Phil Ruffin Home, Lumpkin County Arrests, Articles J

What would you expect to see if that was a news headline within the coming year? Its psychology 101. To scan all documents located in Brooklyn, retaining only the hard copies they were required to keep by law. Many will have had to cover over passions and talents that would have given their lives much greater meaning. 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. I had to see it, I had to look it up, and I had to read myself. Beliefs. Were a year and a half apart. Jehovah does not mislead us. Globally there are about eight-and-a-half million Jehovahs Witnesses. It was important for Andrea to have a relationship with God, and to worship Him the right way. Andrea embraced its teachings and followed all of JWs beliefs to a T. She didnt celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other holidays, and she avoided birthday celebrations. Jehovah's Witnesses across the nation moved to letter-writing and phone-calling instead of door-to-door evangelizing when the organization suspended door-knocking in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was lucky enough to have parents who brought me up more loosely than most Jehovahs Witnesses. Literature carts are being used not just in the Newcastle area but all over the world and we foresee them being a regular feature of our public preaching for many years to come.. Several people tried to convince me to return to the truth the term they use to refer to anyone in the faith. Everyone has a different "wtf" trigger and access to that information is just a curious click away. So if Jesus said that, then that means all of these cultic religions are not the truth as they claim that they are. -65% of JWs are women, compared to only 35% men. My father and i have discussed this. In situations such as this, I have often noticed that the kids dont have much in the way of emotional support and guidance. As many of you know, the cutbacks were significant. They still teach that everybody else is doomed except for them. Amber Scorah writes about exiting the Jehovah's Witnesses in Leaving the Witness. Are you inspired? "They knocked on our door and caught my mum at a vulnerable time of crisis . 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. However, the rate of growth has almost certainly also been dependent on child baptism for several years and, with the average age of the membership growing older and decades of discouragement from current members having children, there are also simply fewer children to indoctrinate. Meanwhile, Watch Tower purchased four $8,000.00 scanners. Its hard to say. I began a life where constantly questioning and improving my beliefs and ideas and always being open to those of others were my only constant doctrines. They believe that salvation is impossible outside of the Watchtower. It made them revered. Truth Be Told Documentary Andrea sat down. I was one of them. This is human nature. Jehovah's Witness 'ordered to renounce faith and join Russian army' Europe. Why are you doing this? Andrea was upset. It is all about how much you can do in the organization that earns you status and salvation. And at one time their teaching was that Jesus was like God or was a God.. And 67% of the Buddhists surveyed indicate that they were raised in a . I believe this with my whole heart. Many former friends, including my best friend of 10 years, shunned me. Why so many raised as Witnesses leave Yet Governing Body members like Samuel Herd have publicly stated how beautiful their new surroundings are at Bethel how they hear the birds chirping as they observe the serene landscape of upstate New York. The new Toyota Drove! But now members are heading into the city to try and reach out to more people. In 2017, Russia's Supreme Court declared the group an extremist organization, lumping its. With the recent crack-downs on college education, the Watchtower is looking less and less like a spiritual paradise, and is looking more like North Korea. However, the Watchtower stubbornly sticks to a one size fits all program for everyone. Found some information I thought you all might be interested in. Watch Tower demands their freedom of speech but attempts to deny it to those sharing their publicly available materials which, by the way, are not being distributed for monetary gain. Just imagine if the Ford Motor Company was still manufacturing and marketing the Ford Pinto. It is all about their money. Theres absolutely no room for error within the organization. Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters And he [my dad] told me that, If you go to that Church, dont come back. You know what its like to have no hope. JW.org has been spinning the cutbacks as simplification, and have coerced dozens of those who lost their full-time jobs to give testimonials about how happy they were to accept their new assignment in the field. I think the issue is much more serious than they would like to admit. This raises the issue of whether any benefits will ever be paid to other full-time JWs across the globe, who deserve them equally. Jehovah's Witnesses in Newcastle City Centre. Most importantly, these endeavors just might diminish time and resources that are used for going door-to-door. 10. One factor that was discussed at length was the high number of young people who do not stay in the organization. I was very well versed in the Bible. Attending My Father's Funeral Evolution & Creation Misrepresentations This is another religion. Watch Tower is in the process of implementing a new records management program along with a destruction of documents procedure which is designed to ensure that no documents exist which would tie Watch Tower to any legal responsibility or repercussions. (Immediately prior to dates the end was specifically expected, such as 1914, 1925 and 1975, growth increased to as high as 20%.) When you factor how many people are baptized vs. the number of publishers the year before you realize that they . I was allowed to make friends with people outside my congregation. It is more like Satans group simply because of the harsh and inhumane rules and regulations that they harbor in their midst. When Cynthia became friends with George, who was a member of the Church Of Christ, Andrea had her guard up because she refused to let someone from another religion influence their faith. We are in a great position to be a source of strength and compassion for those younger people who are wandering out and stumbling into forums like this. random musings> 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. They make up these rules simply because they can. And instead of just forgiving you of your sin, this evil shunning practice is what they do to you until youre reproved and brought back into good standing which by the way can take a very very long time. "(We) encourage them to make urgent contact with the Department of Social Services so . In South Africa, over 1400 congregations struggle to file their government mandated tax returns required of each congregation. 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. Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Strangely, their newspapers only had good news to publish about the Soviet government, and only had bad news to report about Western democracies. Right away, Andrea recognized that there was nothing Biblical about her grandmothers answer. 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. But its a way of thinking that is ingrained in you by the faith, and its this mentality that makes it so difficult to leave. I began a life where I could decide what to believe for myself, and I wasnt afraid of someone telling me I couldnt. 