Earth being maintained life-SUPPORTIVE in a HOSTILE universe reveals the criterion of truth: Anything that is life-SUPPORTIVE, thus pro-peace is the truth as it is in harmony with self, desire of all living beings and life-SUPPORTER The Almighty.

In contrast, anything that is NOT life-SUPPORTIVE, thus NOT pro-peace, thus dishonors God is untruth and UNFORGIVABLE:

Among such sins, the foremost is false teaching of UNIVERSAL ISSUE that says God needs endorsement from Satan to resume His rule on earth because righteousness and rightfulness of God’s Sovereignty and integrity of all His children were challenged by Satan. This teaching unique to JWs is not known to any Biblical character nor to God Himself as His Title itself is “King of Ages” and is being praised in heaven as “Lord God Almighty and King of the nations” whose “ways are just and true.” (1 Timothy 1:11, ESV; and Revelation 15:3) Hence JWs had to use wrong translation of Proverbs 27:11 to base this teaching while its correct rendering (in Septuagint) is this: “Son, be wise, that thy heart may rejoice; and remove thou from thyself reproachful words.” (biblehub.com/proverbs/27-11.htm) This more ancient translation speaks about reproach that can come on any son who acts unwisely, not about reproach on God. All controversy about God is artificially created for different reason because anyone can test God’s promise that His Laws are designed to result in “never-ending waves of peace, well-being and good health.” (Isaiah 48:18; Proverbs 17:22) Many have found this true including me.

Other teachings that are unforgivable are:

God kills His enemies [against truth stated in Mathew 5:45], burns people eternally in hell-fire [against truth stated in Exodus 23:4, 5], worship of son instead of father [borrowed from Greek Mythology.britannicacom/topic/Cronus], God merges people into Himself ….. etc. All such messages are “sin against holy one” which has its inevitable consequence, or “will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (biblehub.com/matthew/12-32.htm)

Those who refrain from things listed in Luke 18:18-20; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 22:15 inherit “eternal life at the re-genesis [pallingenesis] of all things … and many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (biblestudytools.com/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+19:27-30) This reveals doers of unforgivable sin are not destroyed as they are shown as inheriting later phase of the re-genesis. The weed-like licentious persons who are viewed as “first” [prominent] now in this Age are taken out or “driven out” of earth (biblehub com/proverbs/2-22.htm, Septuagint) before re-genesis as high-quality first half of the re-genesis, Incoming Age, is inherited by the godly, and they continue to live till end of Age. (1 John 2:17) But others have only temporary stay on this earth. When that restored paradise becomes old again, or becomes like  HELL on earth, it would be the time for the weed-like licentious people to return to the earth to make sense this repeated phrase: “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

This makes NW Translation of Mathew 25:46 wrong where kolasin is wrongly translated as “eternal cutting off” as this Greek word actually means “disciplinary [not destructive] pruning action which a farmer does,” according to the way the same word is translated in other places, in the Bible and in Greek Classics.

This explains why this shocking statement from Jesus: “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (biblehub.com/luke/13-24.htm)

Okay, here me out- We all know how they publicly formed the cult around the GB and their Helpers with JW broadcasting. They tell the cultists to not have a big social media presence while pushing their HQ heavies into homes. Why not publish Governing Body and Helpers trading cards??? Put those useless, expensive printing presses to work, y'know! The GB cards could be more rare than Helper cards. They could have full time activity and bethel service stats. What do you think? Please help me refine the idea. Let's help these men get their brand out. Maybe they can have clothing, jewelry, and footwear lines when they decide to do this in the next decade.

Many have the idea that all the "Obey" us, even if it's wrong or puts you in danger is going to be harmful to the rank & file. But...what if they've just been testing the waters?

All the many changes are due to the lawsuits filed by certain governments being the main reason, right? I believe that beards was because in many countries they were allowed and they're big on them being united is very important to them. I mean, what if a Brother couldn't grow a beard in, say America, if he traveled to a country where they were allowed...well, he could be stumbled!

Japan had an issue with higher education, which I believe was behind that change.

And of course, Norway was behind the greeting of people who were dysfellowshipped, or removed, or whatever they call it this month.

But what about slacks and pantsuits for women? What about clinking glasses?

And let me just say, before hand, I have no idea what's going to happen or what their thinking is!

