Being in a controlled "religion" makes followers feel safe. The Watchtower gives a framework and an answer to all things as if everything were held together. being in a structure that thinks for you allows followers to let being lead without worrying about the consequences. Some people prefer to have decisions made for them. Even if everything is wrong, some people will stay in this social fabric because this fabric looks like them.
Nothing wrong with clean wholesome families with respect. Sharing the Bible as Jesus commanded. & todays violence by young ones should know we practice love & not violence & teaching your kids the same is good rather than bullies & kids killing kids you thinking don’t get the fear of Armageddon just wait on Jehovah
@@ruthvitale3641 I think of the over 100 million babies who will be murdered by the god of the Watchtower during Armageddon. All Jehovah's Witnesses who accept and support this murderous madness are internally toxic people. The faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is a faith that dehumanizes human beings to the point of having swallowed up this absurd "elastic" generation that puts reason and common sense to shame.
I've been out for many years. THIS was the biggest thing I struggled with. I'm so thankful I had a great therapist along the way that helped me. When I look back at that time, I see the darkness I was trapped in. I couldn't even open the Bible without condemning myself every time I read anything from it. When I left my biggest, loudest prayer was, "God, Please don't let me be fooled." That prayer has opened my eyes to many sketchy beliefs even outside of being a JW. What worked for me was the simple truth that the God I have always believed in from very little on up, was that he was a God of LOVE. I was struggling with PTSD from serious abuse, flashbacks, etc. The elders said I had to pray harder and I was treated like an outcast even though I was working so hard as a single mother of 2 little girls (one with a disability), to make all the meetings and go out in preaching work. It was simple. I looked at my own heart and how hard I was trying. I know I was trying to be as true to a loving God as I could be. When my efforts were shunned, I knew that I was in the wrong place because my God of Love would not approve of me being treated that way. The depression I was in was killing me. I told God at the end, that I could no longer live as a JW, it was killing me. The hypocrisy I experienced was not love. Time and listening to other ex JW's healed me, along with a deep feeling that finally surfaced after many years -- that it was God himself, His love that pulled me out. When I was love bombed in the beginning of my indoctrination, the siren call was, "You will know my people by the love they have among themselves." Well, here's another quote that fits very well, "You lost that loving feeling." .... if it was ever really there. The Creator that I believe in is consistent... as consistent as the Earth has turned and brought me new days for all of my life. All I can say is no matter how dark a place you find yourself in when you first come out. Hang in there. Consciously stop the hateful self-talk echoing from a past false belief system. Choose to search, research and see it for what it really is. A God of Love does not practice deception, humiliation, family separation, he's consistent, he protects children and those with wounded spirits.I 'just' found this channel and even still get much comfort from hearing these eloquent, heart felt words of wisdom. 💗This channel and many others have true compassion for those escaping this dangerous cult.
Hey man wanted to say thanks for your videos. Im currently still a witness i guess is how id put it at 23. Think around 18 after being reproved twice i started having my doubts. None of my friends in the "world" can understand my problems and stress when i tell them i want to leave. My entire family are very strict witness and id basically be alone for the rest of my life family wise when i finally do officially quit. Guess i wanted to say is its just nice hearing reassurance and information from someone like yourself. The amount of mental loops and sadness the organization puts on my head isnt describable. Wish i could get you a beer with how you helped lol wish you the best
How many mental loops and sadness will this horrible world ruled by Satan put you through. This ex witness has no hope now, no new world to look forward to.
Definitely right about needing therapy. I was raised by JWs never really believed. After starting therapy last year I realized that unaddressed trauma never really goes away it just festers. It’s like leaving a broken bone unattended and expecting it to set itself back normally. If you can afford therapy please go get therapy or you risk having a bigger mental health issue further down the road
Another Good Video, Very Well Said and Done! I can relate to it, when I faded a little after 1975 when the false teaching of the end didn`t happen that year. I was fortunate also to have family which none of them were JW`S. Even though every time there were bad outbreaks in the world happening I was tormented by the brainwashing of the end so near. When discussions of the bible happened I found myself defending the indoctrinated teachings that were still lingering with me. It took years for the fear and guilt to finally dissipate and feel comfortable with being myself and being happy of being free from such a controlled group. Thanks for This.
I faded many years ago, but still slightly panic a bit about Armageddon coming. I've written down all the things I've found to be wrong with the JW religion, and read it from time to time to remind myself why I should never go back to it.
My dad was in it for 50 years, and made all of us kids be raised in it. He died after a quick illness in 2007, without any of the so called loving cult people even visiting. He died living his life for this cult, it was his everything, he went to all the meetings, conventions, field service, etc etc etc. He put the religion above his family and relationship with his wife. Now he died and has nothing, and still no Armageddon or paradise. Enjoy your life now, be a decent person, enjoy your friends and family and do good, otherwise when you go, it's done, your life now is all you have.
Try writing down all the things that are right about JW. Then you will see why Jesus chose JW to preach the Good News of the kingdom to the world. But if you are looking for imperfection, you can easily find it in any religion.
@@MrRklewisIf every religion is imperfect then people should be free to choose the religion they want to belong to. It doesn’t matter if it’s JW or not
@@cvf3081 It matters to God. Because He is guiding and directing just one religion. And it is the religion that Jesus chose to preach the good news of the kingdom to the world. Because they will be the chosen ones who survive the great Tribulation and they will be the foundation members of the millennial reign of Christ.
