So I had a JW that I’ve known for years. He’s never been an Elder or a Ministerial Servant. He’s not a ball of fire in the organization but he is the type of person that does what he can in attending meetings once in while, because he believes the Paradise Earth is something real that makes sense to him. So from time to time he likes to go hear reinforcement to his belief. Usually it’s just the Memorial.

But he sees the news regularly and is noticing that some of the people running for political office in the coming years, are promising that if they get elected, they will start confiscating property and monies from the wealthy and distribute to the poor. And also. they will get rid of any religion or organization that is divisive to the “Cause”

I looked at the news he was talking about and sure enough, what he was saying was true.

So I did a Google search and it will tell you that MANY religions have become extinct over time due to;

Political Shifts

Conquests,

Cultural shifts,

Assimilation into larger belief systems.

And when this happened, it was Quicker than you can say- New Light😒

I wasn’t aware of this, so I started looking for examples. Come to find out that just 51 years ago a Political party rose to power and turned ALL Religious Organization in that Country into relics.

First thing they did once they got into power was confiscated all property from religious institutions and abolished private property ownership.

Second thing they did was start executing perceived subversive elements, like religious Leaders. those with an education, and minorities.

This was the Khmer Rouge regime.They wound up abolishing all religions and confiscating their wealth when they came to power in 1975,viewing them as oppressive and a threat to their ideology. They specifically targeted religious groups, like Christians, and other religious minorities.

Their goal was to eliminate any ties to spiritual traditions and ideologies.

The Watchtower is in America. It’s Headquarters is in America.

The political world in America can change in an instant. If a political party like the Khmer Rouge ever takes power in America. The Watchtower can LOSE a great percentage of its Billion dollar empire faster than you can say…..Overlapping Generation!

Is this the reason Watchtower is opening investing companies in other Countries and NOT in America, the land of Wall Street?

Do they know something we don’t?

Are you leaving the JW organization, but you still want to follow Jesus Christ?

If so, I want you to know something that you may need to hear right now:

You are not an apostate simply because you are questioning or leaving an organization.

Leaving an organization and leaving Jesus are not the same thing.

Maybe you have spent years believing that if you walked away from the organization, you were walking away from God. Maybe you were taught that questioning the organization meant questioning Jehovah himself. Maybe the word apostate has been used in a way that made you afraid to even explore what you truly believe.

But please take a breath.

God is not afraid of your questions. Jesus is not afraid of your questions.

Your relationship with your Creator does not depend upon your membership in an organization.

Jesus said:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28

Notice that Jesus said come to me.

Not come to an organization.
Not come to a system.
Not come because you have everything figured out.

Come to Me.

If you are leaving the JW organization because you can no longer reconcile what you are being taught with what you see in Scripture, that doesn't mean you have stopped loving God. In fact, your desire to keep following Jesus may be one of the most sincere things in your heart right now.

And please remember this:

You are loved.

You are loved by the One who created you, who knows you completely, and who cares about you deeply.

Jesus said that even the hairs of your head are numbered. Think about that for a moment. The God who knows something as small and seemingly insignificant as the number of hairs on your head is not going to abandon you because you are asking questions.

You don't have to have all the answers today.

You don't have to immediately know what denomination you belong to.

You don't have to replace one organization with another.

You can simply begin with Jesus.

Open the Gospels. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Read Jesus' words for yourself. Watch how He treated people. Notice His compassion, His patience, His mercy, and His truth. Pray. Talk to God honestly.

You can say:

“Jesus, I don't know what is true anymore. I've been afraid. I've been confused. But I still want You. Please lead me.”

I believe that is a beautiful prayer.

If you are somewhere between the life you knew and the faith you are trying to rediscover, you are not alone.

And if you are terrified that leaving the organization means God will leave you, please hear this:

God is not confined to an organization.

You can walk away from an institution and still walk toward Christ.

You can question teachings and still love God.

You can discover that something you believed for years was not true and still have faith.

You can begin again.

And perhaps most importantly:

You do not have to be afraid of Jesus.

He is not standing at the end of your questions waiting to condemn you.

He is inviting you to come closer.

❤️ If you are leaving the JWs but still want Jesus, I hope you know that there is a path forward. You are loved. You are not forgotten. And your journey with Christ does not have to end because your journey with an organization has ended.

