Disfellowshipped: The Shunning Practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Explored by an Atheist

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Күн бұрын

If you or a friend have left the Jehovah’s Witnesses and are looking for support on managing all of the challenges that come with this transition, I highly recommend checking out Dr Ryan Lee’s podcast, “Welcome to the World” (available on all platforms) or visiting his website, DrRyanLee.com
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I want to extend a huge thank you to the friends who made this possible. Jake, Mak, Ryan, Jade, and Denver-you're wonderful people, and your stories deserve to be heard.
Jake from ‪@altworldly‬ was a big resource of information for this video. Go subscribe to his channel!
Shoutout to some awesome humans with cool channels featured in this video: ‪@NEMOTHEMORMON‬ ‪@ReligionForBreakfast‬ ‪@MikeWinger‬ ‪@TheEsotericaChannel‬ ‪@ReadyToHarvest‬ ‪@Paulogia‬
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@HeliocentricOfficial 2 ай бұрын

Hey friends! I sometimes get comments assuming I have a team helping with videos. That’s honestly a huge compliment, but it’s just me. No managers, no editors, and no producers. I work a 9-5, come home, and then edit like a madman to bring these vids to life. For this video in particular, it took over a hundred hours of coordination, editing, and composing. I even wrote all of the music featured in this video (like, legit, all of it). If you’d like to support this weird project of a channel, please head over to my Patreon. You’ll find behind-the-scenes content, unreleased upcoming music, and even a downloadable version of my book. Whatever brought you here, thanks so much for watching and being part of this journey. Patreon.com/Heliocentric

@timothywalters23 2 ай бұрын

Dude! That's crazy, I saw your post about it where you were halfway through editing, but to also write all the music and still have a 9-5? It's madness, and I'm here for it with even more respect for your dedication than I thought I would be capable of. You rock!

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your excellent work.

@thecommentor1064 2 ай бұрын

would you be my editor for half the donations?

@dbach1025 2 ай бұрын

I was and remain prayerful for you, brother. I was starting to wonder when I hadn't seen a release from you. It is obvious you are loved by this community, believers or not. I appreciate your hard work, wealth of knowledge, and desire to learn about religions lesser known to you. More importantly, your love for your fellow man is inspiring. I never would have expected to be encouraged in my faith by an atheist, but I believe God will use anything for His purpose.

@thecommentor1064 2 ай бұрын

@@dbach1025 Salvation is not the getting to heaven if you die (when you de as all are presumed to do). If someone grabs you off a sinnking boat, you been saved. If someone flies you out of a hurricane, you been saved. The WatchTower has one thing correct, that being given in the future a 2nd life 2nd chance in flesh is most definitely being saved. With that God is not seeking to destroy crime or criminals in the world, but rather fix the planet which crime & criminals laugh at, bringing their own death in billions. Jesus said take no notice that God is making a planet change. That doesnt mean change a school to teach heliocentric, it means KEEP Earth in actual heliocentric orbit. Forces are so mcuh greater beyond stupid people. And it doesnt mean God twitches his nose for magic.

@cherylhennessy57 2 ай бұрын

I was disfellowshipped for smoking when I was 21 and my mother and sister have not spoke to me for 45 years. I'm now 66. It was so hard.

@jewelsbarbie 2 ай бұрын

Wow …. My heart goes out to you. That’s honestly so cruel. 😢❤

@M-n-K 2 ай бұрын

@@jewelsbarbie I am so sorry, that's horrible :(

@rebella5769 2 ай бұрын

@@cherylhennessy57 so cruel. JW religion rips out a person's humanity and replaces it as a cruel and cold-blooded rebot.

@ninas3615 2 ай бұрын

My heart goes out to you ♥️

@Heidi5353 2 ай бұрын

Wow - awful :( i'm so sorry

@onsearchfocus 2 ай бұрын

Oh. Gotta say AltWordly's word "Everything that's good about the religion is not unique and everything that's unique about the religion is not good" is GOLD!

@samanthas2280 2 ай бұрын

He commented on this video that he didn't make it up. He got it from an ex-Mormon video. It didn't diminish how good of a line it is.

@MattWillsher 2 ай бұрын

Amen

@sebastianovinciguerra3151 2 ай бұрын

For real, i Always say that from years now since i stopped to attend, the problem Is that Who has a brain to understand that Is treated like a fool

@BeckyB-s6t 2 ай бұрын

I wasn’t even disfellowshipped but told my family I wasn’t going to keep going to the Kingdom Hall for conscience reasons and my family shunned me. My dad told me he loved me, but he loved Jehovah more! I didn’t commit any sins, still married to my husband (we left together) but haven’t seen our families in 4 years.

@annalynn9325 2 ай бұрын

💔

@katygirl9221 2 ай бұрын

Same

@acekoala457 2 ай бұрын

Zoopers

@user-zu7fu6ky9k 2 ай бұрын

That's really sad, but good on you for making the right choice.

@christiancancino2253 2 ай бұрын

Same

@altworldly 2 ай бұрын

Really incredible work, man. Thanks so much for letting me be a part of it, and for elevating this issue to a broader audience. For any viewers who are wondering how they can help, it’s by raising awareness. If a Witness comes to your door, treat them with the level of empathy and compassion Jared does, and express your concern. You can’t change someone’s mind for them, but you can make them think, and compassion from The World will be more unexpected to a JW than confrontation. It’ll stick with them. If you see a post online about cults, mention JWs. They’re a disarmingly boring religion on the outside, and that allows them to slide under the radar. This organization only changes when the courts make them. Also it didn’t make the final cut but I do want to clarify that I can’t take credit for “everything good about it is not unique, and everything unique about it is not good.” I heard that on an episode of Mormon Stories when I was deconstructing. Wish I could remember the ep lol.

@HeliocentricOfficial 2 ай бұрын

Jake, you're a legend. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

@christophernelson9289 2 ай бұрын

Hey Jake! Your input was priceless in this video. Thanks for being vulnerable and being you. ❤

@kdrazalotg-usa6345 2 ай бұрын

Reading a book by Craig Hoyle called Excommunicated… and watched him tell his alarmingly similar story to leaving JWs, and shows how the PBCC (Plymouth Brethren formerly Exclusive Brethren) are similar and have the exact same issues and multigenerational effects, and how the family inside as well as outside families are affected and how the outside family still accept us, when we reach out to them after leaving. On the channel called Get A Life Podcast, I enjoyed hearing Craig narrate part of his book. You might enjoy it. He was mistreated for being gay, and they said he shouldn’t “be himself.” It’s a really good book, and I think he’s a good writer and narrator. You might even enjoy interviewing him one day, if you can somehow connect? I’d sure watch your video if you did! Anyway, just found the channel and stuff. Because there’s no fast rule that JWs cannot watch shows about Cults (other cults, lol ) I let myself watch, as a JW and it started the waking process!!

@kdrazalotg-usa6345 2 ай бұрын

I still think about how your experience went, hospitalized and your dad😢and well, your videos help others leave, and others maybe never entering thank goodness! No one should be shunned, ESPECIALLY when sick!

@TechyBen 2 ай бұрын

Agreed. Thankyou.

@victoriab711 2 ай бұрын

My uncle was DF’d 45 years ago. 45! He was told to sit at the back of the KH for his mothers funeral He was never invited to any family gatherings. We grew up basically not knowing him. My sister was DF’d 20 years ago. When she was DF she worked at the Mall. There were JWs from our Hall and neighboring halls that knew her and would not go into the store if she was working that day Or they’d ask for another sales associate. My brother was DFd 15 years again. He tried to “come back” after 6 months but one elder on the committee didn’t feel he was ready. He never tried again. This new “adjustment” is a mind fyck. If you had gone to a KH 3 years ago it would have been the exact experience you were expecting. I don’t know HOW JWs can sleep knowing how they acted or treated people FOR YEARS! This is such a triggering topic for me because it’s SHEER passive aggressive hypocrisy and brainwashing.

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

As JWs, we were trained to always say how happy we were. #bestlifeever. In reality, most JWs are miserable. Living in constant fear of doing or saying something that would get you disfellowshipped. Efrian Rivera Oasis Ex-Testigos de Jehová

@icekills1 2 ай бұрын

Its very cringe when they posted that hastag on their Facebook or Instagram page.