I was raised a JW. Many of my family are still in the cult. I have found that many people who leave find themselves not connecting with God, because in the back of their mind they think all other denominations are “Babylon the Great” and horrible, so then they become Atheist, because they feel that could be the only answer. I thank God for showing me the real truth and that I can have a personal relationship with him outside of any church, if I choose. I pray you will realize that there is a God and he loves you! 🙂
I'm in the same boat. My mom and that whole side of my family, the side I grew up with are JWs. In short, went through stages, including questioning God's existence. I did realize that life without God is meaningless. I started looking for God outside of JW and doing my own research. I now thankfully have a relationship with God, but have a hard time with religion. I can't seem to find one I can feel right in, so I just continue to strengthen my relationship directly with God. I watch a lot of sermons online from different sects and it helps.
I have watched all your videos multiple times and I appreciate them so much. I woke up about a year ago or started waking up. Seeing someone like you, who has also worked so hard and wholeheartedly for this religion and faced the problems it has and investigated them has given me peace of mind and courage to carry on honestly examining the religion. I'm a fourth generation and would have given my life for this organization. Now I hate it and I hate the leaders and am trying to tamp down my anger. Please continue making videos, they're my lifeline right now. Take care.
I am also an agnostic atheist but I was raised by JW parents. I fought against going to meetings or field service or private bible studies from a preteen age. As a teen there was pressure on me to get baptized but instead I had my publishing rights removed and that changed everything. I lived like that for 2 years. I had to attend meetings for 2 years but my mom made me wait outside before and after the meetings. I didn't even share her beliefs, I didn't want to be there at all. When I was 17, after a lot of turmoil, I finally had to go see the elders and tell them that I did not want to attend but that my mom made me go anyways. The elders called her in and told her that she can no longer force me to go. Months later I turned 18 and moved out. My mother passed away in 2015 and she never let it go. The JW destroyed my relationship with my mother and I can never have her back now. I definitely believe that its a controlling cult and its not healthy for anyone, especially for kids and teens. This cult destroys families. Anyone who struggles with leaving the JW organization should seek therapy and free themselves. I love your channel, here I feel like I'm understood.
Shunning is a terrible practice. There are also ex- Amish, ex-muslims, ex-Mormons and ex-Hasidic jews who have gone through the terrible things you have. Edit: not all hasidic jews do this. There's nunerous sects and only some shun.
Completely agree. It’s an enormous task, to “unlearn” all that I was told over 35 years. But it’s the only way to fully exit. Well said. Thanks for the video.
As someone who converted in ‘74 and left in ‘99 my advice is to break free from the past and look ahead. Dwelling on their monthly video content and identifying as an ex-JW only goes so far. You’ll be in your 70’s looking back at all the years you allowed them to live rent free in your heads. In my case when I left in 1999 I took a break from all religion. I had grown up Lutheran and converted to JW and neither of them ended well. My experience was that it was much easier to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses mentally after I gave up “the Jehovah”. My break from religion ended up feeling pretty good and has lasted 25 years. Things I have experienced include the Lutheran church, being an orphan, seeing shipmates die on the flight deck, married young, 25 years in JW’s, a media deal in auto racing for 17 years, retirement from the railroad in 2018 and old age, a neck full of donor bone and titanium from a car accident and currently arthritis and a rare form of lymphoma likely caused by using herbicides on a farm. All of those things are part of my life experience but none of them define me as a person. I admire the dedication and work ethic but a lot of people these days don’t really leave JW thinking. They stop going and stay absorbed in the past. This came up as a RUclips recommendation in my feed so I’m just passing through giving an experienced opinion out of concern for folks who appear to be stuck in place spinning their wheels. Or on the words of the old curmudgeon I am “In my day Sonny when we left the JW’s we actually left the JW’s with all of our heart, mind and soul”.
TFT you are finally doing the real, good and necessary work by spreading the truth that is saving peoples' lives. Truly. God communicates in wondrous ways.
I always think this idea of what if they were right a funny one. Something I use to say while a JW and got into trouble for and I still say it is "if I don't make it through Armageddon, how will I know?" If Armageddon is real then that means I won't feel/know anything after death right? So why be fearful. Everything is about fear with them, if God is so loving then why build your cult solely around fear.
I have been a Christian of no fixed denomination for 16 years, and it will stay that way. I have been attending a JW hall for the last two months as I travel through Latin America. Very nice warm people, though they say the same thing to me each time. “We really enjoyed your comments” I am happy to stay as a Friend, but not a brother. Aside from the obvious doctrine differences. I won’t shave my beard, nor will I wear a suit to a service. I am not a drone.
I never was in fear of Armageddon.... Why?? 1---- first I needed to understand what the word Armageddon means. It means : a war to Free me from all forms of corroption.... 2---- if I,m not doing anything against the scriptures.... Why should I live in fear ??? What I fear is all the corroption that exist around the world. Another thing that I don't like is: WT using certain Bible verses to put fear in me ??? Is not going to work .... WHY??? Because I read the Bible on my own.... Away from WT ,or any other organized religion..... Thanks.
