I started questioning the religion the day that I graduated from highschool. I was convinced that I would not see that day before the end would come. Sadly, it took me 30 more years before I finally woke up.
@@eyeswideopen8570yeah this is really sad and bad to make all these decisions. My Mother died this past May 12th 2024. She really wanted to see Armageddon unfold. Not one JW friend of hers showed up for her funeral that I paid for but I'm disfellowshipped sister so I guess that's why none of them showed up. I welcomed them to see her viewing but guess they were afraid of my cooties! They are a strange bunch of people and have made me the heavy. They all wanted my Mother in a nursing home instead of home with me. Bunch of sorry people.
@@juliemcalister2557 I am so sorry for the pain the religion has caused you. They really are not Christians because they do not show Christ like love to others. Why anyone would ever want to join that cult is beyond me. I am glad you got to keep your mom at home where she was loved and felt safe. Sorry for your loss.
lol who resurrected jesus according to those who supposely love jesus now a days? Acts 5:30 The God OF OUR FOREFATHERS raised up Jesus, Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of OUR FOREFATHERS, has glorified his Son and Servant, Jesus Our Father and Father of Jesus, Jehovah [the God of Abraham] gave his name to Moses in the Old Testament. Exodus 6:3 King James Bible And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
I graduated in 1976. No one came to my graduation ceremony because we were supposed to be in the new world in 1975. I graduated in 1976. Seeing the impacts of shunning. Learning that Rutherford put himself through law school by selling encyclopedias door to door. Other things, too. 1914, 1915, 1925, 1975 all end of the world dates that impact real people like me. It's shameful.
Actually, Watchtower did not predict WW1. Watchtower predicted that 1914 would see the destruction of all human governments and false religion. Watchtower likes to rewrite history.
You're right. But what they did do, and I don't know if this is in print, but they pointed to 1914 being when Satan was cast out of the heavens. I was born in '72 and I was brought up hearing and believing that Russell foretold Satan being cast down and that was what started WW1. They used the date frequently to show how he'd been right, and I was told that 1975 was a sitting work. Funnily enough, my dad never denied that it came from the society. And he told me about the assembly where the brother tapped his watch and said 'what time is it?' He'd been there and seen it. But he said it was a sifting work. That was another excuse used a lot pre-millennium. But, yes, they did infer that Satan being cast from the heavens in 1914 was the cause of WW1. Imagine my confusion when I took History as a GCSE and learnt that WW1 was a sure thing from way back in the mid 1880's, it was just a matter of when.😎😂
@@hicsumfabulalepusI too was born in ‘72, and yes we were brought into believing that very idea. Thank you for sharing, because I really have been examining all the things we were taught in that time period. Also, baptism was changed in about 1986. Still trying to figure out if mine was said in the names of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was changed right after to something else.
Very educational video! My familial roots go back to Rutherford on both my mother's side and my father's. I have book cases full of the old literature, and boy, it is some crazy stuff!!
I started to have doubts when some elders and ministerial servants don't meet the qualifications but yet that is their title just because they are related to the higher ups and/or related to an elder. Its all about connections, as long as you know someone you have privileges. But then again, as I am free from this organization; it's NOT a religion but just running BUSINESS!! 😏
Hello Caleb so nice to see another video posted ! Nice to see your channel is growing you are putting out some really good gems 💎 in your video very interesting stuff , love hearing your experience in the organization thanks for sharing ❤
Lol, I think the reason it doesnt bother more people is because, they dont know anything about it. None of it. It is truly sad that if you hold it up to the light of day, if you investigate any of it, it sounds like the ranting of madmen. But they taught it to us in a rational, authoritative sounding voice in their business suits & we never looked beyond that. Im old enough to remember Fred Franze, & he did rant like a madman, but it seemed normal at the time. Honestly, tho, I still dont know why it didnt bother my mother.