@b-radz 2 ай бұрын

Best life everrrr...rrr? Right?

@christophernelson9289 2 ай бұрын

@@Greg76131I’ll help a bro out and refine his statement. Most JWs are either miserable or are conditioned psychopathic narcissists

@icekills1 2 ай бұрын

@@Greg76131 lol we found a PIMI

@Greg76131 2 ай бұрын

@@b-radzyep

@aaronhawkins1541 2 ай бұрын

I'm an exjw. I was disfellowshipped 15 yrs ago. My mother and two sisters have not spoken to me since. Even when they changed the rules they still stick to the old shunning policies. I very nearly ended my life one night about 13 yrs ago because I had lost everything. Including my marriage and two sons. The only reason I am here is because I drank to much before I went through with my plan and passed out. The next morning I woke and decided I could not let the governing body control my life like that anymore.

@JwRetroverdad 2 ай бұрын

❤

@turnerturner3281 2 ай бұрын

What a reprehensible way to treat family. I'm glad you're still here with us, mate. Hope you're doing better these days!

@Jortyunofficial 2 ай бұрын

Glad you’re still here. Keep going! I hope you’ve found a community and that your deconstruction journey is going well. Or even if you’re Christian, I hope your life is full and happy

@soofu 2 ай бұрын

You’re never alone, I’m 23 and my brother is 20 and our parents abandoned us both. I dont expect anything to change but I am living my best life and I’m happy and doing good. ❤ I’m wishing you the same happiness and peace

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

You overcame so much! I think the best revenge is to succeed in life without JWs. The young man on this documentary who became a doctor is an excellent example. Plus speaking out and helping former JWs detox from this cult. ❤

@Rock_Lee_The_Handsome_Devil 2 ай бұрын

This is why a lot of disfellowshipped people move, the shunning is worse from the people you know, the people you grew up with, your family.

@AJTyler-r3s 2 ай бұрын

I disassociated myself today. Thank you so much for sharing this and all the work it took to make it. Thank you.

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

Congratulations! ❤

@jackijax505 2 ай бұрын

We are proud of you! Congrats. 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

@junejunie2284 2 ай бұрын

Congratulations!

@krism5575 2 ай бұрын

Wow congrats 👌🏽 JW is a cult

@LaLoba313 2 ай бұрын

A difficult road ahead but the best decision you could have made. You’ll slowly connect with others who have left or will leave

@barbaracallaghan8811 2 ай бұрын

you need to accompany a 'removed' person to a meeting at their old Kingdom Hall and see how they get treated. Also the fact that it was a Circuit Overseers visit when you went, people act super friendly and pious when the CO visits

@CHEREKA98 2 ай бұрын

Good idea ❤

@tmx8353 2 ай бұрын

I can second this!! When the CO visits everyone acts like the greatest ever and even if they haven’t preached in weeks only because of the CO visit they go out to preach with the group. Going with someone’s old hall would show us just how really they would treat someone.

@michellew4637 2 ай бұрын

Oh yes they all come out of the woodwork when the Circus Overseer (pun intended) visits

@BrownPeace 2 ай бұрын

Yes, yes, yes! Absolutely yes! Anytime a circuit overseer visits the hall, the energy in the room is heightened and almost false. Everyone is on their p’s and q’s. The elders ramp it up a notch, everyone tries to attend the meeting, even slow attenders - people who normally don’t attend regularly - and everything is ship shape. Additionally, you were a visiting disfellowshipped person. A person who was disfellowshipped from that particular hall might have been given a different reception.

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

@BrownPeace yes, also if this was from a couple of years ago, he would've been treated differently as a (gasp) disfellowshipped member with a beard.

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

Because of recent lawsuits, the Governing Body has decided to change the term from "disfellowshipped" to "removed."

@damilolaprivilege2359 2 ай бұрын

Jokes on them😂😂

@freeatlast. 2 ай бұрын

Jehovah's hand is strong and swift 'You are henceforth removed' 😮😅

@jaredhall5996 2 ай бұрын

I came to make this comment. Keep it up Jared!!!

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

Sounds like a mafia thug term

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

@@christinesotelo7655 - In my opinion, removed sounds worse.

@cherneymh 2 ай бұрын

I’m a Lutheran pastor and this video had me weeping in my kitchen like a baby. Thank you for shedding light on what people are going through.

@alans.wendelschafer6588 2 ай бұрын

I am continuously baffled by how my dad left Lutheran for the JWs. We could have had a normal, healthy family. But he gave it up for a literature and real estate company that he refuses to do basic research on.

@cherneymh 2 ай бұрын

@@alans.wendelschafer6588 I'm very sorry to hear that. Completely guessing here, but maybe the strict and highly regimented life appealed to him in contrast to a church (as some Lutherans can be) that seemed wishy washy. Regardless, I'm sorry you had to pay for it. I pray for people in your dad's situation and yours.

@watgirl Ай бұрын

I am Catholic and I cannot understand how parents can shun their children. In our beliefs, we are to embrace and guide our children. Teach them forgiveness and repentance constructively. I couldn’t imagine casting my child away.

@quantum_beeb 4 күн бұрын

…while preaching a Protestant branch who has their own issues. Save the weeping for the victims of what you fight for.

@cherneymh 4 күн бұрын

@@quantum_beeb yes, there have been Lutheran church leaders that have done terrible, harmful things as well I'm curious, when you say "what I fight for" what exactly are you referring to?

@anaidentafaible 2 ай бұрын

I think a large part of the ”coldness” that a lot of us exjws will report, that you did not experience, is rooted in the way many witnesses will experience your disfellowshipping (but to a much larger degree disassociation) as a personal betrayal. There’s a lot of hurt involved, because in their view, you are choosing to leave the relationship, even if you try to clearly communicate that you are in no way distancing yourself from them. When a random disfellowshipped person shows up at a Kingdom Hall, that’s just a win, ’cause being there means they want to come back. As a witness, you just see that as a positive development that you don’t have a stake in. When you see someone who’s disfellowshipped, who you know personally, closely, the risk is far greater that you’ll become enormously emotionally distant, in no small part to protect yourself from the longing for them.

@renysimone3312 2 ай бұрын

This is absolutely true!

@queem203 2 ай бұрын

I also read from a couple of comments that the Circuit Overseer being there may have been a factor in the generally positive attitudes towards the new, if disfellowshipped, face at the hall.

@OlafMetal 2 ай бұрын

I think one of the reasons you got the reaction you did was because nobody there knew you. People act differently toward strangers than people they know and have a history with. I think you're spot on about people in the congregation wanting to welcome people back, but in practice they worry about who they're seen with. When someone has a bad reputation, it tends to color how people act toward them. Bad association spoils useful habits, after all.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

Exactly what I thought too! Isn't it insane that we know that if they KNEW him, they'd treat him WORSE than a room full of strangers?? So sad.

@crazymanickid 2 ай бұрын

THIS!!!! If it was someone who was wildly known and was once beloved. It would be a look of disappointment and judgment.

@renysimone3312 2 ай бұрын

Absolutely true!👍

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

So does isolation, which JW leaders inflict on their members.

@Soesii 3 күн бұрын

Exactly what I thought.

@queend9320 2 ай бұрын

“Everything good about the religion is not unique and everything unique about the religion is not good” - @altworldly 💯 BARS!!

@BrenGunning 2 ай бұрын

He even admits in another chat saying he got it from Mormon stories or something but the fact that he even tries to give credit others make him more likeable!

@anthonym612 2 ай бұрын

Jake is awesome and a great resource for ex-JW’s (altworldly)

@GrizzV991 2 ай бұрын

Idk Jared, it sounds to me more like -get disfellowshipped -rules change -go see your mom at church who you havent seen in 10+ years -want to hug her and tell her you missed her and pour it all out -she gives you the stepford wife stare and says "Its so good to see you here!"

@derekmaverick5986 2 ай бұрын

Oh yeah, I feel this big time. As a stranger their pleasantries feel fine, if not a bit theatrical. But after all the trauma and tension and repression, to have them respond with muted emotions and the same company lines as always, it’s like there’s no light behind the eyes.

@universalman5861 2 ай бұрын

@derekmaverick5986 Now they are admitting that even during Armageddon perspns can change.No one changes during Armageddon. God knows a good person independent of foolish man made religions. There is no need to associate with unthinking, uncritical , programmed robots.