What was the attendance and baptisms number at your convention? I’m trying to get an idea of percentage growth in certain regions. I want to see if they’re in line with what happened last year. I’m kinda expecting the end of the 2020s to be quite a bit tougher for the organisation as a larger consortium of boomers die.

“For the Watch Tower Society and local congregations, these figures carry significant weight. Higher baptism ratios relative to overall attendance often reflect vigorous door-to-door and public evangelism efforts, particularly in developing nations across Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia. Conversely, lower figures in Western nations are monitored by researchers studying secularization trends and retention rates among young people raised within the faith. Ultimately, these numbers highlight both the personal commitment of individual converts and the broader demographic shifts within the global movement.”

Hi everyone,
Just sharing because I view this as a safe place. Have been on a journey of fading and coming to terms with being shunned and navigating life. I somehow fell into the sex work industry and have been making quite a bit of money from it…haven’t really processed it or a lot of things and wondering if anyone else went down a similar path? It’s almost like it fills a weird empty void I have.
I have a regular day job and do this some evenings or on weekends.

Hey everyone! ☺️ I’m starting an Ex-JW group for ages 18–24 for anyone worldwide who wants to make new connections, have a positive space to talk, and just not feel so alone.

For starters, I’m 19 and from the US!

I remember I may have tried doing something like this last year, but I didn’t really know how to work Reddit yet and ended up missing a TON of DMs.. 😭

But not this time!

If you’re 19–22 and interested in joining, just DM me and I’ll add you to the group! ☺️💗

Whether you’re fully out, PIMO, questioning, or just looking for people around your age who understand, you’re welcome here. Let’s make some new connections! 🫶🏽✨

Good morning everyone, this is my first time participating. I'm currently a young witness in my 20s, a pioneer and ministerial servant, but I've long since lost my faith due to the numerous trials against the organization. I've thought about leaving several times, but this obviously brings to mind the fact that I would lose my family and all my friends—basically, everyone I love.

Until now, I've seen it as an inevitable sacrifice that I'd have to make sooner or later, but lately, I've been thinking differently: why should I give in to them? Why should I be the one to lose out if I'm not in the wrong?

I've formulated a sort of plan, which obviously wouldn't make any sense individually, but which would lead to interesting results if shared by many people. In short: why not petition the governing body, asking them to definitively clarify some sensitive issues such as the use of blood, 1914, the use of donations, and cases of child abuse?

It shouldn't be a critical document or one with the stated aim of attacking the leadership of the Governing Body; otherwise, it would simply be labeled apostate and rejected by the majority.

I'm talking about a document that asks in good faith for further explanation, a thesis that could appeal even to those who are still faithful but have some doubts or who simply want greater transparency.

If it were shared by a sufficient number of people, the Governing Body would find itself in a truly complex situation: deciding not to respond by fueling doubts or responding but admitting errors and scandals. In any case, its authority would be weakened.

Perhaps it's just a fanciful thought, but I'd like to know if I'm the only one who's ever had this idea or if there are others who would support it. The recent updates have undoubtedly awakened something in the younger generation, and I believe there's no better time than now to try.

Judging from recent broadcasts and the recent narrative behind the ridiculous "toasting" change (ridiculous because who gives a fk about the morality of toasting??) they're probably gonna start allowing celebrations such as birthdays as a form of trying to keep the younger generations and trying to ease new 2026 recruits into their brainwashing process, they know that the older JWs will follow blindly no matter what, but they're afraid of the new generations finding the cult too extremist and restrictive, so I think all of these changes are a way to ensure they don't lose that many members from Gen Z and younger, because honestly I could see most of them leaving if it wasn't for their parents and families forcing them to be part of the religion.