What do your parents say of your decision? But there might be parts of understandings you don’t agree but there is a lot that is right! Plus there is a new understanding! That only Jehovah knows peoples heart in the end. And he decides about us individually. New understanding. The separation of the sheep and the goats.
I was never completely in (not baptized; never went door-to-door; etc.), but even at that, rejecting "the Truth" when I realized it wasn't that at all wasn't easy. The Witnesses did try to use the Armageddon angle, though I realized the Great Tribulation was unlikely to happen during the lifetimes of the "generation of 1914," who were all pushing 80 (or more) at the time. (This was in the early 1990s, in the wake of the collapse of communism & the end of the Cold War.) I think some of the Witnesses' critiques of "Christendom" are valid (which may account for some who have grown disillusioned nonetheless remaining in), though some (or many) of the same issues can be used to impeach the Witness movement itself.
I highly recommend therapy also. I am going through the Spiritual Abuse Recovery by David Henke is awesome, in my 3rd week ♥️ it’s been 20 years and I still realized I needed therapy ❤
For me, it was John 13:35. The mark of a true Christian is love. I started to really look around me and I just didn't see genuine love. We had the "weirdo family" that struggled and no one would support. They were really sweet and devoted but not part of the IN crowd. There was gossip and back biting. Every congregation that I have attended had a degree of the same dynamics. Some elders were kind but some were outright d1cks. It became more and more difficult to stuff down the doubts/concerns. If the defining mark of God's ppl is Love, then the organization didn't seem to qualify. It was controlled but not loving. So, when I stumbled onto the ARC, and saw that they were bending over backwards for their "right" not to keep children safe, the little doubts were a scream. To see Old Geoffrey Jackson outright lie, under the guise of spiritual warfare, I was done. The scriptures refer to Satan as the father of the lie. Why would God's ppl use tools designed by the devil?! Needless to say, the org convinced me it wasn't the true religion. I gave myself permission to dig further and walked away. I am also an agnostic atheist and put ZERO stock in anything they say will happen. If there is a God, I think she'd forgive me for wanted to distance myself from liars and pedo protectors.
How many of you have left and then joined other religions? How many of you have left and then engage in holidays? The leaving process is overwhelming to me because I don't know where I belong. I don't want "the world". I see the evil and problems in "the world". But I also see the current problems in the organization. I can't seem to come to terms with a solution.
Anna Kat, run to Jesus, He is the only way, the truth, and the life. Once you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, He will start working in you. You will live in peace and joy every single day. He will reveal Himself if you seek Him wholeheartedly.
I think I can understand your thought process. I believe a lot of people forget the bigger picture and that in these end times we might not find a perfekt organisation to belong to. And yet it is important to come together with people that have the same main beliefs. I don't think it is up to us to change the organisation. I think what is happening in the past few years is a great awakening and a rinsing on all the earth. It is happening in all religious organisations. Be patient and keep searching for the truths. Make sure you do what is right towards Jehova and Jesus. Keep praying
I understand the sentiment & emotional reaction to leaving JWs to atheism. The logic is something else. I wasn't a JW but my stint with atheism & then doubt was largely emotional. It seemed that experientially there was detachment & silence. In contrast, the speaker of the video is existing in contradiction. On atheism there is no objective morality as has been pointed out by the great atheists: Nietzsche, Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, Bertrand Russell & Lenin. Moreover, Dawkins in a moment of clear concise lucidity stated (more or less in Out of Eden) 'this universe has precisely the properties we should expect if at bottom there is no design, no good, no evil, just blind pitiless indifference. DNA neither knows nor cares. It just is and we dance to it's music." To live a life of virtue doesn't make sense on atheism. The speaker's atheism & JW life are the same thing: be a good person. But how can one be a good person if she or he denies or ignores the bad things they've done?? I'll ask an atheist only twice of you had the evidence you needed to believe would you want to be forgiven of the bad things you've done? To live a life of virtue & not recognize your ill will & moral flaws is to not be virtuous at all & exist in contradiction.
I actually got booted for something I didn't do but the elders didn't believe me. When I was 19 years old I lost all of my family, and for the last 23 years I have been sad that they kicked me out. I can't go back because I didn't deserve to get kicked out. I still believe everything they said about the big picture of humanity. I feel like the only reason I still believe it though is cause I'm ultimately afraid to die and cease existence. I'm glad you found a way to get over it. I do wonder if deep down you still wonder if they are right though...
They aren't right. Not even close. Or do you believe God is so weak the truth Church just disappeared until Charles Taze Russell came along to "restore" it?
I do, actually. I think they have gotten it better than any other source. They blew it with the jab mandate so I can stay or leave in good conscience. They don't call it The Truth for no reason.
Watchtower isn't right because of the "two witnesses" rule. Deuteronomy 19:15; John 8:17,18. The governing body say they received divine appointment to lead JWs but they don't have God as their second witness like Jesus and Moses had. Exodus 4:1, 30, 31.
I still feel that maybe they do have the truth; but just that it's been warped by the watchtower organization maybe .... so I do pray to the Almighty for HIm to forgive me and others, and to search the hearts of all peoples of all faiths who are genuine in their lives, in their love for God etc etc, and to allow all such ones to attain to HIs promises of going to paradise. And if they don't have the truth, to also forgive the majority of those of them that are righteously inclined and have good hearts.
