I was 12 years old when I first experienced a situation of ostracism involving a young sister who had been excluded. This young woman had been attending the meetings for some time but was isolated at the back of the room like a plague victim, ignored by everyone in attendance. She looked so sad that one day I couldn't stop myself from going up to her and from the top of my 12 years I asked her how she was doing with the intention that she feel a little less alone. It seems to me that these few words did him good until the moment when the son of an elder quickly interrupted me by saying to me with big eyes: "What are you doing? You can't talking to him is an outcast!" I was 12 and he was 14. I was not aware of this policy. I didn't understand why a person trying to come back had to suffer so much humiliation. What was wrong with showing him Christian compassion and encouragement? How was she supposed to "go home" if the whole congregation was pushing her away. I was 12 years old and already this practice seemed to me unhealthy and twisted. Alas, it only took a few years for the Watchtower to format me and make me accept the unacceptable, I was 18 and I had become like this son of an elder. Shame on me.
Shame on the organization that programmed 12 year old Phil Layman to become hard hearted. What choice did you have? I read your comments. I think you've turned things around for yourself quite nicely.
Love your videos. I’m so happy that you escaped that “religion “ and found peace and happiness. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’m looking forward to more
In the jw religion you really can't breathe and can't be your true self, recently in a zoom meeting they gave a long talk about social media especially Facebook...the title of the talk was "who's watching you". I believe they're all watching each other 😐 so they can run and tell the elders, my heart goes out to the children who suffers and are trained to be robots for this organization.
So True ! ! They’re all watching you on all your social media, and each other too. Post something or even follow someone else who they consider ’ify’ and you’re gonna hear about it with ‘concerned’ questions, a shepherding call or back-room counseling.
Fitness is your job! Of course you had to focus on it!! I remember way back in the day, I used to go with walks in the college track with my friend in the evening. We had a conversation one time of how some people mentioned that we should have been in the afternoon service group instead of exercising.
@@BeckyOverbeck I'm glad you & your family were able to get out. You addressed here all my gripes so directly & concisely. And expressed how I feel better than me! LOL I'm currently trying to get out, but my husband is still in. Could you make videos on how to navigate a relationship without going nuclear on it?
Thank you for sharing Becky! That is big. So happy for you that you freed yourself and your family, and you chose to pursue your freedom and dreams! All the best! You are an inspiration! ❤
Putting fitness ahead of god? It's crazy how they'll kick someone out for smoking but there's no thought about eating too much, clogging up your arteries and having a stroke or heart attack. It really pains me when I see my relatives and how they have all kinds of health problems despite being my age.
Yes it is Crazy!! Hope you and kiddos are happier, free, and loving your new future. I was DF'd at 17 and never looked back. There is no love in the organization, only judgement. Plus genocide doesn't make me giddy:) good luck!!
Yep; everything that was said is all facts. My face used to be tore up b/c I grow facial hair fast & quick which meant I had to shave ALL the time. Lord forbid if I tried to give my face a rest & some fuzz grew…u’ll have an elder rub my face & say, “hmmm, getting a little rough there, huh?” I asked one time y we had to shave when the Bible says the opposite, & the reply was “b/c that’s old law, & we’re under new law.” My next ? was where’s the new law written? They showed me WT articles w/ zero scriptural reference, & the scriptures that were sprinkled in were completely out of context! Lol Should’ve been a red flag then, but as a good Christian boy, I followed & moved up the ranks, until it became clear via research it was a false religion. It’s amazing the power of brainwash & coercion when u’re in it. Looking back, all of it was conditioning uniformity, & subtly stripping away independent, critical thinking. Classic cult-like tactics.
Same story here. I was humiliated several times by elders and had to listen to snide remarks by others for simply having some stubble on my face between shaves. And when I’d express my angst & frustration to my wife, even she sided with them ! ! That really bothered me and primed me for waking up.
Yes, I understand. I was raised as a Jehovah's witness. I am now an ex Jehovah now I got chucked out. Took me a while to adjust to normal life and being shunned by my family still in the truth
So glad that you never truly bought into these lies and were able to escape. Great that you have this channel and are speaking truth to warm others !✌️💞
Also the source especially OT was crazy! What a horrific, chaos stories I was believing! And this org is still good in using these stories and scare the timid sheep. Has the nerve to use Scripture in Deuteronomy, kill your (apostate, don’t want to worship) family without fail😮 What a book and God😢
True !! I still JW but I don’t go anymore to the meetings and preaching . I just still cause part of my family are inside and they will probably stop talking to me if I leave. Anyway if I have to leave and they stop talking to me, that will be their decision not mine. And as you say no one should be treated like that publicly and all that harassment if you’re late at meetings or if you don’t go… I just stopped to answer the phone and they stopped to call me 😂
It’s all so insane. I endured the craziness for 46 yrs. The witnesses are mean & cruel. They live to hear an announcement of someone being disfellowshipped. The elders are bullies & liars. It’s a controlling cult that has ruined so many lives and ripped families apart.
