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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 . The rest will live forever in a paradise on Earth, never meeting the person who died for them - Jesus Christ. However, disfellowshipping is. With multiple documentaries being filmed, protests being organized, news reports being written and lawsuits being filed, Jehovahs Witnesses can choose to buckle up and attempt to survive the crash or they can release that belt and get the hell out of the vehicle which is about to catch fire. This article provides basic information on leaving this faith. And then from that day, I never looked back. 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. young ones leaving. Is the Book of Daniel Prophetic or Historical? They dont bring salvation to your door when they come but instead, they talk about a paradise Earth and so on. "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. This is where the Watchtower is at. Andrea embraced its teachings and followed all of JWs beliefs to a T. She didnt celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other holidays, and she avoided birthday celebrations. Jesus Christ is God's agent, through whom sinful humans can be reconciled to God. Furthermore, followers of the sect are three times more likely to be diagnosed as suffering . Andee. Jehovah's Witnesses with 1.3 million members in the U.S. who hand out brochures on sidewalks and subway platforms and ring doorbells are one of the most visible religious groups in the . 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. The Jehovah's Witnesses congregation is a millennialist restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs. Doomsday images from Jehovah's Witnesses publications. I remember that first year after Id left the Jehovahs Witness faith. 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. And you have no promise. Issues such as shunning and adjusting to normal life outside the faith can prove challenging to those wishing to leave. (Immediately prior to dates the end was specifically expected, such as 1914, 1925 and 1975, growth increased to as high as 20%.) Witnesses believe that they are living in . (We already know that growth has become stagnant and more and more people seem to be waking up than previously.). Most Jehovah's Witnesses - roughly two-thirds (65%) - are . Leaving the faith at 18 changed my life completely. Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters, The Hardship of being a Gay Jehovah's Witness. The Jehovahs Witnesses have a bunch of rules, regulations and policies much like the religious leaders of Jesus day had. In most cases of child sexual assault, the pedophile commits the heinous acts when alone with the . Yes, one would think so, but this would involve the Watchtower leadership reinventing, and rethinking matters that they are convinced have already been settled. Are you inspired yet? In 2017, Russia's Supreme Court declared the group an extremist organization, lumping its. She has never found a discrepancy between what is written in the Bible and the teachings taught in the Church Of Christ. JWs are leaving in droves, all because of the internet. Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson Clearly, these eight men will lie just to protect their money because thats their first love. I also believe this is an area where they are also profoundly disconnected from reality. 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. The groups are handing out copies of The Watchtower from carts outside New Street station. Many former friends, including my best friend of 10 years, shunned me. 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. 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. I have two beautiful children that I adore, that God blessed me with, and are very active in the Church. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. It made them revered. . Authorities have also been accused of failing to look into allegations by whistleblowers that Jehovah's Witnesses may be hiding its money . The Holy Spirit is the name of God's active force in the world. Instead of engaging in some honest soul searching and introspection about how to help and nurture young people at an organizational level, the Watchtower leadership, writing department, and traveling overseers all attribute the high turnover to their favorite straw man: Satan. The Watchtower organization simply has nothing new to offer, and no new ideas. To have no faith. 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. You can get shunned just by reading literature from another church, and you can even get shunned for smoking a cigarette. Jehovah's Witnesses detained in inhumane conditions June 4, 2021 Number of Jehovah's Witnesses on trial in Lipetsk grows June 2, 2021 Christian attorney gives advice for staying on good side of law June 1, 2021 Crimean Pentecostals fined for violating Russia's anti-evangelism law May 31, 2021 American prayer breakfast figure feted by Ukrainian . 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. We feel the use of carts allows us to reach people we perhaps wouldnt meet at home due to their work schedules or other factors, said spokesperson Andrew Schofield. Nov. 20, 2019, 9:49 AM PST. I just want you to listen, Cynthia begged. This does not sit well with many elders, particularly those is less than affluent areas. 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. Included with this the commissioning of the Last Messenger! Jehovah's Witness pervert who got sexual kicks from strangling children jailed despite cover-up by congregation. . magazine which says: "No one should be made to worship in a way they find . Watch Tower must pay these benefits. You know I couldnt see my life any other way. 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. Found some information I thought you all might be interested in. 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. It is truly a heavily works based religion. 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. . All rights Reserved. The graph below shoes how the 18-29 crowd have aged up, but new young adults are not replenishing the numbers. 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. Theres absolutely no evidence of that at all. Updated at 12:25 p.m. It is the interpretation given those prophecies by men like Stephen Lett and the other members of the GB over the decades that has caused so many witnesses to lose their faith and even, in the case of many, to turn away from God entirely. And they actually tell you that you cant read the Bible alone that you need these other publications written by them to be able to understand scripture because it comes down from the governing body, and what they say goes. Truth Be Told Documentary Is it any wonder that the turnover among the young people is so high? That takes us to 27. Does a recession/pandemic/war indicate Armageddon? No other religion can do that. Answer (1 of 10): Well, it's resulted in them having to resort to baptizing children to keep their numbers up (something they used to criticize the Catholic church for). Does this sound familiar? They began publishing what they learned in books, newspapers, and the journal that is now called The Watchtower Announcing Jehovahs Kingdom. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that: God the Father (whose name is Jehovah) is "the only true God". Nobody at the London HQ would comment on whether the strategy resulted in an increase in followers. 