It just boiled my blood when Jeffery Winder said they don’t need to apologize for the doctrinal mistakes they’ve made. To think of everyone that lost their lives from not having organ transplants, no blood transfusions, The Malawian incident, etc… Such disgusting arrogance! Off topic…speaking of Jesus coming to the world through Mary’s birth canal. Have you ever wondered, because she gave birth to Jesus if Jehovah, as a blessing, lessened or even took away her birth pains?
WT has admitted in the past that their doctrines and corporate policies have directly resulted in the death of innocent JWs. You'd think that kind of admission might inspire some humility in the GB and the need for introspection and change, but they continue to double down on their arrogance unfazed.
Who knows about the birth pains but I personally feel frustrated that god didn’t ask Marys consent whether he could use her body for such an intimate purpose...I know she submitted to his demands but that’s a different thing to uncoerced consent.
I was talking to my sister recently and she said, a lot is changing, I told her yea what was taught as truth for years is now reduced to we don’t know, she was like huh?? Well that’s interesting. I told her that all the stuff is leaked online before she even gets any of it. I asked her if she Tony Morris was kicked out of the GB, she said I know he was sick and moved away from the responsibilities, I said a GB appointment is to the death, no GB member has been removed for illness. She said they allow them to leave now because the ancient Israelites were able to step down from high positions. I just laughed and told her about his bottle king video and how he’s been removed from any mention on the website, she was just like “ What”???? I said yea check it out for yourself.
@@survivingparadisepodcast Lol yup me too however I never got baptized, one thing my mother didn’t push on me but it was only because she didn’t want me to make her look bad.
@@survivingparadisepodcast i feel blessed to have an outlet for my pain and suffering. thank you for encouraging humor on your channel. considering the topic some may be unable to laugh. i have found it to be the best therapy for healing. at least talking about it begins a path forward.
I was lucky to have a support system on the outside when I left at 17. I've watched those that don't (entire family JW) flip flop back and forth being in and out. My heart goes out to them because they are in a perpetual state of pain. It's criminal what this Org does to kind hearted people. Mt mother is devoted JW but I am lucky again to have a great relationship with her despite being DF'd. She told me a few years ago that her and her friend (the one that brought her in to JW) decided to have the relationship they want with their children. She did shun me for years at the beginning but having children brought her back to me and I accepted. I don't flaunt our relationship by posting anything online and she doesn't nag me about coming back. Just an adult relationship with mutual respect. I wish all could have this. Great vid. Thank you
My 70something year old dad feels he has nothing else after 52 years in. Stuck in my sister's basement. My sisters don't know anything else either, although my middle sister seems to be straddling the fence, having married outside the Borg. Her kids are in or have gone to... college. But she will not discuss anything negative about the Borg. I think she is still in the "just in case they are right" mindset. Been there. Took me a long time too. Still deal w PTSD of my own fears.
Huge hugs to your family. The older generations are all facing this stuff now....it's devastating in so many ways. You're NOT alone my friend.....the PTSD is very alive in many of us, even years after we leave. Don't give up on yourself....get that mental health help, I highly recommend talking to someone. HUGE help....please be good to yourself!
So many of my former JW friends now live in poverty in their 60s - 80s after giving their lives pioneering, with no pensions, living on charity or UK government support (from Satan's system), yet they still follow Watchtowers BS just in case JWs are correct. It's very sad.
Sunk-cost fallacy: "The phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial." I believe this is how a lot of JWs like your dad, who has been for a long time, see things.
That was great. U are sooo healing and real. I knew when I was 13 that the RF was under a spell. I was never baptized plus they started with the misogyny. My entire family is still in so I am tethered to the Borg in a way. This video really helped me feel better. I am studying the pre Roman matriarchy when God was a woman. Spirituality vs Religion. I will keep you posted.
Excellent Stacey, brilliant. I think back and must admit I was too lazy to research my beliefs. I now see I was just moving around the JW world like a zombie and didn’t realize I had no real basis to believe what I believed then. The human psyche is so complex, isn’t it. It’s only in retrospective that I see how robotic I was.
I'm only a few minutes in, but when you said, "Jehovah's Witnesses fear EVERYTHING," that reminded me of my one and only "Attagirl" from an org high-up. Long story short: in high school my friends at school had an assignment to do, and for that they asked to come with me to a Sunday meeting. They were GOOD friends and good people. They knew I was kooky and loved me anyway, so I had no particular fear about bringing them. I was, however, dismayed when we got there and I realized that it was the overseer week; I'd completely forgotten, and now, instead of a normal talk, it was going to be "God's deep things." I thought to myself, "Well, great. They're gonna think we're REALLY weird, when they can't even follow the talk at all." Still, it was just my best buddies doing a religion class assignment. They listened to the talk, but didn't stay for the WT study. Well, after the meeting, I was trying to slip out and go home, but here comes the CO. He was a small, loud man. He came down the hallway towards me, a veritable entourage of the movers and shakers of the congregation with him, and announces, "And HERE is ELECYAH, who FEARS NOTHING!!" Comes and shakes my hand. Well, I take the compliment as well as I can, but thought to myself, "Isn't that funny; he doesn't know a thing about me. In reality, I FEAR EVERYTHING." 😶 Which was absolutely true. I feared everything; including the CO. Including all the spiritual people in the congregation. Doing the wrong thing, accidentally. The list goes on. But incidentally, I did NOT fear my friends.
@@robertgrey6101 hanging in there, just recently started searching the other side of things that we were told not to and found out so much. It's crazy looking from the outside in and how hectic it is to be a Witness
Absolutely right Stacey. As a Christian, it is difficult for me to comprehend how people can believe this drivel when so much of it is not biblical. How they can’t see the narcissism, gaslighting, deception and sheer absurdity of it. The way Stephen Lett presents himself. I had pretty intense second-hand embarrassment for my JW friend when I first heard Lett talking. If my pastor ever said “babies are little enemies of God,” I would walk out and never look back. The level of mind control they have over millions just blows my damn mind.
@@survivingparadisepodcast It truly is! I wish there was a way to find out how many of them are actually PIMO out of the so-called 8 million followers WT claims they have.
If only we had the glasses from the movie, “They Live”. It would be like in the alley way fight scene trying to get them to put on the glasses. 😂😂😂 When I first saw Lett talk, I literally thought it was some kinda funny joke. Then I realized, omfg, that dude is for real & the zombies are obeying. I still can’t believe it. The entire GB is so fake. Horrible actors.
@@jackijax505 haha! Yes, I know exactly what movie you are talking about with the glasses. Great analogy. And with Lett, I don’t get how they take that clown seriously. Not only are his statements appalling, his facial expressions are absolutely ridiculous. How these people keep a straight face when watching this clown is beyond me.
It's easier to break free from physical bondage then mental mental bondage. But when you do, the feeling of euphoria that washes over you like a warm ocean wave, is unlike anything felt before. Finding the strength to leave watchtower is not easy, but when you do, it will all be worth it. Spread your wings and fly!
Meet new friends, visit new places, have new experiences and learn about people, learn about yourself and your unconscious beliefs, rid yourself of useless burdens, enjoy.
An epic analysis. So true . You hit the nail on the head, thank you Stacey ! I must replay this episode again . I know I wanted almost 30 yrs of my life. Happy to be out now and free from all the crap !😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Thank you, Stacey, for recognizing the PIMOs and for their reasons for staying. Shunning is not an option for a lot of them. I am blessed that I got out, along with a few family members, without being shunned by our family that's still in. We're the lucky ones. ❤
Absolutely!!! I recommend every PIMO do EVERYTHING possible to keep their family. Lie, play games, whatever it takes.....it's so utterly awful to think they have to....but they do!
Being PIMO has to be rough. Although, for me being DF’d and shunned is difficult, I couldn’t imagine myself having to present as JW and sit in meetings week after week knowing everything coming out of Watchtower is a lie! It would drive me insane! I’ve got lots of sympathy and respect for the PIMO’s!
Epic episode! You covered everything comprehensively. It's frustrating (understatement) to see JWs loyally serving an organisation which has lied to them every day (and continues to lie to them) for one or all of these reasons. Re. Laziness: I only wish I had bothered to do some research when I left. I spent a quarter of a century in darkness (ignorance). I was POMI. I still called it 'the truth' until 2021. Even after I woke up, it took me a few more months to admit I had been in a cult. The indoctrination runs deep.
Be kind to yourself!! That is an entire subject unto itself! Many leave and STILL believe it.....it's fascinating, but it shows the depth by which this is embedded in all of us!
YES!!!!!! 100% truth......for those that get upset and say 'I studied all the time" ....I smile and ask them where they are....and it hits them: they're out.
Whenever an honest Jehovah's Witness discovers that he is mistaken about Watchtower being "God's Organization", he will either cease to be mistaken, or he will cease to be honest. Stacy- excellent presentation! I really enjoyed your take on this subject. What JWs fail to realize is that _every_ item on the Watchtower buffet is "crawdads laced in yogurt". Some know it, but for the reasons you articulated so nicely, they refuse to be honest. Personally, I just can't justify continuing the game of pretend after being enlightened, all to retain people in your life that will jettison you in a nanosecond for calling a spade a spade. But, that's a decision each JW must make for themselves: do I be honest and true to my values and leave? Or, do I stay and put on an act, all to retain family and friends who only have conditional love to offer?
I read Jude and i had this uneasiness that the GB was in trouble, well since COVID i learnt so much i now know whats been happening and still learning.
It's hard to feel dead while alive for your friends and close family. Loneliness and abandonment are traumatic experiences that humans will do almost everything to avoid
@rfpm You have to get out and mske friends very quickly. Sports, travel, personal interests such as cooking, mechanics, sailing, swimming, fishing etc, higher education, pub crawls etc of what turns you on. And NO giving of "THANKS" at meals. That practice will only keep you attached to the evilness of these narcissists in their controll of your mind, heart and soul.
@@robertgrey6101 Thank you for reaching out. I was generalizing I am proudly out :), from age 8 I knew one day I would leave, despite getting baptized and being quite active due to my very zealous family, who didn't shy away from psychological and financial pressure. I started exiting when I completed 18. Nonetheless, my experience is quite traumatic and shunning had a crippling effect on me. For a while I thought that I was too sensitive and codependent on my family, even after a college degree, a career, and a family of my own. No, I was not. I was in a cult. Where I live, JW religion is perceived as boring but harmless. Quite the opposite, right?
I am someone who was lucky enough to be close with relatives that had left the religion years ago. So when I decided to leave I didn't lose my whole support system like many people in the exjw Community sadly have.
