Judging 'sincerely held' religious belief is tricky for employers They may think they do, but we have seen, we have seen the proof that our God is real. You know what its like to not have the spiritual substance that you can grab on to. The following is just my opinion and observations based on events from the past year. (source: Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/18/jehovahs-witnesses-murder-suicide-keego-harbor/409695002/). Other programs that would make for a much stronger, robust, and enthusiastic membership are pushed aside and dismissed due their possibly interfering with proselytizing. Each member carries a "Health Care Proxy" card, declaring his or her desire not to receive a blood transfusion for any reason as stated by Acts 15:28, 29. . . She tried to push his friendship away, which meant pushing Cynthia away too. Jehovah's Witnesses with 1.3 million members in the U.S. who hand out brochures on sidewalks and subway platforms and ring doorbells are one of the most visible religious groups in the . We have hope, and we have a promise that no one else on this Earth has. Jehovah's Witnesses must believe and teach that their group has been directly appointed by God and Jesus. We feel the use of carts allows us to reach people we perhaps wouldnt meet at home due to their work schedules or other factors, said spokesperson Andrew Schofield. No other religion can do that. He [the minister] handed me the Bible, and he told me, From now on, when we look up a scripture, I want you to look it up, and I want you to read it. And that was the biggest help for me in reaffirming me that what he was telling me was the truth. Quick-builds only happen so often, and Bethel just isnt a possibility for everyone. One has since died but had rarely attended before her death. Jehovah's Witnesses, a millenarian denomination of Christrianity, follow strict guidelines regarding the use of blood in medical practices. Every time I . Watch Tower Headquarters asked branches to sell as much equipment as they could liquidate including heavy equipment, printers, etc. They are not allowed to question the Watchtower leadership or teaching. These groups are designed to approach the young people where they are at right now not from where someone thinks they should be. 6 months later in a private seminar, branch officials announced that Letts plea resulted in 30 million extra dollars in donations, but this would not stem their financial issues and would continue with layoffs and cutbacks. Watch Tower has dispatched a team of elders to correct their thinking and their accounting procedures. Beside simple boredom, what we also see in the Watchtower organization are many emotionally troubled people and single parent families who join the religion for the promises of relief that it holds out for them. Feeling deceived by the teachings of the Jehovahs Witnesses, she confronted her grandmother. They adopted the name Jehovahs Witnesses in 1931. I would love it if the young ones were leaving in droves, and I believe because of the Internet this will happen, but I don't see a great deal of evidence at present. Once more and more world wide governments either ban Watchtower from their nations, or make them pay for all the evil that they have done through their evil practice of shunning and other terrible things not mentioned here, the Watchtower organization may be forced to shut its doors. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. And, it doesnt help the organization at all when governing body members like Jeffery Jackson get onto the stand in court and lie about their organization saying that it would be presumptuous to say that theyre the only spoakspeople for God when in fact, it says just that very thing in their literature. It is all about how much you can do in the organization that earns you status and salvation. We are so inured to the concept that it has become meaningless. The truth is, Jehovahs witnesses are taught to welcome doctrinal changes as adjustments or new light, and they have a long list of beliefs and doctrines that have changed since the church was established. The young ones are leaving in droves!!! - jehovahs-witness.com Conflagration and Catastrophe: On Jehovah's Witnesses and the Doom of Its psychology 101. The groups are handing out copies of The Watchtower from carts outside New Street station. Jehovahs Witnesses are taught to welcome doctrinal changes. Once that happens, shunning will have very little power over JWs. Truth Be Told Documentary 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. If anyone defected, the leaders simply blamed it on American influence, the defectors lack of gratitude, or on some horrible personal defect of the defector. All Witnesses are expected to obey instructions and doctrines that influence every aspect of life: Women are considered subservient to men, higher education is discouraged and homosexuality is not permitted. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. To scan all documents located in Brooklyn, retaining only the hard copies they were required to keep by law. On February 4, 2019, rumors of the release of a new Elders manual, meant only for the eyes of the top leaders in each congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW), began to surface on ex-JW forums across the Internet. So when Cynthia invited her to meet George and his family at a gathering, she felt obliged to go. So if Jesus said that, then that means all of these cultic religions are not the truth as they claim that they are. More than that, though, it infuriated me the way my most important reason for leaving was brushed aside because it was the most irrefutable: I simply did not believe in the Bible and God, and by extension any Christian belief. Is it any wonder that the turnover among the young people is so high? Just imagine if the Ford Motor Company was still manufacturing and marketing the Ford Pinto. Many elders have questioned this vocally, and have described the amount of money charged to