I'm an ex Jehovah's Witness AMA

[StressyMessyJess]

Any questions Ill try to answer as honestly as possible 😊

We had a neighbour who was JW and needed a heart bypass. She said she didn’t want to have a transfusion and the surgeons spent several days discussing what they could do and whether they could use the recycling machine (can’t remember the proper name for it). The whole time she was in hospital she had members of her hall with her pressuring her to refuse a transfusion. She eventually declined the operation and subsequently died

It’s called Witnessing

I think there is a great deal of negativity and misinformation around JWs, some of the negativity is warranted.
All religions have negative aspects but people seem happy to embellish stories/rumours around JWs that they wouldn't do with none Christian religions for fear of being perceived as racist.
JWs are very peaceable. There is no racism, classism. They spend a lot of time and money on charitable schemes, especially in war torn countries.

What is called Witnessing?

Your thoughts on the online ex-jw community, if you follow it of course. If you watched the youtube channels, did you find they helped you to leave ? You have said you are atheist, so, did watching Lloyd Evans help, or did you gravitate to the more religious ex-jw content ? I know its a long and mixed up one, but I have been following the whole Lloyd Evans spat for a fair number of years, and really what I am wondering is if you feel that has damaged the cause of helping people out ? If you are familiar, you will know what I mean. If not pls ignore, but big congratulations for getting out :-)

I dont follow or watch any of it.
As I said I think all religions have bad and good aspects.
I try to avoid those kind of YouTubers, etc as generally I think they are just pushing their own agendas
Thanks for the question!

When you were in, were you aware of the 2 witness rule to child abuse/rape? Or have you only learnt of such things since leaving.

Again this is an urban legend that is 100% not a rule. If it happened on isolated occasions that is terrible and horrific but it most definitely is not a rule and I have first hand experience of it not being the case

It absolutely is a rule. Did you not follow the Australian Royal Commission?
Have you not read the Elders hand book?
This rule has destroyed many lives. Literally. So please dont go sticking up for an organisation that you are not even a member of.

You obviously know far more than me.
You should start your own AMA.
Have a nice day

Thanks OP. Not that I'm thinking of becoming one! I'm an atheist like you. But I figured they must do some good, otherwise nobody would join them.

As I understand it teenagers have the choice of staying in or leaving once they’re about 18 and don’t have to lose touch with family and friends if they go at that point but leaving later means you’re disfellowshipped. Is that right? Did you leave as a teen and is that why you can keep in touch with family.
I know a lovely woman who is JW and am sad for her that it screwed her chance of a happy marriage and the kids she would
have liked.

My dear cousin (now passed) was a JW in her youth. I’d go spend time with my aunt & uncle and cousins every summer, they were all JW. I was only small but I loved getting dressed up to go to meetings (my cousin had beautiful dresses) , everyone was always so nice, I remember going to different JW houses and we’d eat biscuits and play.

My aunt and uncle were such nice & kind people (both now passed too) and I just remember that time with such fondness. You’ve brought back some lovely memories with your thread, thank you ❤️

Not a question from me but sympathy as I was raised in it and was trapped until I was about 15 years old. Some of the men at the congregation were quite pervy. Not just cheeky and lecherous, but genuinely perverted.

They don't allow blood transfusions and there have been a few cases of a woman in the cult (I don't consider it a religion) having given birth and then haemorrhaged but was then denied a blood transfusion and sadly passed away.

And yes, I went out proselytising (going door to door), and one time stuck out to me where I saw someone see us and then literally dive behind the sofa to make sure we couldn't see them. They stuck their head out as we were walking away and I mouthed "I don't blame you!" back to them.

Sorry to steal your thunder, OP. I just wanted to show solidarity. I bet you're glad you're out!

It is the case that once you are baptised then you could be disfellowshipped if you did something that went against the 'rules'. Disfellowshipping used to mean nobody could speak to you at all. This has recently changed and you are allowed to speak to disfellowshipped people to encourage them to return etc.

Not all ex JWs are disfellowshipped. Most, including myself, just drifted out

Thanks for sharing this

Thanks for this.
Yes, so many horrible experiences.
I in no way condone the religion(-cult)
I'm just trying to answer questions in as much of an unemotional, unbiased way as possible.
I think its important that people get to see different sides of things.

I'm glad we are both out ❤️

@MossAndLeaves we had a JW child that had surgery that always involves blood or cell saver. (Also not allowed) the hospital had a court order so they could give blood in an emergency. And the mum was told very explicitly that they would not let her child die for lack of a blood transfusion. They did mange to avoid it. But it didn’t do his recovery any favours. I think that because the decision was taken out of her hands she was ok with it.

I believe it's my responsibility to warn people of the dangers of this religion, if that's what you want to call it.
I dont dislike most of the individuals stuck in it. They are either brainwashed or too afraid of the alternative where they fear they will lose everything if they leave. I pity them.
I hate the leaders. Those men in Brooklyn or wherever they've moved to now after selling their prime real estate on the Brooklyn Bridge for an astronomical profit which they're using to pay off child abuse lawsuits.
Its not a cult to be sugar coated.
They break up families and destroy lives.

👍

Someone somewhere is making a whole lot of money out of it.

They don’t spend resources on what you would think of as charitable work - feeding and clothing the poor etc.

In fact in America they tried to present the government funded food boxes provided during covid as being from them.

They explicitly ignored child abuse and it’s been identified in Australian and UK reviews. They refused to share information they held centrally on allegations of child abuse as well.

I could go on on many topics. Some of the members may be harmless but the structure, rules and belief system are not and the corporation behind it is legally savvy and slippy enough to stay just on the right side of personal choice/ mandate to wash their hands when something goes wrong.

@RJnomore1
I know there was talk of them losing there charity status a while back which would have meant them paying tax but I dont think it went anywhere. At least not in the UK or US.
I believe they're under ban in Russia now.
But we are derailing OPs thread

Nope they adapted just enough to slither under the wire - all the recent changes are for a reason.

Anyway sorry op, I hope like me you are much happier now. What’s been your favourite thing or the best thing you e done since you left you couldn’t have before?

Politely, is there any chance you guys can private msg or make you own thread?

This is about my experience of the religion and I dont want it derailed.
Thank you ❤️

Sorry Stressy
Xx