I was recruited and lovebombed as a vulnerable teen. Truth book rave, got babtized 1972. Woke 2017. Aged and disabled, living with regret, ptst, extreme anxiety😢.
I know it is difficult, but try to be thankful to the universe that you attained this enlightenment and did not die without growing in your understanding of reality. No one knows where or what it is. Dwell in the mystery and find peace. Don't try to fill in the blank with an answer; there isn't one that isn't man made. Have fun!
@@survivingparadisepodcast 😊 Really appreciate hearing you share your authentic thoughts about your experience. Thank you for putting yourself out there in this way. Like any action taken its effects reach further than expected and usually are not fully understood when started. Lives will be lived differently next year and in 100 years based on decisions people make today in their personal world. Hope you keep it rolling and keep having fun!
So true! The losing Your loved ones and family is really the main thing I have seen why people stay. I too was also too lazy to look into all the history and believed what they said as true. I’m so glad I see it all clearly now.
Stacy- this is one of your best. As I listened I had to think of my aging JW sister who I will never see or hear from again. She has invested 55 years of her life in that cult and I can't imagine how she would be able to live with herself if she should ever come to realize that she has sacrificed the bulk of her life for a publishing and real estate investment company. If she were to leave it where would she go? She has two disfellowshipped sons as well as me her brother who has been disfellowshipped since 1986. How would she be able to reunite with us?
Thanks HD!! Ugh, just reading that made me hurt for you and your sister. Terrible.....completely fooled. And she lost all the males in her life??? For guys in NY she will never know. Tragic :( so sorry!!
Its crazy to me that all us ex's have been discussing the full changes that happened at the Annual meeting for a month now & yet the GB doesn't think regular JWs can handle all the changes in one sitting, so they break it up into 2 parts over MONTHS.
@icufool That testifies to the fact J. Ws. are so dumbed down they are mentally frail. Also, it testifies to how much control these authoritarian, autocratic, despotic narcissists have over their dumbed down adherents.
Oh and how fear is a big motivator to stay. The consequences of loosing everyone impacted me big time! Luckily my husband was my support. Without someone on ’the other side’, I don’t know if I would’ve broken with the JWs like that, or how long it would’ve taken, since I didn’t leave because I found out it was BS. I just felt like I’d never be good enough for the organization. Waking up, took 14yrs. For the second reason... in my late teens I had thought to myself: ”I’m in this already my WHOLE life. Why leave (give up) now??”... Really because of what they said like what you reminded me of. Luckily eventually I did change the perspective of having SO much of my life still to live! I thought the 3rd reason would be with pointing to the brothers and them not wanting to leave due to the position of power they have... But on the lazy part, I’ve thought: ”With all these people, even doctors and other highly educated people who have become JW, it must be right. Right?”
Everyone's journey out is so different. I'm so glad you had your husband!! There are likely many reasons, but I felt like these three summed up my own observations
Thank you so much for all the effort that you put into this important needed podcast. I just hope that it reaches new ears within this organization. I hope it helps to show that they are in slavery to a lie orchestrated by a group of imperfect men, hungry for money and controlling power over their fellow man. I faded away, that was my technique, I was asked by an elder, "Have you left? or do you consider yourself inactive? My reply was, " I am inactive" consequently everyone still talks to me. Be smart, be nice, play the game. Be a free agent, it is all to stupid for words.
Luckily I was naïevely unaware about 4yrs ago when they showed up at my door. 3 brothers, 1 young brother that considered me as a return visit / shepherding call and the 3rd one I recognized as circuit overseer (he did not recognize me, but I immediately knew who he was). When this year I found the Shepherd the Flock of God, they were asking exactly the questions I read there for those who are inactive. At that time I was no apostate and did not tell anyone I used to be a JW. I think that saved me from being disfellowshiped on the spot. Then my old congregation would also have been informed, I’m sure. Including my family... My parents don’t shun me and my siblings I keep at arms length, but they don’t shun me either. I haven’t seen those brothers since and don’t think the town I life in now, would know who I am, unless my brother would tell. But that’s ok, I’ll handle them with kindness to not shoot myself in the foot
Stacy your work truly helps w deconstructing the cult jw mind. Thank you for doing this kindness for myself and all the hurting souls. I do hope many more exit soon.❤hugs.
You once again hit the nail (Org!) on the head on the power it holds over people! Sad part is that power is all make believe! I do hold out hope that just one person in my family of 17 (that’s including all my nieces and nephews, but no spouses) just one wake’s up! Thank you Stacy!
Definitely fear! One is disappointing and losing JW family and friends; two is disappointing Jehovah and being damned to death. Then there’s that little voice programmed into the back of your head saying, “What if they are right?” No one “WANTS” to die. I have often thought about that; I’ve decided I’m not scared to die and I’m going to live now!
YEP! 'what if they're right'....'am I making a mistake'......when it comes to that feeling, I point people to Romans 8:38, 39....built in guarantee that is rarely considered by a JW
Man, this one hit home. I too never studied ANYTHING unless I had a part to prepare for and I was one of the ones spoken of that happily signed the blood card and stuck it in my wallet without ever having considered WHY! The sheer laziness I exhibited towards how I lived my life still brings me regret to this day, and having only been 2 years awakened, I’m sure many more days of regret will follow. Thing is, I’m so thankful that those days of regret will be offset with gratitude and grace towards myself for actually pushing thru the dissonance and looking up things that bothered me and then allowing a conscience not yet fully consumed by watchtower garbage, to move me to action. The pain I see in some of the comments here and even among those on forums, is so palpable, but I truly hope they too can give themselves grace in knowing that the pages in our lives that contained our inauthentic selves, those pages have been turned. Yes, they’re still in our books, apart of us, but they won’t define how our story ends. Thank you so much Stacey for what you do man. Thanks for opening up this space to allow the light to be shone on the evils of watchtower and to give a chair for those of us who thought we were being authentic in being JW’s, yourself included, to sit and draw comfort in knowing that, nah that person wasn’t the authentic one…this one, the one who can think for themselves, who’s not afraid of objective research, who’s not afraid of facts and where those facts may lead them among many other attributes, that’s the authentic one and you all are amazing!!
Guilty as charged my family when I was a JW never, ever studied the bible . I was fuming when I saw the video asking to donate in there wills too the organisation. I was taught that the end was round the corner so why the need for donations!
Stacey as always I LOVE your videos including this one but I also don’t believe in being fake just to keep conditional family and “friends”, earlier this year I came out as full blown apostate and automatically got shunned by my family and JW “friends” that I’ve known for 20+ years and even tho it hurts being shunned I don’t regret it one bit cause now I got rid of all the fake people that never really loved me to begin with and now I’m making my own family and have real friends in my life that show me nothing but unconditional love but no way In hell I was going to be fake and stay in the organization just to keep fake people in my life!
Thanks Jeron!! I'm exactly like you.....I just don't know how to fake anything, but never judge others that do. I'm just not built that way.....I too lost everyone aside from my immediate family, which left shortly after I did.....oddly, I just felt relieved to lose them all.....in some cases, I 'DF'd' them before they did me....and I haven't missed anyone. A big subject!
Mid week meeting in Nigeria in West Africa Pidgin language. The Statement just before the book study, where they show videos from the Branch. After the video they ask questions! The comments you'll go to, we are short on time to save people. We need to adjust our time to save lives before the end comes, before the tribulation! Before the door closes on the Ark! I was surprised to hear thus teaching after the annual meeting. I also heard this term in Sundays talk. I'm not so sure these statements will slow because that's the fear causing truth that makes people to scare them to listen. So the fear mongering will not stop even though they now believe no field's of death when the tribulation begins. No more stinging message, more Kingdom Messages, more recruitment even though one can now chose to follow the King Jesus when they see him and his Kingdom. The majority of 8.7 million do not even know the JW Doctrine has been completely changed. No more fire balls to signify the beginning of the tribulation. How can we tell when the tribulation begins.😮😮😮😮😮😮
Hey surviving paradise I finally getting into a college and get a certificate or diploma, I want to do IT AND repair computers also doing cnc machining and possibly take a course in industrial electronics! The biggest issue is my mom and my younger brother and sister, my mom is old and I help her a lot. I feel like I should give it up! But I know if I don’t I won’t be able to ever live a real life!
@@survivingparadisepodcast hey I’m going to be honest though, I still need to have some meetings before committing to it! With the people there on what courses would be a good fit for me. So I’m not in yet still at home but getting there to get out.
Just another thought provoking video! I woke up around 2019 after being in it for 50 years. It was hard, very hard! I didn’t think my life was wasted, because I had a pretty good job,(missed meetings due to shift hours) , although years ago I cashed out a life insurance thinking Armageddon is coming anyway. I had a nice childhood. My parents were witnesses,now deceased. I met wonderful people that I would have not met “in the world”. Fortunately my sister woke up too. We are pimo, cause her son (elder) is still in it.
Good point Stacey: if you can, stay in an fake love rather than lose your family. I totally agree. Don’t let wt win and make you lose your family. Stay pimo guys!!
Stacy, thank you. This one of the best episodes I've listened to. You are correct that realizing you will grow old is devastating. It was hard to leave because of the shunning and fear and guilt. But I'm so glad I'm out.
In my opinion the Christadelphian religion also works on a lot of fears, fears of judgement day, Armageddon, missing out on securing a suitable mate to name a few. I’d say I see sunk cost fallacy there too, as promised time-lines stretch to breaking point. I’m just wondering about that story you related Stacey about your friend, it seemed to me to be something more than mere laziness, almost like another fear. Especially how he started shunning you soon after. Maybe a subconscious fear that Unbelief is contagious? Fear of the bubble bursting?
Very true, I agree! My close friend was himself a person that 'hung around it' for years since we were kids and within the past couple decided to act like a JW. Not educated and not willing to study, he just follows the crowd. I do believe he has subconscious fears....he also follows whatever his wife wants to do without any real understanding. Complex situation, but definitely lives in fear
👋PIMO Since October 1995, when the beginnings of the Overlapping Generation teaching... I then understood the WTBTS was a group of CHARLATANS, no different than any other religion, and disconnected for good. However, my dear Husband, Parents, Siblings and excellent lifelong friends are in it hook-line-and-sinker. I'm considered "Spiritually weak" as I do as little as possible, and often experience soft-shunning by some irrelevant ones. I'm used to and okay with it...👍 Thanks for this most helpful topic❤❤❤
Lots of love to you, it's so difficult to be mentally free but see those you love still trapped by it all. 1995 was a HUGE moment....I was the WT conductor....many then found the exit door...a massive blow to those who were loyal for years
Yet another great podcast as I sit looking at my Christmas tree 😅Take that, Society 🎄So many truths in this. And humor that is much needed. Your channel is probably my favorite ex-JW one.
