ARGENTINA: Jehovah’s Witnesses remain silent in a child sexual abuse trial
Elders of a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Santa Elena opted for silence and secrecy in a trial that followed Matías Vargas and Luciano Vito Panza, two members of that religious congregation, accused of aggravated sexual abuse and corruption of minors to the detriment of two young people. Originally published by EntreRíosYA on March 11, […]
RUSSIA: Interview with a nameless wife.
Jw.org, the official website of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, released a video entitled ‘Interviews: Five Sisters Recall Police Raids in Ufa, Russia‘ in October 2020. The interviews revolve around five Russian women who have experienced religious persecution for their beliefs. The women are not biological sisters, but rather women who […]
When My Parents Won’t Answer My Calls: Shunning and Coronavirus
I’ve tried to call my mother twice since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. The first time was about a week ago, and it was late. I knew there was a chance she wouldn’t answer because of the hour alone, about a minute till eleven, and I think that was part of the reason why I […]
“You’ve already disassociated yourself from Jehovah’s Witnesses”
A female Jehovah’s Witness was asked to attend a judicial committee meeting with four (4) elders. They arranged the meeting with Alexandra Bautista for July 30th 2019 at 6:00 pm. The meeting was arranged by text message. Upon arriving at her judicial meeting, the elders inform Alexandra that it is not a judicial meeting. Instead […]
Denmark: Abandoned by Her Children
They believe God will kill her in a great war Originally published on Danish Media, TV2 by Jonas HR Moestrup She raised her children to reject apostates. Now she herself is an apostate and struggles for the children to accept her choice. Maria Alexander sat opposite her two youngest children at the dining table and was […]
20 Years in the World
I recently found the sub-Reddit EXJW and noticed that most people are dealing with a relatively recent change. I haven’t yet seen someone give a perspective from a couple of decades out, so I put together my no-holds-barred 20+ year retrospective as an adult out in the world. Maybe you’ll find something useful here. Maybe […]
PIMO – Physically In / Mentally Out
Update March 21 2020: The submitter of this story contacted AvoidJW today to inform us that he recently stepped down as an elder to spend more time with his family. It seems that there is no end to the varied types of individuals in the world of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), as well as the experiences […]
It’s Never Too Late to Break Free
The following life experience was originally posted by a retired Jehovah’s Witness elder on the exJW sub-reddit. It is reproduced here with permission. My parents became Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1958, when I was just one year old. Although I went through the teenage ‘rebellious period’, I remained a member of the religion. At the age […]
Why a Young Father Left Jehovah’s Witnesses
He believed. To the end of the world, the mission, the congregation. Then he had two sons – and left the Jehovah’s Witnesses. For this, Oliver Wolschke pays a high price. BY SEBASTIAN LEBER – Originally posted on Der Tagesspiegel on July 26, 2017 On a Friday evening at the end of March, he attends yet another service. He sits […]