Random People Who Were Raised In The Jehovah's Witnesses Community Share Stories About Their Lives (14 items)

• (#1) Leaving The Religion Can Be Isolating

  From Redditor /u/poshjosh1999:

  The very few friends I did have my age have mostly left me because I left the JWs. I don't have any friends outside of the religion; I do, however, have much older friends. I was lucky that my parents allowed me to have a good hobby, which most JW parents won't allow at all because of "bad association."

  I don't have any friends my own age apart from one, who I hardly ever see. I know I'm lonely, but I'm in a very difficult situation since I've left the religion.
• (#9) One Small Misstep Can Ruin A Follower's Reputation

  From Redditor /u/ tjreid1987:

  I was kicked out of "Bethel" (their name for the HQ, translating to House of God). I had grown up my whole life as a Witness, following every rule, advancing quickly up the ranks. I was caught watching [adult videos] as a young 20-something-year-old, kicked out, stripped of all responsibilities and assignments, and lost all desire to continue.

  Shortly afterward, I stopped going to meetings and finally [started] examining my beliefs for myself instead of doing what was always expected.
• (#6) Not Celebrating Birthdays Has Social Ramifications

  From Redditor /u/JWAlumni:

  I felt like an outcast at school. I was lucky to have classmates that didn't bully me at school for being a JW, so there was mainly pity. But of course you felt stupid when you were the only one not congratulating someone on their birthday. You stood with the rest of the class silent while they sang the song. And when I had birthdays I politely thanked them for their well-wishing, but I wasn't really allowed to accept it. It also meant that I was neither allowed to attend a birthday party nor host one myself.

  Especially Christmas was tough because I knew I would be returning to school and everybody would be talking about the presents they got. Although I had loving parents I always felt like a d*ck on Christmas Eve knowing what was going on in other families. I loved Christmas as a kid because of all the lights and the glitter and stuff. Now, I love celebrating Christmas with my girlfriend. We always get a tree and make a big deal of Christmas.
• (#3) You Have To Go To Multiple Meetings Per Week

  From a former Redditor:

  You're kept pretty busy. Church meetings often have question-and-answer sections where they cover some piece of Watchtower literature, so JWs generally devote a few hours a week to studying for the meetings.

  Up until a few years ago there were three meetings a week but now it's just two; however, you are expected to have a family study night to make up for the third one. This all came about after I left so I can't speak as to whether or not it's strictly enforced.

  There's also a weekly Bible reading where you're supposed to read the assigned portion of the Bible for that week, which is then discussed at one of the weekly meetings.

  Three times a year there are larger gatherings. Congregations are organized into "Circuits," and Circuits are organized into larger "Districts." There are two large Circuit meetings (called "Assemblies") and one even larger meeting for the District (called the "District Convention") each year. When I was going, Assemblies had about 1,000 people and conventions had 35,000 to 40,000. The size of the convention depends on what venues are available, so sometimes you'll see a huge 40,000-person convention cover the whole district at once and sometimes you'll see a series of 5,000-person conventions cover the district in phases.

  Additionally, you're expected to go out knocking on doors (field service) at least nine to 10 hours a month here in the US. It's not a hard-and-fast rule but that's the national average, and in a lot of cases you won't be considered a member in good standing unless you do at least that.
• (#14) Discouraging Higher Education Sometimes Traps Members In Poverty

  From Redditor /u/HazyOutline:

  Many who have followed directives against education and spending one's life centered on [Jehovah's Witness] organizational activities later have found themselves in dire circumstances when they got older. They were sold on the idea they would never grow old, that Paradise would be here by then. Some spent decades at Bethel with a vow of poverty, only to be laid off.

  Some spent years as missionaries or special pioneers with a small stipend, only for the same thing to happen. It was the ultimate dead end.
• (#12) They Adjust Their Predictions When Things Don't Happen As Expected

  From Redditor /u/tjreid1987

  They recognize [their previous predictions that never happened]. They usually explain it with Proverbs 4:18 saying the "light gets brighter and brighter." They admit they are [fallible], and their understanding of the Scriptures isn't perfect. So when a prediction doesn't come true, they of course chalk it up to not fully understanding, and they readjust. They've avoided specific dates since 1975 - it's bad marketing.

  Now, they've stretched their interpretation to last a while longer until that one doesn't make sense anymore.

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