Mental Health Challenges of Jehovah's Witnesses

During the 2020 annual meeting of the Watchtower, Bible & Tract Society, David Splane, Governing Body member, clearly explained that the low baptism amongst the Jehovah’s Witness ranks are quite concerning. It is something that has been trending for many years. To increase the baptism numbers the release of a new publication titled “Enjoy Living […]Support the show

9 Jun 202116min

9 Jun 20211h 3min

9 Jun 202154min

#exjw #JehovahWitness #exjwcriticalthinker #exjwinterviewsIn this podcast, Rashauna discusses her life in the Jehovah's Witness religion about regaining her identity after leaving the group.Rashauna discusses how she was able to regain her identity after leaving the Watchtower. She no longer has to agree with everything someone says or be on the same page with them in terms of acting out to remain part of a group.She discusses how therapy has helped her to regain her identity after finding out what she wants to do and discover who she is and what she wants out of life.To learn more about how Rashuna woke up and left the Jehovah's Witness religion, here's a link to the interview with her husband: https://youtu.be/on42UtqJZEs.Support the show

7 Mai 202146min

Lonnie.G a Vegan Chef, Content Creator, Investor, Business Owner, Poet here’s my socials.Lonnie's previous interview from 2018 - https://youtu.be/deIwpc8GekoLonnie Gillard appeared on our show three years ago telling his story about waking up and leaving the Jehovah’s Witness religion. He was still living at home with his parents. As a result, his parents no longer allowed him to remain living in their home. He survived by finding online resources and was able to land a place to live at an Airbnb.Fortunately, Lonnie was able to find support from his non-Jehovah’s Witness family. While most do not live locally, they still took time to provide him with mental and moral support. He expresses how he is most grateful for them calling him to do telephone check ins, something is not receiving from his parents. Fortunately, Lonnie did not have any extreme circumstances, nor did he ever find himself on the street. He always had a place to lay his head at night. He credits his father for his ability to survive because as he states, “my father said my job is to make sure that you and your siblings are able to stand on your own two feet”. Now that he’s out in the world, he appreciates his home training.Looking back, he said, he thought he was the crazy one because he is the only one saying this religion is a cult. But, after learning the truth about the religion, he realizes that he is not alone especially after meeting other former Jehovah’s Witnesses.According to Lonnie, life goes on and he’s okay with the notion that the people in his past, including his family no longer want to have anything to do with him. Because he believes that he needs to move on to the next chapter in his life. As he loses all the weight that has been on his shoulders, he can sleep good at night because he knows he’s doing the best that he can do.Support the show

30 Apr 202145min

Link to Ashli's YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlM3DJOyNt3FLT4rN1VHkQIn this podcast, Lady Cee chats with Ashli Campbell about her experience growing up as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Ashil talks about what life was like having a father that was not interested in participating in Watchtower activities, but made sure she got involved. It's amazing how he is not willing to make these major sacrifices but has no problems pushing this heavy responsibility on his minor child.The sheer frustration of getting baptized at the age of 12 has Ashli up in arms about being a good Jehovah's Witness. She has to live up to the responsibility and living the non-stop lifestyle of a JW begins taking its toll on her. She's looking for a means to escape and in the process makes some weighty decisions that are even more detrimental than remaining home and riding it out until she's old enough to move out and get her own place.Ashli drops out of high school in the 10th grade and begins working full time. She looks at this approach as a means to accelerating the process of moving out because it will allow her to save enough money to be on her own. Not long afterwards, Ashli meets a brother through mutual friends and after dating for six months, they get married. At age 18, she's not sure whether or not her situation is better or worse because the only thing she's done is swapped being home with parents that are ensuring she attends weekly meetings at the Kingdom Hall, to a husband that is virtually doing the same thing.As the interview progresses, Lady Cee and Ashli speak in-depth about Jehovah's Witness women and their struggles as second class citizens and the difficulty of being free to express oneself in the religion. It's a topic that is not explored enough in this culture because as they both express the importance of having a voice in relationships where both partners should equally strive to please one another instead of one serving the other's needs. Support the show

23 Apr 20211h 10min

We receive emails from people worldwide asking us if they should tell their family and friends the truth about the Jehovah's Witness religion. After waking up to startling facts about the organization, they, like many Jehovah's Witnesses, are shocked about their findings.     Many times, people forget about what it was like being one of Jehovah's Witnesses and how they will respond to anything we say negative about the Watchtower Society. Some have gone out on a limb and shared the information they learned online and have experienced a complete shutdown, and were swiftly cut off from their family and friends. They have not counted the cost of their relationship before speaking up and speaking out.     As minor children still living at home, you must realize that you need financial support from your parents and guardians. Others may be working for a brother or sister in the congregation and need your job to pay your bills. What if you rent a room or an apartment and now have to think about other living accommodations? Your security and well-being are more important than imparting knowledge. Be sure to take care of your well-being before speaking out against the religion.     Think about the consequences of your actions before divulging too much information about this religion to family and friends. Put the oxygen mask on your face before attempting to help others. You need to ensure you have reached a safe place, and then you can reach back to extend yourself to others.Support the show

18 Apr 202128min

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5 Apr 202140min