It seems to me that once released from a cult, one feels so violated that they cannot receive the true God, because they put up protective walls, saying, "I will never let this happen again!" Even though they know by there own designed bodies that He truly does exist. Satan gets a win/win. Please consider that Yahweh loves you and He doesn't want you to be afraid of Him. Much love, Rebecca, 69 years old, (tTt)
After I woke up from JWs I finally started researching my reasons for belief and I finally heard what the other side of the arguments were. I had no clue how many logical fallacies I was relying on to maintain my belief. In the end I realized I no longer found my reasons for belief compelling and had to drop them. I’m just much more comfortable now saying “I don’t know but I’ll keep trying to figure it out”. I’m open to changing my mind but if anyone is claiming there is an interventionist god and is relying on philosophical arguments and logical fallacies to try to prove it then I’m not interested.
Once ppl realize we live in an enclosed stationary system. That's when God truly becomes real. And all doubt is tossed out the window. The heliocentric model perpetuates a distant/godless universe. Hence why there are so many atheists in the world.
Even a Christian cannot brush aside the worship of Jehovah as God. In Revelation 1:5 the Son of God called himself "Jesus Christ, 'The Faithful Witness.'" When on earth as a man he was a Jew, an Israelite, to whose nation the words of Isaiah 43:10 were written: "'You are my witnesses, ' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'even my servant whom I have chosen.'" Jesus demonstrated that he a faithful and true witness of Jehovah God. His genuine disciples today must be the same kind of witnesses, Jehovah's.
This is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. The one believing in Him is not judged, but the one not believing already has been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. For God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, so that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life. (John 3:16,18,19) They said to Him: “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28,29) Let me now remind you the gospel, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. And if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5; Romans 10:9,11)
I always felt Ameggeddon was a fairy tale. It wasnt real to me. My mom always ask me, "Don't you want to live forever on a paradise earth?" I always say, "I don't want to live forever with a bunch of judgemental and pious people." She doesn't know what to say to that. Lol.
Now this I don't get atheists believe that we all headed for our own personal Armageddon, why would Armageddon terrify an atheist? My service driven by devotion not terror
Jehovah's Witnesses are a very small minority in comparison to the world population, less than 1 percent, so one would successfully argue it takes more courage to remain faithful to Jehovah and his named organization, than to leave it and join the majority of the world population, who do not serve Jehovah. (1 John 5 :19, Matt 7: 13, 14) Noah and his family were 8 against possible millions that lived at that time. What if one of Noah's children became unfaithful and left Jehovah's saving arrangement, would that have taken courage or rather a spirit of rebellion, again to join the majority? Food for thought.
Deut, 32:39,/1st, Samuel 2:6/2nd Kings,5:7,,/Matthew 10:26-28, Jehovah kills and preserves life, He brings down to the graves and He raises up, He wounds, and He will heal, and theres no one can rescue from his hands, Genesis, 18:25, Abraham ask and pleads to Jehovah to spare Soddoms and Gomora if there are at least 5, but failed,,So, Its time to realize that Satan never existed, its just a proxy or dummy, for bad effect by disobeying Jehovah,,,
The JWs cannot be right, because the Bible is not right. For me the turning point was Joshua 10:13. Remember when they said that the regular pioneers know the Bible. Well, I did and lost my faith in it. If the rotation of the Earth stopped, it would've meant end to all life. The fact that life exists is proof that Joshuah's long day never took place. It took me years before I really studied the history of the JWs in particular. Your view of making every day count is called optimistic nihilism and might be Epicurean philosophy. My Biblical thought is when life is scarce, it is meaningful. If life is abundant, like the lottery of trying to have an everlasting life in paradise Earth, it is too much for brain capacity to handle. Think about it. If you knew you would die at 20, then you would eat ice cream every day. If you knew that you would die at 80, then you would have concerns about your eating, health, exercise, well-being of others and so on. If you lived a million years, your responsibilities would explode, yet the life wouldn't become any more fantastic. Even the JWs realize this and stress that the Paradise is about *spiritual* truths, which are hard to grasp. I mean, finally knowing whether the people of Sodom and Gomorrah made it or not, well, that's going to motivate me to live another century. Nope.
Being in a controlled "religion" makes followers feel safe. The Watchtower gives a framework and an answer to all things as if everything were held together. being in a structure that thinks for you allows followers to let being lead without worrying about the consequences. Some people prefer to have decisions made for them. Even if everything is wrong, some people will stay in this social fabric because this fabric looks like them.
Nothing wrong with clean wholesome families with respect. Sharing the Bible as Jesus commanded. & todays violence by young ones should know we practice love & not violence & teaching your kids the same is good rather than bullies & kids killing kids you thinking don’t get the fear of Armageddon just wait on Jehovah
@@ruthvitale3641 I think of the over 100 million babies who will be murdered by the god of the Watchtower during Armageddon. All Jehovah's Witnesses who accept and support this murderous madness are internally toxic people. The faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is a faith that dehumanizes human beings to the point of having swallowed up this absurd "elastic" generation that puts reason and common sense to shame.