@PricklyPear-g3r 2 ай бұрын

Your perception is exceptional. As an exJW, I’d add that the scars inflicted by this organization on children who have been disfellowshipped should be a criminal offence. My brother, disfellowshipped at 15, suffered trying to grow up without parents (they shunned him), financial support (he was kicked out of the home) or sadly his siblings. His crime - he said he didn’t want to be in the religion and started smoking. I was 13. It messed up all 3 of us kids. Aptly said, “victims of victims”.

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

You have quite a story to write or to tell. Someday maybe you can go to Court and tell your story too.

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

❤❤❤

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

Your brother can sue them for child abuse (throwing him out on the streets), rehoming, reeducation, counseling, medical care, PTSD treatment, etc. He was underage.😢 They also committed a crime against said child, so make a police report. Getting sued and reported for crimes scares the JWs to death. I think if everyone that was so wronged took these steps, the Governing Body would change their attitudes right now. They should not be committing crimes against children and getting away with it. 🤬😡

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

@@christinesotelo7655Not maybe. This individual can absolutely take it to court and not just as a civil case. They committed a crime against a 15 year old. Plus getting baptized before the age of 18 -- that's a major contract, and 15 year olds are not equipped to make such major decisions. By law, said contract would be deemed invalid because he was a minor.

@user-vo4wc2jz8g 2 ай бұрын

Ex Jehovah's Witness here. It's a very lonely time when one day everyone you ever knew stops talking to you - it feels like you've died 🥺

@StillShootFilms 2 ай бұрын

i can’t remember if it was actually in some publications or if it was just the way my congregation spoke, but disfellowshipping was spoken about like treating the person like they’re dead. i remember not even being able to look at those who were disfellowshipped, if they came in to meetings. i remember the way they spoke about them, and i can’t even imagine what they said about me when i was disfellowshipped, or even after i left for the last time. it’s absolutely deplorable.

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

I hope you know you're not alone. You're not dead, you're actually living now.

@Tropdop 2 ай бұрын

❤ Prayers that you find friends and faith.

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

Get counseling. It's very traumatic. You need treatment for PTSD, possibly medicine & guidance towards forming new bonds with better people who won't treat you with such cruelty. And sue them for the expenses. ❤

@watgirl Ай бұрын

I am so sorry you experienced that. True faith should never let you feel that way or be treated that way. ❤

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

While you were "mingling," the Elders were immediately informed that a "removed" person was among them. They were put into high alert, and all Elders ' and Ministerial Servants were watching you. Your bump-in with Alex was no accident. He was assigned to make sure you spoke with each other. He was gathering information. He was a spy.

@BasedPhilosophyMom 2 ай бұрын

Spooky

@thehigherevolutionary 2 ай бұрын

I used to *always* greet disfellowshipped ones warmly. As a servant...I got dragged into a meeting with 2 elders and was warned if I do it again I could have my qualifications jeopardized...as an appointed brother I needed to set a better example for the congregation. Being loving like Jesus was the worst example apparently...and I said as much. They were gobsmacked and I never heard a single thing about it from them again, but apparently other friends paid close attention and would talk about how loving it was.

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

@@thehigherevolutionary - Yes! Something similar happened to me as well.

@Eric_01 2 ай бұрын

He was probably a MS, especially if he was playing greeter at the door. The randos don't typically do that.

@thehigherevolutionary 2 ай бұрын

@@EfrainRiveraJunior Wow, it's a shame how unloving these men were and needed permission from the GB to behave in a Christlike manner. When my best friend got disfellowshipped, I teared up and an elder (one of the ones I was referring to in my previous post) put his hand on my arm and tightened his grip and shook his head at me in disapproval. I'm glad to see they are moving in a new direction but after so many years of harm its really wild

@briecheeks 2 ай бұрын

As a disfellowshipped (13 years and counting) exJW who is now also an apostate (spent almost 10 years in some weird limbo of still believing) - this video is so validating of what I’ve been through. Thank you!

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

You said it true: that apostate labeling is so hard to shake off. It’s a defamation of character and people actually can take the KH or WT to Court over it. Thank you. ❤😢

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

I tell Jehovah's Witnesses to go through the narrow gate that is on the cramped road leading to life. . Matthew 7:13-14 “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road ** LEADING OFF INTO LIFE ** and few are the ones finding it. . I ask them to read what Jehovah said would happen at the time of the end that is in every Christians bible and yet, few are the ones finding it: . 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" . I ask them if they can see Jehovah's promise to disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witnesses: . "He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part"! . I then warn them that, if they go through this narrow gate they will lose their family as a consequence of the Watchtower Societies shunning policies. . Then I ask them to read what Jesus Christ said about everlasting life: . Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news 30 who will not get a hundredfold now in this period of time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming system of things ** EVERLASTING LIFE ** . I then ask them if they want to live forever. . I also tell them that they can leave the organization and their congregation with dignity by telling everybody that they believe Jehovah, Jesus Christ and everything else in the bible. . Walk out with your head held high and jump for joy when you do. . What Jehovah said would happen, is now really happening! . That's Good News ................... right! . Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOOD NEWS. .

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

@@christinesotelo7655Also for medical and mental destruction. PTSD and unlearning takes years.

@MsLoriMac1 2 ай бұрын

Exjw here. I needed to say how beautifully and respectfully this is being handled by you. For me, the hardest part was being kicked into this world i had been taught to be terrified of. I lived in fear of being disfellowshipped and losing my family...and having to live among wickedness and evil everywhere. I thought it would be violent and overwhelming. For years i thought i must be evil because this world feels so comfortable. Being one of jehovahs witnesses instilled a deep belief that i was disposable and love was conditional. Even as a jw i kept a distnce from other jws because i might need to shun them one day. They might be bad association. What if I do something infront of them that gets me in trouble? When you wrap that up with the purity culture, isolation and institutionalized thought and speech it gets so dark.

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

Wonderful comment! I felt all that too! Yes, this video was wonderful. I couldn’t get close to people either when I was “in” for those same fears. And they do spy and report, even in families. Problem is that it shatters your trust (well, mine) when you are booted out into that big bad world. And yes, I thought I was evil too, especially when “worldly” people loved me. I thought ahhh, Satan loves me, not God! So I pushed people away. Thanks for your comment. ❤😢

@der1222 2 ай бұрын

Even when I'm in a lovely community, I still act like a sociopath and keep miles of emotional distance. Maybe it's because of JW upbringing or my personality dunno

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

@@der1222 I hear that. Me too

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

It’s self-protection.

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

I'm so sorry you had to go through all that! It's such a destructive cult. It sounds like you have PTSD pretty bad. Get counseling. Get treatment. And sue them for the expenses and for punitive damages. It really intimidates them.

@diegoleerot 2 ай бұрын

I was disfellowshipped around 1990 when I was 21. I’m glad I got to experience the full disfellowshipping experience! I wrote letters and attended meetings sitting in the back row for six months until they reinstated me. My parents then told me they were proud of me and that I could take a small break from going to the Kingdom Hall. I never went back again!

@Kadillac_Kim 2 ай бұрын

37:55 they're never just calling to say they love you. They're calling to manipulate you into going back to the Kingdom Hall. This is smoke and mirrors. Not a thing has changed.

@aijalisa1527 Ай бұрын

This is the reason I put away getting baptized for years until I was old enough to say I didn’t want to be part of the religion anymore. I didn’t want my parents to not talk to me again and loose my sisters, it’s sad 😔

@Smaug185 2 ай бұрын

Missing my parents today. It leaves a hole no one and nothing else can fill.. Thanks for making these videos.

@soofu 2 ай бұрын

My therapist told me I was going through grief. She was right, being shunned whether you’re disfellowshipped or not is a death in your parents relationship. The people who are supposed to love you unconditionally and put you first never will and it’s devastating. You will always grieve them. Please seek help and create a support system for yourself, you matter even if your parents dont validate you 🤍

@Smaug185 2 ай бұрын

@@soofu oh for sure! I'm so glad you are doing that. I left in 2007. I went to therapy for a couple years but life happened and I had a lot going on to distract me. Covid brought up all sorts of crap. stressful situations bring it back. maybe I am a lesson that this is something you have to continue to deal with and stay on top of. I am doing a therapy program currently. best healing wishes to you.