37:2337-Minute Listen. You can get shunned just by reading literature from another church, and you can even get shunned for smoking a cigarette. Believers honor Jehovah, the God and Creator of all things. The Jehovah's Witnesses congregation is a millennialist restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs. But in another respect, its quite sad, when considering the young people in the organization who desperately need and yearn for something more. Is it any wonder that the turnover among the young people is so high? young ones leaving. Not even Watchtowers huge lawyers can stop it. Why Are People Leaving The Jehovah's Witness In Droves. The groups are handing out copies of The Watchtower from carts outside New Street station. I have my duty. Nov. 20, 2019, 9:49 AM PST. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Its not what we post on AvoidJW.org that should worry Watch Tower. By the time many young Jehovah's Witnesses reach their teen years, not only have they been conditioned to associate worshipping Jehovah with great displeasure; but they still don't have any groups or programs tailored to them as teens, or which meet their needs. (Translation they are on their own: no health care, no jobs, no training. Are Watchtower reasons for being the only true religion valid? By the time many young Jehovah's Witnesses reach their teen years, not only have they been conditioned to associate worshipping Jehovah with great displeasure; but they still dont have any groups or programs tailored to them as teens, or which meet their needs. Its a great field service vehicle with four doors and plenty of ankle length dress room in the back! Other churches give single parents some relief by offering activities and programs for their children to get involved in and bond with other young people. Mum, I havent died. 239) In this video I share the story of my transition from believing. The reason for this is because theyre on the verge of going totally belly up, and they need money to be able to handle all of the child sex abuse cases that they have under their belts and so on. They tell you that you need to follow these rules in order to receive salvation and so on. Many elders have questioned this vocally, and have described the amount of money charged to each circuit as an invoice. After completing her Bible studies, Andrea was baptized into the Church Of Christ in 1981. And its peppy acceleration will get you far and away from Zeb and his feisty cart crashes!. 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. Jehovah's Witnesses believe these men are anointed as the voice of God on Earth. At 18 I turned my back on the cloistered isolation of my familys faith and began a life where I was free to question ideas and beliefs. You know what its like to not have the spiritual substance that you can grab on to. While I tried to maintain the utmost respect for their beliefs and not attempt to preach my own, they refused to extend me the same courtesy, and many assumed Id left so I could experience more freedom for worldly things. ITV Dancing On Ice judge Christopher announced Jayne is out of surgery - and it was a success. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) The pandemic may leave a. 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 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. Its not hard to figure out why so many Jehovah's Witness children are conditioned from an early age to associate drudgery with the meetings and assemblies. Again, they continue to enforce a one size fits all education and worship program to both children and adults. "The minister who was teaching my Bible lessons (in the Church Of Christ) mentioned the "Let God Be True" book in my studies, and he asked me if I knew that the doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses had changed over the years. Does a recession/pandemic/war indicate Armageddon? Photos of JWfacts.com being Promoted Enter the social media - Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube all readily available on your average smart phone. If they act up and dont sit still; spankings are usually soon to follow. The leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses has never admitted that any valid reasons to leave the religion exist. 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. [1] People are waking up and leaving in droves. I have seen a lot of creativity and progressive thinking when it comes to how they design ministries for young people. Sawyer and many others like her are now denouncing the church's shunning practices in the wake of a recent murder-suicide in Keego Harbor that killed a family of four ex-Jehovah's Witnesses who . Religious fact, faith and delusion, home> "I would be sick. Branches around the world are struggling to keep up with their own accounting procedures. I have two beautiful children that I adore, that God blessed me with, and are very active in the Church. Instead of engaging in some honest soul searching and introspection about how to help and nurture young people at an organizational level, the Watchtower leadership, writing department, and traveling overseers all attribute the high turnover to their favorite straw man: Satan. This is an area where I believe the Watchtower leadership shows an astounding lack of insight. 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 . The leader Kim Jong is so deluded that his idea of inspiring his people is to walk out on his balcony with his huge Elvis glasses and clap his hands. In more recent news concerning the Watchtower organization, Steven Lett made a really shocking and quite frankly damning statement concerning babies. Feeling deceived by the teachings of the Jehovahs Witnesses, she confronted her grandmother. Consider this: any Witness can now sit in an assembly during the morning session; dutifully nod their head like a bobble head doll; and then walk outside and link up with ex-Witnesses online via their iPhone to express what they really think. Theyre currently in damage control which means that theyre trying to wipe away their history in the hope that future Witnesses will never find it out. As a result, most young Witnesses grow up sequestered in their homes and their congregations, fearful of anything outside those boundaries. Jehovah's Witnesses, a sect formed in the 1870s and eventually incorporated as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, maintained for much of their early history that 1914 would mark the end of . Today it has 252 members, with those who have been associated with Pentecostalism, the Anglican and Baptist churches and the Jehovah's Witnesses dominating the group. When you take a look at many of the mega-churches for example, it is very impressive how much they put into creating support groups and programs for their young people. It will be 1 friend out of 6 shunning rather than all of them - not nearly as effective. Yet, ironically, its clear that their growth is already suffering due in part to this stubbornness. They thought the end would be here now with the old generation teaching. . All Jehovahs Witnesses will be given a number and tracked unless we can stop this invasion of privacy here in the US and around the world. 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. 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. Jehovah's Witnesses do not provide a dignified resignation process for members who wish to leave. Jehovah's Witnesses 'use the Bible to victim-shame,' sex abuse survivor says. Photo courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses Public Information Desk Mandee Reid and her son, Charles Reid, of Kansas City, Mo., like Jehovah's . Should you Disassociate and Sample Letters, The Hardship of being a Gay Jehovah's Witness. And even though it was a challenging journey, she doesnt regret it. Press J to jump to the feed. What are you doing?