up over them. Amber Scorah writes about exiting the Jehovah's Witnesses in Leaving the Witness.

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