I've been out for many years. THIS was the biggest thing I struggled with. I'm so thankful I had a great therapist along the way that helped me. When I look back at that time, I see the darkness I was trapped in. I couldn't even open the Bible without condemning myself every time I read anything from it. When I left my biggest, loudest prayer was, "God, Please don't let me be fooled." That prayer has opened my eyes to many sketchy beliefs even outside of being a JW. What worked for me was the simple truth that the God I have always believed in from very little on up, was that he was a God of LOVE. I was struggling with PTSD from serious abuse, flashbacks, etc. The elders said I had to pray harder and I was treated like an outcast even though I was working so hard as a single mother of 2 little girls (one with a disability), to make all the meetings and go out in preaching work. It was simple. I looked at my own heart and how hard I was trying. I know I was trying to be as true to a loving God as I could be. When my efforts were shunned, I knew that I was in the wrong place because my God of Love would not approve of me being treated that way. The depression I was in was killing me. I told God at the end, that I could no longer live as a JW, it was killing me. The hypocrisy I experienced was not love. Time and listening to other ex JW's healed me, along with a deep feeling that finally surfaced after many years -- that it was God himself, His love that pulled me out.
When I was love bombed in the beginning of my indoctrination, the siren call was, "You will know my people by the love they have among themselves." Well, here's another quote that fits very well, "You lost that loving feeling." .... if it was ever really there. The Creator that I believe in is consistent... as consistent as the Earth has turned and brought me new days for all of my life.
All I can say is no matter how dark a place you find yourself in when you first come out. Hang in there. Consciously stop the hateful self-talk echoing from a past false belief system. Choose to search, research and see it for what it really is. A God of Love does not practice deception, humiliation, family separation, he's consistent, he protects children and those with wounded spirits.I 'just' found this channel and even still get much comfort from hearing these eloquent, heart felt words of wisdom. 💗This channel and many others have true compassion for those escaping this dangerous cult.
Hey man wanted to say thanks for your videos. Im currently still a witness i guess is how id put it at 23. Think around 18 after being reproved twice i started having my doubts. None of my friends in the "world" can understand my problems and stress when i tell them i want to leave. My entire family are very strict witness and id basically be alone for the rest of my life family wise when i finally do officially quit. Guess i wanted to say is its just nice hearing reassurance and information from someone like yourself. The amount of mental loops and sadness the organization puts on my head isnt describable. Wish i could get you a beer with how you helped lol wish you the best
How many mental loops and sadness will this horrible world ruled by Satan put you through. This ex witness has no hope now, no new world to look forward to.
Definitely right about needing therapy. I was raised by JWs never really believed. After starting therapy last year I realized that unaddressed trauma never really goes away it just festers. It’s like leaving a broken bone unattended and expecting it to set itself back normally. If you can afford therapy please go get therapy or you risk having a bigger mental health issue further down the road
Another Good Video, Very Well Said and Done!
I can relate to it, when I faded a little after 1975 when the false teaching of the end didn`t happen that year.
I was fortunate also to have family which none of them were JW`S.
Even though every time there were bad outbreaks in the world happening I was tormented by the brainwashing of the end so near.
When discussions of the bible happened I found myself defending the indoctrinated teachings that were still lingering with me.
It took years for the fear and guilt to finally dissipate and feel comfortable with being myself and being happy of being free from such
a controlled group. Thanks for This.
I faded many years ago, but still slightly panic a bit about Armageddon coming. I've written down all the things I've found to be wrong with the JW religion, and read it from time to time to remind myself why I should never go back to it.
My dad was in it for 50 years, and made all of us kids be raised in it. He died after a quick illness in 2007, without any of the so called loving cult people even visiting. He died living his life for this cult, it was his everything, he went to all the meetings, conventions, field service, etc etc etc. He put the religion above his family and relationship with his wife. Now he died and has nothing, and still no Armageddon or paradise. Enjoy your life now, be a decent person, enjoy your friends and family and do good, otherwise when you go, it's done, your life now is all you have.
Try writing down all the things that are right about JW. Then you will see why Jesus chose JW to preach the Good News of the kingdom to the world. But if you are looking for imperfection, you can easily find it in any religion.
@@MrRklewisIf every religion is imperfect then people should be free to choose the religion they want to belong to. It doesn’t matter if it’s JW or not
@@cvf3081 It matters to God. Because He is guiding and directing just one religion. And it is the religion that Jesus chose to preach the good news of the kingdom to the world. Because they will be the chosen ones who survive the great Tribulation and they will be the foundation members of the millennial reign of Christ.
@@MrRklewisWell as far as I know, Jesus didn’t leave any religion, did he?
I was severely depressed. Everlasting destruction was not a threat for me. It enabled me to walk away.
I was raised a JW. Many of my family are still in the cult. I have found that many people who leave find themselves not connecting with God, because in the back of their mind they think all other denominations are “Babylon the Great” and horrible, so then they become Atheist, because they feel that could be the only answer. I thank God for showing me the real truth and that I can have a personal relationship with him outside of any church, if I choose. I pray you will realize that there is a God and he loves you! 🙂
I'm in the same boat. My mom and that whole side of my family, the side I grew up with are JWs. In short, went through stages, including questioning God's existence. I did realize that life without God is meaningless. I started looking for God outside of JW and doing my own research. I now thankfully have a relationship with God, but have a hard time with religion. I can't seem to find one I can feel right in, so I just continue to strengthen my relationship directly with God. I watch a lot of sermons online from different sects and it helps.