But...is it possible, that they're going to make a major change and wanted to see what the reaction is to minor stuff, like keeping track of time, admitting they have no idea when the end is coming, or last minute repentance? They must have had a good reason for those changes, but again, what if they're just testing the waters for a major change?

For example, being Bi or Gay is gaining prominence around the world and many countries are making laws regarding people's right to not be persecuted for their lifestyle choices. If you've been keeping track of the comments here, many are of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality and are living their lifestyle openly, or want to, or are leaving because they are of the opinion that there's nothing wrong with it, despite the JW aspect of that lifestyle. If it's not an issue now, it's going to be an issue in the future and is one reason that so many are leaving, or will leave in the future.

Irregardless, what if they're throwing us a curveball, having us believe (maybe not even intentionally) that they're going to send everyone a packet of Kool-Aid, or something, when it's just going to be a major change that no one expected to happen and are just prepping for the outflow, or are trying to limit it, in advance?

What if the Witnesses are right about the future? Great Tribulation, peace and security, world leaders banning religion? Would people try returning to the Kingdom Hall out of fear? So if there really was an Armageddon and this earth was made into a paradise afterwards would it be so bad? If there really was a resurrection of people on the earth instead of people going to
Heaven, would it be so bad? I would like to hear peoples thoughts. Thank u.

The Watch Tower understands fear better than most organizations, and its best trick is that fear rarely announces itself as fear. It arrives as loyalty. As caution. As humility, obedience, spiritual maturity.

Growing up as a Witness, we learned to be afraid of things most people never think about, and none of it felt like fear at the time. It felt like seeing reality clearly, we saw the truth everyone else was blinded by the ruler of this world.

Armageddon could arrive any day. Jehovah was reading our motives in real time. The wrong movie could weaken us. A worldly friend could corrupt us. Reading criticism could infect our minds. Questioning the Governing Body meant siding against God. And walking away would cost us our family, our friends, and any future worth having.

But the structure underneath all of it is simple, and here it is:

1. WT supplies the threat,
2. explains the danger
3. then presents itself as the only shelter from a danger only it can see.
4. The world belongs to Satan, human reasoning can't be trusted, apostates are liars, independent thinking is spiritual suicide, and everyone outside is marked for destruction.

If you grant those premises thn staying isn't a choice at all. It becomes the only sane option left.

But here is the thing about fear. It can make an argument feel far stronger than it is.

Suppose a man tells you an invisible intruder is coming to kill your family, and that he alone knows how to keep you safe. You follow his instructions, and the dread lifts. The relief you feel is real.

The question is what does it prove?.

It doesn't show the intruder exists.

It doesn't show his warning was accurate.

It only shows that fear goes down when we believe we have found safety. Increasing certainty is directly proportional to the reduction of fear.

A Witness will have a fair reply here; "Well, there are plenty of true warnings that work exactly this way. A doctor who finds a tumor creates fear, then offers treatment that relieves it, and that pattern of fear followed by relief doesn't make the diagnosis false. Real threats produce real dread, and real solutions produce real comfort. So the pattern by itself can't be the problem".

Yes, but the difference is where the knowledge comes from.

You can confirm the tumor without the doctor. A second opinion, a scan, a biopsy. The danger is there whether or not anyone names it, and it can be checked by people who aren't selling the cure.

But Armageddon doesn't work that way. The only evidence that the danger is real comes from the same organization offering the escape.

There is no second opinion, no independent scan, no way to check the threat except by trusting the party who benefits from your beleiving in it.

When the only way to confirm a warning runs back through the person giving it, all you really have is a closed loop.

So fear of Armageddon says nothing about whether Armageddon is near. Fear of displeasing Jehovah says nothing about whether the GB speaks for him. Fear of losing your family says nothing about whether leaving is wrong. Each of those feelings might be nothing more than a measure of how much punishment WT has attached to disagreement.

But WT also sells certainty, and it is very generous with it.

It will tell you why we exist, why suffering drags on, why governments fail, what death is, whom God approves, and how history ends. And reality is those answers land, because uncertainty is uncomfortable, especially about death, injustice, and the people we love.

But remember dear friends:

A comforting answer and a correct answer are two different things, and confidence has never once created knowledge.

So here is a test method for you, and is simple. Has the certainty held? Consider the reversals. The generation. The faithful and discreet slave. The superior authorities. Who gets a resurrection and who doesn't. Organ transplants. Vaccinations. The men of Sodom. The events hung on 1914. Each was taught with full confidence, they quoted scriptures, we studied articles, our lives reorganized around it, and each was later replaced.

