To have no faith. I just want you to listen, Cynthia begged. Simple forgiveness isnt in their vocabulary. The new Toyota Drove! Watch Tower is in the process of implementing a new records management program along with a destruction of documents procedure which is designed to ensure that no documents exist which would tie Watch Tower to any legal responsibility or repercussions. Meanwhile, Watch Tower purchased four $8,000.00 scanners. 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. The Let God Be True book was written by imperfect men, and imperfect men make mistakes, and it was a mistake. This religion contains more rules on what you cant do rather than what you can do. Therefore, if young people are uninspired, bored, or unmotivated to engage in the theocratic treadmill, Jehovah's Witnesses can simply blame it on the influences of MTV, high school, or on their favorite buzzword: the world. By Elizabeth Chuck. In situations such as this, I have often noticed that the kids dont have much in the way of emotional support and guidance. A key factor to the growth in number of Jehovah's Witnesses is the promise that this system will end at any moment. Well here goes. 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.. . 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. Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson If at any point you do have doubts and want to leave, your forced isolation up to that point makes the decision inevitably intimidating and potentially overwhelming because of the prospect of being alone and without a support network to guide you through the process. While I tried to maintain the utmost respect for their beliefs and not attempt to preach my own, they refused to extend me the same courtesy, and many assumed Id left so I could experience more freedom for worldly things. What are you doing? I was born into it which means of course that I completely missed my childhood and early adulthood. As education becomes increasingly important to eek out even a meager living, Witnesses are already being forced to become more educated. Biblically, however, the word "soul" is multifaceted. Many of them had some very deep emotional issues that never got resolved. 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. 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. How can anyone watch these buffoons and think theyre Gods voice. The shorter the expected time left, the higher the growth. The fact that the [Church Of Christ minister] can go to the Bible and prove when, where, and how the Church was established in these last days is the reason I am a member of the Church Of Christ! Moriah Hughes, 24, filed her lawsuit last month in. JWs are leaving in droves, all because of the internet. I have several observations to add to this. 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. Originally from Kent, Laetitia says her parents became Jehovah's Witnesses about four years before she was born. Clearly, these eight men will lie just to protect their money because thats their first love. Imagine if Ford was blaming the consumers - saying that consumers had poor judgment for not wanting to buy the Pinto anymore. -65% of JWs are women, compared to only 35% men. "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. I think the issue is much more serious than they would like to admit. In 2015, the court hit Watchtower with a $13.5 million verdict after the organization failed to turn over documents and provide witnesses in a lawsuit filed by Jos Lopez. Strangely, their newspapers only had good news to publish about the Soviet government, and only had bad news to report about Western democracies. 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. Why are you doing this? Andrea was upset. She met George, his family, and a few others from the Church Of Christ, including Brother Eddie San Gabriel, a Minister of the Gospel. All monies were directed at finishing Warwick, then selling off their cranes and millions of dollars worth of vehicles and other high prices tools, right down to a 5 dollar screwdriver. Updated at 12:25 p.m. 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. 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. 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. Only ten years ago, every single member, that is 28 members were Jehovah's Witnesses. Are Watchtower reasons for being the only true religion valid? But I will say this each one of us can play a part in sharing what we know with the public. The Witnesses still experience growth, but at a huge expense. 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. 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 . When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. 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. 239) In this video I share the story of my transition from believing. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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 compared the doctrines taught by the churches with what the Bible really teaches. 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. 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. However, today, information is in the form of aTsunami which cant be stopped. I was lucky enough to have parents who brought me up more loosely than most Jehovahs Witnesses. 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 . Many of us here paid that price, only to wake up to it years later. In most cases of child sexual assault, the pedophile commits the heinous acts when alone with the . Reportedly, one of the rules is that unless a perpetrator confesses to committing a sin, two people must witness the commission of the sin. 