My son was dying if cancer and heart failure. I was pressured as a single mother to go out in field service while he was sick to avoid becoming inactive. When I couldn't hold a job due to his illness. I asked for help paying a utility bill and they told me to ask my family ir a government agency. I left the J.W. to take care of my mental health.
Good for you! You did the right thing. Take of you and family first always! Not a man made cult. They don’t help their own members ever!!!!! That was a huge part of why we left.
Many churches and other charities would help you readily. Very ironic considering that you didn’t spend a dime of your money for them witnessing or buying the products of their publishing company.
That’s sad! Absolutely sad! Because if I needed the help I could go to my church. You should be able to feel safe asking for help from your local church. Thank God you got out! I’m so sorry you had to go through that!
When my wife ended our 25 year marriage I was so distraught I didn't go out in service and was working in another city. After 6 months, the service overseer called me, not to ask how I was but simply saying "You are no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses." I was floored but just threw in the towel and eventually began to enjoy life without all the stress and responsibility.
Sorry for your loss I’m sure that wasn’t easy. I was similar boat but I had a baby before marriage. Same 6 months in I was under so much stress now homeless because my elder father didn’t want me living in the home and they made me come to them about 20 miles from where I could afford to move from my family’s home 🏡 congregation to have an elders meeting. I had the meeting it basically was them to disfellowship me. They could have called my big belly self instead of adding more stress to me. I had my daughter early due to stress. I’ve never heard from them since. Not one peep. Not one how are you and the baby? Do you need anything? Some food, clothes for baby, encouragement? Nothing. Just disfellowshipped and now not worthy of being shown love. Then a couple years later some elders came to my studio apartment while they were out in service not knowing me just preaching the tracks. I told them a little bit of how i was treated of course their reasoning is that is my elders that’s not all elders that’s my father not all family disassociates from their disfellowshipped family. I’m like then why is this in the videos at the conventions to treat disfellowshipped family like strangers? I thought about going back but I worship YAH and his son Yashua through truth and in spirit and go to church where they do the things of YAH like helping the poor not just JW only. Smh
So you were basically disfellowshipped just because you were inactive for 6 months? That's outrageous. I walked away and told the brothers in my local congregation and said I need to walk away for a while and they did nothing. I'm just inactive and that is all. It sounds like you have some radical brothers. Bring it up to the CO and tell him what you were told.
No I was not disfellowshipped, just inactive and I drifted for years until I read Crisis of Conscience and then totally against all religion. The elders there kept me on as an elder for a year after I was inactive!. I have never been DF'd and 2 of my daughters speak with me and even visit me but one daughter and my son shun me after the 2016 convention telling them to shun even family that just drift. Wasted 46 years of my life.@@clarkgrayhame1250
Horrid system never ever mentioned by Jesus. The roles in the assembly aka church r in first Timothy. No 8 bald headed men channeling! First of all , the parables were to the jews. So Charles Russell being an ill educated guy takes the parable and makes it foundational to this age?? Wth!?? The parables are repeated ( in psalms, proverbs( maybe even Matt. To the jews. b c God is coming back and the wise and faithful servant is just that: a wise and faithful jew. Church Age under Paul he s apostle to gentiles that d be you and me. Romans to philemon. Tada!!!!!!! " rightfully "divide the Word of Truth. They don't!!!!!
Here's what makes it so confusing and so deceiving to me I don't understand why, if it's a religious institute and it's a way to a better understanding about going to better place while you are still in the present and the company of sinful man kind . If you are sent to attend the farm fields to help with production you would have to give of yourself in order to have an abundant Harvest, which is not always the case if there's not prepping involved . My thought in this matter is that one has to get the Speck out of one's own eyes first before one can do anything for themselves. before they can go onto any type of Realms yes there are three type Realms of Existence . #1 the Desire Realm #2 the Form Realm and #3 the Formless Realm If I was one to choose I'll go with the #2 (⁽'°?..✌ . 〈〈\)‾‾‾" ⁽)〉\\ If you ever realize what this is all about, you would stay in the middle then and only then you'll find ther's Riddle that you are to solve . It's about you, believe me is true . Now what you must do °?• just don't do it for you 👈⁾) The Riddle is in you hand now what would you do for a man . You would have to keep it in the middle to solve a life full of Riddle and moved way ahead of everyone else .
When I was dating my first wife, I went out in service with an elder who asked me “how much time does she spend in service each month?” I honestly had no idea how many hours she did and frankly didn’t care and since I was fudging my numbers, I told him she put in 20 hours a month. As soon as he heard that, he said: “She sounds like a fine sister.” She turned out to be the exact opposite.
@robthames5065 -- that's so messed up. I was passed over by a brother who preferred to marry a pioneer and since they only dated for about 9 months before getting married; they didn't know much about each other except for the obvious number of hours they both spent in the ministry. About a year into the marriage, they both wanted out after realizing that they had nothing in common; she only stayed because she couldn't support herself financially...both are miserable.
@Ava2969ny I knew a young couple in the Bronx, who got married because they were so horny. They got married, did the deed and then looked at each other like "is that it?" They were miserable.
My too-young marriage was always a struggle, and emotionally abusive, but when my husband got appointed as an MS, he got even more arrogant and abusive, and I had to leave then. Being an MS made him a worse person than ever. I finally told the elders how I'd been treated the whole marriage. They took his side.
OMG !!! As a born in JW counting Time was my pet peeve… I asked my mom if the WT organization didn’t require reporting time would you have gone out Field Service she said No to her it was more of an obligation instead a Freedom of choice !!! 🤔
I thought to myself a couple of years ago, “If they stop time reporting it will be proof positive they are in dire trouble and they cannot print their appalling numbers!”
Almost had a breakdown about the hours in the ministry and eventually was forced to leave the organisation for the same of my mental health. It affected my whole life and my marriage. I'm so angry about the pain this caused and the governing body have no idea, not do they care.
Oh they know. They just dont give af because they are to delusional thinking they are doing gods work. When its actually just flip flopping all over the place with no repercussions whatsoever. Last anual meeting, 2023 they even stated we dont need to appologize for mistakes bassicly, so there is that with gods "humble" men.
I am sure that the GB know exactly what they have done to thousands if not millions of people. They have used us as worker ants...they are now telling their people that they've been had. They are laughing at their followers, making fun of them for working and donating faithfully to a few men who use God's name to manipulate their followers...
No one hated the door to door work than me. Forced to go as a little kid. Going to the meetings was bad but door knocking was far worse. Geeze, that was awful. I am so glad i never did anything like that to my kids.
I was also forced and dragged to go door to door and to meetings as a little girl. I was so embarrassed I would pray no one would answer or god forbid someone i knew!!! 😱. I was always so embarrassed about it . Even as a kid, i just had a gut feeling it was wrong and off. I grew up and swore i would never do that to my kids. Also the holidays! No one at my school ever knew i was a witness, i never told anyone. i think my childhood was ruined in a very sad way! I hate this religion so much. I have been shunned for many years now because of it. my mother and two sister’s have not spoken to me for years. They are still brainwashed. Ruined the family. JW’s are toxic!!!!
I HATED going out in service and I hated anyone knowing I was a JW. I felt like it was something I had to hide. It was so embarrassing. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve felt comfortable admitting what religion I was raised in.
Way back a long long time ago I reached out to be a pioneer. I missed the hours required which were 100hrs. Missed by maybe 10 hrs because of being sick with the flu. Brother Steel congregation overseer deemed me unworthy of being a pioneer and told me to serve 6 more months as a vacation pioneer. That's when I realized he had no power over me serving Jehovah. I continued going out with the pioneers assisting them and putting in my time as a pioneer. I never held that position in the congregation but still served as one. Long story short, I saw through this organization and faded. That was 40 yrs ago.
@@jackiepowell7513 thanks! But I dont think you need to be smart. You just have to be logical. I drank the koolaid just like everyone else did, but then I started to think. If Jehovah doesn't lie, how's it possible to change truth?...unless it wasn't truth in the first place.
@@tammyg8031 back then there was this one scripture that we quoted to our bible studies. Make sure of all things...so I did. It took me a while, but once I gave myself permission to ask the question, stuff just didn't add up. I never asked the elders. I found my own answers.
All I can say is, if my mother doesn't see the reality of this facade of a religion now, the problem is her! I still have hope that she wakes up before she dies and we can have a normal relationship for once in both our lives. I left 17 years ago and I have never looked back once. 1:16:25 JT you hit the nail on the head there.
I experienced a family emergency in June of this year and I reported 0 hours being honest and to see what they would do. Needless to say they tore me to pieces trying to get me to put one hour so the CO wouldn’t see a 0 on the records. And they then had a local needs about it and a different brother than who berated me said word for word what was said to me. I was so hurt and now this announcement. I’m officially done.
Years back, I had fractured my foot, put in a no weight bearing cast for 18 weeks. I had two young children, and a full time job in elementary education. After keeping up with laundry, providing meals for my family, basic necessities, to say that I was exhausted by the end of my day, was an understatement. I became so depressed. No one came to help, or encourage, save for my mother. I remember her saying to me, “If you could make more of an effort to be at meetings and service, I would get more visitors and assistance from the congregation.” I believe the focus of the organization will turn to being “seen”.
The Bible admonishes: Don t change one jot or tittle. The not is not accepted by Greek scholars so that and 200 translations in the 70 s , make the kjv the best. O defer to rev gene kim . Pull down his topics. Great teacher. Pastor-teacher teacher , set up in First Timothy btw!!!
