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Jack Ryan

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    'It was a cult': Former teen bride speaks out

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    Posted

    Screen Shot 2018-09-16 at 8.00.03 PM.png

    ABBY Andersson is a hard working, bubbly member of many community committees, but behind that big smile is a childhood of dark secrets.

    Mrs Andersson was born into a family of Jehovah's Witnesses and said she experienced many terrible things during her time in the religion.

    This included sexual abuse which was covered up by the religious community, including her parents.

    "I told dad that this man had done something inappropriate," she said.

    "I discussed it with my other young friends in the church and they had similar experiences with this man.

    "We all went to our parents and they just swept it under the carpet, nothing ever happened."

    Her parents were committed to their church first and foremost and when Abby's teenage marriage broke down her parents chose their religious beliefs over their daughter and refused to speak to her again.

    "My ex-husband had been cheating on me with lots of other woman," she said.

    "I didn't resent my parents for not talking to me, the brainwashing is great with this cult.

    "The religion was such an integral part of who my father was, I would never ask him to question his faith to associate with me."

    These days Mrs Andersson is happily married to her husband Dan, and with their three children she now has the strength and bravery to share her story.

    "I have always been able to be remain really calm in really oppressive situations, I credit my dad for that," she said.

    Mrs Andersson recalls a time when she was eight and went door knocking with her father.

    A disgruntled home-owner came out and aimed a shotgun at the pair.

    "I remember dad said, 'I don't think they want the truth today'," she joked.

    Mrs Andersson has distanced herself and her family from the religion and sadly her father has since passed away.

    "Dad and I had got to a point where we respected each other's views," she said.

    "I told him I will not be going back to the religion and that was awkward."

    Jehovah's Witnesses do not get involved in politics however this did not stop Mrs Andersson's father from voicing his opinion when she ran for a South Burnett Regional Councillor position.

    "He phoned me and said, 'I am just ringing to let you know how disappointed I am that you are doing this'," she said.

    "You think you are emotionally tough but there still is that little girl who wants their dad to say 'I'm proud of you'."

    Since sharing her story, Mrs Andersson has received lots of support and people have shared their similar experiences within the Jehovah's Witnesses religion.

    One Facebook user wrote, "I was also a Jehovah's Witness growing up and I agree with Abigail's statement that it's a cult, they bullied, gossiped and treated my mother terribly."

    https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/it-was-a-cult-former-teen-bride-speaks-out/3523313/

    "As if I was from another world" - Sophie's escape from the Jehovah's Witnesses | Switzerland

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    Posted

    German Sophie Jones explains after leaving the sect.

    15.09.18

    Sectarians who dare and create the exit from their community are often stigmatized or even traumatized. After suffering in the sect follows the path of suffering the exit. That is why most of them lack the strength to resist the sect.

    Recently, however, more and more dropouts of Jehovah's Witnesses have dared to publicize their painful experiences and sensitize and educate the public. The number of critical publications has increased in recent years.

    What is new, however, is that younger people have the strength to stand up to the witnesses. The courage to do so has also the 23-year-old Sophie Jones from Leipzig. She describes her way and the exit in several noteworthy videos and articles, which attract a lot of attention. In an interview with Watson, she describes her motivation to come out and engage in educational work.

    Was alienation from Jehovah's Witnesses a slow process or did a dramatic experience make you realize that you were living in a sectarian faith?

    After I was baptized with the Jehovah's Witnesses at the age of 17, the elders, the governing body, imposed a ban on my dad, who had previously been expelled. I did not understand it. This painful experience gradually opened my eyes.

    How long did the process take from the first doubt to the conviction that you need to free yourself from the constraints of Jehovah's Witnesses?

    I have always had doubts, but as a child or adolescent, they are nipped in the bud. There is still a lack of power to rebel. As you get older, you can classify everything better and automatically seek out contacts with people outside the community. Then I slowly realized that many things were misrepresented and I fell victim to a mistake.

    How did your parents and elders react when you realized that you were turning your back on the denomination?

    The elders sought contact and wanted to talk to me, which I vehemently rejected. When my mother found out, she immediately wanted to discuss it with me. Since I had never had a close relationship with her and moved out, it was not difficult for me to block these talks.

    Have you been plagued with self-doubt in the process of dissolving, have you developed fears of betraying Jehovah?

    ZThere are always moments when you are not sure if what you are doing is the right decision. You completely lose the previous life: family, friends, and faith in all promises of salvation. In the beginning, everything collapses over you.

    When did you first feel that the exit is an act of liberation?

    When I told the first Jehovah's Witness in my environment that I would not be coming to the meetings.