And all of this, just for a "maybe." Zephaniah 2:3 was constantly thrown in our faces when I was in... "*Probably* you *may* be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger." Like, WT absolute F?! God is jealous *and* fickle and no one is *ever* allowed to firmly declare their salvation. Even those who claim to be anointed get some heavy side-eye (if not *the* heaviest). All for a solid "maybe"... and, at this point , almost every worldly person has just been given a solid "maybe," too.
I stayed in till I got my whole family out …… it’s been 4 years and my neices and nephew are in college now and my family is moving on….. the only one still in is my dad and my brother inlaw …. Which both don’t shun us they come to holidays events 🤣🤣
Hi Stacey, Did ya miss me? 😉 I’ve recently returned from 6 weeks in hospital, 2 of which I was in ICU. When I came to, much weakened, I promised my JW sister that I would re-examine JW teachings. Tbh despite all the changes, it is still more mind-numbing as before.
Hi Ann, oh no!! I hope you're okay??!!! All that matters is your health!!! Oh yes, I encourage the same examination....their book, their literature. It all becomes evident!
Always entertaining. Always PROFOUND. Always right on target. One of the MANY reasons that I HAD to leave, was that I could not recommend or model being a JW, because of the way they treat people, & particularly, women & children. Im baffled at how others can want that treatment for others! I would rather die than wish that for others! I saw my best friend with 3 small boys try to tell the elders that her UNBELIEVING, drunkard, cheating husband comes home drunk at 2 am, gets her up & orders food, but worse gets the kids up to watch while he holds her up in a corner of the room with a knife at her throat & screams at her! Then, the elders tell her that she needs to be a better wife! She was new to the org & didnt know about how cheating was grounds for divorce. I told her about that. Then, when she nearly died from an STD & internal infection, I gave her the moral support she needed to divorce him. They also didnt tell her about non support being grounds. She had been with him since age 16 (orphaned) & lived on food stamps 10 yrs with him never holding a rare job for more than 3 months! So, Im going to canvas the neighbor hoods looking for someone who is willing to subject themselves & their kids to THAT? Your 3 reasons are all so poignant & accurate. One therapist called the laziness, "mental laziness" & that defined it well for me. They can be a hard worker & yet be mentally lazy. Its tragic. I know the internal soul searching & work you had to do, yourself, to be able to speak with such clarity every week. THANK YOU! Bless you for bringing awareness to everyone who is willing to look for it & I hope every week that a hurt person finds you.
@@survivingparadisepodcast Yes, heart break for the abominable treatment from the org, which they should be ashamed of. But,...the best part is that she left...& struggled for a bit,...then damn! That girl went on to KILL it with SUCCESS! She now lives a great life & travels the WORLD! Im so PROUD of her.
I never got to elder. I was an MS. I used to kick myself for not studying enough. It wasn't until about 2 years before walking away that I realized I was studying way more than the elders in my congregation. I knew way more about the organization and its doctrines than they did, and yet the most uninformed apostate still knew 10 times what I did.
LOL, I believe it!!!! As a former elder, the curtain comes down on the other guys: most have never even studied the Bible much less the literature. I'll bet that was a harsh reality for you!
Another great one, Stacy! I want to get your opinion do you think that the governing body truly believes that it’s the truth or do you think they know that they’re just going with the flow of what the organization stands for at this point?
GREAT subject and thank you. It's a complex one.....I believe that somewhere along the way they know they're full of $%#@....you can see it in the way they're handling things at the recent Annual Meeting....."we can't be dogmatic"....."how we get new light".....I believe this crew knows they're not special, but still feel special.....I know, it doesn't make sense...but they're come full circle on how they present their stuff now
@@survivingparadisepodcast 👍 I'm 99.9% sure that deep down the GB members care more about the "lifestyle" their position affords: rent free, travel free, first class airfare, 5-star hotels, exclusive restaurants, top-tier health care, daily maid service and popular notoriety they receive etc! Honestly, they probably could care or less about a heavenly reward. It's a scam. It's a racket!
Watchtower is a publishing company and an investment property company, as such I think they may be involved in modern slavery, they call it volunteers but they deceive their volunteers by telling them they are helping with spreading the good news by building kingdom halls and other meeting places. These buildings are used for a short period and sold, the volunteers might not offer free service if they understood the massive profits watchtower acquire after selling a short period later.
@@heatherwillson4862 yes slaves in the general sense but Europe introduced modern slavery law a few years ago, I don't know if the US did, and I don't know the legislation but it's possible WT contravenes that and that WT may be aware of this. Are the volunteers able to say adiós amego's at any point, are they treated as individuals. PS I agree with the beatings, it was promoted by WT, we were lined up and beaten on a regular basis and one of my brothers was on the spectrum and he got it worse of all. I'm sure my mother was attracted to that religion because of its strick punishment agenda for kids and it's authoritarian attitudes.
Yup. My mom & sister are ALL 3 of these! On the last point tho, they study ONLY Watchtower material & don't go deep at that! They don't compare other Bible versions or research the org history. I'm convinced they only skim the materials because they don't seem to SEE anything beyond the surface!
While listening just to the beginning, I bet "sunk cost fallacy" is going to be mentioned. edit: first laugh out loud where you spend a few minutes about how Jesus never changes, and then mention that the one consistent thing about Jesus' organization is...it's constantly changing. If ever there was a genre called "exJW stand-up comedy", you'd be top bill.
Stacy i would go back to the Kingdom hall Just to hear Your TALKS!!! it is soo sad that People can not see the Lies and Hypocrisy that they are Being Taught. But its REALLY THERE Lose Not the GB, not the WT i Blame ( And this is PERSONAL) I Blame The Grown Adults that are Doing What they are told, By Man, and Not there Own Mind, Indocrinated or Not, if someone Said you Can NOT talk to Ur Family Because They Do Not Follow The GB, ((( Because the GB Can Not say, if u dont believe us OH Just Ask GOD and he will answer You!! ))) I would say HELL NO, this is my Child and they have a mind of there own, Is it not enough that GB has Them?? No the Are EVIL AND want to Distroy ur whole Family 😖😓 I just caught a Flash Back!! Lol Thank You for All U do and the Understanding!!!
Things seem to be changing though thankfully. I'm guessing new numbers this year will show even more leaving. Any idea when or if the 2023 service year report will be out? I'm pretty sure in past years it has been published by now.
I believe they will too. New article yesterday showing that baptisms have been cut in half! I believe the report will come out in January, but not sure
Thanks for making this video. The trauma associated with this organization is downplayed. Like yourself I was born in the cult . Had all kinds of trauma for years
I'm just saying, if they really want to save everyone on earth, and so does God.... And now it can all be done at a drop of the hat once Armageddon comes.... Shouldn't they be spending all of their money to make sure that they get a super bowl commercial?
@@survivingparadisepodcast so I'm a super new follower, but I'm an absolute huge fan of yours. Thanks so much for these videos. I hope this isn't creepy, but your voice is addictive! Lol thanks so much
Something struck me recently, I was a pioneer in the 1970s, three years at 100 hours a month, I had numerous bible studies. The little blue truth book was the book used at that time. I believe that book is now considered apostate, so here's the point, my whole three years were spend preaching and teaching apostate teachings, I've been out a long time but now that three years is ...... I don't even have a word for it So much for a God that never changes, all teachings of JWs are wrong because they change them constantly and if there is a God and a Devil thay are from their father who lies the Devil 👿 because its a bunch of lies and that's straight from the mouth and actions of Watchtower. All old light if used today is apostacy, even old light of yesterday or last week.
I once had an online debate with a JW who was defending WT. She bragged about being a JW since the 1960s, Pioneering since that time. I gave her the following challenge and asked her a simple question: compile a list of all Watchtower's "Bible truths" she's taught people for the past 60 years, then start crossing out all the "truths" that are no longer true. How does she feel about a lifetime spent teaching people doctrines that have such a short shelf life and weren't ever true to begin with? She left the conversation without ever answering.
I believe nothing is a waste of time, you always learn something from any experience. If you believe in God then teaching beliefs that are wrong and going to great effort to teach such is more than a waste it's being on Satan's side working against God, if you believe in God and Satan it's extremely serious but JWs just lap it up like it's mana from heaven.
Trust the anointed ones of Warwick (a little stupid on the edges) to rule the world with Jesus and God from heaven, while Abraham, great biblical character and friend of God, will remain on earth! Who are we kidding for teaching such nonsense?
I somewhat disagree with you regarding staying in for your family. If you have to be fake to keep their love then they don't really love you. Sometimes your family is very toxic and the best thing you can do is stay away from them. But those are just my 2 cents 🤷♀️
Totally agree. The contradiction of living a lie by pretending to be in "The Truth" after being enlightened, all to preserve very conditional relationships with people who value religious charlatans over family and friends, says a lot about character. In reality, the enlightened JW who refuses to leave is no better than the brainwashed JWs who don't know enough to leave.
I tried not going to meetings and was shunned by my children and grand children. It put me into a very, very deep depression so I went back. I wasn’t strong enough to be shunned, it literally almost killed me, so I understand what he means.
@@inapickle4971 *"I tried not going to meetings and was shunned by my children and grand children."* _"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."_ -Maya Angelou
It's very complex and I understand your take. Frankly, I'm like you. When I left, I didn't care....my attitude was "bye".....but it's VERY painful and impossible for many. Many have no one else.....while it is FAR from perfect, I want people to have who/what they need to survive.....but it highlights the evil this organization does to people
I am not with you on this video. It is best to be yourself. Be authentic. If you do not want to be part of Watchtower. Leave. If you family shuns you, make a new one. I am not a fan of being fake. But, that is just me. Other people have their preference and they do what they need to.
Ha you got me when you said the ones who studied a lot …. left! Read the Bible 6 times seriously in diff translations. Not smart at all because I learned nothing but it was a waste of time! Switched to better books 😂
I can usually identify with most of what you're saying but I strongly disagree with around :30 where you say to fake it and be PIMO to keep your family. Maybe if you're already married and have kids and are really stuck in, sure. But I couldn't handle it. I was having panic attacks every time I went to the kingdom hall. I was looking at a lifetime with no romantic love because I wouldn't date a worldly guy or get stuck in a JW marriage. I couldn't express myself, ever, not even through my art. I always had to shut off parts of myself, be careful not to post anything in social media that would stumble anyone in the slightest. I couldn't pursue a career. I had to keep up with JW news and lie to my family about going to the meetings. My life was miserable, and it was just to keep my family happy? F that. If my happiness makes my family unhappy then they can be the miserable ones. I've got a life to live, and it won't last forever.
