#JehovahsWitnesses

[wisteria-grows-here]

In light of the new announcements made by the Governing Body, I wanted to share a few reminders. If these changes bring anyone hope for a better future within the religion, I am not trying to take that from you. I believe we are all allowed to be happy.

Women are now allowed to wear pants to meetings - But we are still not allowed to divorce abusive spouses. We are forbidden from having any position of authority within the congregation. We are still considered the "weaker sex" who must submit to their husband's. There is still the pressure to have sex with one's husband because it is a "marital duty."

Witnesses are now allowed to speak to disfellowshipped individuals - But only to try and convert them back. Not to reconnect with old friends or to even ask them how they are doing after losing everything. Witnesses still cannot talk to us as people, but only through the means of conversion.

Men can grow beards - but still lack basic autonomy over their bodies. Still no tattoos or piercings. Still no "flamboyant" attire that might label them as homosexual.

All in all, I see these changes as new manipulation tactics. As a way for the organization to say, look how progressive we are being! Look how welcoming and supportive we are! They are trying to deflect from the long list of constraints against the members. Trying to hide the irreversible pain and trauma that is still inflicted upon disfellowshipped individuals. These changes are breadcrumbs. They do nothing to reverse the institutionalized horrors of Jehovah's Witnesses

For anyone reading this: may you go in peace and happiness 🩷🩷

[enbydumbass]

Here's my Ex-JW bingo card of all the stuff I want to do now that I've left the cult!

[driedlavenderandsage]

(Ephesians 4:24)

I am putting on my new self.

One in likeness of God's will.

I still struggle with the tight sleeves of righteousness, the suffocating collar of loyalty.

And walking in the boots of subjection, still breaking in the soles.

[phoenix-drowning-ina-rainy-world]

Yknow what really hurts about being in a cult and realizing it's bullshit is that the family you've lived with will probably never come to the realization very easily compared to me, as the reason I understood its bullshit is because the options I had were hate myself until I died or realize it's all bullshit and accept I'm trans, however with my family there's nothing really to shove that moment of radical realization in their face, and that hurts a lot

[thegreatcallofgod]

BE A TRUE WORSHIPER OF GOD (John 4:19-24) and FELLOWSHIP with Him through Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit AT ALL TIMES (1 John 1:3).

‼️MOST IMPORTANT: To become a true worshiper & TO HAVE A BLESSED LIFE, you must STAY AWAY from sin, idol worships, 'man-made' religion, its leaders/their churches/temples/fellowships/worship places, denominations & all ungodly traditions (1 Tim 6:5 KJV, Col 2:8, Matt 15:3).

ONLY THEN GOD WILL FILL YOUR LIFE WITH EVERLASTING JOY, HOPE & PEACE (Isa 51:11, 2 Thess 2:16, Phil 4:7).

God bless you & your loved ones.

THE GREAT CALL OF GOD

[A non-religious & non-denominational SPIRITUAL ministry]

https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatCallofGod

[someblogorsmthidk]

Timeline of events leading up to Morris' deletion

Last updated: 15 December 2023

August 2020: Paul Gillies testifies at the Independent Inquiry into CSA, in the UK.

5 December 2021: In an interview conducted by Lloyd Evans, former bethelite Daniel Graves says that Mark Sanderson is quote "Probably the one that's driving the ship the most right now..."

March-April 2022: Paul Gillies, Jeffrey Winder, Gage Fleegle and Jonathan Smith are appointed as Helpers to the Governing Body, Gillies to Coordinators', Winder to Personnel, Fleegle and Smith to Service

c. 6 August 2022: Troy Snyder, Nicholas Ahladis and Kenneth Godburn are appointed as Helpers to the Governing Body. Snyder to Coordinators', Ahladis and Godburn to Writing.

October 2022: Pennsylvania Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, announces charges of CSA against 4 Jehovah's Witnesses.

8 November 2022: Josh Shapiro is elected Governor of Pennsylvania

c. 2 December 2022: Anthony Griffin is appointed as a Helper to the Service Committee.

c. 6 January 2023: Per Christensen is appointed as a Helper to the Writing Committee.

17 January 2023: Josh Shapiro is sworn in as Pennsylvania's 48th Governor. Michelle Henry becomes acting Attorney General

18 January 2023: Gage Fleegle and Jeffrey Winder are appointed to the Governing Body, having served as helpers for around 10 months.

7 February 2023: Five Jehovah's Witnesses, including an Elder, are indicted by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury investigating CSA in the Witnesses.

19 February 2023: All JW Congregations in Pennsylvania are subpoenaed.

22 February 2023: Anthony Morris ceases to be a Member of the Governing Body, no reason is given for his deletion.

9 March 2023: A Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany is attacked. Eight people (including the perpetrator and an unborn child) were killed.

June 2023: Secret boxes are distrbuted to JW congregations and elders are instructed to not allow anyone to see its contents until 6 November 2023.