    Did you quickly find your way around the outside world or was integration in the "satanic society" a painful process?

    It was awful. Everything was new and unknown, I was constantly guilty and afraid to be watched. I felt abnormal as if I was from another world. It took a very long time for me to feel that I had arrived.

    Did you feel the need to let off steam after exiting and trying out everything that was forbidden or frowned upon by Jehovah's Witnesses?

    A little bit already. Doing the whole "bad things" was very exciting. I felt this kick to do something forbidden. Nevertheless, there were always inhibitions and feelings of guilt, which slowed me down a bit. I had to find a healthy middle ground.

    What made you decide to make your video exit public?

    Even after my departure, I was ashamed for years, for what I was and what I experienced. But I'm a completely new person now, and the past is part of my life. I want to help open people's eyes. At the same time, I hope to encourage many witnesses to quit their own.

    Have your relatives and Jehovah's Witnesses already responded to the videos you posted?

    Not yet, but I'm curious what will happen next.

     

    «Als sei ich von einer anderen Welt» – Sophies Flucht vor den Zeugen Jehovas

    in Topics

    Posted

    Die Deutsche Sophie Jones klärt nach ihrem Ausstieg über die Sekte auf.

     

    Sektenanhänger, die den Ausstieg aus ihrer Gemeinschaft wagen und schaffen, sind oft stigmatisiert oder gar traumatisiert. Nach dem Leidensweg in der Sekte folgt der Leidensweg des Ausstiegs. Deshalb fehlt den meisten die Kraft, sich gegen die Sekte zu wehren.

    In jüngster Zeit wagen es aber immer mehr Aussteiger der Zeugen Jehovas, ihre schmerzlichen Erfahrungen publik zu machen und die Öffentlichkeit zu sensibilisieren und aufzuklären. Die Zahl der kritischen Publikationen ist in den letzten Jahren gestiegen.

    Neu ist aber, dass es nun auch jüngere Personen die Kraft aufbringen, den Zeugen die Stirn zu bieten. Den Mut dazu aufgebracht hat auch die 23 Jahre alte Sophie Jones aus Leipzig. Sie schildert ihren Weg und den Ausstieg in mehreren bemerkenswerten Videos und Artikeln, die grosse Beachtung finden. Im Interview mit watson beschreibt sie ihre Motivation, sich zu outen und Aufklärungsarbeit zu betreiben.

    Sophie Jones schildert ihren Ausstieg aus den Zeugen Jehovas. Video: YouTube/Sophie Jones

    War die Entfremdung von den Zeugen Jehovas ein langsamer Prozess oder hat ein einschneidendes Erlebnis die Einsicht bewirkt, dass Sie in einer sektenhaften Glaubensgemeinschaft leben?
    Nachdem ich im Alter von 17 bei den Zeugen Jehovas getauft worden war, auferlegten mir die Ältesten, also das Führungsgremium, ein Kontaktverbot zu meinem Vater, der früher schon ausgeschlossen worden war. Ich verstand es nicht. Diese schmerzliche Erfahrung öffnete mir nach und nach die Augen.

    Wie lang dauerte der Prozess von den ersten Zweifeln bis zur Überzeugung, dass Sie sich aus den Zwängen der Zeugen Jehovas befreien müssen?
    Ich hatte schon immer Zweifel, aber als Kind oder Jugendliche werden diese im Keim erstickt. Es fehlt noch die Kraft, sich aufzulehnen. Wenn man älter wird, kann man alles besser einordnen und sucht automatisch Kontakte zu Menschen ausserhalb der Gemeinschaft. Dann merkte ich langsam, dass vieles falsch dargestellt wurde und ich einem Irrglauben zum Opfer gefallen bin.

    Sophie Jones will andere Aussteiger ermutigen. Video: YouTube/Sophie Jones

    Wie haben Ihre Eltern und die Ältesten reagiert, als Sie realisierten, dass Sie der Glaubensgemeinschaft den Rücken gekehrt haben?
    Die Ältesten suchten den Kontakt und wollten Gespräche mit mir führen, was ich vehement abgelehnt habe. Als es meine Mutter erfahren hatte, wollte sie sofort mit mir darüber diskutieren. Da ich noch nie ein enges Verhältnis zu ihr hatte und ausgezogen war, fiel es mir nicht schwer, auch diese Gespräche abzublocken.

    Sind Sie beim Loslösungsprozess von Selbstzweifeln geplagt worden, haben Sie Ängste entwickelt, Jehova zu verraten?
    Es gibt immer Momente, in denen man sich nicht sicher ist, ob das, was man tut, die richtige Entscheidung ist. Man verliert das bisherige Leben komplett: Familie, Freunde und den Glauben an alle Heilsversprechen. Am Anfang bricht alles über einem zusammen.