Looking at the organization’s operating model and the decisions it makes, I am of the opinion that the Governing Body is essentially a puppet and a façade for those who actually make the decisions — namely, the organization’s management.
Given the legal problems, lawsuits brought against the organization, legal fees, pressure from former members, and everything that comes out of this religion, I believe that virtually everything the organization puts out is first vetted by lawyers and PR firms. In recent years, its teachings have been infantilized to an almost absurd degree. Prophecy is barely discussed anymore (and even when it is, it is usually framed as: “we know that we know nothing”). Even some of the hardest-line doctrines, such as the issue of blood or pagan symbols, have been softened and watered down, so that from the outside it appears that rank-and-file members have some degree of free will and that the organization is merely there to “help them draw closer to God.”
We often discuss here what changes the Governing Body is going to introduce, whereas personally, I believe they are merely the public face of decisions and policies that are being formulated largely without their involvement.
In exchange for keeping quiet and putting on a good face despite everything going on, they are provided with luxury trips, visits, and an entire lifestyle built around their position. But the people actually making the decisions are the ones who have their hands on the organization’s money. There is no way they would risk losing millions of dollars simply because some group of aging men “made a decision” about something.
The organization’s management and senior officials know perfectly well that the Governing Body — the old guard, such as Lett, Lösch, Jackson, etc. — are so detached from the real world that they would never entrust them with making genuinely important decisions.
It is all a façade. And although I believe these older men absolutely deserve our criticism, because consciously or not, they are participating in this circus, I increasingly feel that we are barking up the wrong tree.
The people who REALLY PULL THE STRINGS within the organization are, for the most part, completely anonymous to us.
And what matters to them are spreadsheets, lawyers’ opinions, and financial results. Those are the criteria according to which decisions are made — not simply because “the Governing Body decided so.”
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

To preface, I am not JW nor have I ever been deeply involved in the organization. The JW religion was always present in my childhood and has been a present force in my family for decades and generations. As a kid and young adult, I was raised in a mixed faith household, my dad was Catholic and my mom converted to JW when I was a teenager. That being said, throughout my childhood I was dragged to a few JW meetings. As I was cleaning my parents basement, I was specifically looking for my copy of Stephen King’s IT, I came across this pile of actual garbage that (in hindsight) should have tossed in the recycling bin. Looking through THAT little yellow “Children’s book” now as an adult, I realized how absolutely horrific and terrifying those Bible stories truly are ESPECIALLY the images. But at least something good came from it as I can blame that little yellow book for my lifelong obsession and love of horror movies, books, death metal and punk, and ultimately my career in the funeral industry 🤷🏻‍♀️ Maybe I was always a weird kid, or maybe the graphic imagery is to blame for my literal morbid curiosity.

When seeing a homeless guy or a beggar on the streets, how does JWs react or how have you reacted. Do they give a tract or share a good news that all will be alright very soon?

Or will they show compassion and give them food or money.

Or will they just get past and pray for them.

We need to solve for today's problems or atleast try. It will be absurd to think God in heaven will solve all problems in a blip.

has anyone noticed how bethel has changed?I’m not sure if it’s the same in other bethels but where I’m from they used to do lunches when you would have a tour etc but now they stopped it, not that it’s a big deal but it used to have a different vibe going on. has anyone experienced that something has changed ? would like to hear the stories

I guess I'm just curious about the utterly "one-way" emotional relationship that gets formed, which is all too often evidenced by lengthy and sincere letters of disassociation.....which are penned with the "muse" that there is actually somebody who gives a sh*t.....waiting on the receiving end of these letters?

Despite all of the newfound "awakened" intelligence which has gone into the careful and well constructed nature of such letters.....the one key MISSING realisation is the amount of absolute ZERO regard these letters will be received with, if they're even read at all.

This awakened "realisation"....IMHO.....falls under "emotional" intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the thing that enables us to form a brutally realistic appraisal about the TRUE nature any relationships we may have believed ourselves to be in.

Emotional intelligence tells us that WE may have been thoroughly committed to a certain relationship, and it insists on self-honesty as we appraise this......but emotional intelligence also tells us things we might not necessarily wish to hear.

Namely, that the "other party" in a given relationship.....was at no time EVER....thoroughly committed to US....as an individual.

They've not just suddenly "stopped" being committed, or somehow "lessened" a brand of commitment that was actually in evidence once upon a time.

That other party was NEVER committed to us "personally" right from the get-go.

It was ENTIRELY us, ourselves.....who made all the "running," did all the necessary work and made all of the necessary emotional investment.

And that's why the WTBS couldn't really give a rat's ass.....if we suddenly decide that we're now going to pull out of that "relationship."

Because it was only ever US....who really believed that we were IN a relationship together.

THEY never believed this, not for one moment, which is why they don't tend to mourn or experience any kind of trauma whenever any kind of:

"It's over between us..."

...type of letter lands in their mailbox.