I don't disagree Deanna, in fact, I'm exactly like you. I met with my family and two closest friends and told them. I'm just not built for faking it. But I VERY much understand and encourage those who simple aren't like me, to try to keep their family where possible. It's a massive blow in life, so I like to be sure people know I would never judge someone for faking it to keep their loved ones....I'm like you....it was no Bueno.I was out
There is one reason. That given by Peter. John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” People have left their various religions to embrace True Worship which God has restored as promised at Micah 4:1-5. What possible reason would JWs have for returning to their former false religions?
@@survivingparadisepodcast: What this video tries to show and what is real are poles apart. There is only ONE reason. The one Peter stated above in my quote. People who leave their false religions in order to embrace True Worship would never want to go back to their falsehoods. Compare Revelation 18:4. If for some weird reason someone does: 2 Peter 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.”
Incorrect. You're basing everything you say on the premise that all people believe the Bible is inspired, Jesus is a real person in heaven and ....even that Peter is a real, historical figure. I'll state again, your comment is incorrect. MANY JWs stay simply out of fear: fear of losing their family and friends. Some stay because they've been doing it so long they'd be lost without it all. Your answer is based on your understanding of Christianity. That is an assumption. Many JWs that want to leave....but don't..... are agnostic, atheist or none of the above. So saying there is only 'one reason' as you stated is completely false. @@tongakhan230
@@survivingparadisepodcast: After making some false claims about JWs' faith, now suddenly the Bible is not reliable?? Don;t worry. All these falsehoods against JWs just makes them happy. Matthew 5:11 “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake.
All the best to you! Yet another incorrect reference, Jesus wasn't speaking to Jehovah's Witnesses at Matthew 5:11. Please post here all the false claims made in this show about JWs.....and please use cited references as we do here on the show. We all want to study the 'false claims'....we will be waiting@@tongakhan230
One of my favorite absurd scripture is the one that says “where else would we go, you have sayings of everlasting life”. What a bunch of lazy clowns, just looking for whoever can conjure the best fantasy world.
Hi Stacy, hope you're doing well. OK you nailed it again. I was just thinking about Moses last week before your podcast. I have questions one. Moses did everything that God asked him to do. He was a pain in the butt but he still did it. But God knowing everything past present and future, he knew that Moses was going to mess up, so God used him. Basically he lied to him. here's my question. The Bible says God cannot lie. What's up with that I hope to hear from you with brotherly. Love, Keith.
According to Hebrews 11. 16 , Moses desired a Heavenly Country. Moses is now in the Great Cloud of Witnesses with JESUS in Heaven . Hope that answers your question.
@@John-fi5ik think about it, John, if you knew everything because your God. And you promised someone something and don't deliver I called A LIE God does that throughout the whole Bible he knows the outcome of everything it's a fixed game.
Something they invested in that is true, is that Jehovah is the true God, paradise is possible, and hell is real. That's what i believe. Totally disagree you have to be in the JW organization to attain paradise. Totally don't believe the bible is the "word" of God. I believe it's the "word" of man, with some truths throughout the books. Good luck everyone, the JW organization is not the way!
Very odd question Janet...but I'll answer it. YES! Lot's of stuff.... why exactly would you ask this question without knowing me at all? Maybe you're having a bad day? Lots and lots and lots of good stuff to talk about.....very, very little when it comes to a cult that protects child abusers, lies to millions and hurts people. I have nothing good to say about that..... were you looking for a RUclips channel that shares good things to talk about? This channel helps to warn people about a terrible cult. I can make recommendations if you were looking for something where it focuses on fun stuff! Odd question when posting on a channel that shares the negative consequences of following a cult..... but let me know if you need help finding something you're looking for!@@janetgillespie6590
For me, I was in a vulnerable situation , things happening in my life and they came along just at that time with answers- the fact there was a lady in the congregation that I fancied probably had a lot to do with it as well😀
Why do you enter a manipulative relationship? Because you're vulnerable and in front of you there are 'professional' sellers of conditional love and empty hopes.
I was born in, or practically, my parents met the JWs when I was only months old. My mother announced that she had searched all religions and this was the truth. When your small you trust your parents so I was the good little JW, obeying all the rules. Since then I have come to believe my mother is an idiot, she truly is, anybody that has done all of everything is an idiot because they do not even know what all of anything is. She had actually only briefly investigated 2 or 3 other religions and all of which were Christian. What a foundation of stone to build a house. Thankfully my own brain kicked in about early 20 and after the 1975 debacle when Watchtower not only got it wrong but didn't take responsibility and blamed JWs , I can still see the faces of JWs when Watchtower blamed them. After that it was a CO talk in which he gave inaccurate information about nutrition, stood up and told him that was not true and walked out. Finito🎉
Two main reasons: 1. A person is born-in and knows nothing else. 2. JWs show up at a time when a person is most vulnerable. This is how all religions and cults work.
@@adamantiumbullet9215 I have to tell you that’s not how all legitimate religion works. You are half correct. That’s how cults operate. Normal mainstream religions don’t force feed you, ( essentially brainwash) you. This is the truth, 🤣all others are false, we go to church praising Jesus, and help people less fortunate in the community. Oh yeah, we go once a week, not , what was it at one time, 4 or 5 times a week ? Now 3 times , service on Saturday? Didn’t you realize you worked for free for a company? Not a religion! You and yours were bamboozled !!!
a subgroup of pimo is zimo. zoom in mentally out. it is quite an effective coping strategy for someone who is married to a pimi. muted with camera off is a great alternative to running the love bombing/soft shunning gauntlet. p.s. beware, there could be a pop quiz!
Leaving is not good enough banning this organization and shut them down is a thing of beauty
I couldn't agree more!!
Absolutely!!!
Absolutely!!
That will do nothing
Try taking away a babies’ security blanket away from them, the Watchtower org, is likened to a JW’s security blanket, sad to say.
It just boiled my blood when Jeffery Winder said they don’t need to apologize for the doctrinal mistakes they’ve made. To think of everyone that lost their lives from not having organ transplants, no blood transfusions, The Malawian incident, etc… Such disgusting arrogance! Off topic…speaking of Jesus coming to the world through Mary’s birth canal. Have you ever wondered, because she gave birth to Jesus if Jehovah, as a blessing, lessened or even took away her birth pains?
WT has admitted in the past that their doctrines and corporate policies have directly resulted in the death of innocent JWs. You'd think that kind of admission might inspire some humility in the GB and the need for introspection and change, but they continue to double down on their arrogance unfazed.
Same here! Such arrogance!! I have such disdain for that organization! I can't believe I held this organization in such high regard at one time!
Who knows about the birth pains but I personally feel frustrated that god didn’t ask Marys consent whether he could use her body for such an intimate purpose...I know she submitted to his demands but that’s a different thing to uncoerced consent.
@@sophibrumby9542
The moral of this immoral Biblical story is: an act that rhymes with grape is acceptable... as long as god is the one doing it.
@@Nathan-jq1uw
WT has _always_ blamed Jehovah for their own blunders. Nothing to see here. The buck never stops with the Governing Body....
I was talking to my sister recently and she said, a lot is changing, I told her yea what was taught as truth for years is now reduced to we don’t know, she was like huh?? Well that’s interesting. I told her that all the stuff is leaked online before she even gets any of it. I asked her if she Tony Morris was kicked out of the GB, she said I know he was sick and moved away from the responsibilities, I said a GB appointment is to the death, no GB member has been removed for illness. She said they allow them to leave now because the ancient Israelites were able to step down from high positions. I just laughed and told her about his bottle king video and how he’s been removed from any mention on the website, she was just like “ What”???? I said yea check it out for yourself.
until this year i had no idea you could become spirit anointed at bottle king
Isn't it incredible how LITTLE they all know about THEIR life or death religion??? It's stunning.....and I was there at one point!
LOL LOL, this made my day@@yenbbc8840
@@survivingparadisepodcast Lol yup me too however I never got baptized, one thing my mother didn’t push on me but it was only because she didn’t want me to make her look bad.
@@survivingparadisepodcast i feel blessed to have an outlet for my pain and suffering. thank you for encouraging humor on your channel. considering the topic some may be unable to laugh. i have found it to be the best therapy for healing. at least talking about it begins a path forward.
I was lucky to have a support system on the outside when I left at 17. I've watched those that don't (entire family JW) flip flop back and forth being in and out. My heart goes out to them because they are in a perpetual state of pain. It's criminal what this Org does to kind hearted people. Mt mother is devoted JW but I am lucky again to have a great relationship with her despite being DF'd. She told me a few years ago that her and her friend (the one that brought her in to JW) decided to have the relationship they want with their children. She did shun me for years at the beginning but having children brought her back to me and I accepted. I don't flaunt our relationship by posting anything online and she doesn't nag me about coming back. Just an adult relationship with mutual respect. I wish all could have this. Great vid. Thank you
This still HURTS me very much. Brings me to tears. Good, kind people believing in a fantasy.....so painful :(
My 70something year old dad feels he has nothing else after 52 years in. Stuck in my sister's basement. My sisters don't know anything else either, although my middle sister seems to be straddling the fence, having married outside the Borg. Her kids are in or have gone to... college. But she will not discuss anything negative about the Borg. I think she is still in the "just in case they are right" mindset. Been there. Took me a long time too. Still deal w PTSD of my own fears.
Research will get rid of ptsd. No need of fear ❤
Huge hugs to your family. The older generations are all facing this stuff now....it's devastating in so many ways. You're NOT alone my friend.....the PTSD is very alive in many of us, even years after we leave. Don't give up on yourself....get that mental health help, I highly recommend talking to someone. HUGE help....please be good to yourself!
So many of my former JW friends now live in poverty in their 60s - 80s after giving their lives pioneering, with no pensions, living on charity or UK government support (from Satan's system), yet they still follow Watchtowers BS just in case JWs are correct. It's very sad.
Sunk-cost fallacy: "The phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial." I believe this is how a lot of JWs like your dad, who has been for a long time, see things.
@jeffreyl5151 absolutely. Been there. Delt with that. Still have flashbacks to "what if they were right" thoughts. All part of the PTSD.
That was great. U are sooo healing and real. I knew when I was 13 that the RF was under a spell. I was never baptized plus they started with the misogyny.
My entire family is still in so I am tethered to the Borg in a way. This video really helped me feel better.
I am studying the pre Roman matriarchy when God was a woman. Spirituality vs Religion. I will keep you posted.
