This is another religion. Eventually (it's a slow process), there will be a tipping point where the individual communities (KHs) are too small to avoid marrying or being friends with non-JWs. It is law according to the Jehovahs Witness. Jehovah's Witness pervert who got sexual kicks from strangling children jailed despite cover-up by congregation. I have seen a lot of creativity and progressive thinking when it comes to how they design ministries for young people. And at one time their teaching was that Jesus was like God or was a God.. (source: Pew Research: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/jehovahs-witness/) and https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/26/a-closer-look-at-jehovahs-witnesses-living-in-the-u-s/). Already, members of the Watchtower are already being asked to donate money. The groups are handing out copies of The Watchtower from carts outside New Street station. RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS RECENT NEWS ITEMS - Stetson University Given the choice between what this media has to offer, versus reading a Kingdom Ministry insert, where do you think a bored and uninspired teenager is going to go? ITV Coronation Street star announces full-time return to soap - leaving fans delighted. How can anyone watch these buffoons and think theyre Gods voice. Biblically, however, the word "soul" is multifaceted. A man who pleaded guilty to raping two underage girls he met through the Jehovah's Witness congregation they all belonged to has been sentenced to . Beginning in 2018, JW.org will implement a program in which every single JW will be assigned a database number and their information will be in JW.orgs global database. 239) In this video I share the story of my transition from believing. SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Supreme Court has revived a woman's lawsuit alleging she was forced to listen to a recording of her own rape. Instead, all of the nations human capital is invested in one thing: warfare. They make up these rules simply because they can. This is human nature. Its a great field service vehicle with four doors and plenty of ankle length dress room in the back! The Secret Jehovah's Witness Database of Child Molesters - The Atlantic There is a question regarding the longevity of JW.org given the events of the past few years. Those eight men up in New York are worshipped because they follow every single word they say. According to Watchtower's own figures, know the number of Jehovah's Witnesses decreased 0.6% from 2019 - 2020 (this represents 46,823 average publishers, for anyone interested) BUT I found a few other interesting facts that indicate, to me at least, that this cult's days are numbered and you can see you feel about it as well. Examining the total number of people entering and leaving each religion provides the most complete picture of the dynamism of the American religious landscape. There simply isnt anything designed or built into the programs that work with the attention spans of young children. Tell your story. Brummies happily shopping and going about their day to day business have seen them in their droves, Never miss breaking news by signing up to our free email updates. We have far more than they realize we have, and there is nothing they can do to stop the flow of information outside of headquarters. Like Stockholm Syndrome victims, Jehovahs Witnesses continue to support the only organization they think has the answers, identifying with and revering their captors men who have little sympathy for the victims of child abuse, shunning, or death by blood policy. Changes to the Generation Teaching - JWfacts I was born into it which means of course that I completely missed my childhood and early adulthood. It is just too much even for them to handle. It will be 1 friend out of 6 shunning rather than all of them - not nearly as effective. And when youre a member of the Church Of Christ, the peace that you have in knowing that the promise that God has made to you will be fulfilled is everything. If the Jehovahs Witnesses were the true religion, sanctioned by God, there would be no room for error and no mistakes!. What would you expect to see if that was a news headline within the coming year? Jehovah's Witnesses are among the most racially and ethnically diverse religious groups in America. Two years ago, JW.org implemented a 5-year cost reduction program in which they asked all branches to cut costs by a minimum of 10%, up to 25% as a preferred number. Nothing can be allowed to take any time away from the Watchtowers sole purpose of existence: proselytizing. Its not what we post on AvoidJW.org that should worry Watch Tower. It is the interpretation given those prophecies by men like Stephen Lett and the other members of the GB over the decades that has caused so many witnesses to lose their faith and even, in the case of many, to turn away from God entirely. And its peppy acceleration will get you far and away from Zeb and his feisty cart crashes!. Lets make it happen. The more that they grit their teeth, lash out at dissenters, and shake their fists at the internet, the more they motivate their disenchanted young people to satisfy their curiosities about what is on the net. The mountain of bullshit has finally gotten high enough that it's starting to collapse on itself. I Prayed and was met by a Witness Additionally, it has been noted by many of us that when there is a family in which the father does not hold some kind of office, the family is often left out on the