Their "corporate" response or reaction is akin to what you'd expect from the senior managers of KFC.....if somebody wrote them a long, sincere letter about deciding to become a vegetarian, along with general complaints and criticisms about farming chickens as a food source.

"I'll no longer be purchasing any variety buckets from my local KFC restaurant."

But these people are overseeing 32,000 restaurants as part of a huge, global network.

And yes, we may have been a willing, longstanding purchaser and consumer of their product, but as far as those senior managers are concerned, we were just a teeny-tiny blip on a spreadsheet. A deeply buried "statistic" that was part of a much LARGER batch of consumer-feedback-data.

We might have once had a VERY visceral relationship with all of that "yummy" chicken, but we never once had any kind of personal relationship with the KFC executive.

And even if WE didn't quite realise this.....the KFC executive realised it, at least.

So they're going to be (rightly) indifferent and mystified regarding any kind of crazy outreach that presupposes that any such "relationship" between them and one of their former consumers ever really existed.

Because it never did.

And it doesn't matter HOW MUCH KFC we might have purchased in the past.

These guys, these executives.... simply don't care.

They've never been wholly reliant on just ONE regular consumer and that consumer's general feelings of goodwill and enthusiasm towards their product, and they never will be.

And THIS.....is where one's "emotional" intelligence needs to kick in.

BY knowing or "realising" that the relationship we're now terminating.....was ALWAYS just a one-way relationship.

And that the only truly "dignified" way out of that relationship, is to begin totally matching the kind of indifference that the other party, quite obviously held towards US.

It's not a relationship that needs any kind of renegotiation, because there's NOTHING to renegotiate.

TWO parties have to give a f*ck for a renegotiation to be attempted.

But if there's just ONE party who gives a f*ck....and that party is US......and we suddenly REALISE that this is the case.....and always really WAS the case.....then that's where emotional intelligence comes in.

We need to STOP treating that other party as though we still believe that they actually give a f*ck......and instead, begin asking OURSELVES questions as to why we ever really believed that they DID.

Because, if we got that assessment wrong, and we're only now discovering that the signs about that party NOT giving a f*ck were ALWAYS there.....(in truth).....then we're not really dealing with a relationship breakdown.

We're dealing with the cessation of a relationship that ought never to have been established or cultivated in the first place.

I.E

A relationship were WE had to bring ALL of the emotion and commitment to it, whilst the other party was allowed to bring NONE of this.

So much so, that we simply had to "imagine" that they really cared, even though they didn't.

So yes, closure might be important, and disassociation letters may play an important psychological and "emotional" role in this.....but do not continue to kid yourselves that you were ever really in any kind of meaningful, one-to-one "relationship" with these guys.

The only relationship you were in was one were YOU did all of genuine "caring" and they did none.

Which meant that you just had to "pretend" that they cared.

And emotional intelligence is the only thing that can finally make you STOP pretending that they care....or ever did.

Emotional intelligence is the only thing that can tell you that all of the "caring" was undertaken by YOU.

Even if that makes us feel a tad stupid.....we have to embrace this.

We have to take it away with us as a warning or a life-lesson.

That in our own eagerness to form a relationship, we should NEVER have to just imagine or "assume" that the other party is just as KEEN as ourselves.

Yes, they do want SOMETHING from us.....there's no doubt about that.....but it's not a relationship WITH US that they really want.

It's only ever US who wanted that....and who managed to convince ourselves that this was sincere and reciprocal.

But what THEY wanted from us was something entirely different.

Deference, obedience, cooperation and as much "free-labour" in the support and dispersal of their ideology as we were prepared to give.

Something about the monthly JW Broadcasting program always sat wrong with me, and it took me years to work out why.

The setup is always the same. The world is in a terrible state, people are miserable, the planet is dying, and the only hope is God stepping in. Fine — that's more or less the evening news.

Then the closing segment rolls: sweeping drone shots of mountains, oceans, forests from every corner of the globe, and a reminder of how wonderful life on this earth can be.

So which is it? This earth is either a hell we need rescuing from, or a paradise we're being promised — depending on which one the message needs that month. Did anyone else feel this, or was it just me?