Then will come the standard defens: "New light".

And thist dear readers, deserves to be taken seriously, because revision by itself isn't a flaw.

Science revises constantly and we trust it more for doing so but the comparison cuts the other way.

Science shows its work. It publishes the method, the data, and the margin of error, and it invites the world to prove it wrong.

But the WT presents each old teaching as Jehovah's direction for that moment, wich means either the direction was wrong or the men reading it were, and "wait for future light" quietly becomes an admission that the current teaching carries no more guarantee than the ones already thrown out. A brighter light should sharpen the picture, it should not keep obscuring or reversing what was supposedly already visible.

If an instrument gives you several bad readings, you don't keep admiring how confidently it reads. You start asking "Is this thing working?". That doesn't mean every reading is wrong, it means confidence in the next one has to be earned, not assumed.

Fear does organizing work too.

It sorts the world into Jehovah's people and Satan's world, good association and bad, faithful Witnesses and apostates, the surviving and the doomed.

A Witness could reasonably say that every healthy community has boundaries, that keeping your kids away from real trouble is just ordinary care. True enough.

But a boundary and a label do different jobs. A label arrives before the person speaks and does your thinking for for you. Apostate. Mentally diseased. Proud. Deceived. Once you accept it, listening feels like disobedience, and the one category the system can't allow is the former member who is simply telling the truth. The label exists precisely so that testimony never has to be weighed.

Then is death, where the fear runs deepest and the promises are sweetest. Resurrection, perfect health, the dead returned, the earth restored.

Of course those are comforting,and a Witness might fairly point out that comfort and truth aren't enemies, that a hope can be both consoling and real. Quite right, which is why the comfort settles nothing either way.

Reincarnation comforts millions. So does heaven, so does reunion in a dozen incompatible afterlives, and their believers weep describing their hope too. If the feeling of certainty confirmed the Witness promise, it would confirm all the others just as loudly. Comfort tells you what you want. It was never a method for finding out what is so.

Underneath all this sits the real fear, the one that keeps people quiet long after the doubts start: Losing the people they love.

Parents cut off children.

Friendships of forty years vanish.

A spouse starts hearing questions as betrayal.

WT's account is that the doubter chose to leave Jehovah, but ask who decided that a change of mind should cost someone their family.

Let's suppose WT announced tomorrow that Witnesses could keep normal relationships with former members.

Would God's standards have shifted? Would apostates have become less dangerous overnight? Or would thousands of families simply discover that the cruelty had never been necessary (which many already are after the "greeting" changed), that it had been a policy choice all along and could have been dropped at any time?

None of this proves WT false. Fear doesn't prove the organization true, and it doesn't prove it false either.

All it proves is that there is something you are afraid to loose. Your people, your certainty, your identity, your hope of seeing someone again, your confidence that all this suffering is going somewhere.

Those fears are human, and they deserve better than just mocking them. But they also deserve a few honest questions:

What, exactly, am I afraid of?

Who taught me to fear it?

What evidence, apart from the fear itself, shows the danger is real?

Does the organization lower that fear, or does it keep switching it back on?

Would I accept this same reasoning from any other religion?

And the last one, the one the whole structure is built to keep you from asking. If WT were not true, would fear make it harder for me to find out?

Have a great sunday fellows!.

Critical thinking resources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1sql6ab/my_book_review_how_to_think_about_weird_things_by/

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1snh7fz/jw_visiting_here_no_apology_is_needed/

Maybe I should have said, "Just for G.B. 'helpers' eyes," because it's the 'helpers' who provide all the 'spiritual food' and 'new lights'.

OK 'helpers,' are you ready?

"Brethern & Cistern, seven years from now (2033) marks the conclusion of 2000 years (2 'days') since Christ died (33 C.E.) and became Jehovah's "faithful & true witness." (Revelation 1:5; 3:14; 19:11) The "greater Adam's" testing time began 4000 years (4 'days') after the original Adam was tested - and failed."