periphery without much social support. One troubling result is most high control groups, including the Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists, discourage their members from seeking help from mental health care professionals, even when they display troubling signs of acute depression, anxiety, panic disorder, dissociation, suicidal thoughts, autism spectrum disorder or a variety of No other religion can do that. Well, the reason for the recent increase is simply due to a change in tactics, according to our sister title the Chronicle. Jehovah's Witnesses ban comes into force in Russia after appeal fails. A moment that changed me: quitting the Jehovah's Witnesses They are told to just go and pioneer.). Nothing is added, subtracted, or changed to conform to societys standards because, in the Church Of Christ, the Bible is the basis of their faith. In the spring of 2015, Stephen Lett asked for donations after stating that JW.org had more money going out than coming in. Just because they make the claim doesnt make it so. You dont need to mourn me, I told her once. After completing her Bible studies, Andrea was baptized into the Church Of Christ in 1981. Is it the sign of the end or just the end of a religion? On the heels of a $35 million jury award to a woman who alleged the congregation mishandled her childhood abuse, other . Much of their growth from these nations is from people being born into the religion. Is it any wonder that the turnover among the young people is so high? The organization of Jehovahs Witnesses is not Gods organization and never ever will be either. Andrea grew up in a family of devout Jehovahs Witnesses. Watch Tower has taken over responsibility of all kingdom halls worldwide, but many sit in disrepair awaiting renovations in excess of what congregations can afford. In many countries, such meetings would be nothing unusual. Authorities have also been accused of failing to look into allegations by whistleblowers that Jehovah's Witnesses may be hiding its money . Jehovah's Witnesses do not provide a dignified resignation process for members who wish to leave. It made them revered. Issues such as shunning and adjusting to normal life outside the faith can prove challenging to those wishing to leave. But it's a way of thinking that is ingrained in you by the faith, and it's this mentality that makes it so difficult to leave. In more recent news concerning the Watchtower organization, Steven Lett made a really shocking and quite frankly damning statement concerning babies. Jehovah's Witnesses said in a statement it did not join because it does not have the institutional settings that result in children being separated from their parents, such as youth groups, choirs . She listened and protected her faith and the teachings of the Jehovahs Witnesses until her beliefs could no longer defend her. Internal rules and philosophies among the Jehovah's Witnesses seem to allow abuse to easily be covered up. How long will all of this take? It's already a small pool of potential friends and romantic interests in a KH. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. Jehovah's Witnesses - News, views, gossip, pictures, video - mirror Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and the Catholic Church have all issued statements saying that their religion does not prohibit members from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. . Does a recession/pandemic/war indicate Armageddon? And the more she embraced the truth, the more her family tried to stop her. Jesus said himself that he was the way, the life and the truth and that nobody comes to the father but through him. Andrea sat down. Photo courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses Public Information Desk Mandee Reid and her son, Charles Reid, of Kansas City, Mo., like Jehovah's . In 2017, Russia banned the denomination, whose members believe in nonviolence and refuse to take up arms in war; Russia . Jesus Christ is his firstborn son, is inferior to God, and was created by God. While they may appear nice and friendly, once you get into the inner-workings of the organization, you quickly discover that the niceness and friendliness is very short lived unless you follow everything to the letter within the organization. The gathering was a Bible study. Abuse allegations? The people present were Jehovah's Witnesses -- a Christian religious sect first founded in the United States in the 19th century but now has an estimated 8 million followers around the world. I was one of them. Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters, The Hardship of being a Gay Jehovah's Witness. They have been issuing subpoenas from the Southern District of New York to various internet providers in the US, along with Google, Inc., in an attempt to track down the source of the leaks and identify the individuals involved in leaking their literature and videos. The Jehovahs Witnesses originated as a branch of the Bible Student movement, which was founded by Charles Taz Russell, a Christian Restorationist minister. Last night, I was reading the thread posted by jwfacts a while back in which he provided some statistics and graphs showing the rapidly declining growth in the Watchtower. Basically it is in the process of imploding. Branches around the world are struggling to keep up with their own accounting procedures. [1] People are waking up and leaving in droves. Elders at a Utah congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses allegedly forced a 15-year-old to listen to a recording of