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

❤ so sorry. I hope you continue to work on processing your grief.

@Dlaine_Brun 2 ай бұрын

Sometimes when the disfellowshiping announcement is made people cry, like someone has died.

@bobbiefritz2525 2 ай бұрын

This made me cry at the end 😢 thank you for giving us the love that we are not allowed to get from our family and friends.

@Andrew-fm8tv 2 ай бұрын

Exjw here, I would like to tell you that I really appreciate a never-been JW taking so much time and effort into understanding what it’s like to be a jw or exjw. It gives me hope that more people will take an interest in this organization because it is very complicated and nuanced (which I think is boring to most people) even though it’s a cult in plain sight,

@eyeswideopen8570 2 ай бұрын

Ex JW here. I am 66 yrs old, left the cult for good about 6 years ago. Waking up is a process that takes time for some of us. I did not lose my faith in God, or Jesus, but I did question my faith when first leaving. As it turns out, it was my faith in that disgusting religion that I lost, but not my faith in God or the Bible. As a born in, I was afraid of Armageddon, afraid of committing the unforgivable sin, afraid of death, afraid of worldly people....the fear is over the top, especially for children. The Armageddon pictures in the literature are the stuff of nightmares. Many things in the video were triggering for my ptsd, but everything you said was true and you obviously have a heart for people. I shunned my sister for 40 years, from the time she had a baby at 16 and was disfellowshipped until I woke up from the cult a few years ago. She accepted my apologies and we now have a good relationship.

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

@AnneIllustrating Ай бұрын

Great username, eyes wide open! I’m sorry you were driven to those experiences, but I’m happy to know you are forming a bond with your sister after all of it. You are not alone in your struggle. I hope you take more chances to tell your story.

@eyeswideopen8570 Ай бұрын

@@AnneIllustrating Thank you for your encouraging words!

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

What a nightmare. Glad you were able to reconnect with your sister. Having that bond is so important. Sue the JWs for inflicting emotional violence. You need the money for counseling, medical care, medicine and help with your PTSD. If you were baptized under the age of 18, you can have it expunged in a court of law. Contracts entered into with minors are invalid.

@megan148 2 ай бұрын

I was disfellowshipped for telling people in the organization about the cases of child abuse and how the governing body is lying. My family and childhood friends will never speak to me again. I texted my brother four months ago that I had a tumor they were worried was a sarcoma. I told him I was getting it removed and biopsied, and he never messaged me to see how it turned out. They labeled me an apostate, which to them is worse than a child abuser or murderer.

@emelylopez680 2 ай бұрын

Ex jw here, I really loved hearing what Dr. Lee said about jws being counter prepared for the world. I constantly deal even today with fear of people and have a hard time making friends. I hope to one day overcome the fear that has been instilled in me since birth.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

❤ 🫂

@derekmaverick5986 2 ай бұрын

Just when you think you’re over it, you have a bizarre visceral reaction to a perfectly normal human situation. Conflict especially is hard for no reason other than conditioning.

@emelylopez680 2 ай бұрын

@@derekmaverick5986 💯

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

❤

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

Get counseling. You need treatment for PTSD, medical care and medicine. Sue them for the expenses. It'll scare the life out of them. And sue everyone else involved in such horrible decisions. ❤

@raverider2327 2 ай бұрын

My aunt get disfellowshiped a decades a go, now we don't even have her contact or at least know that she still alive or not. This cult is so destructive

@scottbaxter4195 9 күн бұрын

I found your video while going through a hard time of feeling the effects of being disfellowshipped and experiencing the pain of being cut off by my children, siblings and friends. It seems like this is always brought to my attention during the holidays, because even if the JW's don't celebrate them, the holidays offer a time when families get together. I was a JW for over twenty five years; baptized at age twenty-one. I was not raised as a JW but I had siblings that were deeply involved since the 1960's. I believe I have a unique experience with the faith, and I'm quite willing to share my perspective on the religion. I have respect for the members of the faith, and my experience during the time I was active was positive. But I no longer hold the faith I once had, and most recently I find I lean toward agnostic, if not atheist. If you are interested in hearing more about my experience I'm willing to share my candor opinion of the religion. Most sincerely, Scotkins

@jayross7869 Ай бұрын

Great video! I remember that when I was a witness, I ran into the older sister of a girl that I was crazy about. Her older sister was a Ten, she was gorgeous...We got into a conversation, and she told me that that she had just got dis-fellow-shipped, and she was distraught, almost in tears. I remember being at their house one time, and that all of her relatives and family were beautiful, attractive people, like the people in soap operas, it really stood out, and they were all witnesses. I listened to her telling me how they had all dis-owned her, and she had no one to turn too. It was heart breaking, I could feel her pain, her life had only involved witnesses, she was now on her own. Now, here's the catch: Being that I was still a witness in good standing, I told her, "I'm sorry, but I really shouldn't be talking to you", and I left... Can you believe that? That's how brainwashed I was, I had a cold, hard, heart, and had zero empathy for this person who was deeply hurting. To this day, I still regret the cold response that I gave her, as a reminder of the kind of hold the Watchtower has on controlling your mind. Yes, it is a dangerous cult for sure. I can only hope that she found her way out safely.

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

I hope she found a safe place, too. And I think you were too young to understand just how destructive this cult is. ❤

@theredishradish 19 күн бұрын

What i (as someone who was never religious or in any religious institution) always thought was, that the shunning only happens when that person actively distances themselves from the sect, not just anyone who sinned. That’s actually crazy that you can be shunned even if you want to be in the community.

@corbinluke4813 2 ай бұрын

18:35 im disfellowshiped 5+ yrs. and my grandpa passed away last summer. He was an elder since the elder arrangement was a thing. I tried talking to a very elderly family member at his memorial service at the kingdom hall. One i hadn't seen in 5+ years and i knew that would probably be the last time I'd see her. So I walked up and gave her a hug and everyone around stopped and stared like I kicked a baby. Then she asked who I was again and she said I hope I turn around and come back to jehovah soon.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

❤ 🫂

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

@dtschuor459 2 күн бұрын

Ugh…how horrible. It’s meant to dehumanize you and destroy you emotionally. I hope you have been able to find and build living relationships outside of JW. The world is a much better place than you were told. Not everyone is good or honorable, but there is genuine love and kindness out here. ❤☮️💜

@lawrencestoll6287 2 ай бұрын

It's not only about the shunning, it includes the terrible things that are said about you behind your back to further demonize you.

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

Yep! Happened to me. . Luke 6:22-23 HAPPY are YOU whenever men hate YOU, and whenever they exclude YOU and reproach YOU and cast out YOUR name as wicked for the sake of the Son of man. 23 Rejoice in that day . [NAME OF PERSON] is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses ---->> "and cast out YOUR name" . I'm HAPPY. . . I tell Jehovah's Witnesses to go through the narrow gate that is on the cramped road leading to life. . Matthew 7:13-14 “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road ** LEADING OFF INTO LIFE ** and few are the ones finding it. . I ask them to read what Jehovah said would happen at the time of the end that is in every Christians bible and yet, few are the ones finding it: . 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" . I ask them if they can see Jehovah's promise to disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witnesses: . "He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part"! . I then warn them that, if they go through this narrow gate they will lose their family as a consequence of the Watchtower Societies shunning policies. . Then I ask them to read what Jesus Christ said about everlasting life: . Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news 30 who will not get a hundredfold now in this period of time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming system of things ** EVERLASTING LIFE ** . I then ask them if they want to live forever. . I also tell them that they can leave the organization and their congregation with dignity by telling everybody that they believe Jehovah, Jesus Christ and everything else in the bible. . Walk out with your head held high and jump for joy when you do. . What Jehovah said would happen, is now really happening! . That's Good News ................... right! . Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOOD NEWS. .

@Whimsydaisy 2 ай бұрын

I was disfellowshipped at 21 and I'm 29 now and still traumatized by it. I lost everyone I knew and loved. I was raised in the organization since 5. Thank you so much for your genuine concern and care you have for people in general and people like me who have been through this hellish organization ❤

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

Sue the Governing Body for medical expenses. You need counseling and treatment for PTSD which takes years to recover from. They have too much power and control over people. And if you were baptized before the age of 18, you can get it expunged. It's a complicated contract with major consequences, and minors have no concept of what they're commiting themselves to. For that reason, a contract entered into by a minor is invalid in the eyes of the law 😢❤

@OwenVickersGuitar 2 ай бұрын

From an ex-JW, now atheist, thanks for making this video!