Ohhh, VERY interesting subject!!! You weren't alone....it's an evil spell they weave
Excellent Stacey, brilliant. I think back and must admit I was too lazy to research my beliefs. I now see I was just moving around the JW world like a zombie and didn’t realize I had no real basis to believe what I believed then. The human psyche is so complex, isn’t it. It’s only in retrospective that I see how robotic I was.
Me too!!!!! I had to learn to study for me...it was a wild and painful revelation!
I'm only a few minutes in, but when you said, "Jehovah's Witnesses fear EVERYTHING," that reminded me of my one and only "Attagirl" from an org high-up.
Long story short: in high school my friends at school had an assignment to do, and for that they asked to come with me to a Sunday meeting. They were GOOD friends and good people. They knew I was kooky and loved me anyway, so I had no particular fear about bringing them. I was, however, dismayed when we got there and I realized that it was the overseer week; I'd completely forgotten, and now, instead of a normal talk, it was going to be "God's deep things." I thought to myself, "Well, great. They're gonna think we're REALLY weird, when they can't even follow the talk at all." Still, it was just my best buddies doing a religion class assignment. They listened to the talk, but didn't stay for the WT study.
Well, after the meeting, I was trying to slip out and go home, but here comes the CO. He was a small, loud man. He came down the hallway towards me, a veritable entourage of the movers and shakers of the congregation with him, and announces, "And HERE is ELECYAH, who FEARS NOTHING!!" Comes and shakes my hand. Well, I take the compliment as well as I can, but thought to myself, "Isn't that funny; he doesn't know a thing about me. In reality, I FEAR EVERYTHING." 😶
Which was absolutely true. I feared everything; including the CO. Including all the spiritual people in the congregation. Doing the wrong thing, accidentally. The list goes on. But incidentally, I did NOT fear my friends.
WOW! Great memory....you triggered a few of my own, including inviting friends from HS to the Memorial......so embarrassing
I'm 28 and just left not too long ago after 15 years. My family is still practicing.
How is your mental health ??
@@robertgrey6101 hanging in there, just recently started searching the other side of things that we were told not to and found out so much. It's crazy looking from the outside in and how hectic it is to be a Witness
SO glad you're out at a young age!! I know it must be hard with your family....stay the course and if possible try to keep them!
Thank you for your comment!@@survivingparadisepodcast
Absolutely right Stacey. As a Christian, it is difficult for me to comprehend how people can believe this drivel when so much of it is not biblical. How they can’t see the narcissism, gaslighting, deception and sheer absurdity of it. The way Stephen Lett presents himself. I had pretty intense second-hand embarrassment for my JW friend when I first heard Lett talking. If my pastor ever said “babies are little enemies of God,” I would walk out and never look back. The level of mind control they have over millions just blows my damn mind.
It's truly shocking isn't it???
@@survivingparadisepodcast It truly is! I wish there was a way to find out how many of them are actually PIMO out of the so-called 8 million followers WT claims they have.
If only we had the glasses from the movie, “They Live”. It would be like in the alley way fight scene trying to get them to put on the glasses. 😂😂😂
When I first saw Lett talk, I literally thought it was some kinda funny joke. Then I realized, omfg, that dude is for real & the zombies are obeying. I still can’t believe it. The entire GB is so fake. Horrible actors.
@@jackijax505 haha! Yes, I know exactly what movie you are talking about with the glasses. Great analogy.
And with Lett, I don’t get how they take that clown seriously. Not only are his statements appalling, his facial expressions are absolutely ridiculous. How these people keep a straight face when watching this clown is beyond me.
@@pearlytiger564...50%...
It's easier to break free from physical bondage then mental mental bondage. But when you do, the feeling of euphoria that washes over you like a warm ocean wave, is unlike anything felt before.
Finding the strength to leave watchtower is not easy, but when you do, it will all be worth it.
Spread your wings and fly!
Thank you very uplifting message.
@@marquitaarmstrong399 👍
Meet new friends, visit new places, have new experiences and learn about people, learn about yourself and your unconscious beliefs, rid yourself of useless burdens, enjoy.
@@yvonne3903 To name just a few. 👍
@@joachimgoethe7864 👋👍
An epic analysis. So true . You hit the nail on the head, thank you Stacey ! I must replay this episode again . I know I wanted almost 30 yrs of my life. Happy to be out now and free from all the crap !😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Thank you so much, I appreciate you listening!
Thank you, Stacey, for recognizing the PIMOs and for their reasons for staying. Shunning is not an option for a lot of them.
I am blessed that I got out, along with a few family members, without being shunned by our family that's still in. We're the lucky ones. ❤
Absolutely!!! I recommend every PIMO do EVERYTHING possible to keep their family. Lie, play games, whatever it takes.....it's so utterly awful to think they have to....but they do!
Being PIMO has to be rough. Although, for me being DF’d and shunned is difficult, I couldn’t imagine myself having to present as JW and sit in meetings week after week knowing everything coming out of Watchtower is a lie! It would drive me insane! I’ve got lots of sympathy and respect for the PIMO’s!
It's a VERY brave decision to make because it's not easy!@@damonrandall9844
Epic episode! You covered everything comprehensively. It's frustrating (understatement) to see JWs loyally serving an organisation which has lied to them every day (and continues to lie to them) for one or all of these reasons.
Re. Laziness: I only wish I had bothered to do some research when I left. I spent a quarter of a century in darkness (ignorance). I was POMI. I still called it 'the truth' until 2021. Even after I woke up, it took me a few more months to admit I had been in a cult. The indoctrination runs deep.
Be kind to yourself!! That is an entire subject unto itself! Many leave and STILL believe it.....it's fascinating, but it shows the depth by which this is embedded in all of us!
The deep thinkers & real truth-seekers are the ones that get out! The lazy ones who don't want to KNOW, stay in.
YES!!!!!! 100% truth......for those that get upset and say 'I studied all the time" ....I smile and ask them where they are....and it hits them: they're out.
Yes, lazy ones. This is why God said,” Go to the ant you sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.” ( Proverbs 6:6 )
Often ignored by JWs ;) @@linvest8466
Whenever an honest Jehovah's Witness discovers that he is mistaken about Watchtower being "God's Organization", he will either cease to be mistaken, or he will cease to be honest.
Stacy- excellent presentation! I really enjoyed your take on this subject.
What JWs fail to realize is that _every_ item on the Watchtower buffet is "crawdads laced in yogurt". Some know it, but for the reasons you articulated so nicely, they refuse to be honest. Personally, I just can't justify continuing the game of pretend after being enlightened, all to retain people in your life that will jettison you in a nanosecond for calling a spade a spade. But, that's a decision each JW must make for themselves: do I be honest and true to my values and leave? Or, do I stay and put on an act, all to retain family and friends who only have conditional love to offer?
We are very similar people my friend. VERY similar observations and feelings.......I'm just not built that way either
Me either, I was willing to follow Christ and lose everything including my reputation. Like Apostle Paul, God is my judge, not mere men.
I read Jude and i had this uneasiness that the GB was in trouble, well since COVID i learnt so much i now know whats been happening and still learning.
It's hard to feel dead while alive for your friends and close family. Loneliness and abandonment are traumatic experiences that humans will do almost everything to avoid
@rfpm
You have to get out and mske friends very quickly.
Sports, travel, personal interests such as cooking, mechanics, sailing, swimming, fishing etc, higher education, pub crawls etc of what turns you on.
And NO giving of "THANKS" at meals.
That practice will only keep you attached to the evilness of these narcissists in their controll of your mind, heart and soul.
@@robertgrey6101 Thank you for reaching out. I was generalizing
I am proudly out :), from age 8 I knew one day I would leave, despite getting baptized and being quite active due to my very zealous family, who didn't shy away from psychological and financial pressure. I started exiting when I completed 18. Nonetheless, my experience is quite traumatic and shunning had a crippling effect on me. For a while I thought that I was too sensitive and codependent on my family, even after a college degree, a career, and a family of my own. No, I was not. I was in a cult. Where I live, JW religion is perceived as boring but harmless. Quite the opposite, right?
@@rfpmcorreia
Jehovah's Witnesses harmless ??
About as harmless as a western Taipan snake in the grass and just as venomous.
Far from it. But even many ex-JW here, in my country, still think highly of the organization and that is quite disturbing.
YES!!! And the GB knows what they're doing in keeping people trapped by normal desires: to be near those you love
I am someone who was lucky enough to be close with relatives that had left the religion years ago. So when I decided to leave I didn't lose my whole support system like many people in the exjw Community sadly have.
SO fortunate.....I wish everyone had a similar situation, so glad you did!
If Solomon has 700 wives and had Js favor, why destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?
Answer: The behavior of a psychopath will never be understood by rational people.
Don't go being logical! LOL
I was recruited and lovebombed as a vulnerable teen. Truth book rave, got babtized 1972.
Woke 2017.
Aged and disabled, living with regret, ptst, extreme anxiety😢.
I know it is difficult, but try to be thankful to the universe that you attained this enlightenment and did not die without growing in your understanding of reality. No one knows where or what it is. Dwell in the mystery and find peace. Don't try to fill in the blank with an answer; there isn't one that isn't man made. Have fun!
@@deepfriedbrains__437
Good advice!
HUGE hugs, we are from the same generation.....so much lost. I deal with many of the same things Elaine.....it's criminal.....but we aren't alone!
love this!@@deepfriedbrains__437
@@survivingparadisepodcast 😊 Really appreciate hearing you share your authentic thoughts about your experience. Thank you for putting yourself out there in this way. Like any action taken its effects reach further than expected and usually are not fully understood when started. Lives will be lived differently next year and in 100 years based on decisions people make today in their personal world. Hope you keep it rolling and keep having fun!
So true! The losing
Your loved ones and family is really the main thing I have seen why people stay. I too was also too lazy to look into all the history and believed what they said as true. I’m so glad I see it all clearly now.
I'm so glad you did too and thank you for being here!!
Stacy- this is one of your best. As I listened I had to think of my aging JW sister who I will never see or hear from again. She has invested 55 years of her life in that cult and I can't imagine how she would be able to live with herself if she should ever come to realize that she has sacrificed the bulk of her life for a publishing and real estate investment company. If she were to leave it where would she go? She has two disfellowshipped sons as well as me her brother who has been disfellowshipped since 1986. How would she be able to reunite with us?
Thanks HD!! Ugh, just reading that made me hurt for you and your sister. Terrible.....completely fooled. And she lost all the males in her life??? For guys in NY she will never know. Tragic :( so sorry!!
Its crazy to me that all us ex's have been discussing the full changes that happened at the Annual meeting for a month now & yet the GB doesn't think regular JWs can handle all the changes in one sitting, so they break it up into 2 parts over MONTHS.