153rd Gilead Graduation (released in June 2023): Jesse Morris (Son of Anthony Morris) gives a talk. This is the first time he has spoken on camera.

7 July 2023: Five more JWs are charged with CSA in Pennsylvania.

7 October 2023: WBTS Annual Meeting: The 103 year old policy of publishers reporting hours spent preaching per month is ditched.

29 October 2023: Several IEDs are detonated at a convention in Kerala milling 6 people. A man claiming to be the perpetrator says he carried put the attack because of the Witnesses “anti-nationalist” views. He is arrested the same day.

15 December 2023: Ban on beards is lifted.

[exposejw]

I remember attending a convention when I was younger and this was probably just before I started questioning things more. A couple that my family knew came up to us. The man was in his 40s and the woman was 20. She was closer in age to me, a child, then her husband. I was, naturally, shocked about this and I remember asking about it, but no one else thought it was a problem.

[christianandnerdy]

What if Queen Esther was a Jehovah’s Witness? #queenesther #forsuchatimelikethis #jw #jehovahswitnesses #jworg #christianandnerdy #superbook https://www.instagram.com/p/CnsmB01v-rU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wisteria-grows-here]

[driedlavenderandsage]

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

It never felt as sinful as I begged it to be

loving her never felt like a sin

it is patient, and kind.

not jealous.

it does not brag, does not get puffed up,

it does not behave indecently, or look

for its own interests,

it does not become provoked.

I bear all things, believe all things,

she hopes all things, endures all things

[thegreatcallofgod]

BE A TRUE WORSHIPER OF GOD (John 4:19-24) and FELLOWSHIP with Him through Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit AT ALL TIMES (1 John 1:3).

‼️MOST IMPORTANT: To become a true worshiper & TO HAVE A BLESSED LIFE, you must STAY AWAY from sin, idol worships, 'man-made' religion, its leaders/their churches/temples/fellowships/worship places, denominations & all ungodly traditions (1 Tim 6:5 KJV, Col 2:8, Matt 15:3).

ONLY THEN GOD WILL FILL YOUR LIFE WITH EVERLASTING JOY, HOPE & PEACE (Isa 51:11, 2 Thess 2:16, Phil 4:7).

God bless you & your loved ones.

THE GREAT CALL OF GOD

[A non-religious & non-denominational SPIRITUAL ministry]

https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatCallofGod

[cococowboah]

Religion straight up destroyed my spirituality.

Which sucks. Because I feel like I want to be spiritual. I wish I could have done the exploration of religion and spirituality on my own as an adult.

But no. I was raised religious. "This is the truth" I was told, until one day I woke up and realized it was in fact just a lie.

And now I can't see any religion as anything but a big fat lie to hijack the deep need for spirituality that I believe is engrained in a lot of us.

I want to be able to be spiritual. Being forced into a bullshit religion ruined my ability to trust in anything spiritual ever again.

Fuck Jehovah's Witnesses is all imma end this with.

feel free to elaborate if you’re comfy with it

[someblogorsmthidk]

Anthony Morris Deleted

Deleted always feels like a strange way to refer to someone leaving their position, but I don't know if he voluntarily resigned or was forcibly removed, so I'll just go with deleted.

Whilst I wouldn't rule out a scandal or him being forced out or, hell I don't know, him leaving and going apostate. Instinctively, I think this is a mental health thing, and if he has voluntarily resigned because of that, then all power to him, I'm certainly not going to complain. But bloody hell, this is the first time in 39 years that someone has left the Governing Body.

Although maybe he was becoming too much of a liability, i.e. giving ammo to the exjw movement, and was forced out. I wouldn't be surprised by that either.

[I wrote this before I noticed the bloody announcement: I don’t want to make any assumptions, perhaps it is a mistake. But as a heads up, Anthony Morris’ name has been removed from the list of members of the Governing Body. At the top of the page ‘What is the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ was a picture that showed Morris greeting Geoffrey Jackson, this has been changed to a silhouette picture of GB members.

I would expect some kind of announcement soon.

Nevermind they already announced it.]

[exposejw]

Key paragraphs from the article:

The meeting venue had a dark kitchenette the size of one tatami mat. There was a rubber whip in the sink drawer. Parents would use that room to whip their child when they would not sit still during Bible studies.

Back then, it was a common saying among followers that "there's not enough whips." Followers even got involved in other family's whippings, as if they were keeping an eye on each other.

At first, Ryoko was very hesitant about the practice, and questioned why she had to hit her child. When she asked, "Is this really for the children's sake?" the elder leading all the followers admonished her, saying, "Not whipping them would mean that you hate your child."

Ryoko still has dreams of her stopping herself from hitting her young child, and thinking, "I'm so glad I didn't hit him," before waking up with a sense of relief. She then looks at her palm and comes back to reality. She told the Mainichi Shimbun, "My son forgave me, but the fact that I abused him can't be erased. I will carry this guilt with me for the rest of my life."

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A religion that condones and encourages child abuse is not one that anyone should follow.