@@jackiepowell7513 STRONG’S DICTIONARY OF BIBLE WORDS Featuring: Jehovah, Yehovah, and Jehovih False names never revealed from God: The consensus of Christian scholars finds the name Jehovah (also transliterated as YeHoVaH) to be a hybrid form derived by combining the Hebrew letters יהוה (YHWH, later rendered in the Latin alphabet as IHVH, and later in English as JHVH) with the vowels of Adonai, Eloah, and Elohim (Roy Kotansky, Jeffrey Spier, "The 'Horned Hunter' on a Lost Gnostic Gem", The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 88, No. 3 (Jul., 1995), p. 318. Quote: "Although most scholars believe "Jehovah" to be a late (c. 1100 CE) hybrid form derived by combining the Latin letters JHVH with the vowels of Adonai [the traditionally pronounced version of יהוה), many magical texts in Semitic and Greek establish an early pronunciation of the divine name as both Jehovah and Yehovah." In other words false names). Jehovah is a concoction, a false name, never revealed by God with a sinister meaning. Strong’s # 1942 and # 1943, Je-hovah specifically, “hovah,” means: ruin, mischief, and calamity. Therefore, this euphonious name: “Je-hovah” means “Ruin, Mischief, and Calamity.” Jehovah is a concoction of the vowels of Eloah, a Hebrew word for God, placed, added, onto the Tetragrammaton* YHWH, but using these modified consonants JHVH makes: JeHoVaH (Jehovah, a concoction of the vowels of Eloah placed onto JHVH, due to a Jewish practice for the purpose to remind the readers in the synagogue not to attempt to pronounce the name of God, but say, “Adonai,” instead). *{Tetragrammaton is derived from a Greek word meaning the four consonant letters of God’s actual name.} Jehovih is another concoction, false name. Strong’s # 3069, Yehovih, caused by the vowels of Elohim added to YHVH, a variation of YHWH. YeHoViH, another concoction due to the Jewish practice of adding vowels to YHWH, which later became YHVH and then another variation JHVH. (JHVH)/Jehovih exists because of the Jewish practice of adding vowels to God’s true consonantal name YHWH to remind the Hebrew reader, reading in the synagogues, not to attempt to pronounce the name (HaShem) of God, but to say, “Adonai,” instead. Yehovah is the more commonly found concoction. Many Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) have in its text YHWH (pronounced in Hebrew “Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey,”) originally, and later to changed, by Ashkenazi Jews, to YHVH, and further changed according to the Latin language to IHVH, and even further changed in English to JHVH with the vowels of Eloah added causing JeHoVaH. Strong’s # 3068, Yehovah/Jehovah, with the vowels of Eloah added to YHVH, causing YeHoVaH, and thus this name is also a concoction, and therefore never revealed by God. When did the Lord reveal His name? Answer: Exodus 3:13, Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH,” (Translated: “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM {YAH} has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name {YAH} forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’” “Halleluyah, ‘Praise YAH’ forever!” True worshipers do not praise Jah, Jeh, Yeh, or Ia, as in alleluia, causing “Praise Ia.” Strong’s # 1961/# 1962, “HaYAH” (The I AM) falsely connected to “hovah”, as in Je-hovah. The true definition of HaYAH is not connected in any way with ruin, mischief, and calamity, however, due to the false name Jehovah it is wrongly associated. Because of the false Yeh, that comes from Jeh-ovah, there is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, which God never said. This would cause the error in the expression of Halleluyah, Praise YAH, to be Halleluyeh, and again this would be an error. There is already an error in Hallelujah, as there is no equivalent letter j in the Hebrew alphabet, and yet the letter Y is the equivalent to the Hebrew letter Yod. Making for the correct expression in English to be Halleluyah. Does one’s language dictate another name for God that was never revealed by God, and which would replace the revelation from God with a substitute name never revealed by God. YAH is “the name which is above every name.” YAH Strong’s # 3050, “YAH” I AM/does not mean Yeh, Jeh, Jah, Iah, or Ia, and His name has nothing to do with Jehovah, (Je-hovah), as hovah with a sinister meaning. And yet due to the false name Jehovah, the expression of HaYAH is falsely tied to ruin, mischief, and calamity. YAH means I AM. YAH is the essential name of salvation: “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2 NKJV). YAH is the only name of salvation, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Christ told the Jews that His name is YAH, when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). He literally told them He is YAH, as in YAHSHUA meaning “I AM Salvation.” The apostle Peter testified, before the Sanhedrin (Jewish Court), to the name “YAH” in the context of salvation, “shua”, and he full of the Holy Spirit, said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). When the Sanhedrin heard the name of God {YAH}, “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of YAHSHUA” (Acts 4:18). The Jews did not hear the name Jesus because the name Jesus did not exist until the 17th century. Noted historian Ernest Renan wrote that Christ was never known in His lifetime as “Jesus” (Ernest Renan, The Life of Jesus, p. 90). The Apostle Paul, who was called Saul on the road to Damascus encountered the Savior. “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am YAHSHUA, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 26:12-15). The Apostle Paul recognized YAH in the name of the Savior, and he testified that, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that YAHSHUA the Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Behold, the only name of salvation “YAHSHUA”, and are you going to reject this name YAHSHUA for a name, Jesus, that has only existed since the 17th century? Then heed the warning of the Gospel, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).
I think that this is a last ditch effort to hold onto the members they have left. Watchtower is hemorrhaging profusedly due to the global work of the exJW community. And since they are determined to not change any of their policies (which is the real reason they are losing members), they assume that if they lighten some of the load the members are carrying, the current rank and file will stay.
I think this is the case. Over the years they’ve always drawn back in various ways. Just like there used to be 3 meetings a week and eventually it was cut down to 2 and that was shocking. I’m surprised they haven’t shifted one of the meetings to completely virtual/zoom.
I predict an upcoming change will be doing away with the Friday session of regional conventions. Many JWs don't attend because of work and there is nothing in the Bible that says Christian meetings must be scheduled to clash with secular work times to create unnecessary hardship and tensions. and anxieties surrounding secular employment.
Let’s think about this. For those that believe in God and are JW, your manner of service to him and knowledge is controlled by a bunch of 👴🏻 in Warwick. They can change your life in an instant all with one announcement. It is amazing.
The Warwick is White Supremist. (The system of things). JW has been deceiving its audience for quite some time. People are waking up and seeing the invisible hand behind the curtain.
I’m shocked at all the changes. I was born into the religion, and got away from it and have been free for 33 years now. Still, watching these videos that come up once in a while bring up so many bad memories…yet I can’t seem to be able to turn them off. We all have our stories. For me, the loss of my childhood, lost and strained family relationships, and lost years of my life just make me sad. Futility, that’s the word…feeling like it was all for nothing.
I became an unbaptized publisher at age 9. A few weeks later an elder came to my dad and told him that I had reported only 1 hour field service and that he needed to see to it that I go out more often. I heard it from my room and felt so ashamed and embarrassed 😢
What!?!? I’m no longer considered inactive, or a low hour publisher!! Yaaahhoooooooo! I’m now worthy and considered a good witness who can be readily invited to gatherings, and a good catch for the opposition sex 🎉. Oh wait, I left 2 years ago. A *publisher* is someone who works (WT slaves) for a book publishing company, selling and pushing their books, magazines, and tracts, etc.
I remember circuit overseer in UK Michael Spurr giving a talk shaming the congregation because their hours were below the national average, saying "imagine I'm holding a jug of congealed blood in my hand, and because your hours are low I'm going to pour this blood all over you, because you are blood guilty, because your hours are too low". Actually many in the congregation were shocked at the venom and nastiness in his tone. Now hours no longer matter!
an elder in a talk said "how would you like to be only able to live in the new system the amount of time you spent in field service" his intent was to humiliate us "1 hour" a month wonders. applying critical thinking to his absurd statement i concluded that in time there would be no one left in the new system.
They removed my husband as a Ministerial servant after our baby died because he was not regular on service. We were still grieving and when they made the announcement it was so embarrassing, and the brothers and started too look down on us. When the CO came he was so cold and showed no empathy.
"You had to be SEEN, you had to be visible." Thats where my "invisibility complex" comes from. I H A T E being seen by people. I hide from everybody. The never ending discipline, correction, brow beating, judging..... I hated being around them in the field service so bad that I've been isolating myself for 10 years and LOVE my comfort zone right there.
It was Raymond Franz who wrote the article about sacred service, because he wanted to get away from counting hours, but make Christian living all encompassing, such as looking after the poor and sick and charitable works. Look where that got him, kicked off the Governing Body and disfellowshipped. Seems like WT is going back to Ray's idea!
I remember the 10hr mimimum requirement, i remember when there was a subscription to watchtower and awake that we paid for, there used to be prices for all of the literature. We used to sell the magazines for 50 cents for the pair, then it went up to $1. After that, they went to the donations, give what you can. And you were expected, "required" to buy all of the new publications when they came out. Bound volumes each year and all the other publications the publishing company came up with to sell to us.
I was always fudging my hours if I did hand it in but mostly I forgot to hand in and couldn’t be bothered. I’m sure I was classified as inactive publisher 😂. Glad I prioritised the beach on Saturdays. I noticed last year and this year before I left that field service was really struggling. People were over it post covid where they could had a break as a JW. They had a taste of freedom and then were forced to go back again. A lot of JWs thought covid meant end of the preaching work.
Yes I’ve been inactive (apparently it’s called fading, just learned that term a few days ago) over a decade and a family member of mine mentioned that during Covid they were being told “the good news HAS been preached”. They really believed Covid was the end. I’m sure they lost a lot of folks after that. I’m not saying the end won’t come. But the Bible says no man will know.
I was studying with a young 20 yr. old, they denied her getting baptized because her "time" was too low?!? She was devastated! She felt unwanted, not good enough! Her JW mother wrote a 10 page letter to the Branch! They could care less! The whole family left! They do hurt people with their stupid rules! That was another red flag 🚩I ignored!🙄😬🙏❤️
Yes same for me and my niece. I did just enough time to get baptised and then got back to the minimum 😅. This is useless to put this kind of pressure on the members. I'm eagerly waiting for their announcement as to why now it doesn't matter....
the roman catholic church does the same thing. They want you to follow their ''spiritual path'' for 1 year etc. Not saying its good but its how these cults operate before accepting you. they dangle the carrot of God
Watchtower should be seriously ashamed of themselves. The leadership has stolen their members' entire lives and doesn't even care. The governing body just slapped their members in the face the same way a pimp treats his prostitute...ABUSIVELY...
JT you nailed it. I see it first hand in my family. They need it! They have nothing without it! They've invested their lives to it. It upsets me they refuse to see the light..but as you said 'They don't want to see it' Love from Australia 🇦🇺
Even here in my country we all were doing that nonsense “drop our TIME first and go to group meetings”😂and what’s funnier is some sisters who couldn’t put TIME before the meeting, they will dash and go out of that hall as fast as they can after the prayer to find someone in the streets to start the TIME😅
I was a JW from birth to 10 years of age. I was a "publisher" Then my parents quit the organization and got divorced. I wandererd aimlessly for 33 years and finally got saved at the age of 43 by repenting and believing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Now I am an active member serving at a Calvary Chapel. My life is fuller than it has eve been in and through my Lord Jesus - the REAL Jesus of the Bible, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. The Word who has always been God!
I spoke to my mom, who is still an active JW, this afternoon. She said “now we will find out who is preaching for Jehovah and who is only doing it so they do t become inactive”. I told her that I always preach my truth about my faith without counting time to anyone. She said “as it should be”. I was kind of shocked because she agreed with me. Lol
Wow, this is like reverse psychology: go out in field service more so that I am not silently marked as inactive. Now it’s a choice, those who do not “choose“ to meet with the group, are really those who should otherwise be considered inactive.
@@JWEscape But all of you ignore my simple question 🤣, Jesus sent all of you to preach about the JW's or satan sent all of you to preach about the JW's???????
When JT said tonight that the members of the congregation are not called members anymore, it hit me that WT doesn't want to be connected in a way that could prove they have authority over rank & file. So now people ("congregants") who don't have a title such as pioneer or elder, are not to be turning in time as if to their superiors.
Jesus disciples didn't have a title such as governing body or or any other title so I really don't know who these people think they are 😂. I think they are a bunch of nuts that brain washed them all !! They are in such fear it's hard for me to wrap my head around . My mother was a JW but she is gone now but I still have 2 sisters and a that are step into this
Sounds like the same approach their in-house lawyer was fined $150,000 for misleading the court. This is probably how they step away from CSA responsibility but leave elders 100% exposed. Although everyone knows how it once was they will only be concerned about establishing the new chains of command they are now putting in place. Good to document the old structure as much as possible if you are an elder likely to come under fire. Personally I don’t feel sorry for ANYBODY who fails to protect a child at the behest of ANYONE, their religious overlord or not and is a parasite and deserves whatever the justice system lashes them with.