Withholding new light 😮, and allowing JWs to continue practicing old light, not the proper food at the right time, allowing the sheep 🐑 to eat poison.
@icufool
That testifies to the fact J. Ws. are so dumbed down they are mentally frail.
Also, it testifies to how much control these authoritarian, autocratic, despotic narcissists have over their dumbed down adherents.
Yes! It's incredibly shocking stuff, but hits harder after you're somewhat awake....it confirms the lies
Oh and how fear is a big motivator to stay. The consequences of loosing everyone impacted me big time! Luckily my husband was my support. Without someone on ’the other side’, I don’t know if I would’ve broken with the JWs like that, or how long it would’ve taken, since I didn’t leave because I found out it was BS. I just felt like I’d never be good enough for the organization. Waking up, took 14yrs.
For the second reason... in my late teens I had thought to myself: ”I’m in this already my WHOLE life. Why leave (give up) now??”... Really because of what they said like what you reminded me of. Luckily eventually I did change the perspective of having SO much of my life still to live!
I thought the 3rd reason would be with pointing to the brothers and them not wanting to leave due to the position of power they have...
But on the lazy part, I’ve thought: ”With all these people, even doctors and other highly educated people who have become JW, it must be right. Right?”
Everyone's journey out is so different. I'm so glad you had your husband!! There are likely many reasons, but I felt like these three summed up my own observations
Thank you so much for all the effort that you put into this important needed podcast. I just hope that it reaches new ears within this organization. I hope it helps to show that they are in slavery to a lie orchestrated by a group of imperfect men, hungry for money and controlling power over their fellow man. I faded away, that was my technique, I was asked by an elder, "Have you left? or do you consider yourself inactive? My reply was, " I am inactive" consequently everyone still talks to me. Be smart, be nice, play the game. Be a free agent, it is all to stupid for words.
Luckily I was naïevely unaware about 4yrs ago when they showed up at my door. 3 brothers, 1 young brother that considered me as a return visit / shepherding call and the 3rd one I recognized as circuit overseer (he did not recognize me, but I immediately knew who he was). When this year I found the Shepherd the Flock of God, they were asking exactly the questions I read there for those who are inactive. At that time I was no apostate and did not tell anyone I used to be a JW. I think that saved me from being disfellowshiped on the spot. Then my old congregation would also have been informed, I’m sure. Including my family... My parents don’t shun me and my siblings I keep at arms length, but they don’t shun me either.
I haven’t seen those brothers since and don’t think the town I life in now, would know who I am, unless my brother would tell. But that’s ok, I’ll handle them with kindness to not shoot myself in the foot
I LOVE that you thought about how to respond.....use their own stupid loopholes against them! Thank you so much for your kind words!
I LOVE that you knew how to do that!!!@@naomiwillemsen9836
I'm a former JW
This organization
Is comical
The Looney Tunes
By Warner Brothers could bring new cartoons that would be amazing 😅
You forgot the Royal Commission,the Norway government had stopped paying millions to the religious community in their country because of shunning
good call!
Stacy your work truly helps w deconstructing the cult jw mind. Thank you for doing this kindness for myself and all the hurting souls.
I do hope many more exit soon.❤hugs.
Thank you so much Elaine!!
You once again hit the nail (Org!) on the head on the power it holds over people! Sad part is that power is all make believe! I do hold out hope that just one person in my family of 17 (that’s including all my nieces and nephews, but no spouses) just one wake’s up!
Thank you Stacy!
Thank you! I hope everyone in your world wakes up....it takes time!
Definitely fear! One is disappointing and losing JW family and friends; two is disappointing Jehovah and being damned to death. Then there’s that little voice programmed into the back of your head saying, “What if they are right?” No one “WANTS” to die. I have often thought about that; I’ve decided I’m not scared to die and I’m going to live now!
YEP! 'what if they're right'....'am I making a mistake'......when it comes to that feeling, I point people to Romans 8:38, 39....built in guarantee that is rarely considered by a JW
Man, this one hit home. I too never studied ANYTHING unless I had a part to prepare for and I was one of the ones spoken of that happily signed the blood card and stuck it in my wallet without ever having considered WHY! The sheer laziness I exhibited towards how I lived my life still brings me regret to this day, and having only been 2 years awakened, I’m sure many more days of regret will follow. Thing is, I’m so thankful that those days of regret will be offset with gratitude and grace towards myself for actually pushing thru the dissonance and looking up things that bothered me and then allowing a conscience not yet fully consumed by watchtower garbage, to move me to action.
The pain I see in some of the comments here and even among those on forums, is so palpable, but I truly hope they too can give themselves grace in knowing that the pages in our lives that contained our inauthentic selves, those pages have been turned. Yes, they’re still in our books, apart of us, but they won’t define how our story ends.
Thank you so much Stacey for what you do man. Thanks for opening up this space to allow the light to be shone on the evils of watchtower and to give a chair for those of us who thought we were being authentic in being JW’s, yourself included, to sit and draw comfort in knowing that, nah that person wasn’t the authentic one…this one, the one who can think for themselves, who’s not afraid of objective research, who’s not afraid of facts and where those facts may lead them among many other attributes, that’s the authentic one and you all are amazing!!
Thanks my friend! It's crazy for us all to look back on!
Awww yeah My Dude 😎 Stacey Let's go 🎉
Guilty as charged my family when I was a JW never, ever studied the bible . I was fuming when I saw the video asking to donate in there wills too the organisation. I was taught that the end was round the corner so why the need for donations!
IKR! Makes no sense. Am xlds what would Jesus need with 132B $$$$$ from Ensign Peak?
That pissed me off beyond words.....unbelievable lack of shame!!
Exquisitely didactic, informative, entertaining and interesting this is! Great thanks.
Thank you! Wow!
Stacey as always I LOVE your videos including this one but I also don’t believe in being fake just to keep conditional family and “friends”, earlier this year I came out as full blown apostate and automatically got shunned by my family and JW “friends” that I’ve known for 20+ years and even tho it hurts being shunned I don’t regret it one bit cause now I got rid of all the fake people that never really loved me to begin with and now I’m making my own family and have real friends in my life that show me nothing but unconditional love but no way In hell I was going to be fake and stay in the organization just to keep fake people in my life!
Thanks Jeron!! I'm exactly like you.....I just don't know how to fake anything, but never judge others that do. I'm just not built that way.....I too lost everyone aside from my immediate family, which left shortly after I did.....oddly, I just felt relieved to lose them all.....in some cases, I 'DF'd' them before they did me....and I haven't missed anyone. A big subject!
You outdid yourself on this one Stacey. Every word true. Especially the "getting your money's worth at the all you can eat buffet" 😂😋
LOL, thank you....you get me!
Stacey you've just perfectly described my JW siblings. Thank you for another great podcast!
Thank you Estee....I'm so sorry about your siblings!
Mid week meeting in Nigeria in West Africa Pidgin language. The Statement just before the book study, where they show videos from the Branch. After the video they ask questions! The comments you'll go to, we are short on time to save people. We need to adjust our time to save lives before the end comes, before the tribulation! Before the door closes on the Ark! I was surprised to hear thus teaching after the annual meeting. I also heard this term in Sundays talk. I'm not so sure these statements will slow because that's the fear causing truth that makes people to scare them to listen. So the fear mongering will not stop even though they now believe no field's of death when the tribulation begins. No more stinging message, more Kingdom Messages, more recruitment even though one can now chose to follow the King Jesus when they see him and his Kingdom. The majority of 8.7 million do not even know the JW Doctrine has been completely changed. No more fire balls to signify the beginning of the tribulation. How can we tell when the tribulation begins.😮😮😮😮😮😮
WOW thank you for the insight from Africa! You're so right....most have NO clue....most don't understand any of what you posted here!
After learning some things, i did transform myself back into ' Bible Student ". We're all imprrfect on a cursed earth and this sucks
I'm glad you were able to be a student! There is much beauty...and it doesn't require this organization
Hey surviving paradise I finally getting into a college and get a certificate or diploma, I want to do IT AND repair computers also doing cnc machining and possibly take a course in industrial electronics!
The biggest issue is my mom and my younger brother and sister, my mom is old and I help her a lot.
I feel like I should give it up! But I know if I don’t I won’t be able to ever live a real life!
Don't give up dear.
@@marquitaarmstrong399 thank you
SO happy for you!!! DON'T GIVE UP! Stay with your studies my friend!
@@survivingparadisepodcast hey I’m going to be honest though, I still need to have some meetings before committing to it!
With the people there on what courses would be a good fit for me. So I’m not in yet still at home but getting there to get out.
love it!@@coldboltlighting1237
Just another thought provoking video! I woke up around 2019 after being in it for 50 years. It was hard, very hard! I didn’t think my life was wasted, because I had a pretty good job,(missed meetings due to shift hours) , although years ago I cashed out a life insurance thinking Armageddon is coming anyway. I had a nice childhood. My parents were witnesses,now deceased. I met wonderful people that I would have not met “in the world”. Fortunately my sister woke up too. We are pimo, cause her son (elder) is still in it.
I'm so glad you're out!!! WOW, I bet you have a lifetime of stories!!
I like the crazy show ...Keep going on Stacey !
LOL thank you!
@@survivingparadisepodcast
Fireballs from Geoffrey Jackson ??
What a crazy idea from a crazy mind.
Another Gem. Well done.
Thank you!
Good point Stacey: if you can, stay in an fake love rather than lose your family. I totally agree. Don’t let wt win and make you lose your family. Stay pimo guys!!
Thank you and YES, keep your family if you can!
Paul aptly describes how it feels to wake from this nightmare, "We are of all men most to be pitied."
truth!
Stacy, thank you. This one of the best episodes I've listened to. You are correct that realizing you will grow old is devastating. It was hard to leave because of the shunning and fear and guilt. But I'm so glad I'm out.
My husband is beyond lazy when it comes to being a witness. 🙄
😂
In my opinion the Christadelphian religion also works on a lot of fears, fears of judgement day, Armageddon, missing out on securing a suitable mate to name a few.
I’d say I see sunk cost fallacy there too, as promised time-lines stretch to breaking point.
I’m just wondering about that story you related Stacey about your friend, it seemed to me to be something more than mere laziness, almost like another fear. Especially how he started shunning you soon after. Maybe a subconscious fear that Unbelief is contagious? Fear of the bubble bursting?
Very true, I agree! My close friend was himself a person that 'hung around it' for years since we were kids and within the past couple decided to act like a JW. Not educated and not willing to study, he just follows the crowd. I do believe he has subconscious fears....he also follows whatever his wife wants to do without any real understanding. Complex situation, but definitely lives in fear
And come to think after all these years the Walmart greeter was a demon! 😂😂😂
LOL, watch out my friend!!