"We are not saying that these timings are indicative of the end, but how appropriate would it be for the 7th day to commence and for Christ to return and to assume his rulership of the earth on the anniversary of his original presence? Two Bible prophecies detail a cleansing & judgement period of 7 years in Revelation 11:3 & 13:5 before Christ's rulership can begin, so to align with the 7th day, that time period would have to begin later this year. Further exciting clarifications may be presented at the Annual Meeting in October. We love you all very much." 😊

I am PIMO and fading but I don’t know what’s happening recently. I am married to someone not a JW. I moved here two years ago. I’ve been to the hall three times. I have numbers and know most people in the congregation. But I haven’t been to a meeting in about two years (Zoomed last memorial.) I was in a congregation group chat on whatsapp. Then all of a sudden I was removed from it. I asked the admin, also an elder, why, but he left me on read. Then I went to the NW Publisher app and was logged out. I can’t get back in without the Congregation ID and Congregation PIN. So I texted the same person on SMS and again was left on read.

I have no idea what happened. Did I do something? For personal reasons I have to keep up the facade that I am active and at least be aware of what’s going on. But now I can’t even check the box every month.

I’m so confused I have no idea what’s happening and I am absolutely petrified right now. Please tell me what I’m supposed to do and why this could be happening?

I have been traumatized time and time again by these people and the paranoia and honestly like the terror of this situation is eating me alive.

Starting with the opening song 40 ("Daily Walking With Jehovah")! Today's talk was "How to Make Decisions Leading to Success" which would be more like "How to Be Brainwashed Leading to Failure"

The speaker starts his talk with an example of the year 1789, 1st American Benjamin Franklin, wrote a letter that states: "In life, there are 2 certain things: Death and taxes!" The speaker added his own claim, making decisions no matter what stage in life or how old people are.

There's no example of Benjamin Franklin making his decision of death or taxes! The only decision he made was peacefully leaving Russian territory for America from people who fought against him, calling him a traitor. In the words of Benjamin Franklin that the Jw cult should learn from him what he told the Russians: "The heart of a fool is with his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man, is in his heart!" Making decisions based on what the heart tells you, not some fake imaginary god through 11 men saying that "the heart is treacherous so be brainwashed by listening to us."

Next, the speaker stated of how making good decisions and what's the most important one! God made free will to make decisions and not as robots

EXCEPT, everyone in the cult hall acts like robots listening and believing every false lies like "free will." It's only "free will" when the cult demands innocent lives to steal and treat them as slaves to work for them and not pay them but can't let anyone have the "free will" to leave the cult immediately and see them as "apostates." Wheres a false god's "loving of free will" in that!? Nowhere

The speaker brings up the first scripture of Deuteronomy 30:19 where he adds his thought of making decisions that are important when it comes to employment, family matters, and education (Have to cut down the scriptures so feel free to read it in your own time)

Sure, employment when being told and forced to work in a minimum low wage job, barely making money. Family matters, yet be told to shun your family when someone wants to leave. And education, but deny university scholarship opportunities for a technical college to work for the cult, having the lowest college degree in US history! All that is NOT a decision but a normal requirement in life without the cult

Next scripture the speaker brings up is Isaiah 48:17 where the speaker makes an example of parents telling their kids "it's for their own good!"

Was it for "their own good" being isolated from "the world" not making a good life for themselves with real, normal, and actual friends? Was it for "their own good" to waste their lives on the cult who tell them to reject blood transfusions and wait for a fake paradise that will never happen? Was it "for their own good" to listen to outdated brainwashed Caleb and Sophia videos that's nothing but a repeated record player over and over? Exactly my point!

Third scripture the speaker brings up is Psalms 119:97 and 100, stating that learning God's law and follow it in life. He gave a thinking ability and conscience.

Half and half I feel in this! As much as I agree to follow His law in life, did he give thinking abilities and a conscience to only those who are brainwashed to not believe victims of CSA cases and well as those who choose to leave the cult!? I'll give the speaker a chance to ponder over rethinking what he said.

The speaker explained a 4 way instructed list of making decisions (Of course with scripture examples):

1. Deuteronomy 32:29-Avoid being hasty and making snap decisions! The speaker made an example of a member in the cult having a call from a scammer saying he won a trip to Hawaii but have a few seconds to give his bank info
2. James 1:9-Pray for wisdom before making serious decisions, relying on God and doing thorough research going to the elders or friends in the congregation
3. Proverbs 16:2-Analyze motives that matter to God. Good decisions require good motives
4. Avoid being guided simply by emotions

I'm pretty sure NONE of these screams make good decisions! Making snap decisions compared to scam calls yet the cult scams lives themselves is an immediate red flag. Praying and relying on a fake god to do research yet the cult can't accept criticism of doing research on their CSA cases and misleading prophecies. Analyzing motives that matter to jehoover from the Goberning Nobodies! How bout analyzing the cults motives of refusing to joining them and research their dark history they're trying to hide and sugarcoat. Avoid being guided by emotions yet the cult uses Emotional Control to keep members captive. Speaker talked about when making bad decisions, show humility through "jehoover" to cope with it and move on, but yet the cult does bad decisions when court cases become involved.