her rape over and over again for hours as part of a religious inquiry, a. Andee. The mental health of Jehovah's Witnesses - PubMed Is it any wonder that they would seek to fill the void in their life with sex, drugs, and alcohol? Currently, in the US, JW.org has just 40% of their publishers registered in the JW.org database system. I went to university, where I made even more friends who showed me that being in the world is completely fine, and that debate and discussion is also OK. What effect has the Internet had on the religion of the Jehovah's The sect is headed by an all-male governing body and elders adhere to policies laid out in a guidebook that's kept confidential from other followers. Many of them not only help the young people with their unique issues, but also really inspire them enough to get active and pay it forward. And, as is human nature, it is much easier for Watchtower leaders to put all of the blame for this on invisible metaphysical characters such as Satan, instead of dealing with the elephant in their own living room. The new Toyota Drove! Jw.org Website When you stand in the public square and represent a religion, its just a matter of time before the public connects the dots, and the carts are sent to the junkyard, one at a time. He lives in Stockholm. Left In 1977. Why are you doing this? Andrea was upset. I myself was born and raised in the organization. The Watchtower organization simply has nothing new to offer, and no new ideas. There are now 11 of us that are no longer Jehovah's Witnesses, and that is in ten years. Personally, what this all adds up to for me is this: Young people, and most especially men, are leaving this religion in droves. I remember I was getting ready to leave [for worship service in the Church Of Christ], it was early in the morning and it was on a Saturday. Followers famously wont accept blood donations - nor do they celebrate birthdays, claiming such celebrations displease God. These groups are designed to approach the young people where they are at right now not from where someone thinks they should be. One would think that relatively simple endeavors like those offered in other churches would be worth it to the Watchtower leaders; when considering their inability to retain the young people. Raymond Victor Franz (May 8, 1922 - June 2, 2010) was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from October 20, 1971, until his removal on May 22, 1980, and served at the organization's world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980. PDF The Jehovah's Witness Tradition - Advocate Health The faith discourages more than the bare minimum education, advising that higher education is a waste of time that could be better dedicated to ministry (a practice that is deemed so important every individual is required to submit a report card of the amount of hours theyve spent preaching each month), and that it fosters a materialistic and selfishly ambitious attitude. Earlier this year, we wrote about how the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, better known as the Jehovah's Witnesses despite a long history of litigating many, many important 1st. (Immediately prior to dates the end was specifically expected, such as 1914, 1925 and 1975, growth increased to as high as 20%.) Watch Tower Headquarters asked branches to sell as much equipment as they could liquidate including heavy equipment, printers, etc. Well here goes. When there has been no specific date set . I have my duty. For years, members have gone door-to-door to spread the word about the faith. Because I love my sister so much, I felt like I had to give her the opportunity to just listen. I eventually left the faith at 18. If all of this keeps up, it might not be long before you will see jw.org gone from the scene, as well as other things tied to this diabolical evil religion. Nov. 20, 2019, 9:49 AM PST. I dont remember feelling that way 30yrs ago, but perhaps I am starting to get back to normal? With multiple documentaries being filmed, protests being organized, news reports being written and lawsuits being filed, Jehovahs Witnesses can choose to buckle up and attempt to survive the crash or they can release that belt and get the hell out of the vehicle which is about to catch fire. As education becomes increasingly important to eek out even a meager living, Witnesses are already being forced to become more educated. As a result, most young Witnesses grow up sequestered in their homes and their congregations, fearful of anything outside those boundaries. I have observed that children in families like this most often never thrive, and are swiftly on their way out by the time they reach teenage years. The Jackson family was raised in the Jehovah's Witness faith, but several of the family members, including sister Janet, no longer practice the religion. Ironically, they cant do that, because the organization has already been identified and branded as a spiritual banquet where nothing is lacking. This raises the issue of whether any benefits will ever be paid to other full-time JWs across the globe, who deserve them equally. The problem is that former Jehovah's Witnessesand others who've left cults or religionshave had to filter out the language of cataclysmic ending when seeking a secular life. Jehovah's Witnesses can now be found in Birmingham city centre. One factor that was discussed at length was the high number of young people who do not stay in the organization. Only ten years ago, every single member, that is 28 members were Jehovah's Witnesses.