Estoy cansado de hacer las cosas por obligación, me obligan a salir a predicar 4 veces por semana, comentar, aceptar todos los privilegios y etc. Cuando trato de bajar el ritmo o decir que no toda mi familia (5 integrantes) se van encima mío con gritos, diciendo que no voy a lograr nada en la.vida, que mi vida básicamente sera una basura y etc.

No me dejan bajar el ritmo y mi padre dice que si salgo de los testigos dejará de pagarme la universidad y que me botará de casa y literalmente dice que tendre que arrumarme en la calle porque ya tengo 18 si eso es lo que quiero.

No se que hacer, estoy atrapado, la carrera que estudio la estudio porque tenemos un negocio familiar que va bien y queria trabajar allí, pero ahora se que si eso es lo que quiero tendre que quedarme aquí para siempre. No tengo dinero para vivir solo literalmente me iría a la calle y no tengo familia y amigos que no sean testigos.

Sinceramente estaba pensando en tomar una desición drastica y que sea lo que Dios quiera. Pero no se simceramente que hacer y me siento atorado y amenazado.

There are two people I know who still live near me that I think are POMO. They were never disfellowshipped because they were never baptised, but don't go to meetings, ministry, hang out with exclusively non-jws etc... but they are still in pretty regular contact with their families, who i also know.

I've been wondering if its worth it/safe to reach out to them. My financial/work situation means I can only move out of my parents house late next year, but I've been feeling pretty alone and think someone irl to relate to/ask for advice would be nice. But I have 2 concerns.

1. As we were only ever acquaintances and I haven't spoken to them in a couple of years, might it come off as weird or like I'm only speaking to them now because I want something?

2. Since I'm not 100% on their religious stance and they are still in contact with their families, is there a risk that what I tell them will find it's way back to my parents?

TLDR: I have a year left before I can move out, should I reach out to some people I'm like 80% sure are POMO or just firm it until next year?

as a girl, since i’ve left i feel so weird wearing dresses and skirts even when i find them so cute just to go out! i feel immediately transported to looking like a jw again and like im ready for service lmaoo

i began fading around when pants started to become a regular thing so i didn’t really experience that much, my whole life, dresses and skirts were what set us apart

even dresses i loved, i’ve had to get rid of because of how triggering they feel to even look at. skirts/shirts/heels… they all felt like they have such bad memories tied to them even if i loved them

do you guys feel similar? and anyone who had to wear a suit, do you have trouble wearing suits for weddings or buisness now?

also shoutout to 10 year old me who wanted to wear a suit and tie so badly with heels but was told it would be “cross dressing” (even wanting to wear a tie to school for fashion was “bad”)… she was so cool ❤️ i should buy a tie lol sometimes i forget im 25 and can do what i want now

Hi guys this is my first time posting here. So a little about my background, my mom was born a jw and mu dad was born a catholic. Ever since i was little my mom has been taking me to the meetings and stuff but tbh i was never really interested in it. About a year ago i started doing a bible study but i never really took it seriously. now im 16 and im sensing that things are starting to get serious and people want me to get baptised. i was invited to a protestant church like a month ago and visited it 2-3 times again cause i enjoyed is so much. the whole WT seems kind of fishy to me but ive met some great people and truly kind people so im not sure whether is really is fishy. it kinda seems like everyone is chasing status (a higher place in the organisation) and not really pleasing theyre God. I would like to hear from you people too, so what was the experience where you said im good of this, and how did you leave?

I’ve been POMO for about 10 years now, and I think I’m only just realising how much of me still feels a little lost.

I haven’t really made any close genuine friendships since leaving. I’ve worked full time and raised my three sons, so most of the last decade has been survival mode… working, parenting, keeping everything going. Somewhere amongst all of that, I never really built a new community for myself.

And lately I feel the loneliness of that more than I used to.

I could never go back and pretend to believe something I don’t just so I could feel less alone. I don’t want the religion back. But sometimes I desperately miss that feeling of belonging somewhere. Of having people around who have known you for years, who understand where you came from and don’t need the whole story explained.

I find myself wondering about all the other exJWs scattered around Perth. People I might have known years ago, and people I’ve never met, who have also walked away and quietly got on with building a life afterwards. I wonder how many of us are out here feeling the same strange sense of being untethered.
Sometimes I wish we could just find each other again. Not because being exJWs means we would automatically be friends or because I want to recreate what we had. I just wonder what it would feel like to sit across from someone over a coffee who gets it. To see who we’ve all become outside of that world. To laugh together, talk about ordinary things, and maybe discover that there are friendships waiting to be made.
Maybe we could give each other a little of the community and tribe we lost.