I’ve always wondered how it is that other Christian denominations managed to continue their existence without going door to door like the JWs. Looking back I started waking up when I was asked by an Elder to add my informal witnessing time to my time sheet so it could look better for that month which left me feeling a bit unsettled for some reason
I was having a health crisis with one of my children and I didn't have the Mental strength to go out preaching, they paid me a Visit to ask why I was missing Meetings and not preaching and I broke down. I was told the best solution to all my problems was to go preaching as much as possible and attend all meetings. I told a sister about my suicidal ideation and she started to distance herself from me and eventually ignored me. It a diabolical Group of people.
That sounds about right. There is a lot of pressure and expectations you have to continually uphold. It is exhausting. Look after yourself and your children first, because nobody else will.
TICK THAT BOX ✅😃👍. Now there won’t be any “irregular” publishers anymore 🤣 One can do as little as displaying a brochure on their work desk or dropping off a magazine at a laundromat, or claiming a few minutes of informal witnessing and remain in good standing and stay golden ! ! 😃👍😇
JW Counting time ⏰ From Truth to Trash; 100+ years of doctrinal ’truth’ simply dismissed with the wave of a pinky ring finger ! All the reasons, justifications and emphasis for counting time as brought out in various publications, such as in the ‘Organized’ book, for over 100 years is now obsolete ? ! ! Publishers have always been scrutinized, judged, evaluated as to their standing, their spirituality, according to their field-service time. The Elders and CO’s recommendations for MS’s and Elders appointments was based in large part on whether a brother was meeting the field-service hour requirements. In many instances Low-hour / Single-digit publishers have been judged as being spiritually weak, made to feel guilty and held at arms length for not fulfilling national average expectations. One’s who may have balked at having to record and report their time and voiced their sentiments as to it just being between themselves and God , have been harshly criticized and were viewed with suspicion of having ‘apostate’ leanings. But now; now that this generation of GB have suddenly changed it, now it’s ok ! What’s the REAL reason the reporting is being discontinued ? ? You know there’s got to be some ulterior motive / some legal loophole they’re taking advantage of, or legal issue they’re circumventing; Like when they stopped charging money for the magazines & books due to the Jimmy Swaggart tax issue. 💵 One thing is for sure; Now there won’t be any “irregular” publishers anymore 🤣 One can do as little as displaying a brochure on their work desk, dropping off a magazine at a laundromat, or claiming a few minutes of informal witnessing and can remain in good standing. 😃👍 Just check the box ✅ and you’re golden 😇✨ This must have Jumpin’ Judge Rutherford rolling in his grave, and the likes of old-school JW hardballers like Tight Pants Tony Morris fuming out of their ears ! !
I think there's a different reason. I think they're being investigated and they need their members not to seem like they're working so they cant be sued for piercing the veil. I think theirs a legal reason
I knew you were going to say when they stopped publishing the amount of disfellowshipped persons even before you said it, I was in the audience on a Thursday night for that announcement. I was annoyed because I always felt that we had a right to know. The organization is on a steady decline.
This channel is so fantastic and all the points you made will land with so many. Love what you guys are doing to help show how damaging this organization is spanning back over 100 years. You bring a much needed perspective to those questions we all had when we were first having doubts. Thank you so very much!
I always hated going in field service. The concept of recording time was idiotic to me. If Jehovah can see all & knows all, why do we have to bother him with our petty human calculations? If Jehovah is an eternal being & the goal of being a JW is to live forever, then why do we need to report hours to human authorities? 🤔Never made sense to me. Result: Even tho I never got baptized (due to the fear/trauma of being disfellowshipped) my family still shunned me.🤷♀🤦♀🙄So I ended up disfellowshipping myself lol
I remember applying to serve at bethel and the application asked for your field service times for the last 6 months too... The elders told me I didnt have enough hrs...Now they dont count time anymore lol
Thank you for this podcast. I've spent almost 3 decades trying to understand my best friend and her family. Some are still Jw's and most have gotten out. We never discussed religion (which to this day is an amazing thing in and of itself). Now I understand why she spends so much time working...she's making up for not being out on service as a JW. She also goes overboard an every holiday! It also explains why she makes things up! When the story constantly changes you make those "adjustments" in every area of life~
My brother is a missionary. Him and his wife do cart work in front of their house from 7 to noon. Go in the house for the rest of the day. The new preaching method. My ex was the secretary in the congregation he wrote bogus hours for himself every month between 16 to 20. Truth is 4 hours per month. 1 hour Saturday morning. Plus he wrote bogus hours for nonreporting publishers. He didn't want to make shepherding calls. We had 150 publishers and 30 didn't report.😂
This is exactly the point. Reports have been manipulated for years by group overseers to avoid the CO criticism. Publishers have been falsifying reports just as well.. so the entire purpose of reporting has been defeated.
1:04:00 I used to get ragged on HARD for not commenting enough. Some people came up to me after the meeting and that’s all they’d do is criticize me. I was just a very shy child so I only felt comfortable to comment in smaller groups like Book Study. I broke down in tears one time after someone criticized me about that because I was so sick of it. One time I had a brother call on me out of the blue and forced me to read a scripture during the watchtower when I had not raised my hand.
@@yenbbc8840and I saw a video on their website once saying “commenting is always voluntary”. Apparently not for me. It’s interesting to hear other people had such similar experiences to me because I always felt like I was the only one and my mother thought I was lying when I told her the things people were saying to me, which REALLY made me think it was just me.
I had a jw friend in high school and I’d research the organization and would ask him if he was counting the time we talked which was hours sometimes. He always denied it until I went to college he went to build halls then he finally confessed and told me the truth. I always loved talking about god and would for hours so I never cared if he was counting or not He reached out during covid and I didn’t answer because he hurt my feelings when he made me ask him a question multiple times that wasn’t about the Bible and he ignored all those times I then realized he didn’t care about me as a friend and person he only wanted my time So yes their ‘time ‘ hurt people I lost a friend
I used to think if I died and came before God’s judgment seat He would check my time records and tell me I was so close, but I should have stayed out just a few more hours. 🥴 I left the JW cult years ago and never looked back. Freedom is wonderful.
One other thing that I think might be a reason for this change is all of the CSA lawsuits. If you think about it in the lawsuits, they mention about children going out one on one with people who weren’t their family. These children also had to be out in service, so that was like the one thing where they were commanded to do some thing by the governing body, where children might be alone with strangers, or people who can hurt them. As I say, always follow the money.
The GB don't want to report the decreasing numbers, now they have an excuse to not have to print and show it to the rank and file. Just like they combined congregations so the kingdom halls don't look so empty.
There's one thing I just realised: the whole structure/hierarchy of a congregation is based upon 'spirituality' aka time in the ministry. With the counting time removed the social structure will have to be redefined. I would love to hear the comments of the pioneers and elders in my old congregation about this and about their now 'just tick the box' fellow congregation members.....
When I was an active JW, one of my biggest pet peeves was hearing the older pioneer sisters say things like, “I gotta go out in service so I CAN GET MY TIME”. It always made me cringe that their first thought was counting their time and not preaching the message. And it is for THAT reason that I NEVER pioneered or even auxiliary pioneered. I never wanted to chain myself to a number. My last active year I even stopped counting my time and told the elders that I would report a symbolic one hour on my report to show that I was still active. They tried to argue against it but really couldn’t say anything at the end of the day and had to accept my decision.
What I said years before I woke up . I had always said for years if it's wrong to brag or put on the information Board OR make a annocement about how much a JW donated, ¿ Then by that same principle it would be wrong to make a annocement about how much time a person donated or keep human records of it ? It's been said that time is money . Just like the fact that Jehovah knows how much you donated , he also knows about any heartfelt time you share his word with people !!! The JW Organization says that there are no class distinctions and that we are all brothers and sisters to be viewed as equal. Then the Watchtower asks the question "¿Would you like to join the Ranks of Regular Pioneer? " .weight. ¿Isn't a Rank a class distinction & a prominent title ,that the Bible says not to do . When a Brother travels to give a talk why to do they anunce this is brother Smith a Elder from the ... congregation. Why can't they just say this is brother John Smith from the ... congregation . When the Bible says do not be called Rabi or by prominent titles . I noticed that all that was anti biblical since I was very young . But I only woke all the way up at age 37 three years ago . Now I'm not angry or bitter I'm greatful to Jehovah but I feel sorry for those that are deceved. I often laugh at myself because of how fooled I was it helps me stay more humble or less arrogant.
It begs the question, if we are in the final part of the last days, now in the final final part of the last days/Armaggedon as Stephen Lett said, why have they reduced the hours to just a few minutes and a tick in a box? It's hardly speeding up the work in these critical last days.
I remember calling in my hours when I visited Canada 🇨🇦 for my cousin’s funeral. My family members were concerned, I was focused on calling the UK 🇬🇧 whilst away for a funeral. They asked me to show them where in the scriptures any Christian had to report their hours in God's word. I was newly qualified, working full-time and started on the pioneer assist program and had to make my hours each month. The seed was planted by my family and I tried to question it and didn’t get a sound answer. It was surveillance of the membership. I remember an elderly sis worrying she could not make her hours when she was feeling frail it’s heartbreaking 💔 when I reflect on this.
Major difference between historical Christianity and a cult: In historical Christianity, interpretations and understandings and customs are established gradually and by many people's thoughts, and revised very carefully. In a cult-- some dude changes everything overnight, and claims that Scripture mandated it.
A friend and his wife recently had a baby, she’s been very sick and run down, so they hadn’t been putting in as much time as usual, so last week, he was removed as a servant, because he didn’t have the national average. Insanity.
I really get the feeling that they'll be moving away from shunning in the next few years. They know they're being labeled as a cult and that label is becoming more and more associated with their organization. It really only makes sense to me to move away from the shunning practice in order to make their organization seem more accepting, less closed off, and to hopefully "bring back" more past followers. This is obviously just my speculation but I wouldn't be surprised if if happens.
This is the biggest thing that they should change if they want to keep members! I was shunned by my family…zero contact when I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and was using alcohol to self-medicate! I was thrown out like a piece of trash when I needed my family more than I ever had! My new husband now hates this religion! You can’t wrap his head around being treated that way by family, and yet preaching to total strangers etc! 🤷♀️.
1979 we went to field service with the 20 old elder´s wife in my car and my husband said: we can count the time from when we left the KH. And she said: What??? Are you counting time before you start a conversation with a person? He answered: Yes. And she threaten him: I am going to report you to my husband. Next time at the KH, we where called to the Back Room in order to receive a reprimand. It lasted for one hour. The elder brother was 25 years old with a lot of authority. (very dominant alfa male).
Imagine a company saying to its sales department that they were not required to inform thier sales. All they had to do each month was _say_ they sold something and keep their job.
I left the cult in 1985, same year I was baptized, 17 years old. I woke-up early. CSA from birth until 13 years old opened my eyes wide at a young age. I was 7 years old in 1975. I had real plans to end my life when I was 5 years old.