1. Yes, money is a problem for Watch Tower. The establishment of Jehovahs Witnesses is not in the Bible. This raises the issue of whether any benefits will ever be paid to other full-time JWs across the globe, who deserve them equally. Jehovah's Witnesses, a sect formed in the 1870s and eventually incorporated as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, maintained for much of their early history that 1914 would mark the end of . Have you lost your mind? 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. 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. 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. ", BBC Beyond Paradise star Jamie Bamber is married to Eastenders actress. Instead of adjusting the menu, or admitting that the chef isnt as good as he thinks he is, the owner simply blames the customers, and claims that the patrons taste buds must not be working properly. 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. 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. 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. They are not allowed to question the Watchtower leadership or teaching. 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. Many churches offer separate classes, services, or groups for children that are compatible with their maturity level and that get them acclimated to going to church. Many elders have questioned this vocally, and have described the amount of money charged to each circuit as an invoice. It will be 1 friend out of 6 shunning rather than all of them - not nearly as effective. 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. In many countries, such meetings would be nothing unusual. Jehovah's Witnesses and Covid-19 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. Just imagine if the Ford Motor Company was still manufacturing and marketing the Ford Pinto. I eventually left the faith at 18. His wife's parents are among the 130,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Ukraine. Like Stockholm Syndrome victims, Jehovah's Witnesses continue to support the only organization they think has the answers, identifying with and revering their captors - men who have little sympathy for the victims of child abuse, shunning, or death by blood policy. 1. 2010 Elder's Book The reason for this is because theyre on the verge of going totally belly up, and they need money to be able to handle all of the child sex abuse cases that they have under their belts and so on. Simple forgiveness isnt in their vocabulary. Most people who currently identify as Jehovah's Witnesses (65%) also were raised outside that tradition. Witnesses are being approached and asked hard-hitting questions about child abuse, shunning, and other matters. 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. 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. Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned in Russia since 2017. Everyone has a different "wtf" trigger and access to that information is just a curious click away. Statistically, two-thirds of born in members leave, and of those that leave on. I knew the Bible back and forth. Much of their growth from these nations is from people being born into the religion. 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. Moving to Warwick eliminated these costly payments. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a member of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation in Pierce County recently sued the organization. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I have seen a lot of creativity and progressive thinking when it comes to how they design ministries for young people. 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. This is an area where I believe the Watchtower leadership shows an astounding lack of insight. More and more people each day are posting YouTube videos about their terrible experiences with this organization. Ria Williams sued the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's. When you factor how many people are baptized vs. the number of publishers the year before you realize that they . Steps 1 Do personal research. 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. These doctrines made perfect sense to me!. I believe this with my whole heart. *my Opinion * / Nostradamus Predictions For World War in 2020 . Andrea started to panic and pulled Cynthia aside. 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. Feeling deceived by the teachings of the Jehovahs Witnesses, she confronted her grandmother. 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. When there has been no specific date set . interesting topics> 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. There are now 11 of us that are no longer Jehovah's Witnesses, and that is in ten years. One troubling result is most high control groups, including the Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists, discourage their members from seeking help from mental health care professionals, even when they display troubling signs of acute depression, anxiety, panic disorder, dissociation, suicidal thoughts, autism spectrum disorder or a variety of It isnt about the children. They rely upon the Watchtower more than they rely upon the Bible. 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. I've never showered as much in my life. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. All the books in the Bible.. 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. They thought the end would be here now with the old generation teaching. When you take a look at many of the mega-churches for example, it is very impressive how much they put into creating support groups and programs for their young people. Does a recession/pandemic/war indicate Armageddon? Nothing can be allowed to take any time away from the Watchtowers sole purpose of existence: proselytizing. 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. 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. . The Holy Spirit is . Jehovahs Witnesses can now be found in Birmingham city centre. She tried to push his friendship away, which meant pushing Cynthia away too. 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. Everyone has a different "wtf" trigger and access to that information is just a curious click away. [1] People are waking up and leaving in droves. Why Are People Leaving The Jehovah's Witness In Droves. It is all about the rules and their governing body. Website powered & protected by Jehovah's holy spirit. Internal rules and philosophies among the Jehovah's Witnesses seem to allow abuse to easily be covered up. Andrea sat down. Nearly all WT published material does not hold up to even a freshman's college essay in terms of sources cited, strawman arguments, and avoidance of logical fallacies. I was very well versed in the Bible. The important thing for us is to show them that there is a great life to be lived after leaving the Watchtower. In some respects, its very entertaining. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) The pandemic may leave a. After completing her Bible studies, Andrea was baptized into the Church Of Christ in 1981. A life of meaningless sex, drugs and alcohol is often woven into this picture. 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. And the more she embraced the truth, the more her family tried to stop her. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Is it the sign of the end or just the end of a religion? Jehovah's Witnesses, a millenarian denomination of Christrianity, follow strict guidelines regarding the use of blood in medical practices.