    «Es war furchtbar. Alles war neu und unbekannt, ich hatte ständig Schuldgefühle und Angst, beobachtet zu werden. Ich habe mich abnormal gefühlt, als wäre ich von einer anderen Welt.»

    Wann haben Sie das erste Mal gespürt, dass der Ausstieg ein Akt der Befreiung ist?
    Als ich den ersten Zeugen Jehovas in meinem Umfeld gesagt habe, dass ich nicht mehr in die Zusammenkünfte komme.

    Haben Sie sich rasch in der Aussenwelt zurechtgefunden oder war die Integration in der «satanischen Gesellschaft» ein schmerzhafter Prozess?
    Es war furchtbar. Alles war neu und unbekannt, ich hatte ständig Schuldgefühle und Angst, beobachtet zu werden. Ich habe mich abnormal gefühlt, als wäre ich von einer anderen Welt. Es hat sehr lange gedauert, bis ich das Gefühl hatte, angekommen zu sein.

    Die Zeugen Jehovas bei der jährlichen Zusammenkunft im Zürcher Stadion Letzigrund. Bild: KEYSTONE

    Hatten Sie das Bedürfnis, sich nach dem Ausstieg auszutoben und alles auszuprobieren, was bei den Zeugen Jehovas verboten oder verpönt war?
    Ein bisschen schon. Die ganzen «bösen Dinge» zu tun war sehr aufregend. Ich verspürte diesen Kick, etwas Verbotenes zu tun. Trotzdem waren auch immer Hemmungen und Schuldgefühle da, die mich etwas gebremst haben. Ich musste einen gesunden Mittelweg finden.

    Was hat Sie dazu bewogen, Ihren Ausstieg durch Videos öffentlich zu machen?
    Auch nach meinem Ausstieg habe ich mich jahrelang geschämt, für das, was ich war und was ich erlebt habe. Aber ich bin jetzt ein völlig neuer Mensch, und die Vergangenheit ist Teil meines Lebens. Ich möchte mithelfen, den Menschen die Augen zu öffnen. Gleichzeitig hoffe ich, viele Zeugen zu ermuntern, selbst auszusteigen.

    Haben Ihre Angehörigen und die Zeugen Jehovas schon auf die Videos reagiert, die Sie veröffentlicht haben?
    Bis jetzt noch nicht, aber ich bin gespannt darauf, was noch kommen wird.

    Haben Sie es je bereut, sich zu outen?
    Nein.

    Haben Sie schon Rückmeldungen von Zeugen bekommen? Hat schon einer oder eine aufgrund Ihres Videos den Ausstieg gewagt?
    Ich habe einige Nachrichten erhalten von Ex-Zeugen, die vor kurzem ausgestiegen sind. Aber auch von Personen, die sich gerade im Ausstieg befinden. Es bestärkt mich zu sehen, wie ich mit meinen Erfahrungen anderen Mut machen kann. Allein durch meine Videos wird vermutlich keiner aussteigen, aber es freut mich, wenn ich einen Beitrag dazu leisten kann.

    https://www.watson.ch/!449983022

    Screen Shot 2018-09-16 at 4.12.25 PM.png

    "Channel of Communication" or "Prophet" - Is There A Difference?

    in Topics

    Posted

    We are God's channel of communication. As we are neither infallible nor inspired and are imperfect, we can make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we will issue instruction of this refined understanding that you are to accept immediately. If you question us or are critical, you are questioning God and his method of communication. But we don't speak for God. Don't even think about referring to us as dogmatic. If you disagree with or question what we say, it is reflective of your weak faith and rebellious spirit.

    Jehovah’s Witness convention attracts thousands

    in Topics

    Posted

    South Coast Herald (South Africa), Sunday, September 16, 2018

    Zakhele Miya from Umzumbe was one of 398 people who was baptised at the 2018 ‘Be Courageous’ Jehovah Witness convention held at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

    Over 27,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses and members of the public from many parts of KwaZulu-Natal attended the 2018 ‘Be Courageous’ convention at Moses Mabhida Stadium

    READ FULL ARTICLE:
    https://southcoastherald.co.za/315924/convention-attracts-thousands-2/

    How to prove Abrahamic religion is BS with a simple illustration.

    in Topics

    Posted

    Imagine an engineer decides to design A couple machines to accomplish a Purpose. The designer builds machines test them and they run fine. Then the engineer sets the machines up to start accomplishing the task. After a short while one of the machines catastrophically fails due to an interference from another machine built by the same engineer. Who's to blame the machine or the engineer?

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