Da L'italia, concordo che gli anziani sono crudeli ,quanto mantiene la tua personalita ,e sei sincero e onesto e dici realmente come stanno le cose ,mi hanno isolato anche con i commenti, senza aver commesso nessuna trasgressione, solo per dire la verita ,alla fine ho compreso che non hanno nessuna verita, e che era tempo di uscire da questa setta, adesso mi godo la mia liberta con una buona coscenza, e senza pesi inutili che mi soffocavano .
Bonjour ma sœur, dans cette fausse religion je détestais faire la tour de garde avec mon père enfant une vraie corvée, ma mère arrivé à m'éloigner de mon père .la vie était difficile, discipline toujours de la discipline avec mon père aucune joie à pratiquer cette religion ☹️ Les parents témoins de Jéhovah ne comprenne pas leurs enfants, à bientôt ma sœur le bonjour de France ☀️
Many years ago, I came within 'spitting distance' of embracing JW theology; fortunately, I came to my senses before it was too late, 'dodging a bullet', as it were. Even so, I have kept a 'finger on the pulse' as a very much outside observer. I'm rooting for you.
Becky, I just discovered you and your comments about being a former JW. I, too, was one...born and raised. I married one at age 20, which was a big mistake. We both stopped attending at age 30. I divorced him at age 36 and married the most wonderful, loving, kind Baptist man at age 44. Married almost 26 years until his death. I agree 100% with everything you say. It was a hard religion to grow up in. I could go on and on. Glad you and your family are happy and living a normal life...I am too!
Shunning is why I hate this religion. Nothing loving about such practices. It very much destroyed my relationship with my mother as well as countless others. I just found your video thank u
So sad...I make it a point to speak to JW's often, as they are terribly abused by this cult and I wish that they would throw all that garbage in the bin and just read the bible, to themselves without a watchtower telling them what to think. Jesus says to come to HIM, for REST and PEACE in knowing that your sins are forgiven FREELY BY HIS GRACE - believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou SHALL be saved (not might). That counting service hours, reading the WT articles and attending meetings, and bothering people at their homes on a saturday morning, and standing by a cart, and "pretending" to behave righteously yet shun their own family and friends (not biblical), etc is required so that one day after 1000 yrs they MIGHT be resurrected to this "paradise earth" - a phrase never once strung together in the bible. Rev 19:1 says the great crowd is before the throne IN HEAVEN, yet somehow are convinced only 144,000 go to heaven. Mormons and Catholics and Muslims, etc all believe in religion. All have traditions and books/literature in addition to the bible. All teach works based salvation, destroying the gospel. All teach that Jesus is not the Almighty, yet He Himself claims to be in Rev 1:8 You have every right to be pissed...you were lied to and abused and ripped off for 10% of your income - did you ever have to show the elders your W-2? Insane My favorite passage below. Hope this comment doesn't upset you - Im not sure if you no longer believe at all or have completely lost faith in Jesus? Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 BUT when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
It’s really about the money. In the congregation it was ‘the Bad Boys Builders Club’. Pushing for developments, nepotism, pandering in cliques. The Borg is basically the same, grubbing for the almighty buck. I never fitted in because they really hated anyone with environmental sympathies, or social conscience. Especially anyone who would dare express themselves on issues of real concern. Happiness begins when fear ends. They were all about holding others captive in fear, and condemning them for altruisms, and freedom of intelligent expressions. Glad you escaped that oppressive indoctrination.
Quite a few things got me thinking... New lights,💡 marking, shunning, micro-managing, clicks, way too many foolish or creepy bible stories... The Tower of Babel, Lot offers his daughters to be ®@¶€D by the townsmen in order to save the angels, Lot's wife being turned into a salt shaker, Jonah being swallowed by the big fish... Etc etc etc... 🤢
@@drewmcmahon2629 People who profess belief in a God will dismiss other God's of other nations and cultures and thousands of others believed in humanities history. An atheist just believes in one less God. To me to believe that some almighty being just passively watches all that suffering in the world and does nothing is not comforting at all. Doing what we can do positively as individuals is more beneficial
@@checkthefacts. I'm sure there are people who believe in the type of religion you describe but it's certainly a foreign one to me. And not a helpful one either. All I can say is that in my faith (Christianity) none of those things are true.
We’ve never been more happy, free and in a positive mindset. No need to rely on a god. Be kind, be grateful, dream big, work hard, help others, enjoy life. ❤️☀️