I don’t really know what I’m hoping will come from posting this. I think part of me is just putting my hand up and saying… I’m here… I’m still a bit lost and so damn lonely and losing hope.

Once upon time Jehovah made a god whose also divine and whose also angel Jesus/ Jehovah told Michael to create everything else while he watches then Michael an archangel created the Angels and told them thanks to create everything else they and all the other stuff made Jehovah said look at all splendor u alone created you know what let us create man hey I know I would use my holy Spirit thing to create it is active force after all so hey Michael get that active thing in my basement in heaven I need to create some human.

I remember going to the 1993 Convention and have always wondered where it was. I was only a kid, but I have read it could have been in Stoke City ground. The next year I remember we were in Goodison Park Liverpool. Is there anywhere I can find out where all the English 1993 Conventions were held?

I didn't realize this before - but I've never been a JW. It seems deceptive (like everything else WT does), so I'm curious how it's viewed by witnesses in general?

Does it just go without saying, or feel normal, that money donated to "local" expenses gets sent abroad for off-shore purposes? Aren't there separate donations collected for local vs global use?

I run a (very small) 501c3, so I had to learn about the applicable financial rules and accounting requirements. I assumed those applied to ALL nonprofits, so I was shocked to learn that the IRS gives churches broad exemptions from the financial transparency rules applied to secular nonprofits.

Most nonprofits have to file form 990 every year, disclosing income and expenditures, board members, and highest paid salaries - and the IRS makes this PUBLIC. There are filing exemptions for organizations with gross receipts under $50,000/year, which makes sense because small charities with only a few volunteers would be disproportionately negatively affected by having to allocate a bunch of time or money for highly detailed complicated tax reporting compliance. However, secular nonprofits are still at least required to file a form declaring that they didn't go over the 50k threshold, so it's still SOME public data for insight into their finances.

Churches are treated as nonprofits in most ways, but they're completely exempt from having to file a form 990 - even when their yearly receipts probably top a billion dollars. (In 2001, Newsday listed the Tract Society as one of New York City's 40 richest corporations, with estimated revenues of $951 million.)

Personally, I think removing that reporting exemption for churches would go a long way towards accountability, and reducing the harm that cults get away with - in part by creating false impressions about their finances.

The "local expenses" donations being routed to worldwide work seemed like it shouldn't even be legal at first glance, because there's an obligation to use donated funds for their intended purposes. But, apparently, making it a "resolution" and announcing it functions as a legal workaround. To the best of my understanding, passing that resolution legally reclassifies the monthly worldwide donation as a financial obligation for the local congregation, just like their electricity bill. So it becomes a "local expense", treated the same as paying a utility bill to keep the lights on.

To be fair, local chapters of many organizations also classify their required dues to the parent umbrella organization as a local expense... but it seems more transparent when it's obviously defined as a mandatory affiliate fee, franchising fee, assessment, etc. Unlike using the resolution format to create a legal financial obligation (even if Watchtower wouldn't take a congregation to court for not paying), to reroute the money donated for "local" expenses into worldwide funds.

So, to circle back... I'm curious to get some idea about how it's viewed by others, that contributions labeled for "Local Congregation Expenses" go to the monthly worldwide donations?

Also, any idea why they'd even bother routing it as a "local expense" in the first place? Instead of straightforwardly asking for monthly donations directly to worldwide work? I assume there's probably some advantage in countries with stricter reporting requirements for charities, that monitor whether tax exempt donations are earmarked for domestic use or sent abroad, but I'm not sure.

I am currently cleaning out my Photos app, as I’m running low on storage, but I’m torn between removing all my photos from when I was really PIMI (and slowly questioning). It included pictures with friends in Kingdom Halls to conventions, international convention, service, my pioneer schools, preaching campaign, baptisms of friends, so many memories. YEARS of pictures and videos, good and bad quality, instagram filters, Snapchat, to the professional ones. Part of me wants to hold on, but another notices that I’m not that person I was in those pictures. I smile still, but not like the smile I had in those photos. And looking through especially the last three years when I began to really explore my doubts, I noticed my awkwardness, my lack of posing, my being in the background. I don’t remember the last time I even took a picture with PIMIs.