I was removed from regular pioneer list because I was short hours based on illness. I did not feel comfortable disclosing my medical situation with elder men as it was a female issue. So I was publicly announced I was no longer regular pioneer. I was depressed and devastated. And now this? Crazy!
I had forgotten about all those time-shaming talks. Our CO would shame our hall extensively whenever our average hours fell below the national average. And I remember a “local needs” talk about brothers reaching out who couldn’t be appointed because their wives only got 1-2 hours a month in service. I felt horrible because everyone knew exactly who they were talking about which felt cruel.
The new pressure will be to become a reg pioneer so that your time counts. I can see the org heading in that direction, this is too good to be true, some high standard has to arise from this. “If your time isn’t being counted then you are not doing enough for Jehovah,” type of nonsense.
I said exactly the same on another ex JW channel. That was why they lowered the pioneer hours to 30. The box ticker JW will be seen almost as bad association or they will be pressured to do 30hr a certain amount of times during the year, such as the memorial month.
@@ExJWCriticalThinkerAnyone who wants to be an elder or servant is going to have to do 30hr at some point during the year. It’ll be if you do so little for Jehovah that we can’t count your time kind of deal.
I have no words. Ex Elders wife, pioneer blah blah blah. Needed a hysterectomy, so sick but no, I HAD to keep going or else I’d be spoken to as not being spiritual enough. I am raging 😡
When I was young they would put an oversized chart on the stage. It had everyone’s hours etc totaled. The only time I recall my grandparents enter a KH was the chart night. Later they told me I was just a book salesman. Took years to figure out they were right.
I was a regular pioneer at the time when I had to turn in 100 hours. I still have family members still JW. I left over 40 years ago. They still speak because I can’t as never been disfellowship.
I remember keeping my little raggedy time slip, in the back of my bible, as a kid. Field service and early morning witnessing at gas stations is too dangerous. No idea they were losing members like this.
Love you guys. All you guys said is so true. When I heard. I really reacted as woah...when I was in and now Im out. I had left my job to be a pioneer. Really. Can you believe it! They wouldn't accept my application to pioneer as ...according to them my time each month was really low. There's no way I could fullfill my pioneer time. But wait I quit my job Really for this! 😮 It was ridiculous then as it is now. Let it be known time was a big huge deal it meant everything. Its connected to witnessing and if you don't believe its in their own name. Jehovah Witnesses. So glad someone helped me to see the real truth and get out in 2018. Its not the same organization I was in when we left. But I'm free now.
I'm trying to figure out how to tell this little story... Pioneers used to come to our house to meet for field service. This was BEFORE i was baptized. Later, I'd ask, "How many hours did we get in?" No one ever wanted to answer me. Well, they had started their time ON ME! So, they had like an hour MORE to count than I did.
I was out in service after the meeting on Sundays, Saturday morning, and Wednesday evening. And in the summer when I was out of school, on weekdays, I had to do steet corner witnessing (where you harrass people at busy intersections as they are rusing to the subway to go to work at 5am). All in an effort to be able to count more time and look spiritually zealous.
WHEN I FIRST HEARD THIS I JUST SHOOK MY HEAD AND GIGGLED AND SAID THEY JUST MAKE THIS STUFF UP AS THEY GO! BUUUUUUT THEEEEN , I STARTED THINKING ABOUT GROWING UP AND ALL THE VERBAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND EVEN PHYSICALLY FROM MY PARENTS....EVEN MY FRIENDS TELLIN ME HOW THEY HAVE TO FALL BACK FROM HANGING WITH ME BECAUSE OF ME NOT BEING SEEN IN SERVICE ON A REGULAR!! MY DAD WAS AN ELDER MY PRACTICALLY MY WHOLE LIFE AND MY MOM IS AND WAS A CRAAAAZY FINATICAL 90 TO 120 HOURS A MONTH CRAAAAAAAAZY DIDN'T CARE IF WE ATE BUT WOULD HAVE US OUT IN SERVICE FROM 6AM TO 6PM SOMETIMES LONGER. I WAS SUPER PRESSURED BECAUSE MY DAD'S POSITION AND MY MOM'S FEELING OF SHE WOULD DO US LIKE ABRAHAM WAS ABOUT TO DO ISSAC ON THAT TABLE BEFORE SHE WOULD COME OFF THAT PIONEER LIST!! LMAO I REMEMBER THE ELDERS WOULD MEET THE GROUP AND SET UP THE PARTNING UP MAAAAYBE DO A FEW DOORS....AND WOULD DISAPPEAR LITERALLY!!
In Europe counting time is much harder than in the USA because in the USA traveling distance is longer. This is one of many complications this religious administration has caused by not taking into account cultural, societal and political differences
I've heard a lot of reason here why they could be doing this. It could be a combination of them. I'm wondering if it isn't one more step in becoming a mostly internet televangelism organization. They don't go door to door anymore. Their cart witnessing consist of directing people to their website. To survive they're being forced to change. It already looks like a completely different organization than the one I was involved with.
I was raised Baptist converted to Catholic. I have studied Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’ve noticed for a while there was no door-to-door activity and now I see them in my shopping center. They stand on the corner with a magazine display. They don’t speak out unless someone shows interest.
The only thing you can be sure about the governing body is that any decision they make is for monetary gain. Up to now JWs in order to stay in good standing or progress in the organisation had to complete at least 10 hours preaching. There was nothing voluntary about it. Therefore if anything bad happened to them, like being attacked or assaulted while doing this work it could be argued that the organisation had a duty of care for these ones which could involve medical care or compensation. By now taking away the requirement to meet these hours or report them, all ordinary JWs become volunteers, choosing to do as little time they want . As such the organisation rids itself of any responsibility for their care thus avoiding any pay outs .Another benefit of course like any company that is going down the tubes it hides their terrible figures away from its investors ie the ordinary JWs.
As a pioneer PIMO for the past 2 decades, I'd quite often rounded my hours by adding just one zero to my unit figure i.e 5 turns out to be 50. Now is the time my zeros will have more value each month.
I can see more people now enjoying their freedom and time, there's already been a big decline in numbers since covid, this relaxation will make the decline bigger as the hour commitment has gone.
I also confirmed that they changed the timeline. That the separation of the sheep and the goats will be at the beginning of the great tribulation when “there will be evidence that organization was right”…for even disfellowshipped people.😂
They said the fall of false religion would be the sign of the tribulation. They just weren’t aware they’d be included. Time to wake up and get out. 😴🥱😑😮🫨✌️👋
Thank you for the encouragement to go see for myself what JW site says about bible studies. I have been affiliated with the witnesses since I was a child. Some of my relatives are witnesses. I had not studied for years, but during the pandemic my relative contacted me to attend a virtual meeting then another and so on. Another JW that knew me as child somehow got my number and we began a bible study over the phone that went on for months ; then JWs got instructions to go to the kingdom hall in person and I was told that my study had to now be in-person because thats what 'the Organisation' instructed . So why does the site indicate other options ( phone, email ) ? Crazy thing is if JT didn't encourage me go look I would not ever have guessed that an active JW ( an Elder's wife ) would have claimed to receive instructions that contradics info on THEIR SITE
The advice of lawyers..... that specialize in retention of an incorporated religion that enjoys a tax exempt status on all the private homes that publishers/ministers can evade contributing via tax by registering their house as a parsonage under the tax # purposely allowed to .... ultimately be used to destroy religion when the church cannot verify the hours spent preaching...thus resulting in the loss of exemption justifying the sale of parsonages ....along with kingdom halls....up graded due to demands made by the Judas lawyers closest to the money box billions of incorporations designed to be vulnerable by wolves trusted to edit anything that could seem seditious enough to threaten a potential loss of organized religions tax exempt status
I would consider attending.... oh wait....who knows what poison would be in the glass? Guaranteed guilt trip! No thanks! I'll make my own without the dose guilt trip. And ENJOY! 🍹
My son was dying if cancer and heart failure. I was pressured as a single mother to go out in field service while he was sick to avoid becoming inactive. When I couldn't hold a job due to his illness. I asked for help paying a utility bill and they told me to ask my family ir a government agency. I left the J.W. to take care of my mental health.
Good for you! You did the right thing. Take of you and family first always! Not a man made cult. They don’t help their own members ever!!!!! That was a huge part of why we left.
Many churches and other charities would help you readily. Very ironic considering that you didn’t spend a dime of your money for them witnessing or buying the products of their publishing company.
That’s sad! Absolutely sad! Because if I needed the help I could go to my church. You should be able to feel safe asking for help from your local church. Thank God you got out! I’m so sorry you had to go through that!
That's why Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20 You will recognize them by their fruits ** bottom line **
You made the right decision
When my wife ended our 25 year marriage I was so distraught I didn't go out in service and was working in another city. After 6 months, the service overseer called me, not to ask how I was but simply saying "You are no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses." I was floored but just threw in the towel and eventually began to enjoy life without all the stress and responsibility.
Sorry for your loss I’m sure that wasn’t easy. I was similar boat but I had a baby before marriage. Same 6 months in I was under so much stress now homeless because my elder father didn’t want me living in the home and they made me come to them about 20 miles from where I could afford to move from my family’s home 🏡 congregation to have an elders meeting. I had the meeting it basically was them to disfellowship me. They could have called my big belly self instead of adding more stress to me. I had my daughter early due to stress. I’ve never heard from them since. Not one peep. Not one how are you and the baby? Do you need anything? Some food, clothes for baby, encouragement? Nothing. Just disfellowshipped and now not worthy of being shown love.
Then a couple years later some elders came to my studio apartment while they were out in service not knowing me just preaching the tracks. I told them a little bit of how i was treated of course their reasoning is that is my elders that’s not all elders that’s my father not all family disassociates from their disfellowshipped family. I’m like then why is this in the videos at the conventions to treat disfellowshipped family like strangers? I thought about going back but I worship YAH and his son Yashua through truth and in spirit and go to church where they do the things of YAH like helping the poor not just JW only. Smh
So you were basically disfellowshipped just because you were inactive for 6 months? That's outrageous. I walked away and told the brothers in my local congregation and said I need to walk away for a while and they did nothing. I'm just inactive and that is all. It sounds like you have some radical brothers. Bring it up to the CO and tell him what you were told.
Hang in there my friend and served and prayed to the God of Abraham and the nation of Israel 🙏
No I was not disfellowshipped, just inactive and I drifted for years until I read Crisis of Conscience and then totally against all religion. The elders there kept me on as an elder for a year after I was inactive!. I have never been DF'd and 2 of my daughters speak with me and even visit me but one daughter and my son shun me after the 2016 convention telling them to shun even family that just drift. Wasted 46 years of my life.@@clarkgrayhame1250
Horrid system never ever mentioned by Jesus. The roles in the assembly aka church r in first Timothy. No 8 bald headed men channeling! First of all , the parables were to the jews. So Charles Russell being an ill educated guy takes the parable and makes it foundational to this age?? Wth!?? The parables are repeated ( in psalms, proverbs( maybe even Matt. To the jews. b c God is coming back and the wise and faithful servant is just that: a wise and faithful jew. Church Age under Paul he s apostle to gentiles that d be you and me. Romans to philemon. Tada!!!!!!! " rightfully "divide the Word of Truth. They don't!!!!!
