Why So Many People Are Leaving Jehovah's Witnesses

#exjw

[Lulu-oiue]

The top elder in my old congregation lives 5 houses down from me. One of his 4 children which are now adults is treated like a human even though she isn’t a JW and married outside the religion. Another elder has a daughter who left home got pregnant and ended up getting disfellowshipped. Even though she was in a different state and disfellowshipped her elder dad brought her back home and was really involved with her until she got reinstated.
What I learnt is that you’re treated differently if you’re in a family with an elder and part of a strong “spiritual” heritage. The organisation is extremely elitist and classist.

[lethaltrip]

Love the video! My wife, baby daughter and I havent been to the hall in a month. I stepped down as a MS after 10 years just a few months ago. Born into the Truth. Woke up by seeing a HUGE difference in the translation of the NWT to any other bible…. And then the house of cards fell fast

[exjwfreedomtalks]

My waking up process was just as you described- I burned out first, THEN thankfully I woke up and started deconstructing. I was always so afraid to think about if what I was feeling was legitimate- I always just assumed I was lazy and needed more spirituality to keep going.
In late 2019 I was barely recording time anymore and falling asleep at meetings, and then COVID came and gave me a much-needed reprieve. I became inactive in that 2 year period, and when it was time to go back in person, nothing felt right about it. Then I started reading about others who left their religions, and cults in general, and all the pieces fell together. I’ve been officially out for a year and never looked back. Freedom is sweet :)

[kimgradisher]

Thanks for the video. My wife & I woke up during covid when the GB decided to play "doctor" regarding treatment. We officially pulled the plug a few months ago.

[keithcampbell]

Mine was Burn out... Elder for 12yrs and I was giving talks and shepherding calls often... Then when Covid hit, I didn't like all the Control that I saw... Elder meetings about who has their screens off and who hasn't gotten the shot etc... it was so much control

[tammyg]

There are so nany JWS leaving it's mind blowing!!! New faces all the time, making videos telling their story. I would encourage anyone who has left the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses to tell their story. The more this happens the more it brings awareness to the public about this very dangerous, sinister & cruel organization. Your personal story could also wake someone up & save a life. The more we collectively sound our voices, the more we will be heard. This is the real life saving work.

[lindatullos]

I had a girlfriend who was a JW and i went to her church one time. The children were the most disturbing thing about this sect. They were little robots stiff like they were afraid of doing something wrong. I wasn't impressed .

[saquist]

Aftermath, I watch your videos because it's very soothing and cathartic to hear other people talk about why they got out. For me it reminds me of why I stayed out.

[lamardavidson]

I’m feel lucky I woke up . Been out 20 years. Welcome to freedom

[EaglesandHorses]

I came in as an adult. I married a JW. I got tired of him lying to me for over 40 years and never studying with me. I requested a Shepherding Call. I was promised by one of the elders that he would keep on top of it. 6 months later there was no change. I called the elder to complain. His attitude was cold. “What do you want me to do about it? I can’t make him!” That’s when I said to myself “I’m done.” I stopped going to the Hall. Two elders paid me a visit. I told them I was disassociating myself. This got back to the Circuit and District Overseers. Nothing was ever done. This elder was the Watch Tower conductor and a regular pioneer. He never called me or visited me to apologize. My husband said “He apologized to him saying he didn’t mean to hurt me!!!” I finally filed for divorce.

[mayfly]

Glad to hear you are safe and well. Thank you for your work.

[gheorghesemlecan]

I was caught in this religion. Stuck as if in a trap. Once because I really loved my wife. And we had a child together. On the other hand, I saw all the nonsense and hypocrisy existing inside. And I blamed myself for how stupid I could be. Now I am divorced. I am free. I have forgiven myself for my stupidity. I paid with 22 years of what should have been the most beautiful years of my life. However, I have the consolation that in all these years, I have not misled anyone as I myself have been misled. What would I wish for? I would wish that this toxic religion would no longer receive money from various governments, because in this way I believe that it would die out by itself and affect fewer and fewer people.

[jaebonjiya]

Happy you are safe. And yes Around 7 people ages 14-25 have left my congregation 6 last year one this year.

[lordbenjenstark]

There was a sister (a pioneer actually) in my congregation that got DF'd because she was fudging the numbers of her field service time on her monthly reports. However there was a ministerial servant in another local congregation nearby that was caught taking money from the contribution box and he just got put on reproof and had been doing it for months. I saw that and thought to myself, "the bible says nothing about monthly reports but a ministerial servant in a position of authority literally violated one of the Ten Commandments and that's all that happens to him?" When I asked members what they thought about that they all said the same thing, "It's in Jehovah's hands." I then realized that I was in a group think and that was one of the many things that got me out of the organization.

[robinkish-miller]

This is a toxic, controlling, and hypocritical environment.

[cherylseebreth]

That afternoon when I made my decision to leave, I felt like an albatross was lifted off my neck.

[terryodonnell]

Wow you’re comments on burn out are spot on - two jobs so spot on.

[DanielaxDream]

I’d love to book a call & talk to you over our experience! I’ll try summing up; As someone who was born “in the truth” I grew up in it for 23 years until fully getting out. I was always skeptical as a kid, always seen as a black sheep for questioning. I remember being so scared of dying as a six-year-old. What made me never fully commit was seeing how conditional everything was. Everyone was competing with one another’s “imperfection”. The lack of empathy. Being taught that only the people who have the same beliefs are your only friends always enraged me as were taught “Jehovah loves all”. Being a normal human with normal experience was always seen as pure evil. Seeing my own folks favorite, another sibling over me because of our faith, to the point of my sibling, passing and my mother, claiming both her kids are dead because I was “spiritually”dead.

[mthokozisilanga]

Born in, in the 60s, became a POMI in 1996, faded in 1997, though still a POMI, I woke up in 2003 and never looked back. In 2012 I managed to help my mom wake up, and in 2016 I assisted my younger sister to wake up. My 86 year old dad is still an elder.

[MrDMC]

People leave for different reasons just like people stay for different reasons. Not everybody has a traumatic experience. Some people just get burnt out. Not everybody who stays actually believes it. For some people it's what they know and they lack the desire to dig deeper.