@tamazhi6762 2 ай бұрын

From and ez-JW, now orthodox Christian I too thank him for making this video 🤣

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

I wish you hadn't left the one true, loving God, though. The JW God is not how God really is. I don't blame you for being angry. This cult is cruel, unforgiving, cold blooded and merciless. But it's not how God truly is. 🙏😢

@buruku34 Ай бұрын

Thank u so much for this video. I quit attending meetings 20 years ago. Sent my desasociation letter two years ago, I dont believe in the Organizaction anymore. My father, nor my brother, his wife and nephews dont Talk to me since. Happy to be free, sad for being shunned and apart from my family. There is nothing I can do, they are victims as well. Thank u from Spain. Miriam.

@tonys9397 29 күн бұрын

Por eso sigo pimo tengo miedo a eso

@tom-ss2mn 2 ай бұрын

Nothing tears family apart like religion. Im an ex jw. I was disfellowshipped and for the next 35 years had no relationship with my mother and sister. When my mother needed full time care, the jw's were no where in sight. And i certainly wasnt going to take care of her after the way she treated me for 35 years. She really missed out and never realized it

@splendidlyimperfect 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for acknowledging our pain.

@anastasiashpyt 2 ай бұрын

I've been waiting for new videos, checking the channel for updates several times, and it was all worth it. As someone who was disfellowshipped over three years ago, I always appreciate it when people who don't have any history with JWs, raise these topics. Thank you, mate

@scottbeesley894 2 ай бұрын

When I was 17 and starting to fade away from the j-dubs, the elders pulled me aside and told me I wasn’t allowed to go witnessing (door knocking) anymore. I pretended I was so upset about this but I couldn’t believe just how great this news was! No more boring ass witnessing!! A month or two later I told an elder I didn’t want to be a j-dub anymore, he tried to talk me out of it for ages, ended up getting frustrated and called me foolish. He said that this world will only last, at most, another 6 months before Armageddon wipes all the baddies out. I told him that’s a risk I’m willing to take. That was in 2003. 21 years ago. I also asked that same elder to not tell my mother, that I wanted to tell her myself. He agreed. I left his house and went straight to my mums. She wasn’t home, but I still let myself in. While I was checking the place the phone rang. I answered it and it was the elder. He said “hello (little brother’s name), is your mum there?” I simply said, “this isn’t (little brother), it’s me.” “Oh……….. Is your mum there?” “No, she’s not. The place is empty. Why do you want her? I thought we agreed that I would be the one to tell her?” “Oh, er, um, ah, er…. I was just thinking about um, something else um” “So you lecture me about Armageddon coming and the very next thing you do is lie?” “No, um. It wasn’t that, er.” “Whatever…” and I hung up. The same man died from suicide about 10 years later. Yeah - dark twist at the end there.

@AngelaDoyle-n7l 2 ай бұрын

Sad really 😭 sorry this happened

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

Glad karma finally caught up with him. He was a very bad man.

@JDUB0927 8 күн бұрын

My initials are JW and some people call me Jdub 😭

@dtschuor459 2 күн бұрын

@@ChristineRossi-rc7xlWhat a tragic take on it. He wasn’t a bad man. He was a man manipulated, controlled, and likely frightened inside. The very fact of his suicide speaks to his pain and suffering. That he lied, as humans do, to cover his own perceived sin, is just a normal response.

@pinklilyblossom 2 ай бұрын

I was in crisis when I left, I was homeless with my son, no access to the family money, no access to legal support, my father was aware I was leaving very challenging circumstances and knew my young son was with me. He didn’t even say goodbye and I was shunned before I was officially disfellowshipped. They are very cruel. Since the changes - I haven’t heard from anyone. Many witnesses believe that if they are more strict in adhering to being “loyal to the organization” then they are more righteous.

@user-jt2vv1zj6z 2 ай бұрын

I hope you're in a secure safe place now.❤ I was homeless when I left too. It's tough.

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

This should give you some comfort: . I tell Jehovah's Witnesses to go through the narrow gate that is on the cramped road leading to life. . Matthew 7:13-14 “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road ** LEADING OFF INTO LIFE ** and few are the ones finding it. . I ask them to read what Jehovah said would happen at the time of the end that is in every Christians bible and yet, few are the ones finding it: . 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" . I ask them if they can see Jehovah's promise to disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witnesses: . "He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part"! . I then warn them that, if they go through this narrow gate they will lose their family as a consequence of the Watchtower Societies shunning policies. . Then I ask them to read what Jesus Christ said about everlasting life: . Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news 30 who will not get a hundredfold now in this period of time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming system of things ** EVERLASTING LIFE ** . I then ask them if they want to live forever. . I also tell them that they can leave the organization and their congregation with dignity by telling everybody that they believe Jehovah, Jesus Christ and everything else in the bible. . Walk out with your head held high and jump for joy when you do. . What Jehovah said would happen, is now really happening! . That's Good News ................... right! . Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOOD NEWS. .

@pinklilyblossom 2 ай бұрын

@@isaiah30v8 that’s very good reasoning with the scriptures

@pinklilyblossom 2 ай бұрын

@@user-jt2vv1zj6z thank you. I got us on our feet, found a temporary job, got us a home then restarted by business. We are both thriving now, exploring new experiences, making new friends together. I didn’t get my daughter back but I managed to keep my son with me.

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

No, they are SELF righteous. Huge difference. Sue 'em. You need rehoming costs, education, medical care, medicine, counseling and treatment for PTSD and so does your son. All of this costs money. And the JWs get very intimidated when they get sued. I'm so sorry you and your son have been so horribly traumatized. Sending you tons of love and prayers 🙏❤️.

@YosDemian 2 ай бұрын

I'm still in, I'm an atheist and I go to preach and to meetings, because I know that if I stop going I'm simply going to lose too much. But I'm working on having new friends and a support network while I get out of it.

@renysimone3312 2 ай бұрын

Excellent!👍🩷🙌

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

Wishing you well on your fade

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

That's a smart way to do it. Don't give up on God, though. It's the JWs methods, not God. And I know the man upstairs is NOT HAPPY with this man made cult. They have their own revised Bible, not the Bible. Praying you get free without losing your friends and loved ones. ❤

@RonPOMO-ps9fm 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for making this and your other JW focused videos. Very well done and I hope many people watch them. Great to have an outsider's perspective. Really appreciate your concern and honesty in your videos. Thanks for the acknowledgement of the pain exJWs experience.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

Thank you SO MUCH for CARING!! It means everything to people who have felt unheard, unseen & yes, even unloved. Jehovah's Witnesses have flip-flopped on the Disfellowshipping thing at least once that I know of. They used to treat as Disfellowshipped even UNbaptized people. I was one of those people. In my teen years, I had to meet with 3 elders at my house for getting in trouble with a friend of mine and admitting to smoking & taking my friend's mother's car out (we crashed it). Anyway, we both got announced as "bad association" & were immediately shunned by the entire congregation and family. My friend & her family never came back and I never saw her again. I was just a kid, between 16 & 17. I don't remember how long I was treated that way (2yrs?), but I remember they changed the rule back to only baptized people could be Disfellowshipped and even though I was supposed to be treated as one of them again, they still were very cold to me after the rule changed back. Overall it was over a 3year period in the 80s that they changed the rule from only baptized people could be Disfellowshipped to unbaptized people could be treated the same as baptized Disfellowshipped people. So, for my own experience, it was not a long time to be treated that way, but I got a good taste of how it felt over the couple years before they changed the rule back again. I never did get baptized after & my experience definitely played a role as to why. I saw first hand how quickly one could be turned on & outcast. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because my experience was temporary & I didn't have to grovel & humiliate my way back (which I never would have done, btw!). It is ONLY because they changed the rule back that I was able to be allowed the "privilege " of being treated as "alive" again. Of course, even though there was this rule change, there was NO APOLOGY from ANYONE involved! The really crazy thing (to me) is that at 15yrs old, so just prior to this incident, I had to have a major back surgery & didn't take any blood transfusion. Some adults can't even make that kind of a "stand for Jehovah " - and they STILL treated me like garbage after that for getting into typical teenage behavior a year(ish) later. Insane! The last thing I'll say is that although I wasn't ever baptized, this religion messed me up pretty bad. I was back & forth with them, I was severely depressed & as a teen I was kutting myself & had attempts on my life through the years that followed. I think you'd be shocked to know how many have attempted s*!cide inside this religion & those who leave.