I have watched all your videos multiple times and I appreciate them so much. I woke up about a year ago or started waking up. Seeing someone like you, who has also worked so hard and wholeheartedly for this religion and faced the problems it has and investigated them has given me peace of mind and courage to carry on honestly examining the religion. I'm a fourth generation and would have given my life for this organization. Now I hate it and I hate the leaders and am trying to tamp down my anger. Please continue making videos, they're my lifeline right now. Take care.
I am also an agnostic atheist but I was raised by JW parents. I fought against going to meetings or field service or private bible studies from a preteen age. As a teen there was pressure on me to get baptized but instead I had my publishing rights removed and that changed everything. I lived like that for 2 years. I had to attend meetings for 2 years but my mom made me wait outside before and after the meetings. I didn't even share her beliefs, I didn't want to be there at all. When I was 17, after a lot of turmoil, I finally had to go see the elders and tell them that I did not want to attend but that my mom made me go anyways. The elders called her in and told her that she can no longer force me to go. Months later I turned 18 and moved out. My mother passed away in 2015 and she never let it go. The JW destroyed my relationship with my mother and I can never have her back now. I definitely believe that its a controlling cult and its not healthy for anyone, especially for kids and teens. This cult destroys families. Anyone who struggles with leaving the JW organization should seek therapy and free themselves. I love your channel, here I feel like I'm understood.
Shunning is a terrible practice. There are also ex- Amish, ex-muslims, ex-Mormons and ex-Hasidic jews who have gone through the terrible things you have.
Edit: not all hasidic jews do this. There's nunerous sects and only some shun.
Your mum truly loved you. Remember her that way.
Keep ‘em coming! I love seeing videos on how to reach out to them.
Accurate. Untangling the doctrine and seeing the falsehoods will alleviate those fears. Great video!
Completely agree. It’s an enormous task, to “unlearn” all that I was told over 35 years. But it’s the only way to fully exit. Well said. Thanks for the video.
Don't worry Satan the devil will help you unlearn, he will make it easy.
You are great! Always so helpful and to the point. Thanks for your work!
Love this video ❤
Thank you 🙏 for this video
Very informative
Extremely helpful
The best channel for sure out there
Thank again 😊
Been out for years but it don’t help when my father who is still in it gives me constant reminders of my future if I don’t come back
What a loving father. Wants you to be in new world with him.
As someone who converted in ‘74 and left in ‘99 my advice is to break free from the past and look ahead. Dwelling on their monthly video content and identifying as an ex-JW only goes so far. You’ll be in your 70’s looking back at all the years you allowed them to live rent free in your heads.
In my case when I left in 1999 I took a break from all religion. I had grown up Lutheran and converted to JW and neither of them ended well. My experience was that it was much easier to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses mentally after I gave up “the Jehovah”. My break from religion ended up feeling pretty good and has lasted 25 years.
Things I have experienced include the Lutheran church, being an orphan, seeing shipmates die on the flight deck, married young, 25 years in JW’s, a media deal in auto racing for 17 years, retirement from the railroad in 2018 and old age, a neck full of donor bone and titanium from a car accident and currently arthritis and a rare form of lymphoma likely caused by using herbicides on a farm.
All of those things are part of my life experience but none of them define me as a person. I admire the dedication and work ethic but a lot of people these days don’t really leave JW thinking. They stop going and stay absorbed in the past.
This came up as a RUclips recommendation in my feed so I’m just passing through giving an experienced opinion out of concern for folks who appear to be stuck in place spinning their wheels. Or on the words of the old curmudgeon I am “In my day Sonny when we left the JW’s we actually left the JW’s with all of our heart, mind and soul”.
Excellent 😊.
TFT you are finally doing the real, good and necessary work by spreading the truth that is saving peoples' lives. Truly. God communicates in wondrous ways.
I always think this idea of what if they were right a funny one. Something I use to say while a JW and got into trouble for and I still say it is "if I don't make it through Armageddon, how will I know?" If Armageddon is real then that means I won't feel/know anything after death right? So why be fearful. Everything is about fear with them, if God is so loving then why build your cult solely around fear.
i said when people ask me to wait for marraige kids etc for the new system, "isnt it egotistical to assume im making it?"
🙏🙏 really needed this ! Thanks Matt for making this video 🙏🙏
Thank you brother for encouraging video.
I have been a Christian of no fixed denomination for 16 years, and it will stay that way. I have been attending a JW hall for the last two months as I travel through Latin America. Very nice warm people, though they say the same thing to me each time. “We really enjoyed your comments” I am happy to stay as a Friend, but not a brother. Aside from the obvious doctrine differences. I won’t shave my beard, nor will I wear a suit to a service. I am not a drone.
Just get a poster of Stephen Lett in one of his goofy expressions. Hang it on your wall.
Or if you have constipation hang it in your bathroom 😃
😂 lol
Omg 😂😂
Due diligence is integral to breaking the chains!!
Great Video!!!!
This is what happened to me after leaving Christianity. It took years of research.
Wow! Very good! Hi Matt
doubt still rears up I'm me mind over a decade later but it is fleeting now instead of panic inducing
Matt, your intro music gives me Enya vibes. Love it!