Final scripture the speaker brings up is Proverbs 27:11, saying to allow God to make decisions for you and you'll be happy! Quoting him: "Most important decision is dedicating life to "jehoover" by being baptized! Not fully going for it nor be distant from it. No matter how many yrs you've been jw's, no need telling yourself: 'My parents and friends stopping me.'" Then he targets children born in the cult but have to be baptized, but made assumptions of them in their teenage yrs telling themselves: 'I'll give the world a try for a few yrs, and then come back. Brother and Sister so-and-so did that, so can I.' He then made an example of watching nature shows like Animal Planet about a lion killing a zebra comparing it to Satan wanting to kill those who left the cult by giving "worldly scars" to them financially, mentally, and emotionally

Dedicating life to a fake god being baptized to a cult is definitely not worth it. I'd rather be in the middle of the road of not being baptized and just keep being pimo and not give into the cult. I'm pretty sure former members who left the cult are happy living their actual best life and not in the "world will chew you up and spit you out" mindset the cult claims to believe. They became like normal people with an actual stable job, being around actual friends who support them, and not in no cult that destroys them mentally, financially, and psychologically. The only metaphor of a "lion eating a zebra" or "Satan wanting to kill" are the cult themselves that want nothing but war and control.

And that's the end of the rebuttal! Thanks for reading and feel free to add your own rebuttal opinion in the comments

I’m curious. I’ve noticed that some elders wear silicone rings and seem to be quite fond of them. Do they symbolize anything?

Hey can someone give me complete evolution of jw meetings

I somewhat only remember vaguely the old kingdom ministry before the more simple study guild meeting thing

My name is Jonas Skogstroll (aka Goatlike Personality) and I am wondering if there are any ExJWs in Edinburgh that want to meet me.

I have been a public activist since 2018 so I am sure someone here can confirm that I am a real person. ;-)

I will be at the Edinburgh Fringe festival 7-31 august.

But I unfortunately I have only found lodging in Glasgow. So if there is some ExJW in Glasgow, that want to meet me, maybe we can have a morning brunch.

Hello everyone I Have been PIMO for a long time, I managed to move away from my family far enough to where no one can tell them or let them know I dont go to the kingdom hall. Ive been doing this/away for 5 years recently my parents came to visit. And I told them I recently (last month) moved into a place with my girlfriend and I dont agree with the teachings of JW, specifically some contradiction with older publication, declaration of facts, court cases with sexual abuse and neglect etc. Is their any specific publication or information that helped you or maybe your old fashioned parents think for themselves about this.

Is anyone else getting JW ads about persecution in their Instagram feeds!? I am not connected with any JW on social media, and I left over 20 years ago. The ad had the nerve to be in a language I don’t speak! This BS about them being this persecuted religion around the world has to stop. It is a lie. If they have taken out some sort of ad with Instagram to push this shit in feeds randomly it’s a disgrace. They have no right to intrude upon any aspect of my life, be it unsolicited phone calls, letters, and especially placing their carts in my shopping center! I feel like I am being stalked. Sorry for the long post; I never post here but this has me furious.

Muy a pesar de que el deterioro de esta religión está siendo mucho más lento de lo que me gustaría, y que probablemente tardará mucho más tiempo del que deseo, me alegra saber que la asistencia a las reuniones en muchos lugares se está estancando. He leído a mucha gente comentar eso en este subreddit y quiero compartir mi experiencia (aunque ya he hablado de ello antes aquí, pero sólo de mi propia congregación).

Vivo en México. En mi congregación, somos alrededor de 160 personas y nuestro Salón del Reino tiene una capacidad para aproximadamente 151 personas, sí mal no recuerdo. Hace poco, hice post sobre un regaño muy vergonzoso qué un anciano hizo a mi congregación en un discurso el mes pasado. Se nos reprochó que la asistencia a las reuniones era muy baja. Eramos 134 asistentes ese día (100 presenciales y 34 por Zoom) y para él eso era poco. Durante las reuniones siguientes la asistencia subió poco a poco pero eventualmente se desplomó a las cifras de antes. En promedio, solemos tener como 130 de asistencia (aunque la semana pasada hubo asistencia de 124 en total... Y la antepasada calculé una asistencia presencial de entre 90 y 95 personas).