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

You have a great story to tell and to write that would help so many minors. I also remember being thought of “...as one dead” when I lost everyone too. I TRIED years later to grovel my way back so I could see my JW brother again, but couldn’t do it. Elders made me write at least ten pages of how awful the world was (it was kind, actually), and then I’d be “watched” for at least a year to be sure I attended every meeting, looked astute and sincere and highly engaged, shunning would continue of course. I ended up running far far away. The way that JWs defame a person’s good name could be a Legal matter. It ruins a person for awhile (or for a very long time). What the WT does to children is criminal. It should be (actually it is) against the Law. But no one reports to Law Enforcement or CPS. That has got to change. The suicide rate is sky high. And the self-harm. It all needs to be brought out as you’ve just done. Thank you for your story. Please keep exposing them. ❤😢

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

@@christinesotelo7655❤ Thank you, friend ☺️ And you too. Your story sounds just as painful. Crazily enough, there was a lot more to my story. I ended up also running away after the car crash. And then, after that when I was back home a while, my mother ended up kicking me out too! All because my (worldly) friend came to pick me up and had her family's Christmas tree on top of it! So much happened in those few years it gets all jumbled in my mind. Take good care. Hope to see you around ❤

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

@@cultytalk omg! Yes!! They truly flip-out when they see a Christmas tree! I understand!

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

I have had EXJWs tell me the stopped contemplating suicide after I explained this to them: . I tell Jehovah's Witnesses to go through the narrow gate that is on the cramped road leading to life. . Matthew 7:13-14 “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road ** LEADING OFF INTO LIFE ** and few are the ones finding it. . I ask them to read what Jehovah said would happen at the time of the end that is in every Christians bible and yet, few are the ones finding it: . 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" . I ask them if they can see Jehovah's promise to disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witnesses: . "He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part"! . I then warn them that, if they go through this narrow gate they will lose their family as a consequence of the Watchtower Societies shunning policies. . Then I ask them to read what Jesus Christ said about everlasting life: . Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news 30 who will not get a hundredfold now in this period of time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming system of things ** EVERLASTING LIFE ** . I then ask them if they want to live forever. . I also tell them that they can leave the organization and their congregation with dignity by telling everybody that they believe Jehovah, Jesus Christ and everything else in the bible. . Walk out with your head held high and jump for joy when you do. . What Jehovah said would happen, is now really happening! . That's Good News ................... right! . Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOOD NEWS. .

@CarolMacintosh-oi6dn 2 ай бұрын

I was df , but I know what Jehovah teaches us....also why would you leave Jehovah he showed us truth

@rebella5769 2 ай бұрын

They are not used to seeing a nice STRANGER come to the hall and disclose his disfellowshipped status. What they are used to seeing is someone they know who has committed "some sin" which could be as trivial as questioning some doctrine. They already have negative feelings about this person because there has usually been so much gossip going on even before this person is disfellowshipped. They would have no problem saying very little or nothing at all to such a person. Your situation is so very different. You have a pleasant demeanor, they don't know you, and therefore they are not emotionally invested and now they get to try out this new policy that is so very fresh in their minds. And again they are not emotionally invested as is usually the case. It's like a new toy they get to play with. If that makes any sense. In the common scenario, believe me, they would not be carrying on a conversation with a disfellowshipped person in the more common setting. If anyone did such a thing, believe me, they would be facing some counsel from the elders.

@Ladybhive71 2 ай бұрын

💯!!❤

@Crmsnvrgo150 2 ай бұрын

First thing I said when he was surprised at how well he was received was after saying he was df'd: "It's because they don't know you!!"

@rebella5769 2 ай бұрын

@@Crmsnvrgo150 Exactly, That about says it all but in much fewer words, Thank you.

@renysimone3312 2 ай бұрын

Exactly right! My same thoughts!

@j.solano 2 ай бұрын

Growing up my mom used to tell us "I love you, but you know I love my god more". That always felt a little weird when I was a kid, but as adult you can recognize that only someone who's been indoctrinated into a cult would ever say something like that.

@izikavazo 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, my mom quoted that to me too, "I love my kids, but I loved jehovah before I had them". That was in reference to my bro and sis who were DF-ed and looking to come back. I always knew there was a countdown to when she'd stop loving me enough. Brutal stuff.

@EfrainRiveraJunior 2 ай бұрын

The reason you were treated "not badly," is because they didn't know you. They immediately assumed that you are from another congregation, too embarrassed to start attending your assigned congregation, probably have personal issues with your local Elders, and are seeking to "come back to Jehovah" some other way.

@chasewhatmatters8730 2 ай бұрын

I wasn't even disfellowshipped, and yet my family still shuns me

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

❤ 🫂

@Joshua-tm4wp 2 ай бұрын

Same here :/

@christiancancino2253 2 ай бұрын

🫂 You are not alone

@Bonesinbloom 2 ай бұрын

Same. That cut off was devastating.

@chasewhatmatters8730 2 ай бұрын

@@Bonesinbloom It really is... But a life of freedom is much better :)

@schueylerblack1852 2 ай бұрын

You’re amazing. This is such a fucking important video. Thank you for this. So happy to see my friend and Jake on there!

@chrissyparkins1615 2 ай бұрын

I’ve been disfellowshipped for just under 5 years. I’ve never heard anyone speak so truthfully and eloquently on the pain it causes. As a 40 year old woman, I lost everyone. You never really recover, but you do learn to move on. I’ve been fortunate enough to rebuild a new, UPBUILDING community around myself, but it was a long and painful road.

@chrissyparkins1615 2 ай бұрын

I’ve also noticed that people can hear me say I’m disfellowshipped, but they have no idea what it really means. I’m sharing this video with A LOT of people 😂😂

@izikavazo 2 ай бұрын

@@chrissyparkins1615 Yes! It's perfect, understandable context that I feel like I have a hard time expressing.

@lilljacob 2 ай бұрын

You still believe anything they teach?

@Trudy-AnnBrown 2 ай бұрын

As a Christian, THIS WAS SUCH AN AMAZING VIDEO! MAN!! I watched this through. You are such a great communicator and editor. Thank you very much!

@MouseQueso 2 ай бұрын

Jared. As an Ex jw who is active in the community, amazing. We'll research, well said. Respect

@renato_santos_20 2 ай бұрын

Before got officially announced that I was going to be disfellowshipped, I told some friends and they all came to my house and we cried together like I was about do die. And in fact for them being removed from the congregation is the same thing as being dead. It’s been 6 years now that I got disfellowshipped and out of the organisation and not a single one of my friends, best friends and even some relatives that are still in , they don’t talk to me. They keep saying to my parents that I need to return to Jehovah but none of them send me messages. People that were never born into this can truly understand the scale of it.

@Soesii 3 күн бұрын

Absolutely insane

@shawnlong9017 2 ай бұрын

I'm a Pastor of a small Non-denominational/Full Gospel church, & truly have enjoyed your videos and exposing the ugliness of "religion". Excellent editing as well and subject matter.

@fernandogaviriareyes8542 2 ай бұрын

The pfp checks out 😂

@catholicgamerz 2 ай бұрын

non denominational is ironic as hell because it’s a denomination in of itself with no unity, centralisation or clear doctrine

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

I appreciate that you're here listening and that you care! Thank you.

@shawnlong9017 2 ай бұрын

@@catholicgamerz I get that, trust me. The term "non-denominational" has given many the freedom to go into a "cultish'" type of way, but that's why we make sure to have the "full gospel" incorporated within who we are. That being said, we are united as a church as Christ is the center of the church & the Bible the clear doctrine.

@Hostefar 2 ай бұрын

Absolutely zero self awareness

@xjwfurious 2 ай бұрын

This is top-notch. Very well researched (even hands-on with your Kingdom Hall visits). It's thorough - and it's thoroughly absorbing.