I never was in fear of Armageddon....
Why??
1---- first I needed to understand what the word Armageddon means.
It means : a war to Free me from all forms of corroption....
2---- if I,m not doing anything against the scriptures....
Why should I live in fear ???
What I fear is all the corroption that exist around the world.
Another thing that I don't like is:
WT using certain Bible verses to put fear in me ???
Is not going to work ....
WHY??? Because I read the Bible on my own.... Away from WT ,or any other organized religion.....
Thanks.
bro u r getting big, btw great video
What do your parents say of your decision? But there might be parts of understandings you don’t agree but there is a lot that is right! Plus there is a new understanding! That only Jehovah knows peoples heart in the end. And he decides about us individually. New understanding. The separation of the sheep and the goats.
Thank you
I was never completely in (not baptized; never went door-to-door; etc.), but even at that, rejecting "the Truth" when I realized it wasn't that at all wasn't easy. The Witnesses did try to use the Armageddon angle, though I realized the Great Tribulation was unlikely to happen during the lifetimes of the "generation of 1914," who were all pushing 80 (or more) at the time. (This was in the early 1990s, in the wake of the collapse of communism & the end of the Cold War.)
I think some of the Witnesses' critiques of "Christendom" are valid (which may account for some who have grown disillusioned nonetheless remaining in), though some (or many) of the same issues can be used to impeach the Witness movement itself.
I highly recommend therapy also. I am going through the Spiritual Abuse Recovery by David Henke is awesome, in my 3rd week ♥️ it’s been 20 years and I still realized I needed therapy ❤
For me, it was John 13:35. The mark of a true Christian is love. I started to really look around me and I just didn't see genuine love. We had the "weirdo family" that struggled and no one would support. They were really sweet and devoted but not part of the IN crowd. There was gossip and back biting. Every congregation that I have attended had a degree of the same dynamics. Some elders were kind but some were outright d1cks. It became more and more difficult to stuff down the doubts/concerns. If the defining mark of God's ppl is Love, then the organization didn't seem to qualify. It was controlled but not loving.
So, when I stumbled onto the ARC, and saw that they were bending over backwards for their "right" not to keep children safe, the little doubts were a scream. To see Old Geoffrey Jackson outright lie, under the guise of spiritual warfare, I was done. The scriptures refer to Satan as the father of the lie. Why would God's ppl use tools designed by the devil?!
Needless to say, the org convinced me it wasn't the true religion. I gave myself permission to dig further and walked away. I am also an agnostic atheist and put ZERO stock in anything they say will happen. If there is a God, I think she'd forgive me for wanted to distance myself from liars and pedo protectors.
How many of you have left and then joined other religions? How many of you have left and then engage in holidays? The leaving process is overwhelming to me because I don't know where I belong. I don't want "the world". I see the evil and problems in "the world". But I also see the current problems in the organization. I can't seem to come to terms with a solution.
Anna Kat, run to Jesus, He is the only way, the truth, and the life. Once you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, He will start working in you. You will live in peace and joy every single day. He will reveal Himself if you seek Him wholeheartedly.
@@t71081t 🙄
I think I can understand your thought process. I believe a lot of people forget the bigger picture and that in these end times we might not find a perfekt organisation to belong to. And yet it is important to come together with people that have the same main beliefs. I don't think it is up to us to change the organisation. I think what is happening in the past few years is a great awakening and a rinsing on all the earth. It is happening in all religious organisations. Be patient and keep searching for the truths. Make sure you do what is right towards Jehova and Jesus. Keep praying
I understand the sentiment & emotional reaction to leaving JWs to atheism. The logic is something else.
I wasn't a JW but my stint with atheism & then doubt was largely emotional. It seemed that experientially there was detachment & silence.
In contrast, the speaker of the video is existing in contradiction. On atheism there is no objective morality as has been pointed out by the great atheists: Nietzsche, Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, Bertrand Russell & Lenin.
Moreover, Dawkins in a moment of clear concise lucidity stated (more or less in Out of Eden) 'this universe has precisely the properties we should expect if at bottom there is no design, no good, no evil, just blind pitiless indifference. DNA neither knows nor cares. It just is and we dance to it's music."
To live a life of virtue doesn't make sense on atheism.
The speaker's atheism & JW life are the same thing: be a good person. But how can one be a good person if she or he denies or ignores the bad things they've done??
I'll ask an atheist only twice of you had the evidence you needed to believe would you want to be forgiven of the bad things you've done? To live a life of virtue & not recognize your ill will & moral flaws is to not be virtuous at all & exist in contradiction.
I actually got booted for something I didn't do but the elders didn't believe me. When I was 19 years old I lost all of my family, and for the last 23 years I have been sad that they kicked me out. I can't go back because I didn't deserve to get kicked out. I still believe everything they said about the big picture of humanity. I feel like the only reason I still believe it though is cause I'm ultimately afraid to die and cease existence. I'm glad you found a way to get over it. I do wonder if deep down you still wonder if they are right though...
They aren't right. Not even close. Or do you believe God is so weak the truth Church just disappeared until Charles Taze Russell came along to "restore" it?
I do, actually. I think they have gotten it better than any other source. They blew it with the jab mandate so I can stay or leave in good conscience. They don't call it The Truth for no reason.