I start to notice little by little the judgmental attitude the hypocritical attitudes when you are sick or when a loved one passes away they're very insensitive about a lot of things
Spot on. I did the same thing after the overlapping generation B.S. I started researching the history of the organization and realized that they were not God's organization. Just a man made religion. I got completely out in 2015.
haha who resurrected jesus according to those who supposely love jesus now a days? Acts 5:30 The God OF OUR FOREFATHERS raised up Jesus, Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of OUR FOREFATHERS, has glorified his Son and Servant, Jesus Our Father and Father of Jesus, Jehovah [the God of Abraham] gave his name to Moses in the Old Testament. Exodus 6:3 King James Bible And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Once critical thought is pursued, it's all over for them. Good investigative work! The enduring question for me was, where is the empirical evidence of the big sky Daddy choosing them? After all, anyone can make that claim.
I love that you shared the process. It can be confusing and greuling. For me it was when I got DFd ,appealed, won the appeal and got kicked out anyway. There is no love in shunning. We need to follow Christ not man made organizations.
It struck me that the Bible topics of the time in 1850s were like the click bait stories that go viral today. But back then, you have a printing business, then books were printed, and lengthy pamphlets, and you gotta keep the clicks coming. Look at the wall of WT books that have been sold. Look at the number of employees to pay! Hundreds! It's a business. Click bait topic is, "You can live forever! But the end is near! Buy this book!"
@@Eric_01 They are printed by the International Bible Students Association (IBSA), the people who continued to follow Russell after his death. I knew an elder who had served at Bethel for 9 years in the 1960s. He told me about reading an article in a 1912 Watchtower that reported an incident which occurred when Russell gave a lecture in the Philippines and said he would love to have a copy of that article. I contacted the IBSA online and they sent me a copy of that article. I gave the article to that elder and he asked how I obtained it. When I told him that I had gotten it from the IBSA, he refused to accept it saying they were apostates. For crying out loud! It was an effing Watchtower!! 😆
Hi Caleb have got the video Out of Darkness if you haven't i will tell what Russell says in 1914 when he walks into the dining room, he says to his followers The Gentle Times have Ended the King's have had there Day. Meaning that God's Kingdom had been set up. His belief had Nothing to do with a world war as stated by Rutherford, but Armageddon was about to start and They the "Chosen "would be taken to Heaven .
I don't belong to any religion or church. I know there are battles between one church, religion and another. One family lineage and another. I've seen this throughout my life. I'm a divorced hetero woman. Single. I have not shunned anyone or been involved with such practices.
@reineresser4276, I read that book and exchanged emails with Frederick Zydek. What I found most interesting was the pledge which Russell wrote and recited daily for the rest of his life after being accused of sexual misconduct toward his adopted daughter, Rose Ball. (Russell's wife believed the allegation and obtained a legal separation.) Then, it was suggested that every male in the organization recite the same pledge daily, and anyone who objected was immediately viewed with suspicion.
If people fact checked the religion and read the old publications before getting baptized, at least they’d be informed before joining a cult. Hopefully people do independent research these days and stop taking the word of strangers at face value.
They don't, and they won't. These groups prey on people's emotions and post-trauma confusion. That' when people are the most susceptible to hope, if that's what they're craving. They will latch onto the fluff and then the lovebombing kicks in. Nowhere in that process is there a provision for criticizing or doing research. Some might, but the vast majority are so hungry for something that they will eat up anything.
Caleb, may I ask why you are making these videos? Retaliation? Catharsis? Something else? As a onetime Witness who has personally gone through various stages of post Watchtower adjustment, I’m curious.
I bet it because if he has believed his entire life that his responsibility to mankind is to give them the truth, that obligation still lives on a little bit, even if the message changes.