@billthepimo 2 ай бұрын

Thank you. I really needed this ugly cry.

@Fqceless 2 ай бұрын

As a Christian, I love how much you care about people. The world of ideas needs more people like that. Praying that you find what you're looking for, and that you keep up the good work!

@Lauren-t4v 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for doing this for the ex-JW community. I hope this helps a lot of people understand the pain this organization causes. I said one sentence to my mother, which was “I don’t believe in Jehovah” when I was fifteen. The next day everything I owned, including my birth certificate and baby photos was on our front lawn. I lived in a hovel above a shop I had just gotten a job at months before after that, until the owners brother (knowing I would need to come down to use the toilet) was laying in the lounge room naked rubbing his dick looking at me. After that, I went to my older worldly friends, I had no money, so lived with them knowing that my cost of rent was sex because it was the only commodity I had. I was a raging alcoholic the whole time to get away from it mentally and emotionally. If it wasn’t for my high school art teachers and alcohol I would have killed myself. But standing on the lawn the day I got kicked out, I knew I wouldn’t be beaten black and blue after every meeting to have belief beaten into me, and so I was happy in some ways. Anyway, that was my middle school/high school experience. Now I’m a religious trauma therapist who works with ex-Christian fundamentalists - including ex-JW’s and it’s the most rewarding work I could ever imagine. Thank you for doing this video.

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

I’m amazed at your story and how you survived. I’d love to know more about your Specialty in your Profession! I was a JW in the 70’s, waiting for 1975 Armageddon. I’m writing my manuscript about the whole ordeal and the years of climbing up after the fall of “Self”. Being reported by JW husband for disagreement with doctrines, “removed”, lost everyone and everything. We had no podcasts or support back then or very little. I was very young with two babies. Husband left. Family destroyed. I’m very proud of you. Succeeding is a step up from surviving. I salute you. ❤

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

I worked in Social Services and Art Therapy but not with ex JWs. Art Therapy is an amazing Field.

@ms.snowwhite1591 2 ай бұрын

❤

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

I'm so proud of you for overcoming so much horror! Thank you for choosing a career that helps others adjust to life after cult. You took your pain and directed into something empowering for you and many others. That's the best revenge to get on an establishment that hurt you and traumatized you. ❤🙏

@schueylerblack1852 2 ай бұрын

“You want to cry on someone’s shoulder? … No, you can’t do that.” 😢

@ChristineRossi-rc7xl Ай бұрын

The JW powers that be are so cruel.

@Vukf1 2 ай бұрын

When people see me on the street, they cross to the other side. I grew up in my congregation, i was witness fom 28 years and very zealos one. Busted my back helping everyone daily for many years. From 100 people in my congregation, only 2 ever reached out and we have normal contact. Both of them are now reading Crisis of Concience by Ray Franz. The rest is like i vanished from their lives. Like dead. And i am not even disfelowshipped. Just stopped going to meeting... imidiately they labeled me as an apostate and that was pretty much it... Family is still talking but they ve build a wall, i can feel it...

@b-radz 2 ай бұрын

I'm a Christian exjw. I really appreciate your channel and for shining a light on this cult. Great video. So glad to see your channel blowing up and getting subscribers. Keep up the good work. They announce the "removals" during their midweek meeting. I think this is because "interested worldly" ones are more likely to attend on Sunday. That would be a bad look now, wouldn't it?

@Serionlv 2 ай бұрын

Excellent job analyzing this hurtful practice. I am 70 and disassociated myself 32 years ago when I reasoned myself out of belief in the bible and god. I knew what would happen and have mostly been shunned by family and 100% of my old friends. I built a new life. But your video brought me to tears more than once. It still hurts to lose my oldest daughter and grandkids with no communication in about 20 years. Thankfully some family have not stayed JWs. I most worry about those JWs who continue to believe but are "removed". I lost one ex-JW friend to suicide and it is a terrible thing. Thank you so much.

@joshuadavidson1094 2 ай бұрын

Heartbreaking and fascinating video. Thank you for educating people about this organization. Also, as a fellow musician, it warms my heart that you were able to produce such a quality mini-doc with your OWN music. Something I aspire to do someday!

@Fenderbenne 2 ай бұрын

Well done ! Really good video, I saw the video lenght and liked before I even watched it. Finished it now and it actually brought me to tears. It changed my views on JWs as people.

@heatherwillson4862 2 ай бұрын

You are right, its WAY deeper than you are understanding at this point. Keep digging. You are doing it...because its the right thing to do...and it will help others. Thanks!

@brittanyismebb 2 ай бұрын

You did SUCH a good job on this video. I’ve been out for 7 years. The grief over losing everyone as if Thanos snapped is still overwhelming some days. In the beginning there were a lot of hopeless dark days, I had “woken up” my mother as well and when she got out of the religion her mental instability skyrocketed without any religious hindrance. So I ended up losing her too. I’m grateful every day my husband and I and our five children escaped together. I learned so much that helped me through the pain of the whole experience. But it will never stop hurting, the damage that religion did.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

❤ 🫂

@PadraigTomas 2 ай бұрын

I am greatfull that you and your husband and children escaped together as well.

@natanaelgarciapadilla232 2 ай бұрын

You did something very important here. You are officially now the only not ex-JW that really understood this. This is big, because all of us always had the feeling that nobody outside, that has not lived in there, would ever understand us. You proved it can happen. This, in fact, is a step in the right direction. Thank you

@changecomesfromwithin7377 2 ай бұрын

Bc JWs/ex-JWs are trained Stepford Wives, no one sees our battles.

@CuriosityCats-y1r 2 ай бұрын

Your videos just get better and better. Your vulnerability at the end was so powerful. Thank you for your work, you deserve many more subscribers.

@tristangagnon540 2 ай бұрын

Thank you once again for your content. I commented on one of your earlier JW Videos about the love bombing associated with your visit to the Kingdom Hall. And like then it is so refreshing to see more light on this organization from an outsiders perspective. Whilst in it you believe the Whole World is out to get you and I mean that literally, but when you leave there's a stark realization that either people are just not aware or completely apathetic towards them. It can be jarring cause when you explain your experiences people unwittingly diminish your experience within it not out of malicious intent but rather just lack of knowledge. So Big thankies from mcspankies for your continued look and coverage of them.

@chrisowenssff4876 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for making this. You truly get it. I was disfellowshipped for over a year, woke up, got reinstated to get my friends and family back, maybe drop a few seeds to help them wake up, but that backfired. I have since faded, but in essence, faders are often treated the same way. And yeah--I wanted to die too. I lost my best friend and that was the toughest thing of all. Even though I wasn't technically disfellowshipped, my mother died, but nobody told me. I didn't learn of it until three years later. My father reached out every few years, but only with a proselytizing text, never anything personal. He reached out to invite me to go to convention, absolutely nothing like "how you've been?" or "I miss you". Just pure cookie cutter proselytizing that I decided to ignore. When he sent a text asking if he could come visit, I did respond saying yes--just don't bring up religious stuff. He responded by texting back "Better not." It was clear he simply wanted to visit to invite me back to the cult and nothing more.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

Omg heartbreaking 💔 😢 I'm so sorry! 🫂

@jc6800 2 ай бұрын

I considered taking myself out. My family shunned me for 8 years. I went on the dark web and was going to order a contraption to do it. It's painful to think of all the time lost be cause of this organization.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

❤ 🫂

@BoldFollower Күн бұрын

I'm a pentecostal pastor and Christian KZbinr. I have learned so much from your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your honest opinions and insights. They are extremely beneficial and I hope more people receive the criticism you are sharing.

@MattWillsher 2 ай бұрын

My wife and I were talking (her a df'ed jw). With the new adjustments to rules, your experience makes sense. The thing is that you showed up as an unknown commodity. We were discussing that it would be very interesting, and possibly telling, to keep going back to the same kingdom hall now that you have "outed" yourself as disfellowshipped. I imagine that you will see the behavior change.

@gridderz4013 3 күн бұрын

good job mister jared! the quality of your work is superb.

@Alisha-zq6vh 2 ай бұрын

Your approach to our crazy-ass religion is so wonderful. You don't assume you know everything, even after your obvious extensive research. I'm so impressed. And yes, as someone who was df'd at a young age, it's absolutely devastating and soul-crushing. Many who find themselves in that position consider ending it all.