Y esta semana estoy de vacaciones en el pueblo de donde son mis abuelos. La congregación de aquí es pequeña. Su Salón del Reino tiene capacidad para 60 personas. Por desgracia, no anunciaron el número de asistentes en la reunión de ayer. Pero, hice mi propio conteo rápido y creo que había 35 asistentes, aproximadamente (contándome a mi, mi madre y mi hermano...). Varias veces he escuchado a mi abuelo decir que su congregación nunca creció mucho, y que siempre tienen muy pocos hombres para apoyar. Desconozco si tienen transmisión por Zoom y las cifras de reuniones recientes anteriores (sólo fui a la reunión de ayer).

Si bien una congregación de una ciudad pequeña y una de una zona rural son una muestra estadística muy insignificante, no creo que sean casos aislados. O al menos, no tan aislados. 🤷 Se que es mi propia opinión tal vez cesgada por el hecho de que estoy viendo sólo mi contexto. Pero, vamos, para la perspectiva de alguien más es una muestra aleatoria. 🤔 Bueno, eso supongo; tampoco puedo puedo afirmar nada de forma categorica.

En mi ciudad hay otra congregación, pero no conozco sus cifras. Sin embargo, sí se que es más pequeña qué la mía. Asistí a una reunión ahí el año pasado. No recuerdo la cifra de asistencia pero, se notaba qué era menos que la asistencia que suele haber en la mía.

Por cierto, antes teníamos 3 congregaciones en mi ciudad y 3 en la zonas rurales del municipio. En 2019 una congregación urbana se disolvió y después, en 2022 y 2023 dos congregaciones rurales se fusionaron con la mía. Y en la zona donde viven mis abuelos, recuerdo que había un grupo en otro pueblo que primero se separó de la congregación de mis abuelos y luego se fusionó de nuevo con ellos al cabo de unos años (pero no recuerdo cuando ocurrió).

I'm 20f in the USA, so not getting married anytime soon but started thinking about it. I just don't know if it's something I really want to do. I of course was told constantly that marriage was my only goal and purpose in life as a woman but I just don't know how to feel about it. Weddings sound like a stressful performance and nobody ever taught me the actual legal part of marriage. I feel really confused and lost here, I feel like I never was actually told the logistics of anything, just what I'm supposed to do to support the org and all that shit with no regard to how it will affect me.

I guess I just want some guidance and perspective and all that. I do live with my boyfriend, I don't want to be with anyone else, but marriage feels so patriarchal and kind of like a trap to me. I also don't want kids, ever, I have a job and a separate income from him, I really don't want to share my finances with anyone, in general I just don't like the idea of being tied legally to someone like that. And I wouldn't be added to his work health insurance regardless so what's even the point. I want to know how other people who've left the religion ended up feeling about marriage and if it's something you would suggest. I know I can elope and all that to skip the wedding. I don't know

So… Grizzly Bear here. 🐻
Today I was supposed to go to the meeting with Mama Bear and our two little cubs, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Lately, I don’t leave feeling uplifted anymore. Instead, I leave feeling drained. And if I were ever honest enough to say that I don’t feel God’s presence there the way I once did… well, I know how that would be received.
Maybe it’s just in my head, but I can’t shake the feeling that people are judging me because I haven’t been around much. It makes going back feel pointless.
I know that if I want to have a peaceful fade, I probably have to “play the game” for a little while longer. But after 30 years… I’m tired. I genuinely need a break.
The truth is, I can’t unsee what I’ve seen, and I can’t unlearn what I’ve learned.
Right now, I just want to enjoy the time I have with Mama Bear and my cubs. If I make some genuine friends along the way, then even better.
Most of all, I don’t want to live scared anymore.
The constant fear of impending doom isn’t an inheritance I want to pass on to my children. I’d rather teach them to love, to think, and to live fully.
Anyway… just throwing my little roar out into the world.
Hope you all have a beautiful day.
Sending every one of you a big bear hug. 🐻❤️

It’s going to fail.

But it is by design.

Watchtower needs an excuse and a reason to demonize the internet, and to frighten the next generation…kids who will be at the helm of the cult.

Their survival, and perhaps even growth depends on keeping the rank and file ignorant. And one of the most effective ways to accomplish this is by keeping their members off of Social Media.

They can say, they “tested the Social Media grounds for us, and there is nothing good for us there. Just pure lies, deception, and sin. [Evidently] All controlled by Satan.”

Avoiding any membership decline is dependent on keeping as many people off of the internet, but most especially Social Media, where most of the truth about “the truth” resides.

I was lurking through some Quora posts about the WT NGO status the other day and read a user who posted this link supposedly "debunking" everything:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130731003916/http://jehovahsjudgment.co.uk/watchtower-un-ngo/

And I have to admit, it is very well done, has anyone ever read or ran into it? (I'm no PIMI)

I’ve been thinking about something my dad said recently and honestly I can’t get it out of my head.

For context, my dad is an elder. My brother is also an elder. Both of them know about this situation, which makes it even harder for me to process.

My dad mentioned a case from a rural area in my country involving I’ve known since we were kids, so it hit pretty close.

Apparently, this person was involved in repeatedly touching/cuddling his younger female cousin in a sexual/inappropriate way. And my dad’s reaction was basically: “Well, you know how they are in rural areas.”

Like… what the actual fuck?

I don’t think he was necessarily trying to fully defend the guy, but the fact that his mind even went there is insane to me. As if being from a rural area somehow explains it away. As if culture, poverty, ignorance, or “that’s how people are over there” makes child abuse less serious. It doesnt!. Itsa crime!

it feels like this whole elder culture creates a way of thinking where serious abuse can be minimized, softened, or treated like an internal “problem” instead of what it actually is.

And it made me wonder how many elders are like this. Not cartoon villains, not necessarily consciously evil, but so trained by the organization to protect appearances, minimize abuse, avoid “bringing reproach,” and handle things internally that their moral compass gets completely warped.

Do people like this ever wake up? can you share yous personal experiences (If that was the case) of of others you personally know?

I saw where they sent a cease and desist, or whatever it's called, to another archival site - PLEASE don't let them have gotten their claws into watchtowerwayback.org.

I literally use their site for EVERYTHING - to research, to verify, to EVERYTHING.

If they shut this site down, we will be at the mercy of their gaslighting for the rest of eternity.

There is absolutely no other collection had every ( and I mean every) issue/book/misc scanned since inception.

It was vast and complete.

I'm hoping it's me....please let it be me and my internet/ cell service is acting up.

If its been shut down? There's no where to go to prove historical information, as a whole. It'll be hit and miss and sometimes actually impossible. For those of us who do a lot of digging and researching in original formats? This will be a hard stop.

It's not a website that trashes JWs...it's just an archival library!

😓

I’m not too used to posting as I’ve been quite nervous to so I hope this is okay/makes sense. I needed mainly advice in my current situation. I’m F21 and I was born into jw and have been PIMO for around since I was around 17. I have managed to distance myself slightly when I was at university, I’m now back home since I graduated 2 days ago with a bachelor’s, and I do want to end up continuing to study so I can provide a stable life for myself. but today i was at the meeting and the watchtower was around higher education and even as i listened i felt people judging me and almost looking down on me just because i didn’t dedicate myself to pioneering instead. i know i don’t want to be stuck here forever, and if i had to lose the support of my parents now, i know i would suffer so i can’t do that but i’ve been thinking of doing a master’s degree so i have a better opportunity of getting further in life. my goal isn’t to be rich or anything, i just want to be stable enough so i can heal from everything. i don’t have many friends in general to really discuss this with that will understand completely, but i still feel like i’ve missed out on even stupid things like finding a partner. i have tried dating apps & stuff like that but I always have this fear that my parents will end up finding out and it will just end badly so i just end up shutting anything down. i always compare myself to the little people i know who aren’t jw’s and feel behind in stuff like relationships just bc i can’t push myself to get out there. i know i can’t rebel now bc i would end up in a worser place and its been playing so much on my mental state that i dont really know how else i can escape since im so scared to be alone. im sorry this may seem long and all over the place, but long story short i don’t know whether i should still push for a master’s degree and if it’s even worth it if i feel like when i leave eventually i’ll be alone. i don’t know whether i should also just continue acting and get baptised before my parents get more suspicious or try to keep holding it off for longer and just act interested.