@@Eric_01Perhaps. I asked this question because I personally went through a years long bitter process where I railed against non-truth. And Watchtower is a goldmine in that regard. But it’s hard to keep a bitter flame going without continually adding fuel and eventually this gave way to a deep desire to find truth, not simply expose untruths. Eventually I concluded that the best way to find spiritual truth was to ask the ultimate source of everything for some help. I reasoned that if God exists then surely a sincere request like that would yield a response. If not, then why bother at all? Relying on others just as lost as I am, no matter what they claim their connections are, seemed pointless. Caleb does a great job explaining how he got to where he is, I’m now curious about why he chose to go public.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. KJV
@@turfboy Excellent point! And perhaps one of the strongest arguments against authoritarian religion. How free am I if my Master frees me to become someone else’s servant. All of us, deep down, know whether we feel free or not.
In reflection, it becomes a bit of a surprising shock that the top executive editorial writers of the WTS (JWorg.) were able to coerce and manipulate people to circulate the literature these men published and did so for over a 100 years now. Their strategic suggestion was that they were preaching the gospel of Jesus and his new kingdom order (Matt. 24:14), when in fact its was a tainted and apostate version of the gospel structured in sinful false prophesying. These top men also claimed that they were the Anointed ones (FDSL) too which added to their self assumed power. Their offering food at the proper time was tainted with sin and apostasy , the very thing the bible warns about and says to not listen to these men. False prophesying is a serious severe sin in God's eyes as Revelation 20:10 points out
To me it didn't matter if "miracle wheat" or anything else was verifiable, because if it wasn't true, Jehovah would never allow such a disreputable thing to bring reproach on his name. It was never disputed, only hidden and covered up. If Jehovah wanted to attract others to this true religion, he would've made SURE it was all out in the open and all questions could be clarified. HE never does. So how could he blame anyone for not wanting to join the religion? if he was real, HE WOULDN'T. Joining without the clarity is called DUMB.
If the reasons for you leaving the org really don't matter, why hit the record button, make this video and then post it to the public in the first place. It matters enough, I suppose.
@@MR-gx3gcJesus Christ is the only one who validated his claims , He rose from the dead and is alive. The bodily resurrection is what elevates Christianity above all other religions.
## Jehovah's Witnesses' Reasoning Mistakes * **JW reasoning centers on a concept, not Biblical analysis:** JWs prioritize belief in the Watchtower Society as God's chosen organization above all else. This concept dictates their interpretation of scripture rather than the other way around. * **Blind faith in leadership:** JWs are taught to trust the Governing Body implicitly, discouraging critical thinking or questioning, even when faced with inconsistencies or changed teachings. This blind faith makes them vulnerable to accepting false or misleading information. * **Disregarding historical inconsistencies:** Past JW teachings, particularly from Charles Taze Russell and Joseph Rutherford, highlighting significant contradictions with current doctrine. Despite these discrepancies, JWs maintain the Society's infallibility, ignoring or downplaying historical errors. ### Specific Examples of Flawed Reasoning * **Christ's Second Coming:** JWs currently teach a 1914 return, contradicting earlier teachings of an 1874 return. This demonstrates both a failure to "loyally adhere to God's Word" and a misinterpretation of Matthew 24:45-47, which outlines criteria for identifying God's organization. * **"Millions Now Living Will Never Die":** Rutherford's failed 1925 prediction is minimized by JWs, praising the "eager sharing" of a false message. This contradicts the expectation of "proper and timely spiritual food" expected from God's organization. * **Changing interpretations of Romans 13:1:** Initially, JWs correctly identified "superior authorities" as governments. Later, this was changed to "Jehovah God and Jesus Christ" before reverting. This inconsistency contradicts the JW principle of adhering to teachings "revealed by God in his Word." ### Key Criticisms of the Watchtower Society * **Misleading teachings:** Their are 48 pre-1919 teachings that JWs no longer hold, demonstrating a pattern of disseminating "wrong food at the wrong time." This contradicts the expectation of faithfulness and discretion outlined in Matthew 24:45-47. * **Shifting responsibility:** While emphasizing the Bible's authority, the JWs prioritize the Governing Body's interpretations above independent scriptural analysis. * **Unquestioning loyalty:** JWs are discouraged from questioning leadership, creating an environment where inconsistencies are overlooked or justified. This contradicts the JW principle of "making sure of all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). "God's organization" is a fictional construct that serves to maintain the authority of the Watchtower Society's leadership. I encourages JWs to critically assess historical inconsistencies and prioritize personal scriptural analysis over blind faith in the organization.