👍💪💯%.... them governing body god men are going to be feeding off the words "they're being persecuted"
More than that they will be scrubbing their hands free of blood for years to come....
Yep, it's all about them!
👋PIMO Since October 1995, when the beginnings of the Overlapping Generation teaching... I then understood the WTBTS was a group of CHARLATANS, no different than any other religion, and disconnected for good. However, my dear Husband, Parents, Siblings and excellent lifelong friends are in it hook-line-and-sinker. I'm considered "Spiritually weak" as I do as little as possible, and often experience soft-shunning by some irrelevant ones. I'm used to and okay with it...👍
Thanks for this most helpful topic❤❤❤
Lots of love to you, it's so difficult to be mentally free but see those you love still trapped by it all. 1995 was a HUGE moment....I was the WT conductor....many then found the exit door...a massive blow to those who were loyal for years
Watchtower: “Disfellowshipping is Jehovah’s *loving* arrangement.”
Also Watchtower: “We must hate disfellowshipped people in the truest sense.”
???
How twisted and cruel that attitude of the Watchtower Society is for sure.
Yep, all in print!
Yet another great podcast as I sit looking at my Christmas tree 😅Take that, Society 🎄So many truths in this. And humor that is much needed. Your channel is probably my favorite ex-JW one.
Thank you Queen! ;) Our tree went up this week too.....it makes me smile. Thanks for being here!
And all of this, just for a "maybe." Zephaniah 2:3 was constantly thrown in our faces when I was in... "*Probably* you *may* be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger." Like, WT absolute F?! God is jealous *and* fickle and no one is *ever* allowed to firmly declare their salvation. Even those who claim to be anointed get some heavy side-eye (if not *the* heaviest).
All for a solid "maybe"... and, at this point , almost every worldly person has just been given a solid "maybe," too.
A CLASSIC verse!!! VERY good share....and one I'd like to cover!!
I stayed in till I got my whole family out …… it’s been 4 years and my neices and nephew are in college now and my family is moving on….. the only one still in is my dad and my brother inlaw …. Which both don’t shun us they come to holidays events 🤣🤣
YES!!!!! I love it!!!!
Hi Stacey,
Did ya miss me? 😉
I’ve recently returned from 6 weeks in hospital, 2 of which I was in ICU. When I came to, much weakened, I promised my JW sister that I would re-examine JW teachings. Tbh despite all the changes, it is still more mind-numbing as before.
Hi Ann, oh no!! I hope you're okay??!!! All that matters is your health!!! Oh yes, I encourage the same examination....their book, their literature. It all becomes evident!
This one was superb in every way. Very powerful stuff. Although, ya got me with the all you can eat buffet. Guilty! (Ziplock bag .. cough, cough). 😂
Thank you Jacki! LOL, I'm just as guilty!!!!!
Always entertaining. Always PROFOUND. Always right on target.
One of the MANY reasons that I HAD to leave, was that I could not recommend or model being a JW, because of the way they treat people, & particularly, women & children. Im baffled at how others can want that treatment for others! I would rather die than wish that for others! I saw my best friend with 3 small boys try to tell the elders that her UNBELIEVING, drunkard, cheating husband comes home drunk at 2 am, gets her up & orders food, but worse gets the kids up to watch while he holds her up in a corner of the room with a knife at her throat & screams at her! Then, the elders tell her that she needs to be a better wife! She was new to the org & didnt know about how cheating was grounds for divorce. I told her about that. Then, when she nearly died from an STD & internal infection, I gave her the moral support she needed to divorce him. They also didnt tell her about non support being grounds. She had been with him since age 16 (orphaned) & lived on food stamps 10 yrs with him never holding a rare job for more than 3 months! So, Im going to canvas the neighbor hoods looking for someone who is willing to subject themselves & their kids to THAT?
Your 3 reasons are all so poignant & accurate. One therapist called the laziness, "mental laziness" & that defined it well for me. They can be a hard worker & yet be mentally lazy.
Its tragic. I know the internal soul searching & work you had to do, yourself, to be able to speak with such clarity every week. THANK YOU! Bless you for bringing awareness to everyone who is willing to look for it & I hope every week that a hurt person finds you.
OMG Heather!! Heartbroken reading this about your friend!! Thank you for being here.....I have so much heartache for people like your friend :(
@@survivingparadisepodcast
Yes, heart break for the abominable treatment from the org, which they should be ashamed of.
But,...the best part is that she left...& struggled for a bit,...then damn! That girl went on to KILL it with SUCCESS! She now lives a great life & travels the WORLD! Im so PROUD of her.
I love success stories!@@heatherwillson4862
This channel is amazing. 🎉
Thank you!!
I never got to elder. I was an MS. I used to kick myself for not studying enough. It wasn't until about 2 years before walking away that I realized I was studying way more than the elders in my congregation. I knew way more about the organization and its doctrines than they did, and yet the most uninformed apostate still knew 10 times what I did.
LOL, I believe it!!!! As a former elder, the curtain comes down on the other guys: most have never even studied the Bible much less the literature. I'll bet that was a harsh reality for you!
Another great one, Stacy! I want to get your opinion do you think that the governing body truly believes that it’s the truth or do you think they know that they’re just going with the flow of what the organization stands for at this point?
GREAT subject and thank you. It's a complex one.....I believe that somewhere along the way they know they're full of $%#@....you can see it in the way they're handling things at the recent Annual Meeting....."we can't be dogmatic"....."how we get new light".....I believe this crew knows they're not special, but still feel special.....I know, it doesn't make sense...but they're come full circle on how they present their stuff now
@@survivingparadisepodcast 👍 I'm 99.9% sure that deep down the GB members care more about the "lifestyle" their position affords: rent free, travel free, first class airfare, 5-star hotels, exclusive restaurants, top-tier health care, daily maid service and popular notoriety they receive etc! Honestly, they probably could care or less about a heavenly reward. It's a scam. It's a racket!
Thank you, Sir!😅😅😂😂😂
Watchtower is a publishing company and an investment property company, as such I think they may be involved in modern slavery, they call it volunteers but they deceive their volunteers by telling them they are helping with spreading the good news by building kingdom halls and other meeting places. These buildings are used for a short period and sold, the volunteers might not offer free service if they understood the massive profits watchtower acquire after selling a short period later.
You are right! Slaves! And we all got frequent beatings.
All 100% TRUE!!!
@@heatherwillson4862 yes slaves in the general sense but Europe introduced modern slavery law a few years ago, I don't know if the US did, and I don't know the legislation but it's possible WT contravenes that and that WT may be aware of this. Are the volunteers able to say adiós amego's at any point, are they treated as individuals.
PS I agree with the beatings, it was promoted by WT, we were lined up and beaten on a regular basis and one of my brothers was on the spectrum and he got it worse of all. I'm sure my mother was attracted to that religion because of its strick punishment agenda for kids and it's authoritarian attitudes.
JWs do not leave because they do not want to die, and this group of charlatans has convinced them they can live forever!
Very true!
Yup. My mom & sister are ALL 3 of these! On the last point tho, they study ONLY Watchtower material & don't go deep at that! They don't compare other Bible versions or research the org history. I'm convinced they only skim the materials because they don't seem to SEE anything beyond the surface!
Yep, highlighter in hand....victim to the conditioning of 'read paragraph, answer our question'.....so sorry
While listening just to the beginning, I bet "sunk cost fallacy" is going to be mentioned.
edit: first laugh out loud where you spend a few minutes about how Jesus never changes, and then mention that the one consistent thing about Jesus' organization is...it's constantly changing. If ever there was a genre called "exJW stand-up comedy", you'd be top bill.
Heraclitus- the only constant in life is change.
LOL, thanks Future!.....sunk cost fallacy found it's way in too ;)
You made me laugh out loud a dozen times 😂😂😂😂
LOL, thank you....I love that....I have to laugh or lose my mind!
"...from a lawn mower, much less a large organization" 😂
LOL, you get me!
Stacy i would go back to the Kingdom hall Just to hear Your TALKS!!! it is soo sad that People can not see the Lies and Hypocrisy that they are Being Taught. But its REALLY THERE Lose Not the GB, not the WT i Blame ( And this is PERSONAL) I Blame The Grown Adults that are Doing What they are told, By Man, and Not there Own Mind, Indocrinated or Not, if someone Said you Can NOT talk to Ur Family Because They Do Not Follow The GB, ((( Because the GB Can Not say, if u dont believe us OH Just Ask GOD and he will answer You!! ))) I would say HELL NO, this is my Child and they have a mind of there own, Is it not enough that GB has Them?? No the Are EVIL AND want to Distroy ur whole Family 😖😓 I just caught a Flash Back!! Lol Thank You for All U do and the Understanding!!!
Thanks Michelle! You're too kind!! It's so sad to see adults act like......sheep.....isn't it???
What a finish!
Thank you!
Things seem to be changing though thankfully. I'm guessing new numbers this year will show even more leaving. Any idea when or if the 2023 service year report will be out? I'm pretty sure in past years it has been published by now.
I believe they will too. New article yesterday showing that baptisms have been cut in half! I believe the report will come out in January, but not sure
@@survivingparadisepodcast WOW! where can i find this article?
www.vl.no/religion/2023/11/13/drastisk-nedgang-halvparten-sa-mange-doper-seg-i-jehovas-vitner/@@WakeingUp
@@WakeingUp www.vl.no/religion/2023/11/13/drastisk-nedgang-halvparten-sa-mange-doper-seg-i-jehovas-vitner/
Lord jehovah.
Could I collect Sulphur and use it at a later date? Or will you bombard me with new Sulphur as needed? 😂 😢 😮 😂
the folks from Sodom & Gomorrah can confirm! ;)
Thanks for making this video. The trauma associated with this organization is downplayed. Like yourself I was born in the cult . Had all kinds of trauma for years
YES! All sorts of trauma exists in many of us. Those raised around this often face strange emotions later in life. SO damaging. Thanks for being here!
I'm just saying, if they really want to save everyone on earth, and so does God.... And now it can all be done at a drop of the hat once Armageddon comes.... Shouldn't they be spending all of their money to make sure that they get a super bowl commercial?
LOL, I love it....I've said this for years!!!!! The Mormons do it!