I always said when I was going door to door, There's a big difference between counting time, and MAKING YOUR TIME COUNT 👏🏼. This is big news
PRECISELY !! 😏
So well put
Yep. Quality vs Quantity
Here's what makes it
so confusing and so deceiving
to me I don't understand why, if
it's a religious institute and it's a way
to a better understanding about going
to better place while you are still in the
present and the company of sinful man
kind . If you are sent to attend the farm
fields to help with production you would
have to give of yourself in order to have
an abundant Harvest, which is not always
the case if there's not prepping involved .
My thought in this matter is that one has to
get the Speck out of one's own eyes first
before one can do anything for themselves.
before they can go onto any type of Realms
yes there are three type Realms of Existence .
#1 the Desire Realm
#2 the Form Realm and
#3 the Formless Realm
If I was one to choose I'll go with the
#2 (⁽'°?..✌
. 〈〈\)‾‾‾"
⁽)〉\\
If you ever realize what this
is all about, you would stay in the
middle then and only then you'll
find ther's Riddle that you are to
solve .
It's about you, believe me is true .
Now what you must do °?•
just don't do it for you 👈⁾)
The Riddle is in you hand
now what would you do for a man .
You would have to keep it in the
middle to solve a life full of Riddle
and moved way ahead of everyone else .
When I was dating my first wife, I went out in service with an elder who asked me “how much time does she spend in service each month?” I honestly had no idea how many hours she did and frankly didn’t care and since I was fudging my numbers, I told him she put in 20 hours a month. As soon as he heard that, he said: “She sounds like a fine sister.” She turned out to be the exact opposite.
😂wow
@robthames5065 -- that's so messed up. I was passed over by a brother who preferred to marry a pioneer and since they only dated for about 9 months before getting married; they didn't know much about each other except for the obvious number of hours they both spent in the ministry. About a year into the marriage, they both wanted out after realizing that they had nothing in common; she only stayed because she couldn't support herself financially...both are miserable.
Great story thx
@Ava2969ny I knew a young couple in the Bronx, who got married because they were so horny. They got married, did the deed and then looked at each other like "is that it?" They were miserable.
My too-young marriage was always a struggle, and emotionally abusive, but when my husband got appointed as an MS, he got even more arrogant and abusive, and I had to leave then. Being an MS made him a worse person than ever. I finally told the elders how I'd been treated the whole marriage. They took his side.
OMG !!! As a born in JW counting Time was my pet peeve… I asked my mom if the WT organization didn’t require reporting time would you have gone out Field Service she said No to her it was more of an obligation instead a Freedom of choice !!! 🤔
Jesus sent all of you to preach about the JW's or satan sent all of you to preach about the JW's??????
So true for many jw
I thought to myself a couple of years ago, “If they stop time reporting it will be proof positive they are in dire trouble and they cannot print their appalling numbers!”
Almost had a breakdown about the hours in the ministry and eventually was forced to leave the organisation for the same of my mental health. It affected my whole life and my marriage. I'm so angry about the pain this caused and the governing body have no idea, not do they care.
I'm so sorry! ...but you will never hear the GB say that!
Oh they know. They just dont give af because they are to delusional thinking they are doing gods work. When its actually just flip flopping all over the place with no repercussions whatsoever.
Last anual meeting, 2023 they even stated we dont need to appologize for mistakes bassicly, so there is that with gods "humble" men.
I know the feeling😢
I am sure that the GB know exactly what they have done to thousands if not millions of people. They have used us as worker ants...they are now telling their people that they've been had. They are laughing at their followers, making fun of them for working and donating faithfully to a few men who use God's name to manipulate their followers...
@@j3in725they said that?? What did they say
No one hated the door to door work than me. Forced to go as a little kid. Going to the meetings was bad but door knocking was far worse. Geeze, that was awful. I am so glad i never did anything like that to my kids.
watching these types of videos is just making it worser for you buddy, your eyes will open soon though, dont ya worry my dude.
I was also forced and dragged to go door to door and to meetings as a little girl.
I was so embarrassed I would pray no one would answer or god forbid someone i knew!!! 😱. I was always so embarrassed about it . Even as a kid, i just had a gut feeling it was wrong and off.
I grew up and swore i would never do that to my kids. Also the holidays! No one at my school ever knew i was a witness, i never told anyone. i think my childhood was ruined in a very sad way!
I hate this religion so much.
I have been shunned for many years now because of it. my mother and two sister’s have not spoken to me for years. They are still brainwashed. Ruined the family. JW’s are toxic!!!!
your mother and 2 sisters are smart, sorry to inform you girl, but you're the one who is brainwashed@@valeriebryant2773
Almost everybody hates it
Elders included
I HATED going out in service and I hated anyone knowing I was a JW. I felt like it was something I had to hide. It was so embarrassing. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve felt comfortable admitting what religion I was raised in.
Way back a long long time ago I reached out to be a pioneer. I missed the hours required which were 100hrs. Missed by maybe 10 hrs because of being sick with the flu. Brother Steel congregation overseer deemed me unworthy of being a pioneer and told me to serve 6 more months as a vacation pioneer. That's when I realized he had no power over me serving Jehovah. I continued going out with the pioneers assisting them and putting in my time as a pioneer. I never held that position in the congregation but still served as one. Long story short, I saw through this organization and faded. That was 40 yrs ago.
You re smart
It’s all so arbitrarily isn’t it ? The whims of men posing as prophets.
So glad you left a long time ago. Good for you 👍
@@jackiepowell7513 thanks! But I dont think you need to be smart. You just have to be logical. I drank the koolaid just like everyone else did, but then I started to think. If Jehovah doesn't lie, how's it possible to change truth?...unless it wasn't truth in the first place.
@@tammyg8031 back then there was this one scripture that we quoted to our bible studies. Make sure of all things...so I did. It took me a while, but once I gave myself permission to ask the question, stuff just didn't add up. I never asked the elders. I found my own answers.
The Watchtower Layoffs have finally reached the publishers.
All I can say is, if my mother doesn't see the reality of this facade of a religion now, the problem is her! I still have hope that she wakes up before she dies and we can have a normal relationship for once in both our lives. I left 17 years ago and I have never looked back once. 1:16:25 JT you hit the nail on the head there.
In the exact same situation....I keep hoping she wakes up.
Me too, but from the looks of it mom dont care and will follow the governing buffoons no matter how obvious their stupidity is.
Me too.
I experienced a family emergency in June of this year and I reported 0 hours being honest and to see what they would do. Needless to say they tore me to pieces trying to get me to put one hour so the CO wouldn’t see a 0 on the records. And they then had a local needs about it and a different brother than who berated me said word for word what was said to me. I was so hurt and now this announcement. I’m officially done.
Years back, I had fractured my foot, put in a no weight bearing cast for 18 weeks. I had two young children, and a full time job in elementary education. After keeping up with laundry, providing meals for my family, basic necessities, to say that I was exhausted by the end of my day, was an understatement. I became so depressed. No one came to help, or encourage, save for my mother. I remember her saying to me, “If you could make more of an effort to be at meetings and service, I would get more visitors and assistance from the congregation.” I believe the focus of the organization will turn to being “seen”.
Wow
Do more and they they help you is the message
Wow
This sounds like PART of my story.
JT is making a GREAT point about the destined demise of the Writing Department and the total degeneration of WT publications.
Have a time stamp? Thanks
@@Mabeylater293try around 1:06:00.
The Bible admonishes: Don t change one jot or tittle. The not is not accepted by Greek scholars so that and 200 translations in the 70 s , make the kjv the best. O defer to rev gene kim . Pull down his topics. Great teacher. Pastor-teacher teacher , set up in First Timothy btw!!!
@@jackiepowell7513 STRONG’S DICTIONARY OF BIBLE WORDS
Featuring: Jehovah, Yehovah, and Jehovih
False names never revealed from God: The consensus of Christian scholars finds the name Jehovah (also transliterated as YeHoVaH) to be a hybrid form derived by combining the Hebrew letters יהוה (YHWH, later rendered in the Latin alphabet as IHVH, and later in English as JHVH) with the vowels of Adonai, Eloah, and Elohim (Roy Kotansky, Jeffrey Spier, "The 'Horned Hunter' on a Lost Gnostic Gem", The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 88, No. 3 (Jul., 1995), p. 318. Quote: "Although most scholars believe "Jehovah" to be a late (c. 1100 CE) hybrid form derived by combining the Latin letters JHVH with the vowels of Adonai [the traditionally pronounced version of יהוה), many magical texts in Semitic and Greek establish an early pronunciation of the divine name as both Jehovah and Yehovah." In other words false names).
Jehovah is a concoction, a false name, never revealed by God with a sinister meaning.
Strong’s # 1942 and # 1943, Je-hovah specifically, “hovah,” means: ruin, mischief, and calamity. Therefore, this euphonious name: “Je-hovah” means “Ruin, Mischief, and Calamity.” Jehovah is a concoction of the vowels of Eloah, a Hebrew word for God, placed, added, onto the Tetragrammaton* YHWH, but using these modified consonants JHVH makes: JeHoVaH (Jehovah, a concoction of the vowels of Eloah placed onto JHVH, due to a Jewish practice for the purpose to remind the readers in the synagogue not to attempt to pronounce the name of God, but say, “Adonai,” instead). *{Tetragrammaton is derived from a Greek word meaning the four consonant letters of God’s actual name.}
Jehovih is another concoction, false name.
Strong’s # 3069, Yehovih, caused by the vowels of Elohim added to YHVH, a variation of YHWH. YeHoViH, another concoction due to the Jewish practice of adding vowels to YHWH, which later became YHVH and then another variation JHVH. (JHVH)/Jehovih exists because of the Jewish practice of adding vowels to God’s true consonantal name YHWH to remind the Hebrew reader, reading in the synagogues, not to attempt to pronounce the name (HaShem) of God, but to say, “Adonai,” instead.
Yehovah is the more commonly found concoction. Many Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) have in its text YHWH (pronounced in Hebrew “Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey,”) originally, and later to changed, by Ashkenazi Jews, to YHVH, and further changed according to the Latin language to IHVH, and even further changed in English to JHVH with the vowels of Eloah added causing JeHoVaH.
Strong’s # 3068, Yehovah/Jehovah, with the vowels of Eloah added to YHVH, causing YeHoVaH, and thus this name is also a concoction, and therefore never revealed
by God.
When did the Lord reveal His name?
Answer: Exodus 3:13, Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH,” (Translated: “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM {YAH} has sent me to you.’”
15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name {YAH} forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’”
“Halleluyah, ‘Praise YAH’ forever!”
True worshipers do not praise Jah, Jeh, Yeh, or Ia, as in alleluia, causing “Praise Ia.”