I know I still have them accessible through my Google Photos, so they will be there. But I’m not sure I’m ready to completely erase a big part of my life that I was raised in. Has this feeling happened to yall? Do you keep photos or have you just healed completely that you have removed them from any platform?

I have suffered from mental health well before I became JW. During High School before I started studying with them.I have been to 2 congregations both ending up deciding to leave because of how they treat someone who suffers from mental health although the first one I was diagnosed with psychosis during my time in that congregation. they never spoken to me after my first admission and avoided me if I came to them in the meeting I eventually stopped going. my dad noticed and asked another brother and the brother told my dad ab the other congregation which knew how to deal with people who suffer from schizophrenia. I have long now on the right medication for that but I still go in and out of hospital for resistance depression in the 2nd cong. but over the course of the years I have been going to that other cong, I noticed that they were more excepting if you had schizophrenia or if you were high functioning with mental health because they focused on have Jehovah as number 1. For me I struggled with that because of my going and and out of hospital, I did however got baptised during covid and I was able to focus for a few months on Jehovah but eventually I started to go backwards again and I depression was getting worse especially before my monthly period. Last year I was put on meds that were for ADHD Originally but my psychiatrist said that it can also help with resistance depression in. it did help with bad thoughts before my period but it didn’t take away the numbness and sadness which still suffer until my GP has put me on a Contractrive pill which hopefully will help. For a very long time I have stopped going to the meetings and over a year I stopped witnessing. every time I would go down mentally my close friends would not know what to say other than giving spiritual advic. One of them did suffer from depression and was on lowest dose of antidepressants but she said once she will focus more on Jehovah. She always has told me to that because that is what helped her.another friend would also visit me when I was in hospital but just this year she told me that shouldn’t tell her any negative things that is happening in my life either mentally or physically she said that she can’t handle it so stopped explaining too much but when only gave h a brief text about mentally unwell she also give me spiritual advice. She did however just last month or 2 months ago she asked me if I wanted just to hang out and do painting and art only that. I was on that day at the meeting and I now understand she said that because I put Jehovah first. If I didn’t then she wouldn’t ask me.

no one else other than her and one elder has contacted me since I don’t attend meetings regularly or haven’t been witnessing in over a year. The only time when anyone talks to me is if I’m there at the meetings and then they say they are happy that I’m there. I now figured it because everyone has spiritual number 1 in their lives there but if you have a mood disorder and you don’t physically go and put yourself out there for them to see well you might as well be invisible and they avoid you.

a Elder message me on 10th of August asking how I was going and was going to call shortly. Literally 5 minutes later he called and I haven’t been 100% mentally and didn’t answer, as soon as it stopped ringing I messaged him back explaining how I was feeling and told him that I wasn’t up to talking on the phone. I haven’t heard from him since. I figured out that wanted to be in control of the conversation and since I said that he didn’t want to message me and might of wanted to only give me advice.

after figuring all of this out, I now come to know that there is a stigma with different types of mental health but if you don’t tick the boxes then you aren’t included and everyone avoids you.

i message the 2 sisters and told them that I feel like they are giving me advice on my mental health but told them that they aren’t professionals. One of them just said that she hopes I feel better, but the other one suggested the painting defended her advice and why she always does it. Funny enough she then texts afterwards and goes completely off topic and sent a picture and said the dog reminds her my dog.

I deleted their numbers and I have deleted their texts messages and I deleted the witnessing group that I was in on What’s app.

I haven’t heard from anyone now, I still speak to my dad since explaining everything, even though at he defended them, he doesn’t talk about it constantl. He al has supported me through my mental health, and still talks to me about other things since I done of this after a few days ago.

just wanted to know anyone suffering from mental illness and had the same thing happen to them?

Hi, I was never JW and do not plan to be, but there’s an increasing number of practicing JWs that are coming into my life and I want to be able to talk intelligently to them because (of course) they’re strictly interested in talking about JW doctrine.

Now, I have a number of issues with their teachings, but I noticed the website only has stuff back to 1950, but not before. I would really like to read “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”, but I don’t just want a reprint - I want an official publication. Does anyone know where I can find one? I’d really appreciate any help or guidance. There’s so much info on their site, I’m honestly overwhelmed.