each circuit as an invoice. World. How many schools do you know of, that stick preschoolers, high school students, and graduate students all into the same classroom together? The Russian Supreme Court's shocking ban of the Jehovah's Witnesses on 20 April 2017 also violates Russia's own Constitution which, in words, guarantees freedom of religion. The Watchtower organizations sole purpose is to proselytize, whereby all of its human capital must be channeled into that goal. I dont remember feelling that way 30yrs ago, but perhaps I am starting to get back to normal? Sparlock Warrior Wizard Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson callously stated in 2015 before the Royal Commission in Australia that he had not even read the details of the victims who had testified before the Commission. Growth is pretty much stagnet in America and other countries like Great Brittan, Austrialia and other English speaking nations. In situations such as this, I have often noticed that the kids dont have much in the way of emotional support and guidance. The membership is aging out and, I suspect that before all those belonging to the second "Overlapping Generation" pass away, we may have seen the end of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. They have their little pet scriptures that they have taken out of context of course and they use those to try and convert you to their brand of religion. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This is an area where I believe the Watchtower leadership shows an astounding lack of insight. She has never found a discrepancy between what is written in the Bible and the teachings taught in the Church Of Christ. I have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the Watchtower organization in recent years. These elders are being retrained, and have been called disobedient by the branch. Witnesses believe that they are living in . Yet, ironically, its clear that their growth is already suffering due in part to this stubbornness. In March 1997, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Jehovah's Witnesses, sent a letter to each of its . There is dissent in South Africa right now because of the fixed per capita amount assigned to each publisher who attends a circuit assembly. Most people who currently identify as Jehovah's Witnesses (65%) also were raised outside that tradition. Jehovah's Witnesses Run Away From Bogus Copyright Claims After Judge Why so many raised as Witnesses leave And its peppy acceleration will get you far and away from Zeb and his feisty cart crashes!. If they act up and dont sit still; spankings are usually soon to follow. Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. The Jehovah Witness religion is going through some tough times - Quora 100 years is a pretty long time to wait. Is it any wonder that they would seek to fill the void in their life with sex, drugs, and alcohol? These doctrines made perfect sense to me!. As she started to lose trust in the unsteady teachings of JW, Andrea turned to the Church Of Christ for doctrinal stability because, in the Church Of Christ, everything that they follow is written in the Bible. However, today, information is in the form of aTsunami which cant be stopped. 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. 12 Outrageous Facts about Jehovah's Witnesses you need to Know Youre taught by the organisation that once you leave you will become corrupted by the outside world and inevitably descend into selfishness, meanness and false happiness. The church shares some traditional views with the Catholic church but holds several unique ones, including the belief that there is one God, not a Trinity. Leaked 'Branch' and 'Elders' Manuals Pull Back the Curtain of Inner "Overseers of Jehovah's People", an article in the group's publication called the Watchtower . The verdict has since been overturned, but the case is still being litigated. Its what we dont post. When these programs do address the children directly, it usually only entails an assembly drama about Samuel, or the promise that very soon, they will be able to play with tigers and elephants. The 11 Beliefs You Should Know about Jehovah's Witnesses When They 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. Can baptism be Annulled? This does not sit well with many elders, particularly those is less than affluent areas. Watch Tower must pay these benefits. Right away, Andrea recognized that there was nothing Biblical about her grandmothers answer. Now if they all say this, surely not all of them could be the truth huh? Is the Book of Daniel Prophetic or Historical? 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. Man who raped Jehovah's Witness girls sentenced to 5 years in prison Are people REALLY leaving??? - Jehovah's Witness She converted a lot of people to that religion.. ITV Dancing On Ice's Christopher Dean issues Jayne Torvill health announcement. Two years later he founded Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society, which was incorpo-rated in 1884 in Pennsylvania. I believe this with my whole heart. BBC - Religions - Witnesses: Beliefs Young Korean Witnesses languish in prison for no reason. It made them revered. A moment that changed me: dropping out of university | Anne T Donaghue, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Leaving the faith at 18 changed my life completely., remember that first year after Id left the, Former Jehovah's Witness elders call for mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse, MPsdemand action over Jehovahs Witness abuse allegations, Jehovah's Witnesses accused of silencing victims of child abuse, Child sexual abuse inquiry considers Jehovah's Witnesses UK investigation, Jehovahs Witnesses criticised over handling of child abuse case, Jehovah's Witnesses charity drops attempts to block abuse inquiry, Jehovah's Witnesses did not protect children from abuse, inquiry finds, Jehovah's Witnesses under pressure over handling of sexual abuse claims, Jehovah's Witnesses accused