The Bible clearly states that before humans appeared on the earth, only Jehovah's family of witnesses existed in the universe. The first witness to leave the family was the angel whom became "Satan" the first apostate. Today, either one is serving Jehovah or the adversary Satan. There is no sitting on the fence.
Being a Jehovah’s Witness is like riding a ride at the amusement park; eventually you begin to realize hey look I’m on the ride in an amusement park; because you’re realizing your not a child anymore and you get off the ride; then you can help others to grow up too; by showing them, you can!
It struck me that the Bible topics of the time in 1850s were like the click bait stories that go viral today. But back then, you have a printing business, then books were printed, and lengthy pamphlets, and you gotta keep the clicks coming. Look at the wall of WT books that have been sold. Look at the number of employees to pay! Hundreds! It's a business. Click bait topic is, "You can live forever! But the end is near! Buy this book!"
@jeffnoble9757 well, since Jehovah has assigned Jesus the Head of the Congregation now and he is leading the war of the great war of Jehovah, as such, it is only reasonable to assume like any other Leader, that he was preparing for the attack. Since all of the arrangements are set in place perfectly, it doesn't matter if he knows or not. He is prepared to attack when Jehovah says "no more"
@@clanqc what's your point? This guy said"how I realized JWs were wrong"? Talking about Armageddon he leaves out the FACT that Jesus said he didn't know the day and hour ONLY THE FATHER DOES.matt24:36, you make comments GUESSING that Jesus knows now! you didn't use any scripture proving anything that you said
@jeffnoble9757 doesn't matter...my point is if he doesn't know already, Jehovah will say when and he will respond when he is supposed to. Like smoking. There isn't a specific scripture prohibiting smoking...however Jehovah's Witnesses choose not to smoke because of what is said in the Bible. Romans 12:1, 2 - Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies+ as a living sacrifice, holy+ and acceptable to God,+ a sacred service with your power of reason.
I believe the Governing Body really are the RULERS of God's people during the time of the end. This is why: . Isaiah 28:14-15 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, YOU braggarts ** YOU RULERS ** of this people who are in Jerusalem: 15 Because YOU men have said: “We have concluded a covenant with Death; and with She´ol we have effected a vision; the overflowing flash flood, in case it should pass through, will not come to us, for we have made a lie our refuge and in falsehood we have concealed ourselves”; . "We have concluded a covenant with Death" . Millions Now Living Will Never Die . . It is THE true religion. .
who resurrected jesus according to those who supposely love jesus now a days? Acts 5:30 The God OF OUR FOREFATHERS raised up Jesus, Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of OUR FOREFATHERS, has glorified his Son and Servant, Jesus Our Father and Father of Jesus, Jehovah [the God of Abraham] gave his name to Moses in the Old Testament. Exodus 6:3 King James Bible And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
@@lorenzoloza2430 -- Do you believe Jehovah or nine men who live in New York? . Isaiah 66:5 HEAR THE WORD OF JEHOVAH, YOU men who are trembling at his word: “YOUR brothers that are hating YOU, that are excluding YOU by reason of my name, said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part, and they are the ones that will be put to shame.” . [Name of person] is no longer one of JEHOVAH's Witnesses ----> "excluding YOU by reason of MY NAME" . . . Psalm 146:3 Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs. . .
As an ex-cult recruiter do you feel any guilt for have spread WT 'lies' from house to house? Or have you absolved yourself? Do you feel ashamed that you fell for their lies when just a little research (while you still had control of your life) would have exposed them?