Strong’s # 1961/# 1962, “HaYAH” (The I AM) falsely connected to “hovah”, as in Je-hovah. The true definition of HaYAH is not connected in any way with ruin, mischief, and calamity, however, due to the false name Jehovah it is wrongly associated. Because of the false Yeh, that comes from Jeh-ovah, there is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, which God never said. This would cause the error in the expression of Halleluyah, Praise YAH, to be Halleluyeh, and again this would be an error. There is already an error in Hallelujah, as there is no equivalent letter j in the Hebrew alphabet, and yet the letter Y is the equivalent to the Hebrew letter Yod. Making for the correct expression in English to be Halleluyah. Does one’s language dictate another name for God that was never revealed by God, and which would replace the revelation from God with a substitute name never revealed by God. YAH is “the name which is above every name.”
YAH
Strong’s # 3050, “YAH” I AM/does not mean Yeh, Jeh, Jah, Iah, or Ia, and His name has nothing to do with Jehovah, (Je-hovah), as hovah with a sinister meaning. And yet due to the false name Jehovah, the expression of HaYAH is falsely tied to ruin, mischief, and calamity.
YAH means I AM. YAH is the essential name of salvation: “Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2 NKJV). YAH is the only name of salvation, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Christ told the Jews that His name is YAH, when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). He literally told them He is YAH, as in YAHSHUA meaning “I AM Salvation.”
The apostle Peter testified, before the Sanhedrin (Jewish Court), to the name “YAH” in the context of salvation, “shua”, and he full of the Holy Spirit, said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). When the Sanhedrin heard the name of God {YAH}, “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of YAHSHUA” (Acts 4:18). The Jews did not hear the name Jesus because the name Jesus did not exist until the 17th century. Noted historian Ernest Renan wrote that Christ was never known in His lifetime as “Jesus” (Ernest Renan, The Life of Jesus, p. 90).
The Apostle Paul, who was called Saul on the road to Damascus encountered the Savior. “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am YAHSHUA, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 26:12-15).
The Apostle Paul recognized YAH in the name of the Savior, and he testified that, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that YAHSHUA the Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Behold, the only name of salvation “YAHSHUA”, and are you going to reject this name YAHSHUA for a name, Jesus, that has only existed since the 17th century? Then heed the warning of the Gospel, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).
They fired most of those guys or sent them down to Script writing for the movie studio they have
I think that this is a last ditch effort to hold onto the members they have left. Watchtower is hemorrhaging profusedly due to the global work of the exJW community. And since they are determined to not change any of their policies (which is the real reason they are losing members), they assume that if they lighten some of the load the members are carrying, the current rank and file will stay.
Good point!
You people have no idea....just spew your garbage, distortion and lies. The increase this year has been phenomenal
I think this is the case. Over the years they’ve always drawn back in various ways. Just like there used to be 3 meetings a week and eventually it was cut down to 2 and that was shocking. I’m surprised they haven’t shifted one of the meetings to completely virtual/zoom.
I predict an upcoming change will be doing away with the Friday session of regional conventions. Many JWs don't attend because of work and there is nothing in the Bible that says Christian meetings must be scheduled to clash with secular work times to create unnecessary hardship and tensions. and anxieties surrounding secular employment.
Let’s think about this. For those that believe in God and are JW, your manner of service to him and knowledge is controlled by a bunch of 👴🏻 in Warwick. They can change your life in an instant all with one announcement. It is amazing.
The Warwick is White Supremist. (The system of things).
JW has been deceiving its audience for quite some time.
People are waking up and seeing the invisible hand behind the curtain.
Wow good point, even they are not inspired and infallible😂
100+ years of doctrinal ’truth’ simply dismissed with the wave of a pinky ring finger.
👍👍👍👍@@ShoNuffSoulBro1 😓
Truth!!!
I’m shocked at all the changes. I was born into the religion, and got away from it and have been free for 33 years now. Still, watching these videos that come up once in a while bring up so many bad memories…yet I can’t seem to be able to turn them off. We all have our stories. For me, the loss of my childhood, lost and strained family relationships, and lost years of my life just make me sad. Futility, that’s the word…feeling like it was all for nothing.
I became an unbaptized publisher at age 9. A few weeks later an elder came to my dad and told him that I had reported only 1 hour field service and that he needed to see to it that I go out more often.
I heard it from my room and felt so ashamed and embarrassed 😢
Disbelief, Laughter, Anger because we did all of that for NOTHING 🤬
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I gave them the most productive part of my life
What!?!? I’m no longer considered inactive, or a low hour publisher!! Yaaahhoooooooo! I’m now worthy and considered a good witness who can be readily invited to gatherings, and a good catch for the opposition sex 🎉. Oh wait, I left 2 years ago. A *publisher* is someone who works (WT slaves) for a book publishing company, selling and pushing their books, magazines, and tracts, etc.
I can relate 😂
😂
We all now can be in good standing with 7min a month
@@ExJWCriticalThinker 30 seconds. How long does it take to cut and paste
@@ExJWCriticalThinker and, thus we can as well be declared “good association “ 😏
I remember circuit overseer in UK Michael Spurr giving a talk shaming the congregation because their hours were below the national average, saying "imagine I'm holding a jug of congealed blood in my hand, and because your hours are low I'm going to pour this blood all over you, because you are blood guilty, because your hours are too low". Actually many in the congregation were shocked at the venom and nastiness in his tone.
Now hours no longer matter!
Sounds like Tony Morris twin brother
I knew Spurr! What a horrible thing he said! Unreal
Our congregation called Mr Spurr the windmill because of how his arms would flail about. His wife seemed always miserable
an elder in a talk said "how would you like to be only able to live in the new system the amount of time you spent in field service" his intent was to humiliate us "1 hour" a month wonders. applying critical thinking to his absurd statement i concluded that in time there would be no one left in the new system.
They removed my husband as a Ministerial servant after our baby died because he was not regular on service. We were still grieving and when they made the announcement it was so embarrassing, and the brothers and started too look down on us. When the CO came he was so cold and showed no empathy.
I’m so sorry they treated you like that
Legalism is an understatement! Jesus died to set u free not give you a time card!??? My, my.
The GB is like a kid who changes the rules of a playground game when they realise they're losing.
Well put
yep and then they get mad and take their ball home.
"You had to be SEEN, you had to be visible." Thats where my "invisibility complex" comes from. I H A T E being seen by people. I hide from everybody. The never ending discipline, correction, brow beating, judging..... I hated being around them in the field service so bad that I've been isolating myself for 10 years and LOVE my comfort zone right there.
It was Raymond Franz who wrote the article about sacred service, because he wanted to get away from counting hours, but make Christian living all encompassing, such as looking after the poor and sick and charitable works. Look where that got him, kicked off the Governing Body and disfellowshipped.
Seems like WT is going back to Ray's idea!
Little to late now. They hade their chance back then.
Read Crisis of Conscience, Bro Franz discussed this in the book.
I remember the 10hr mimimum requirement, i remember when there was a subscription to watchtower and awake that we paid for, there used to be prices for all of the literature. We used to sell the magazines for 50 cents for the pair, then it went up to $1. After that, they went to the donations, give what you can. And you were expected, "required" to buy all of the new publications when they came out. Bound volumes each year and all the other publications the publishing company came up with to sell to us.
I was always fudging my hours if I did hand it in but mostly I forgot to hand in and couldn’t be bothered. I’m sure I was classified as inactive publisher 😂. Glad I prioritised the beach on Saturdays. I noticed last year and this year before I left that field service was really struggling. People were over it post covid where they could had a break as a JW. They had a taste of freedom and then were forced to go back again. A lot of JWs thought covid meant end of the preaching work.
Yes I’ve been inactive (apparently it’s called fading, just learned that term a few days ago) over a decade and a family member of mine mentioned that during Covid they were being told “the good news HAS been preached”. They really believed Covid was the end. I’m sure they lost a lot of folks after that. I’m not saying the end won’t come. But the Bible says no man will know.
Why even lie about your hours ? Why waste your time ? Don’t be a witness . Gross to lie
@@aliciahicks8020 compared to the lies this cult spews all the time I feel justified. Plus they weren’t entitled to know the truth from me lol.
I was studying with a young 20 yr. old, they denied her getting baptized because her "time" was too low?!? She was devastated! She felt unwanted, not good enough! Her JW mother wrote a 10 page letter to the Branch! They could care less! The whole family left! They do hurt people with their stupid rules! That was another red flag 🚩I ignored!🙄😬🙏❤️
Yes same for me and my niece. I did just enough time to get baptised and then got back to the minimum 😅. This is useless to put this kind of pressure on the members. I'm eagerly waiting for their announcement as to why now it doesn't matter....
the roman catholic church does the same thing. They want you to follow their ''spiritual path'' for 1 year etc. Not saying its good but its how these cults operate before accepting you. they dangle the carrot of God
Watchtower should be seriously ashamed of themselves. The leadership has stolen their members' entire lives and doesn't even care. The governing body just slapped their members in the face the same way a pimp treats his prostitute...ABUSIVELY...
🤔......👍👍👍
Your comment is right on target! Pimping their members is what they do best. Just sad...
JT you nailed it. I see it first hand in my family. They need it! They have nothing without it! They've invested their lives to it. It upsets me they refuse to see the light..but as you said 'They don't want to see it' Love from Australia 🇦🇺
Even here in my country we all were doing that nonsense “drop our TIME first and go to group meetings”😂and what’s funnier is some sisters who couldn’t put TIME before the meeting, they will dash and go out of that hall as fast as they can after the prayer to find someone in the streets to start the TIME😅
Yes we did
I was a JW from birth to 10 years of age. I was a "publisher" Then my parents quit the organization and got divorced. I wandererd aimlessly for 33 years and finally got saved at the age of 43 by repenting and believing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Now I am an active member serving at a Calvary Chapel. My life is fuller than it has eve been in and through my Lord Jesus - the REAL Jesus of the Bible, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. The Word who has always been God!
I spoke to my mom, who is still an active JW, this afternoon. She said “now we will find out who is preaching for Jehovah and who is only doing it so they do t become inactive”. I told her that I always preach my truth about my faith without counting time to anyone. She said “as it should be”. I was kind of shocked because she agreed with me. Lol
Jesus sent all of you to preach about the JW's or satan sent all of you to preach about the JW's???????
She can't deny the "Truth" 😂
Wow, this is like reverse psychology: go out in field service more so that I am not silently marked as inactive. Now it’s a choice, those who do not “choose“ to meet with the group, are really those who should otherwise be considered inactive.
@@JWEscape But all of you ignore my simple question 🤣, Jesus sent all of you to preach about the JW's or satan sent all of you to preach about the JW's???????
Everyday should be showing the fruits of the spirit to those you don’t know thats the word ..n the narrow path cuz they be shunnning so easily
When JT said tonight that the members of the congregation are not called members anymore, it hit me that WT doesn't want to be connected in a way that could prove they have authority over rank & file. So now people ("congregants") who don't have a title such as pioneer or elder, are not to be turning in time as if to their superiors.
Jesus disciples didn't have a title such as governing body or or any other title so I really don't know who these people think they are 😂. I think they are a bunch of nuts that brain washed them all !! They are in such fear it's hard for me to wrap my head around . My mother was a JW but she is gone now but I still have 2 sisters and a that are step into this
Good point. You know there must be an ulterior motive / some legal loophole they’re taking advantage of.