of damaging Otomi religious site in Mexico. What effect has the Internet had on the religion of the Jehovah's Find some websites which you believe are honest and accurate and share them. . If at any point you do have doubts and want to leave, your forced isolation up to that point makes the decision inevitably intimidating and potentially overwhelming because of the prospect of being alone and without a support network to guide you through the process. Ali's account of leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses was traumatic to write You have no place in this house. He told me to pack my things and go.. The leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses has never admitted that any valid reasons to leave the religion exist. The modern-day organisation began at the end of the 19th century. And now with other countries finding out the harshness of their rules and their inhumane practices of shunning, and not turning child sex abuse cases over to the police is really causing a huge problem for Watchtower. Jesus Christ is his firstborn son, is inferior to God, and was created by God. 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. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to welcome doctrinal changes. I have just loaded my spiritual cannon, and I am about to fire away! And 67% of the Buddhists surveyed indicate that they were raised in a . These Sydney women left a 'cult like' religion this is what they 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. Have you lost your mind? Sylviane is a relationship coach for women . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. . 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. married a Swedish JW and moved to Sweden.He is pretty much inactive but occasionally attends meetings but is afraid to completely leave bc of being shunned by his wife's family. The Watchtower organization is like a restaurant that keeps serving the same bland menu even though many of the patrons dont like the food and arent coming back. You're taught by the organisation that once you leave you will. Id been treated badly by as many people who were Witnesses as I had non-Witnesses. It was these friends who became my support network and showed me that people from the world are just the same as people from the faith there were as many lovely people as there were horrible people, as many happy people as there were sad. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that: God the Father (whose name is Jehovah) is "the only true God". Marriage to an unbeliever starts to look a little inevitable. Jesus Christ is God's agent, through whom sinful humans can be reconciled to God. As education becomes increasingly important to eek out even a meager living, Witnesses are already being forced to become more educated. 13 Black Celebrities Who Are Or Were Jehovah's Witnesses They still teach that everybody else is doomed except for them. Everyone has a different "wtf" trigger and access to that information is just a curious click away. They believe that ony 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses will go to heaven. 2020-06-14 - NATALIE O'BRIEN. 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. I was allowed to make friends with people outside my congregation. This article provides basic information on leaving this faith. I eventually left the faith at 18. Photo courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses Public Information Desk Mandee Reid and her son, Charles Reid, of Kansas City, Mo., like Jehovah's . 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. He focused on his defense, like a narcissist who believes they are the center of the universe, unable to empathize with real people with real problems. When curious JWs find communities like this one, they realize they're not alone and there's hope/life for them outside the borg. The major damage has been done and it will only continue to spread throughout the organization as more and more proof of this religions terrible practices are leaked out and spread all over the Internet. 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. 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. The rest will live forever in a paradise on Earth, never meeting the person who died for them - Jesus Christ. By Brendan Cole On 7/28/20 at 11:09 AM EDT News Russia Intensifies Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses with 110 Armed Raids The. In most cases of child sexual assault, the pedophile commits the heinous acts when alone with the . The life of the Jehovah's Witnesses is guided by those forbidden things and more. 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. You can get shunned just by reading literature from another church, and you can even get shunned for smoking a cigarette. Besides meetings and literature, what is the Watchtower doing, or even attempting to do to truly refresh, uplift, and inspire their young people? All monies were directed at finishing Warwick, then selling off their cranes and millions of dollars worth of vehicles and other high prices tools, right down to a 5 dollar screwdriver. As she grew up as a third-generation Jehovah's Witness, there were certain things . 1. But in another respect, its quite sad, when considering the young people in the organization who desperately need and yearn for something more. This is human nature. The Witnesses still experience growth, but at a huge expense. Why are you doing this? Andrea was upset. Most Jehovah's Witnesses - roughly two-thirds (65%) - are . This just comes in a long line of brutal, evil statements that were made by the governing body over the years, and it also proves that this organization in no way is being backed, or supported by God in any way shape or form. young ones leaving. Truly the Watchtower organization has absolutely nothing good to say about any other religion because theyre too busy puffing themselves up over them. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) The pandemic may leave a.