@a.ihistory5879 2 ай бұрын

Are you still in the JW cult?

@Alisha-zq6vh 2 ай бұрын

@a.ihistory5879 Nope! Woke up and faded last year. But not done processing and de-programming. Videos like this help a lot.

@a.ihistory5879 2 ай бұрын

@@Alisha-zq6vh I would strongly recommend watching an interview on a KZbin channel called CatholicTruth with a man named Tom Cabeen. He was a JW for over 40 years and then left and became Catholic after studying church history deeply. Fantastic interview that helped me

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

@TR13400 2 ай бұрын

@@Alisha-zq6vh Do you still believe in Jesus Christ?

@citricazany 2 ай бұрын

Your closing apology brought tears to my eyes 😢 thank you, I needed to hear that even if it wasn’t from the people who are shunning me

@delphinawhiles6235 2 ай бұрын

I also care n love u. I hope in time u heal n can move past the cruelty shown u. My bro went through hell with elders n it nearly cost him his life. He eventually saw a family therapist n by coincidence she understood jws from past clients n was able to help him. I love my younger bro deeply n we r always there for ea other. We both faded gradually bc of the lack of love we both witnessed but sadly we both were so indocrinated that it was the truth since childhood (n no internet) back then that it took us to be adults b4 we could both say goodbye. We r both the happiest we have ever been. I know u can get there also. Believe in yourself n your new life. Learn from your past mistakes n move forward making new friends n finding happiness in new adventures to keep your mind busy. Our mind can play tricks on us. Fight it n know its ok to have sad moments or off days. 2morr can be a happier day. I'm not a therapist n don't have all the answers. But I like reading people's comments n choosing someone like u who might just need a kind word from a ex jw who understands much of who u r bc being involved with jws or raised as one, we speak the same language. Sent with love

@BasedPhilosophyMom 2 ай бұрын

48 minute video! No wonder we haven't seen you in a while!🎉

@YuniRom 6 күн бұрын

I am a christian adventist, I just want to say that this atheist (should he realise that or not) is much more closer to God and His Kingdom than many so-called christians in this world. Keep it up, brother. I believe that by doing what you do you are rediscovering God's Word and what the christianity is meant to be for yourself and others.

@alfamejeu7237 3 күн бұрын

Christianity isn’t about how YOU feel about it. It is what it is. You can’t change it by own person bias.

@christinawatkinsyoutube 2 ай бұрын

this was so well made. what an insight

@leticiab84 2 ай бұрын

It’s all about power and control.

@Keithcasarona 2 ай бұрын

Jared Brillant!!! I was a 52 Jehovah's Witness. A "born In" a pioneer an a Bethelite. I was a one time a true Nazis Jehovah's Witness. You my friend have created the best video describing the condition of being Disfellowshipped I have ever seen. The fact you have never been a Jehovah's Witness makes this Video even that more powerful. You are literally saving people's lives by posting this important information. Thank you Keith Casarona

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

Nazi JW I agree with. And N Korean uniformity and a very isolated world. Uniformity not unity. No individuality or asking questions or disagreeing with a doctrine. “Removal” is a much stronger and more understood word than “disfellowshipping” which the average non-JW knows nothing about. “Removal” sounds sinister, ominous, Edgar Allen Poe-ish.

@TroySaccary Ай бұрын

I was a disposable child of a Jehovah Witness whose mother had chosen to love Jehovah over me, and I had to leave her home 🏡 at 16 years old so I wouldn't bring reproach to the organization.

@misterdoctor9693 2 ай бұрын

I'm so happy you are doing these videos that dive so much into my upbringing

@jolinamaitland0356 2 ай бұрын

😢😢😢 hearing you say you want to check in on dfed ones. You genuinely hope they're OK. And for a time, we're not. Finding ways to enjoy your new life (it feels like a fresh start) gets you through. I was called a "recovering JW". That sounds good. Thank you for caring. I love that you wanted to put yourself in our shoes. They do rule on fear. Thank you for pointing it out.

@TheHudsonValleyWanderer 2 ай бұрын

The governing body has been "reflecting" on the dollars signs they've been losing. 😆

@Eric_01 2 ай бұрын

Totally, and the staggering drop in baptisms and the grand exodus of the younger generation, especially during covid. The beards, women in pants, etc, are just methods of appearing less militant in order to make some feel less controlled.

@Lauren-t4v 2 ай бұрын

@@Eric_01 totally, the “new shite” is only to keep members and cover their asses in lawsuits.

@Kanal7Indonesia Ай бұрын

They need to lose all the silly rules.

@melinaouzouni6151 2 ай бұрын

You did an amazing work with the video! It does not seem at all that this is a work of one person alone! Thank you for helping people heal that's the most sacred thing a person can do with their life! 🙏🏻

@haydenthornton2409 2 ай бұрын

Great video. Thank you. I left the organization a couple of years ago. It’s so difficult to explain to others the actual impact and process of disfellowshipping and shunning. The way you did it with the therapist and the editing was so powerful. You did an amazing job. I think the best synopsis of this practice I’ve ever seen.

@jolinamaitland0356 2 ай бұрын

You are a beautiful person.

@chonkybonky 2 ай бұрын

Excellent video. Didn’t know anything about jw and I especially didn’t expect there to be as many parallels between being disfellowshipped and what it was like coming out as trans. Having to leave everything behind to be free, silently saying goodbye to your family before they realize that they’re going to cut you out, the shame… I have more in common with jw than I ever thought.

@tom-ss2mn 2 ай бұрын

I'm a gay ex jw. I never thought about it before but you are right. So many trans people lose family, friends and church very similar to the shunning of jw's.

@rhistarr5146 2 ай бұрын

I've been disfellowshipped for over a decade now, and the affect it had on me for so many years, was soul crushing. Thank you so much for looking at this. As always, very well done.

@isaiah30v8 2 ай бұрын

@incognito_JW 2 ай бұрын

Just six months ago, sharing that you were disfellowshipped in a typical Kingdom Hall would have led to a very different experience. That said, I was once disfellowshipped, but my family and friends continued to associate with me discreetly, even though my father was an elder. While family members are generally encouraged not to associate with a disfellowshipped relative, there's little to no actual consequence if they choose to do so.

@chrisowenssff4876 2 ай бұрын

I suspect if he introduced himself as an apostate, he would likely get the oldschool treatment.

@christinesotelo7655 2 ай бұрын

“Apostate” marked people have it the worst. But consequences when I was in, in the 70’s, were rigid. If they found out you were not shunning even your own family member, you’d be reproved and removed too. Maybe it’s changed. The suicide rate is higher however.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

@@chrisowenssff4876💯

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

Well, we all know Elders & their families get different treatment. I mean, they have access to the Elder’s manual with all the real policies in it, so of course your father KNEW what he could get away with lol... and, Hello, Incognito 👋 Haven't bumped into u lately on AltWorldly... hope you're well.

@RickT3 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for this. I haven’t talked to my family and friends for over 6 years. Apparently my grandfather died about a year ago and I just happened to find out on Instagram.

@cultytalk 2 ай бұрын

❤ 🫂 The stories that kill me most are ones where people lose a family member and didn't even know or have an opportunity to say goodbye! I'm so terribly sorry!! 😢 That is just heartless

@bennybaer5637 2 ай бұрын

Uff - I wasn't expecting you hitting me in the feels at the end there. Thank you for this outside view in. It's been a cruel journey! At the same time I am so grateful for the new connections my hubby and I were able to make once left. The support we have received by initially complete strangers has been very unexpected. am a much better person now that I ever could have become while still being inside this cult!

@stpdncr Ай бұрын

Ok, so that makes sense why I heard from old witness “friends” via text in the spring, asking if I wanted to come to a meeting, ugh. I left in 2007 at 20 years old and never looked back, it shocked my family how happy I was. The elders usually give you a year, if you still refuse their help for reinstatement, its official, and my mother sent me a letter saying she was basically done with me, she didn’t talk to me for 6 years.

@BlakeBaggott 2 ай бұрын

Dude, this is amazing. I’ve been watching your atheist church audit videos for the past month or so and really love them. I joined your Patreon and have been waiting for this one! You really delivered. Thanks for the amount of work you put into this!