Watchtower isn't right because of the "two witnesses" rule. Deuteronomy 19:15; John 8:17,18.
The governing body say they received divine appointment to lead JWs but they don't have God as their second witness like Jesus and Moses had.
Exodus 4:1, 30, 31.
Idk but for me once I realized that the Bible was not what I thought and I had done all the research I was mentally free!
Love God
Love Neighbor
Fulfilment of the Law
Jesus Said
Mark 12:29-31
I agree
I still feel that maybe they do have the truth; but just that it's been warped by the watchtower organization maybe .... so I do pray to the Almighty for HIm to forgive me and others, and to search the hearts of all peoples of all faiths who are genuine in their lives, in their love for God etc etc, and to allow all such ones to attain to HIs promises of going to paradise. And if they don't have the truth, to also forgive the majority of those of them that are righteously inclined and have good hearts.
How is jw org sticking out with all the publication and information? When I talk with my dad i get so unsure 😭
He seems to know and I am so lost 🥺.
It seems to me that once released from a cult, one feels so violated that they cannot receive the true God, because they put up protective walls, saying, "I will never let this happen again!" Even though they know by there own designed bodies that He truly does exist. Satan gets a win/win. Please consider that Yahweh loves you and He doesn't want you to be afraid of Him. Much love, Rebecca, 69 years old, (tTt)
Love your neighbour as yourself.
After I woke up from JWs I finally started researching my reasons for belief and I finally heard what the other side of the arguments were. I had no clue how many logical fallacies I was relying on to maintain my belief. In the end I realized I no longer found my reasons for belief compelling and had to drop them. I’m just much more comfortable now saying “I don’t know but I’ll keep trying to figure it out”. I’m open to changing my mind but if anyone is claiming there is an interventionist god and is relying on philosophical arguments and logical fallacies to try to prove it then I’m not interested.
Once ppl realize we live in an enclosed stationary system. That's when God truly becomes real. And all doubt is tossed out the window. The heliocentric model perpetuates a distant/godless universe. Hence why there are so many atheists in the world.
Even a Christian cannot brush aside the worship of Jehovah as God. In Revelation 1:5 the Son of God called himself "Jesus Christ, 'The Faithful Witness.'" When on earth as a man he was a Jew, an Israelite, to whose nation the words of Isaiah 43:10 were written: "'You are my witnesses, ' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'even my servant whom I have chosen.'" Jesus demonstrated that he a faithful and true witness of Jehovah God. His genuine disciples today must be the same kind of witnesses, Jehovah's.
This is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. The one believing in Him is not judged, but the one not believing already has been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. For God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, so that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life. (John 3:16,18,19)
They said to Him: “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28,29)
Let me now remind you the gospel, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. And if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5; Romans 10:9,11)
I always felt Ameggeddon was a fairy tale. It wasnt real to me. My mom always ask me, "Don't you want to live forever on a paradise earth?" I always say, "I don't want to live forever with a bunch of judgemental and pious people." She doesn't know what to say to that. Lol.
I hope this type of therapy helps you.....
Now this I don't get atheists believe that we all headed for our own personal Armageddon, why would Armageddon terrify an atheist?
My service driven by devotion not terror
Were you a JW?
Jehovah's Witnesses are a very small minority in comparison to the world population, less than 1 percent, so one would successfully argue it takes more courage to remain faithful to Jehovah and his named organization, than to leave it and join the majority of the world population, who do not serve Jehovah. (1 John 5 :19, Matt 7: 13, 14)
Noah and his family were 8 against possible millions that lived at that time.
What if one of Noah's children became unfaithful and left Jehovah's saving arrangement, would that have taken courage or rather a spirit of rebellion, again to join the majority? Food for thought.
Deut, 32:39,/1st, Samuel 2:6/2nd Kings,5:7,,/Matthew 10:26-28, Jehovah kills and preserves life, He brings down to the graves and He raises up, He wounds, and He will heal, and theres no one can rescue from his hands, Genesis, 18:25, Abraham ask and pleads to Jehovah to spare Soddoms and Gomora if there are at least 5, but failed,,So, Its time to realize that Satan never existed, its just a proxy or dummy, for bad effect by disobeying Jehovah,,,
The JWs cannot be right, because the Bible is not right. For me the turning point was Joshua 10:13. Remember when they said that the regular pioneers know the Bible. Well, I did and lost my faith in it. If the rotation of the Earth stopped, it would've meant end to all life. The fact that life exists is proof that Joshuah's long day never took place.
It took me years before I really studied the history of the JWs in particular.
Your view of making every day count is called optimistic nihilism and might be Epicurean philosophy.
My Biblical thought is when life is scarce, it is meaningful. If life is abundant, like the lottery of trying to have an everlasting life in paradise Earth, it is too much for brain capacity to handle. Think about it. If you knew you would die at 20, then you would eat ice cream every day. If you knew that you would die at 80, then you would have concerns about your eating, health, exercise, well-being of others and so on. If you lived a million years, your responsibilities would explode, yet the life wouldn't become any more fantastic. Even the JWs realize this and stress that the Paradise is about *spiritual* truths, which are hard to grasp. I mean, finally knowing whether the people of Sodom and Gomorrah made it or not, well, that's going to motivate me to live another century. Nope.