@@survivingparadisepodcast so I'm a super new follower, but I'm an absolute huge fan of yours. Thanks so much for these videos. I hope this isn't creepy, but your voice is addictive! Lol thanks so much
Thanks my friend, I appreciate you!@@blindovision
Something struck me recently, I was a pioneer in the 1970s, three years at 100 hours a month, I had numerous bible studies. The little blue truth book was the book used at that time. I believe that book is now considered apostate, so here's the point, my whole three years were spend preaching and teaching apostate teachings, I've been out a long time but now that three years is ...... I don't even have a word for it
So much for a God that never changes, all teachings of JWs are wrong because they change them constantly and if there is a God and a Devil thay are from their father who lies the Devil 👿 because its a bunch of lies and that's straight from the mouth and actions of Watchtower.
All old light if used today is apostacy, even old light of yesterday or last week.
I once had an online debate with a JW who was defending WT. She bragged about being a JW since the 1960s, Pioneering since that time. I gave her the following challenge and asked her a simple question: compile a list of all Watchtower's "Bible truths" she's taught people for the past 60 years, then start crossing out all the "truths" that are no longer true. How does she feel about a lifetime spent teaching people doctrines that have such a short shelf life and weren't ever true to begin with?
She left the conversation without ever answering.
@@adamantiumbullet9215it's a pity she didn't give it a moment's thought because therein lies the answer, thanks for your comment.
SO many of the teachings of the past....that THEY taught.....would now land you with the apostate label. And so few JWs even know it....or care
LOVE that exercise@@adamantiumbullet9215
I believe nothing is a waste of time, you always learn something from any experience. If you believe in God then teaching beliefs that are wrong and going to great effort to teach such is more than a waste it's being on Satan's side working against God, if you believe in God and Satan it's extremely serious but JWs just lap it up like it's mana from heaven.
Ok, you're just making too much sense!
Trust the anointed ones of Warwick (a little stupid on the edges) to rule the world with Jesus and God from heaven, while Abraham, great biblical character and friend of God, will remain on earth! Who are we kidding for teaching such nonsense?
Unfortunately, they're fooling MILLIONS
I somewhat disagree with you regarding staying in for your family. If you have to be fake to keep their love then they don't really love you. Sometimes your family is very toxic and the best thing you can do is stay away from them. But those are just my 2 cents 🤷♀️
Totally agree. The contradiction of living a lie by pretending to be in "The Truth" after being enlightened, all to preserve very conditional relationships with people who value religious charlatans over family and friends, says a lot about character. In reality, the enlightened JW who refuses to leave is no better than the brainwashed JWs who don't know enough to leave.
I tried not going to meetings and was shunned by my children and grand children. It put me into a very, very deep depression so I went back. I wasn’t strong enough to be shunned, it literally almost killed me, so I understand what he means.
@@inapickle4971
*"I tried not going to meetings and was shunned by my children and grand children."*
_"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."_
-Maya Angelou
HUGS! We understand....it's cruel.....and if limited contact helps you continue, I'm all for it@@inapickle4971
It's very complex and I understand your take. Frankly, I'm like you. When I left, I didn't care....my attitude was "bye".....but it's VERY painful and impossible for many. Many have no one else.....while it is FAR from perfect, I want people to have who/what they need to survive.....but it highlights the evil this organization does to people
80s was filled with fearful stories
So true....fear was the story of the decade
80s?? or the whole century?
I am not with you on this video. It is best to be yourself. Be authentic. If you do not want to be part of Watchtower. Leave. If you family shuns you, make a new one. I am not a fan of being fake. But, that is just me. Other people have their preference and they do what they need to.
I totally understand! All opinions are welcome!! Thank you for giving the other side
Stuffed Smurf😂
LOL!
Ha you got me when you said the ones who studied a lot …. left! Read the Bible 6 times seriously in diff translations. Not smart at all because I learned nothing but it was a waste of time! Switched to better books 😂
You can lead a JW to knowledge… but you can’t make him think
It's painfully true..... they've shut down their minds.....
I can usually identify with most of what you're saying but I strongly disagree with around :30 where you say to fake it and be PIMO to keep your family. Maybe if you're already married and have kids and are really stuck in, sure. But I couldn't handle it. I was having panic attacks every time I went to the kingdom hall. I was looking at a lifetime with no romantic love because I wouldn't date a worldly guy or get stuck in a JW marriage. I couldn't express myself, ever, not even through my art. I always had to shut off parts of myself, be careful not to post anything in social media that would stumble anyone in the slightest. I couldn't pursue a career. I had to keep up with JW news and lie to my family about going to the meetings. My life was miserable, and it was just to keep my family happy? F that. If my happiness makes my family unhappy then they can be the miserable ones. I've got a life to live, and it won't last forever.
I don't disagree Deanna, in fact, I'm exactly like you. I met with my family and two closest friends and told them. I'm just not built for faking it. But I VERY much understand and encourage those who simple aren't like me, to try to keep their family where possible. It's a massive blow in life, so I like to be sure people know I would never judge someone for faking it to keep their loved ones....I'm like you....it was no Bueno.I was out
There is one reason. That given by Peter.
John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
People have left their various religions to embrace True Worship which God has restored as promised at Micah 4:1-5. What possible reason would JWs have for returning to their former false religions?
I don't disagree, but most JW would tell you it's far more complex than that
@@survivingparadisepodcast: What this video tries to show and what is real are poles apart. There is only ONE reason. The one Peter stated above in my quote.
People who leave their false religions in order to embrace True Worship would never want to go back to their falsehoods. Compare Revelation 18:4.
If for some weird reason someone does:
2 Peter 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.”
Incorrect. You're basing everything you say on the premise that all people believe the Bible is inspired, Jesus is a real person in heaven and ....even that Peter is a real, historical figure. I'll state again, your comment is incorrect. MANY JWs stay simply out of fear: fear of losing their family and friends. Some stay because they've been doing it so long they'd be lost without it all. Your answer is based on your understanding of Christianity. That is an assumption. Many JWs that want to leave....but don't..... are agnostic, atheist or none of the above. So saying there is only 'one reason' as you stated is completely false. @@tongakhan230
@@survivingparadisepodcast: After making some false claims about JWs' faith, now suddenly the Bible is not reliable??
Don;t worry. All these falsehoods against JWs just makes them happy.
Matthew 5:11 “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake.
All the best to you! Yet another incorrect reference, Jesus wasn't speaking to Jehovah's Witnesses at Matthew 5:11. Please post here all the false claims made in this show about JWs.....and please use cited references as we do here on the show. We all want to study the 'false claims'....we will be waiting@@tongakhan230
One of my favorite absurd scripture is the one that says “where else would we go, you have sayings of everlasting life”. What a bunch of lazy clowns, just looking for whoever can conjure the best fantasy world.
Hi Stacy, hope you're doing well. OK you nailed it again. I was just thinking about Moses last week before your podcast. I have questions one. Moses did everything that God asked him to do. He was a pain in the butt but he still did it. But God knowing everything past present and future, he knew that Moses was going to mess up, so God used him. Basically he lied to him. here's my question. The Bible says God cannot lie. What's up with that I hope to hear from you with brotherly. Love, Keith.
According to Hebrews 11. 16 ,
Moses desired a Heavenly Country.
Moses is now in the Great Cloud of Witnesses with JESUS in Heaven .
Hope that answers your question.
@@John-fi5ik no that doesn't answer my question. God still lied to him
She has John show me the scripture where it says that please
@@keitharagon3466
Tell me where you think He lied ?
@@John-fi5ik think about it, John, if you knew everything because your God. And you promised someone something and don't deliver I called A LIE God does that throughout the whole Bible he knows the outcome of everything it's a fixed game.
Something they invested in that is true, is that Jehovah is the true God, paradise is possible, and hell is real. That's what i believe. Totally disagree you have to be in the JW organization to attain paradise. Totally don't believe the bible is the "word" of God. I believe it's the "word" of man, with some truths throughout the books. Good luck everyone, the JW organization is not the way!
I am not JW and I believe in paradise..I can imagine myself living in paradise with vegetarian lions and tigers..
Do you have anything constructive to say?
About Jehovah's Witnesses leadership? No. How about yourself?
@@survivingparadisepodcast About anything?
Very odd question Janet...but I'll answer it. YES! Lot's of stuff.... why exactly would you ask this question without knowing me at all? Maybe you're having a bad day? Lots and lots and lots of good stuff to talk about.....very, very little when it comes to a cult that protects child abusers, lies to millions and hurts people. I have nothing good to say about that..... were you looking for a RUclips channel that shares good things to talk about? This channel helps to warn people about a terrible cult. I can make recommendations if you were looking for something where it focuses on fun stuff! Odd question when posting on a channel that shares the negative consequences of following a cult..... but let me know if you need help finding something you're looking for!@@janetgillespie6590
Hey Stacey., A quick question for you, Why in the world would anyone ever want to be a Jehovah Witness ? I’m listening !
For me, I was in a vulnerable situation , things happening in my life and they came along just at that time with answers- the fact there was a lady in the congregation that I fancied probably had a lot to do with it as well😀
Why do you enter a manipulative relationship? Because you're vulnerable and in front of you there are 'professional' sellers of conditional love and empty hopes.
I was born in, or practically, my parents met the JWs when I was only months old. My mother announced that she had searched all religions and this was the truth. When your small you trust your parents so I was the good little JW, obeying all the rules. Since then I have come to believe my mother is an idiot, she truly is, anybody that has done all of everything is an idiot because they do not even know what all of anything is. She had actually only briefly investigated 2 or 3 other religions and all of which were Christian. What a foundation of stone to build a house. Thankfully my own brain kicked in about early 20 and after the 1975 debacle when Watchtower not only got it wrong but didn't take responsibility and blamed JWs , I can still see the faces of JWs when Watchtower blamed them. After that it was a CO talk in which he gave inaccurate information about nutrition, stood up and told him that was not true and walked out. Finito🎉
Two main reasons:
1. A person is born-in and knows nothing else.
2. JWs show up at a time when a person is most vulnerable. This is how all religions and cults work.
@@adamantiumbullet9215 I have to tell you that’s not how all legitimate religion works. You are half correct. That’s how cults operate. Normal mainstream religions don’t force feed you, ( essentially brainwash) you. This is the truth, 🤣all others are false, we go to church praising Jesus, and help people less fortunate in the community. Oh yeah, we go once a week, not , what was it at one time, 4 or 5 times a week ? Now 3 times , service on Saturday? Didn’t you realize you worked for free for a company? Not a religion! You and yours were bamboozled !!!
a subgroup of pimo is zimo. zoom in mentally out. it is quite an effective coping strategy for someone who is married to a pimi. muted with camera off is a great alternative to running the love bombing/soft shunning gauntlet. p.s. beware, there could be a pop quiz!
LOL...ZIMO!!!