Sounds like the same approach their in-house lawyer was fined $150,000 for misleading the court.
This is probably how they step away from CSA responsibility but leave elders 100% exposed.
Although everyone knows how it once was they will only be concerned about establishing the new chains of command they are now putting in place.
Good to document the old structure as much as possible if you are an elder likely to come under fire. Personally I don’t feel sorry for ANYBODY who fails to protect a child at the behest of ANYONE, their religious overlord or not and is a parasite and deserves whatever the justice system lashes them with.
I’ve always wondered how it is that other Christian denominations managed to continue their existence without going door to door like the JWs. Looking back I started waking up when I was asked by an Elder to add my informal witnessing time to my time sheet so it could look better for that month which left me feeling a bit unsettled for some reason
I was having a health crisis with one of my children and I didn't have the Mental strength to go out preaching, they paid me a Visit to ask why I was missing Meetings and not preaching and I broke down. I was told the best solution to all my problems was to go preaching as much as possible and attend all meetings. I told a sister about my suicidal ideation and she started to distance herself from me and eventually ignored me. It a diabolical Group of people.
Sorry you had to endure that.
💔 huau that's evil.
That sounds about right. There is a lot of pressure and expectations you have to continually uphold. It is exhausting. Look after yourself and your children first, because nobody else will.
😢
TICK THAT BOX ✅😃👍.
Now there won’t be any “irregular” publishers anymore 🤣 One can do as little as displaying a brochure on their work desk or dropping off a magazine at a laundromat, or claiming a few minutes of informal witnessing and remain in good standing and stay golden ! ! 😃👍😇
And they can have blood fractals!
@@tony8570 Mmm 😋 Blood fractals GOOD ! ! 🧛🏻♂️🩸🎃
I think it's similar than that. They just need to tick a box.
JW Counting time ⏰
From Truth to Trash; 100+ years of doctrinal ’truth’ simply dismissed with the wave of a pinky ring finger !
All the reasons, justifications and emphasis for counting time as brought out in various publications, such as in the ‘Organized’ book, for over 100 years is now obsolete ? ! !
Publishers have always been scrutinized, judged, evaluated as to their standing, their spirituality, according to their field-service time.
The Elders and CO’s recommendations for MS’s and Elders appointments was based in large part on whether a brother was meeting the field-service hour requirements. In many instances Low-hour / Single-digit publishers have been judged as being spiritually weak, made to feel guilty and held at arms length for not fulfilling national average expectations.
One’s who may have balked at having to record and report their time and voiced their sentiments as to it just being between themselves and God , have been harshly criticized and were viewed with suspicion of having ‘apostate’ leanings. But now; now that this generation of GB have suddenly changed it, now it’s ok !
What’s the REAL reason the reporting is being discontinued ? ? You know there’s got to be some ulterior motive / some legal loophole they’re taking advantage of, or legal issue they’re circumventing; Like when they stopped charging money for the magazines & books due to the Jimmy Swaggart tax issue. 💵
One thing is for sure; Now there won’t be any “irregular” publishers anymore 🤣 One can do as little as displaying a brochure on their work desk, dropping off a magazine at a laundromat, or claiming a few minutes of informal witnessing and can remain in good standing. 😃👍
Just check the box ✅ and you’re golden 😇✨
This must have Jumpin’ Judge Rutherford rolling in his grave, and the likes of old-school JW hardballers like Tight Pants Tony Morris fuming out of their ears ! !
what about holding a good conscience
I think there's a different reason. I think they're being investigated and they need their members not to seem like they're working so they cant be sued for piercing the veil.
I think theirs a legal reason
I knew you were going to say when they stopped publishing the amount of disfellowshipped persons even before you said it, I was in the audience on a Thursday night for that announcement. I was annoyed because I always felt that we had a right to know. The organization is on a steady decline.
Do you notice a decline in the congregation numbers?
@@Alanhock75I notice it in my country. And we have around 29k members
This channel is so fantastic and all the points you made will land with so many. Love what you guys are doing to help show how damaging this organization is spanning back over 100 years. You bring a much needed perspective to those questions we all had when we were first having doubts. Thank you so very much!
I always hated going in field service. The concept of recording time was idiotic to me. If Jehovah can see all & knows all, why do we have to bother him with our petty human calculations? If Jehovah is an eternal being & the goal of being a JW is to live forever, then why do we need to report hours to human authorities? 🤔Never made sense to me. Result: Even tho I never got baptized (due to the fear/trauma of being disfellowshipped) my family still shunned me.🤷♀🤦♀🙄So I ended up disfellowshipping myself lol
I feel your pain. I'm so sorry to hear that. So hateful and Satanic to shun your loved ones!
Thank you very much for this program and for your words. I'm so happy, that my family is out of this. But so sad for every JWs and their lifes...
I remember applying to serve at bethel and the application asked for your field service times for the last 6 months too... The elders told me I didnt have enough hrs...Now they dont count time anymore lol
And when you arrive at bethel new rules apply. You can't hug the pillow to hard 😊
Thank you for this podcast. I've spent almost 3 decades trying to understand my best friend and her family. Some are still Jw's and most have gotten out. We never discussed religion (which to this day is an amazing thing in and of itself). Now I understand why she spends so much time working...she's making up for not being out on service as a JW. She also goes overboard an every holiday! It also explains why she makes things up! When the story constantly changes you make those "adjustments" in every area of life~
Trying to stop the rush out the back door, in affect
saying see it’s easier now please stay
My brother is a missionary. Him and his wife do cart work in front of their house from 7 to noon. Go in the house for the rest of the day. The new preaching method.
My ex was the secretary in the congregation he wrote bogus hours for himself every month between 16 to 20. Truth is 4 hours per month. 1 hour Saturday morning. Plus he wrote bogus hours for nonreporting publishers. He didn't want to make shepherding calls. We had 150 publishers and 30 didn't report.😂
😂
This is true they will put in and hour so that they will not be inactive
This is exactly the point. Reports have been manipulated for years by group overseers to avoid the CO criticism. Publishers have been falsifying reports just as well.. so the entire purpose of reporting has been defeated.
AMAZING! I got a whole new perspective from this video. Love your passion and thoughts on this change. I truly love you for doing these!😍
1:04:00 I used to get ragged on HARD for not commenting enough. Some people came up to me after the meeting and that’s all they’d do is criticize me. I was just a very shy child so I only felt comfortable to comment in smaller groups like Book Study. I broke down in tears one time after someone criticized me about that because I was so sick of it. One time I had a brother call on me out of the blue and forced me to read a scripture during the watchtower when I had not raised my hand.
same here. such bullies. comprised of two words bull lies.
@@yenbbc8840and I saw a video on their website once saying “commenting is always voluntary”. Apparently not for me. It’s interesting to hear other people had such similar experiences to me because I always felt like I was the only one and my mother thought I was lying when I told her the things people were saying to me, which REALLY made me think it was just me.
I wish they had done this 50 years ago! I hated field service.
Me too. So much pressure! Had to take my newborn out in field service way before I was ready.
I had a jw friend in high school and I’d research the organization and would ask him if he was counting the time we talked which was hours sometimes. He always denied it until I went to college he went to build halls then he finally confessed and told me the truth.
I always loved talking about god and would for hours so I never cared if he was counting or not
He reached out during covid and I didn’t answer because he hurt my feelings when he made me ask him a question multiple times that wasn’t about the Bible and he ignored all those times
I then realized he didn’t care about me as a friend and person he only wanted my time
So yes their ‘time ‘ hurt people I lost a friend
I used to think if I died and came before God’s judgment seat He would check my time records and tell me I was so close, but I should have stayed out just a few more hours. 🥴 I left the JW cult years ago and never looked back. Freedom is wonderful.
One other thing that I think might be a reason for this change is all of the CSA lawsuits. If you think about it in the lawsuits, they mention about children going out one on one with people who weren’t their family. These children also had to be out in service, so that was like the one thing where they were commanded to do some thing by the governing body, where children might be alone with strangers, or people who can hurt them. As I say, always follow the money.
The GB don't want to report the decreasing numbers, now they have an excuse to not have to print and show it to the rank and file. Just like they combined congregations so the kingdom halls don't look so empty.
There's one thing I just realised: the whole structure/hierarchy of a congregation is based upon 'spirituality' aka time in the ministry.
With the counting time removed the social structure will have to be redefined. I would love to hear the comments of the pioneers and elders in my old congregation about this and about their now 'just tick the box' fellow congregation members.....
When I was an active JW, one of my biggest pet peeves was hearing the older pioneer sisters say things like, “I gotta go out in service so I CAN GET MY TIME”. It always made me cringe that their first thought was counting their time and not preaching the message. And it is for THAT reason that I NEVER pioneered or even auxiliary pioneered. I never wanted to chain myself to a number. My last active year I even stopped counting my time and told the elders that I would report a symbolic one hour on my report to show that I was still active. They tried to argue against it but really couldn’t say anything at the end of the day and had to accept my decision.
Bingo
Wow
Yes!! Bingo!!!!
I agree totally. All you're saying is true.
What I said years before I woke up . I had always said for years if it's wrong to brag or put on the information Board OR make a annocement about how much a JW donated, ¿ Then by that same principle it would be wrong to make a annocement about how much time a person donated or keep human records of it ? It's been said that time is money . Just like the fact that Jehovah knows how much you donated , he also knows about any heartfelt time you share his word with people !!! The JW Organization says that there are no class distinctions and that we are all brothers and sisters to be viewed as equal. Then the Watchtower asks the question "¿Would you like to join the Ranks of Regular Pioneer? " .weight. ¿Isn't a Rank a class distinction & a prominent title ,that the Bible says not to do . When a Brother travels to give a talk why to do they anunce this is brother Smith a Elder from the ... congregation. Why can't they just say this is brother John Smith from the ... congregation . When the Bible says do not be called Rabi or by prominent titles . I noticed that all that was anti biblical since I was very young . But I only woke all the way up at age 37 three years ago . Now I'm not angry or bitter I'm greatful to Jehovah but I feel sorry for those that are deceved. I often laugh at myself because of how fooled I was it helps me stay more humble or less arrogant.
It begs the question, if we are in the final part of the last days, now in the final final part of the last days/Armaggedon as Stephen Lett said, why have they reduced the hours to just a few minutes and a tick in a box? It's hardly speeding up the work in these critical last days.
I remember calling in my hours when I visited Canada 🇨🇦 for my cousin’s funeral. My family members were concerned, I was focused on calling the UK 🇬🇧 whilst away for a funeral. They asked me to show them where in the scriptures any Christian had to report their hours in God's word. I was newly qualified, working full-time and started on the pioneer assist program and had to make my hours each month. The seed was planted by my family and I tried to question it and didn’t get a sound answer. It was surveillance of the membership. I remember an elderly sis worrying she could not make her hours when she was feeling frail it’s heartbreaking 💔 when I reflect on this.
when they abandoned and dumped me.....they gave me my life back! Thank you Jehovah! still feel bad for all of those years wasted!
I used to stress about getting to at least 10 hours 😂😂😂 As someone commented, from truth to trash!