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. When there has been no specific date set . - 63% of current Jehovah's Witnesses are a high school education or less. Andee. I myself was born and raised in the organization. End of the Home Book Study Arrangement Jehovah's Witness 'ordered to renounce faith and join Russian army' Europe. Many elders have questioned this vocally, and have described the amount of money charged to each circuit as an invoice. Issues such as shunning and adjusting to normal life outside the faith can prove challenging to those wishing to leave. I have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the Watchtower organization in recent years. 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. Is it the sign of the end or just the end of a religion? 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 Hardship of being a Gay Jehovah's Witness Other programs that would make for a much stronger, robust, and enthusiastic membership are pushed aside and dismissed due their possibly interfering with proselytizing. 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. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to welcome doctrinal changes. interesting topics> What would you expect to see if that was a news headline within the coming year? It is more like Satans group simply because of the harsh and inhumane rules and regulations that they harbor in their midst. Jesus Christ is his firstborn son, is inferior to God, and was created by God. It is just too much even for them to handle. It's already a small pool of potential friends and romantic interests in a KH. There are millions trapped inside a mental prison, but we can help them. 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. 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 don't have any groups or programs tailored to them as teens, or which meet their needs. Instead, all of the nations human capital is invested in one thing: warfare. With the recent crack-downs on college education, the Watchtower is looking less and less like a spiritual paradise, and is looking more like North Korea. The graph below shoes how the 18-29 crowd have aged up, but new young adults are not replenishing the numbers. But in another respect, its quite sad, when considering the young people in the organization who desperately need and yearn for something more. They govern every aspect of your life from cradle to grave. 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. My father and i have discussed this. Franz stated the request for his resignation and his subsequent disfellowshipping resulted from allegations of apostasy. 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. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. Jehovah's Witness pervert who got sexual kicks from strangling children jailed despite cover-up by congregation. There are now 11 of us that are no longer Jehovah's Witnesses, and that is in ten years. My grandmother was a pioneer. She learned she couldnt get that from being a Jehovahs Witness. 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. One has since died but had rarely attended before her death. People are finally not afraid to talk, and the very massive Ex-JW community is really having a huge affect on Watchtower and on those still inside of it. In many countries, such meetings would be nothing unusual. Truly the Watchtower organization has absolutely nothing good to say about any other religion because theyre too busy puffing themselves up over them. 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. But why have they stopped knocking on our doors? ITV Dancing On Ice judge Christopher announced Jayne is out of surgery - and it was a success. 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? They thought the end would be here now with the old generation teaching. 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. random musings> It will be 1 friend out of 6 shunning rather than all of them - not nearly as effective. - The number of young Jehovah's Witnesses (aged 18-24) has dropped by 6% over the past 7 years. Lets make it happen. Nothing can be allowed to take any time away from the Watchtowers sole purpose of existence: proselytizing. - About 1% of the entire membership is disfellowshipped every year. Most importantly, these endeavors just might diminish time and resources that are used for going door-to-door. The major damage has been done and it will only continue to spread throughout the organization as more and more proof of this religions terrible practices are leaked out and spread all over the Internet. Watch Tower is watching its assets in Russia vanish while paying settlements in the US and elsewhere for child abuse mishandling and other legal cases. The modern-day organisation began at the end of the 19th century. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. Many will have had to cover over passions and talents that would have given their lives much greater meaning. Besides me, at least 75% of the kids I grew up with in the congregation are out for good. Jehovahs Witnesses can now be found in Birmingham city centre. JWs are leaving in droves, all because of the internet. I Prayed and was met by a Witness Is the Book of Daniel Prophetic or Historical? You know what its like to not have the spiritual substance that you can grab on to. Theres absolutely no room for error within the organization. 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. A lack of education is also essential to keep members locked in. 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. Most Jehovah's Witnesses - roughly two-thirds (65%) - are . Everyone has a different "wtf" trigger and access to that information is just a curious click away. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Why Are People Leaving The Jehovah's Witness In Droves. But she realized she couldnt help her sister if she remained at a distance. 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. They use Office 365 now and embed data into PDF files in an attempt to track where the leaks are coming from. The Jehovah's Witnesses congregation is a millennialist restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs.