I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness AMA

[ElloElloElloWhatsAllThisThen]

Fire away! I’m not the most knowledgeable but will try and answer all questions to the best of my ability

I remember when I first learned that, I thought, ‘well what’s the fucking point of this then?’

You’ve said the end is coming. The end didn’t come so now the truth has been ‘revised’ in order to push things back. I think that was actually a light bulb moment as I felt like everything that I’d learned was under false pretences.

It’s just another reason why I didn’t take the step in getting baptised as I had a lot of answered questions

I’m still going through the questions but wanted to tag @KrisTheGardener and @Horrace to say this.

Just because I’m not religious and no longer apart of the religion, doesn’t mean I started this thread to slag off a whole religion. If that’s what you expected when you opened this thread, then sorry to disappoint you.

I started this thread because it was actually the gypsy AMA thread that inspired this one. If you want somewhere to talk about your experiences with JWs (negative or positive) maybe you should go on this Reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/s/wmmeYb9nbT

I simply wanted to answer any questions that people had. I expected more, ‘how did you find it not celebrating birthdays’ and less ‘you’re saying these things because you’re apart of a cult.’ I won’t respond to you bother further as these comments are actually quite insulting. Especially as I’m simply answering questions by stating what JWs beliefs are

That's fair enough.

It's an emotive topic and some of ex dubs get a tad cross. No offence meant to you OP.
We r all at different stages.

I wouldn’t consider it to be my religion but seeing as it was a big part of my life for the first 20 years, it’s hard to forget this stuff! Thank you for your kind words:) this is MN so I already had my hard hat on haha

All JWs are against same sex relationships but they really shouldn’t be outrightly voicing their unwanted opinions. That person sounds like a right dick.

This won’t make much sense but I once remember a JW saying that they don’t dislike people who are homosexual as they have no reason to dislike someone based on their sexuality. They simply dislike same sex relationships due to what the Bible teaches. It’s quite contradictory when you think about it.

As for window cleaners being an official occupation for JW men, I’ve literally never heard of that in my life

I didn't think anyone was being mean to OP.
The religion is mean. You can expect people to not voice displeasure in their questions and responses. This is a conversation as well as a Q&A.
Besides, OP isn't a JW so reason to take offence

Window Cleaning isn't literally the official occupation for JW men, but it's very common. I bet there will be at least 3 in each congregation. I know of 5 in my town.
There are JW window Cleaning forums

Do JW's still enforce the position of 'being in the World but not of it' and if so, how did you cope with this?

I was raised as a JW and used to wish I was Amish and relatively isolated from non-believers. I used to hide my religion if I could but this was impossible at school where a group of us would have to stand outside the assembly hall each day. Daily humiliation leaves scars. Some children would deliberately ask what we got the Christmas to watch us squirm. I used to dread returning to school after Christmas. Children and women used to be allowed on stage at the Thursday meetings to model 'we get presents at random times' line but it always rang false.

We had Kingdom Hall meetings twice a week, a neighbourhood meeting once a week and daily meetings at home. Door to door once a week during term time and every day with the pioneers during the school holidays. We studied 'Your youth: making the most of it' at home. Toe curling. Did you also study this at home with your parents?

www.reddit.com/exjw

Shamelessly posting a link to this here

Sounds like a waste of court time and resources, not to mention presumably the delay could have serious consequences for the patient.

@Loveliesbhhfd link not found

@pocketsand

The Youth Book
What memories. So awful. I want to die thinking about it. But also laugh.
I remember doing this at the Tues book study and a young brother who had a stutter was the reader for the dreaded chapters on puberty.
How I wanted the ground to open and swallow me and him up whole

I've found a lot of ur answers interesting, I think it very much depends on how ur parents interpret things.
In reference to ur commenting that JW is not a cult. Steven Hassan a cult expert outlines the BITE model in weather something is a cult and former JW wrote interesting blog post freedomofmind.com/the-bite-model-and-jehovahs-witnesses/

Sorry, when you say, ‘how did you cope with this?’ What do you mean? I don’t think I’ve understood the question!

I had to Google ‘Your Youth’ as that didn’t ring any bells. That book was slightly before my time but I recognise it as my mum, grandma and some families members still have it. I studied, ‘What Does The Bible Really Teach’ and a few others.

It’s interesting what you say about Christmas. When I was in Primary school, I found it more harder to say ‘I don’t celebrate because of xyz’ whereas in Secondary school, I found it so much easier. My friends never cared and no one really bat an eyelid but kids were much more meaner about it in Primary school.

As I got older, I used to HATE going on the ministry. Walking through an area where you knew your friend lived. Oh, the DREAD

www.reddit.com/r/exjw

Your link doesn’t work and I’ve already linked it within the thread.

@PocketSand this should work https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/s/2GMU0z3VNl

You've told us that women can't be elders or ministerial servants, can't give talks on the stage, that they have their dress dictated to them, can't openly consent to lifesaving blood transfusions for themselves during childbirth or their children, also that abortion is considered a sin.

Why do you think JW women tolerate this? Do they consider themselves second class citizens?

Do JWs feel trapped in the religion because they fear they will be disfellowshipped to the extent that even their own mother won't speak to them?

Do you think that the restriction of education is to ensure people don't adopt critical thinking skills which might enable them to question the JW teachings?

I can't believe I have to explain this but there is the World and the people that live within it - some can be saved if given the 'truth' - hence witnessing - but essentially bad and influenced by Satan.

I can remember the elders banging on about the evils of the world and using the record player to play 'Boogie Wonderland' as an example of the music of the devil. It was my favourite song at the time so of course, believing Armageddon was immanent I was doomed.

Did living with the 'knowledge' that the end of the world was nigh and you would be judged not affect you? I was a child. I believed being normal (ie liking a pop song) was sinful and I would die.

Are they fluffy now? Do sisters twerk?

I have a question that I've always been curious about. I've worked with Jehovah's Witnesses before and we know they don’t celebrate birthdays or Christmas, but I was always curious how people would almost hide signing birthday cards from them etc... As if it would offend them. So does that kind I thing offend? What if someone you didn't know, say in a shop, says ‘happy Christmas’? Or if someone asks you when your birthday is? Or what you're up to for Christmas?

Some of the things you mentioned also apply to men. There’s a pretty strict dress code for men too and men also wouldn’t have a blood transfusion.

I can’t speak for all JWs but I’ll take an educated guess. As the religion follows teaching from the Bible, many women see what is written in the Bible and are happy to follow God’s word. So if that means that the men are considered to be ‘head of the household’ and be in charge of the congregation, then they’re happy to accept that as it’s from God’s word.

I don’t think they consider themselves to be second class citizens at all really. They can still have responsibilities within the congregation and the organisation so I don’t think they feel ‘left behind’ if that makes sense. Obviously many individuals may feel like they’re second class citizens so I can’t really speak for everyone!

I’m not sure really, possibly. I know a lot of people that break the rules so to speak and never confess because they rather not be disfellowshipped. Again, that’s between them and God. When you’re disfellowshipped, your family ARE allowed to speak to you as long as they don’t talk about spiritual things. Some people are quite extreme and won’t speak to their family member at all which is something I don’t agree with. I really think it depends how their family act in regards to such matters.

Haha, no I genuinely don’t think that. This is the 21st century. You learn (and experience) so much from primary school, secondary school and college/sixth form. Further education (uni) is discouraged but there’s no restriction on education if you see what I mean. You won’t be in trouble because you decided to go to uni, it’s your life.

It’s said because they encourage people to do the ministry as often as they can. Obviously if you’re at uni or away at uni, your mind will be preoccupied with your studies. You probably won’t make ministry and going to the meeting a priority. Loads of people question the JW teachings at some point. I don’t think they discourage uni because of that

I heard you weren't allowed to own property. Is this true?

I'm curious if some people who are JW but break rules and don't leave because don't want to get disfellowshipped , if fear is keeping them in something that could potentially be taking a lot of there time. What's the actual benefits for them. It's that a pretty crappy organisation to have part of if some of the members are basically kept in through fear. I am aware u seem to have a laid back family. But I'm assuming this isn't the regular family. I have listened to a lot of JW ex memebrs talk about their experiences leaving it and all of them were very clear they have mo contact with any family now or anyone still in as its not allowed. I remember personally when I was 16 2 JW at my school, one had got girl pregnant and they wanted to keep it. And he was being disfellowshipped and being shunned by his whole family community and he wasn't allowed to talk to his best friend the other JW and it was basically their last days together, I mean as a 16 year old I never really grasped that looking back its horrific.

I think personally any organisation I'm part of that would find that behaviour to be acceptable wouldn't be something I would be ok with.

Also why would any family shun a member who is their family like parents having no contact with their children who choose to leave if its not actually a rule, parents wouldn't choose to stop contact with families members they love if there was need or no rule , surely. and also why are member's so concerned about being disfellowshipped if the only change would be no talking about religion? If ur breaking rules it sounds like u don't want to follow them anyways, so if the only thing that changes is there is no talk of religion than what's the big deal?

Shunning is widely practiced amongst JWs.
It breaks up families.
There are many people still in physically but mentally out. They feel they cannot leave due to the shunning practice.
It's not just JWs of course that do this.

But if u want to know un biased facts about their beliefs and practices, an excellent site is
jwfacts.com
I'm afraid I'm useless at posting links using my phone.

Taking a bit of a break from the thread to get the children ready for bed. Not being funny but @Horrace why don’t you start your own thread seeing as you have so much to add? This thread is on the AMA board. Perhaps you might want to start your own thread so that people can ask you questions based on your own experience?