Major difference between historical Christianity and a cult: In historical Christianity, interpretations and understandings and customs are established gradually and by many people's thoughts, and revised very carefully. In a cult-- some dude changes everything overnight, and claims that Scripture mandated it.
A friend and his wife recently had a baby, she’s been very sick and run down, so they hadn’t been putting in as much time as usual, so last week, he was removed as a servant, because he didn’t have the national average. Insanity.
Its Not Scriptural.
I really get the feeling that they'll be moving away from shunning in the next few years. They know they're being labeled as a cult and that label is becoming more and more associated with their organization. It really only makes sense to me to move away from the shunning practice in order to make their organization seem more accepting, less closed off, and to hopefully "bring back" more past followers. This is obviously just my speculation but I wouldn't be surprised if if happens.
This is the biggest thing that they should change if they want to keep members! I was shunned by my family…zero contact when I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and was using alcohol to self-medicate! I was thrown out like a piece of trash when I needed my family more than I ever had! My new husband now hates this religion! You can’t wrap his head around being treated that way by family, and yet preaching to total strangers etc! 🤷♀️.
1979 we went to field service with the 20 old elder´s wife in my car and my husband said: we can count the time from when we left the KH. And she said: What??? Are you counting time before you start a conversation with a person? He answered: Yes. And she threaten him: I am going to report you to my husband. Next time at the KH, we where called to the Back Room in order to receive a reprimand. It lasted for one hour. The elder brother was 25 years old with a lot of authority. (very dominant alfa male).
sounds like the elder was Sheriff Taylor and his wife was Barney Fife
I always fudged my hours, RVs, and studies it kept the elders of my back
Imagine a company saying to its sales department that they were not required to inform thier sales. All they had to do each month was _say_ they sold something and keep their job.
😂😂😂😂
I left the cult in 1985, same year I was baptized, 17 years old. I woke-up early. CSA from birth until 13 years old opened my eyes wide at a young age. I was 7 years old in 1975. I had real plans to end my life when I was 5 years old.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I hope you are doing well. Peace and healing to you ❤️🩹☮️
A few years ago, Uncle Tony mentioned in a talk that those not preaching enough had blood in their hands. And now... Wow!
I was removed from regular pioneer list because I was short hours based on illness. I did not feel comfortable disclosing my medical situation with elder men as it was a female issue. So I was publicly announced I was no longer regular pioneer. I was depressed and devastated. And now this? Crazy!
I had forgotten about all those time-shaming talks. Our CO would shame our hall extensively whenever our average hours fell below the national average. And I remember a “local needs” talk about brothers reaching out who couldn’t be appointed because their wives only got 1-2 hours a month in service. I felt horrible because everyone knew exactly who they were talking about which felt cruel.
The new pressure will be to become a reg pioneer so that your time counts. I can see the org heading in that direction, this is too good to be true, some high standard has to arise from this. “If your time isn’t being counted then you are not doing enough for Jehovah,” type of nonsense.
Good point!
I said exactly the same on another ex JW channel. That was why they lowered the pioneer hours to 30. The box ticker JW will be seen almost as bad association or they will be pressured to do 30hr a certain amount of times during the year, such as the memorial month.
@@ExJWCriticalThinkerAnyone who wants to be an elder or servant is going to have to do 30hr at some point during the year. It’ll be if you do so little for Jehovah that we can’t count your time kind of deal.
@@ExJWCriticalThinkerJesus sent all of you to preach about the JW's or satan sent all of you to preach about the JW's????????
Jesus sent all of you to preach about the JW's or satan sent all of you to preach about the JW's??????‽?
Brilliant analysis, as always!
Saving the Witnesses from embarrassment from questions they can’t answer. Good move
Omg Lady Cee that intro about “starting time” lol. Really took me back!
I have no words. Ex Elders wife, pioneer blah blah blah. Needed a hysterectomy, so sick but no, I HAD to keep going or else I’d be spoken to as not being spiritual enough. I am raging 😡
When I was young they would put an oversized chart on the stage. It had everyone’s hours etc totaled. The only time I recall my grandparents enter a KH was the chart night. Later they told me I was just a book salesman. Took years to figure out they were right.
I was a regular pioneer at the time when I had to turn in 100 hours. I still have family members still JW. I left over 40 years ago. They still speak because I can’t as never been disfellowship.
I remember keeping my little raggedy time slip, in the back of my bible, as a kid. Field service and early morning witnessing at gas stations is too dangerous. No idea they were losing members like this.
I believe the WT is taking the stance of "Don't ask, don't tell" when it comes to publishers time in field service so they can appoint more brothers.
But brother, you have to be seen in the service. Response - Jah sees me
Love you guys. All you guys said is so true. When I heard. I really reacted as woah...when I was in and now Im out. I had left my job to be a pioneer. Really. Can you believe it! They wouldn't accept my application to pioneer as ...according to them my time each month was really low. There's no way I could fullfill my pioneer time. But wait I quit my job Really for this! 😮 It was ridiculous then as it is now. Let it be known time was a big huge deal it meant everything. Its connected to witnessing and if you don't believe its in their own name. Jehovah Witnesses. So glad someone helped me to see the real truth and get out in 2018. Its not the same organization I was in when we left. But I'm free now.
My first thought was too many people leaving. It was something that was never scriptural in the first place.
I'm trying to figure out how to tell this little story... Pioneers used to come to our house to meet for field service. This was BEFORE i was baptized. Later, I'd ask, "How many hours did we get in?" No one ever wanted to answer me. Well, they had started their time ON ME! So, they had like an hour MORE to count than I did.
I was out in service after the meeting on Sundays, Saturday morning, and Wednesday evening. And in the summer when I was out of school, on weekdays, I had to do steet corner witnessing (where you harrass people at busy intersections as they are rusing to the subway to go to work at 5am). All in an effort to be able to count more time and look spiritually zealous.
WHEN I FIRST HEARD THIS I JUST SHOOK MY HEAD AND GIGGLED AND SAID THEY JUST MAKE THIS STUFF UP AS THEY GO! BUUUUUUT THEEEEN , I STARTED THINKING ABOUT GROWING UP AND ALL THE VERBAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND EVEN PHYSICALLY FROM MY PARENTS....EVEN MY FRIENDS TELLIN ME HOW THEY HAVE TO FALL BACK FROM HANGING WITH ME BECAUSE OF ME NOT BEING SEEN IN SERVICE ON A REGULAR!! MY DAD WAS AN ELDER MY PRACTICALLY MY WHOLE LIFE AND MY MOM IS AND WAS A CRAAAAZY FINATICAL 90 TO 120 HOURS A MONTH CRAAAAAAAAZY DIDN'T CARE IF WE ATE BUT WOULD HAVE US OUT IN SERVICE FROM 6AM TO 6PM SOMETIMES LONGER. I WAS SUPER PRESSURED BECAUSE MY DAD'S POSITION AND MY MOM'S FEELING OF SHE WOULD DO US LIKE ABRAHAM WAS ABOUT TO DO ISSAC ON THAT TABLE BEFORE SHE WOULD COME OFF THAT PIONEER LIST!! LMAO I REMEMBER THE ELDERS WOULD MEET THE GROUP AND SET UP THE PARTNING UP MAAAAYBE DO A FEW DOORS....AND WOULD DISAPPEAR LITERALLY!!
In Europe counting time is much harder than in the USA because in the USA traveling distance is longer. This is one of many complications this religious administration has caused by not taking into account cultural, societal and political differences
I've heard a lot of reason here why they could be doing this. It could be a combination of them. I'm wondering if it isn't one more step in becoming a mostly internet televangelism organization. They don't go door to door anymore. Their cart witnessing consist of directing people to their website. To survive they're being forced to change. It already looks like a completely different organization than the one I was involved with.
I was raised Baptist converted to Catholic. I have studied Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’ve noticed for a while there was no door-to-door activity and now I see them in my shopping center. They stand on the corner with a magazine display. They don’t speak out unless someone shows interest.
The only thing you can be sure about the governing body is that any decision they make is for monetary gain. Up to now JWs in order to stay in good standing or progress in the organisation had to complete at least 10 hours preaching. There was nothing voluntary about it. Therefore if anything bad happened to them, like being attacked or assaulted while doing this work it could be argued that the organisation had a duty of care for these ones which could involve medical care or compensation. By now taking away the requirement to meet these hours or report them, all ordinary JWs become volunteers, choosing to do as little time they want . As such the organisation rids itself of any responsibility for their care thus avoiding any pay outs .Another benefit of course like any company that is going down the tubes it hides their terrible figures away from its investors ie the ordinary JWs.
Spot on!!!!
As a pioneer PIMO for the past 2 decades, I'd quite often rounded my hours by adding just one zero to my unit figure i.e 5 turns out to be 50. Now is the time my zeros will have more value each month.
😂😂😂
Been waiting to hear JTs prospective on this 😂
I can see more people now enjoying their freedom and time, there's already been a big decline in numbers since covid, this relaxation will make the decline bigger as the hour commitment has gone.
I also confirmed that they changed the timeline. That the separation of the sheep and the goats will be at the beginning of the great tribulation when “there will be evidence that organization was right”…for even disfellowshipped people.😂
They said the fall of false religion would be the sign of the tribulation. They just weren’t aware they’d be included. Time to wake up and get out. 😴🥱😑😮🫨✌️👋
I told myself that God doesn't need hours. Made no sense.
Thank you for the encouragement to go see for myself what JW site says about bible studies. I have been affiliated with the witnesses since I was a child. Some of my relatives are witnesses. I had not studied for years, but during the pandemic my relative contacted me to attend a virtual meeting then another and so on. Another JW that knew me as child somehow got my number and we began a bible study over the phone that went on for months ; then JWs got instructions to go to the kingdom hall in person and I was told that my study had to now be in-person because thats what 'the Organisation' instructed . So why does the site indicate other options ( phone, email ) ? Crazy thing is if JT didn't encourage me go look I would not ever have guessed that an active JW ( an Elder's wife ) would have claimed to receive instructions that contradics info on THEIR SITE
The advice of lawyers..... that specialize in retention of an incorporated religion that enjoys a tax exempt status on all the private homes that publishers/ministers can evade contributing via tax by registering their house as a parsonage under the tax # purposely allowed to .... ultimately be used to destroy religion when the church cannot verify the hours spent preaching...thus resulting in the loss of exemption justifying the sale of parsonages ....along with kingdom halls....up graded due to demands made by the Judas lawyers closest to the money box billions of incorporations designed to be vulnerable by wolves trusted to edit anything that could seem seditious enough to threaten a potential loss of organized religions tax exempt status
I wonder how they will cover the territory. Don’t they have area map that needs to be done in a certain amount of time each year!
The next new light will be… they will serve Margaritas, with salt on the rim at the memorial!😹
If so I'm going back 😂
I would consider attending.... oh wait....who knows what poison would be in the glass? Guaranteed guilt trip! No thanks! I'll make my own without the dose guilt trip. And ENJOY! 🍹
😂🥂🤔😀
😂😂😂
and a new kingdom melody will be rolled out. "wasted away in margaritaville".