Watchtower

For those of you who are interested I’d like to invite you to be a part of the new Jehovah’s Witness Recovery Forum (www.jehovahswitnessrecovery.com). I decided to launch this new site for a few reasons, some personal, some circumstantial. The goal of the site is to create and foster a compassionate and supportive community of [...]

Yesterday brought with it some sad news. One of the largest ex JW community forums will be closing after more than 8 years. Thousands of former Jehovah’s Witnesses have been active members of JWD over the years, sharing experiences, encouragement and inspiration. JWD, otherwise known as “Jehovah’s Witness Discussion Forum” holds a very special place in [...]

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, property, or birth. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes (for example) the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, equality before the law, and the right [...]

The Large Hadron Collider - CERN Doomsayers are trying to stop the largest and most advanced scientific experiment the world has ever seen, one that has the potential to unlock many secrets about our universe and answer questions physicists have asked for centuries.  The LHC is an enormous particle accelerator and is not the first - [...]

I clearly remember my days as a bible-thumping Jehovah’s Witness; looking forward to the End of the World with ill-concealed glee. Of course there was always underlying trepidation which came from hoping that I’d done enough to be found worthy of God’s salvation. But in spite of that, the end of the world was something [...]

It’s always nice to lighten things up a little. After all, where would we be without humor? In the words of Sir Francis Bacon… “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” And now for your reading pleasure may I present… The [...]

The year 1914 and the Watchtower’s doctrine on the “Seven Gentile Times” was the really the first issue that stood out to me and made me start to question the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. From an early age though, I dismissed my confusion, regarding it as something the Witnesses call “solid food”. That term [...]

Leaving the Watchtower The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how fortunate I am to have escaped religion in its truest sense. This isn’t just about leaving the Watchtower behind, it’s about being free of religion as a whole; escaping the guilt and the fear - and all relatively unscathed. [...]

Today I stumbled upon a video series by YouTube publisher WTComments. These two videos feature an interview with Lance Goller, a 2003 graduate of the Watchtower School of Gilead, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ missionary program. In these videos Lance discusses his experiences at Gilead, his meetings and impressions of the Governing Body as well as questions that [...]

In response to the invitation for former Jehovah’s Witnesses to share their stories, I am pleased to present James’ story… — “I’m actually a 24 yr old that was raised a JW. Since I can remember, this is all that I’ve known. I started the same way as most, a little comment here and there, moving on [...]

A Study of Comparative Religions… This week I was approached by an anthropologist who is doing a study of comparative religions. The study is specifically focusing on religions founded in the United States and on a broader scale - the New World. The intent is to take an in-depth look at three prominent religions founded recently [...]

Note: In case there is any confusion for readers, I would just like to point-out/reiterate that the website I refer to in this article is for the purposes of parody. I discuss it because it brings up some very interesting points as you will see. I recently stumbled upon an article written by a Pastor [...]

The Life of Brian… On June 5th I put a call out to other former Jehovah’s Witnesses who wanted to share their story here. The post was titled: So Many Stories - Let’s Tell Them. The following is the touching and heartfelt story of a man who was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. It is my [...]

Ask the right question… I’ve been asked many times why I am an Atheist. Often that question is phrased as ‘why do you believe in Atheism?’  I first have to correct the question before I can answer it. As I will go on to explain, Atheism is not a belief in and of itself, rather it [...]

“Maybe YOU evolved from monkeys… but I certainly didn’t!” I’m sure that every Atheist has heard that before - and most Creationists have probably said it at one time or another. First of all, let me say that it’s a common misconception that humans are the direct descendants of apes. Rather, evolution suggests that at some point [...]

Let’s Lighten the Mood with Some Good Ol’ Humor! A friend on YouTube named Shazoolo from the UK, has made a funny and light-hearted video containing a wide assortment of religious jokes. I’d like to second his motion to lighten things up after dealing with some pretty serious topics of late. For those of you who are [...]

I’ve been so moved by all the heartfelt responses I’ve received over the last couple of months; others who have shared their own stories, offered advice from experience, asked questions and have just shared their thoughts with someone who can relate… I started writing about my experiences as a former Jehovah’s Witness a few months ago. [...]

Download audio podcast (right click + save target as): PODCAST Listen to the audio version: Just Move On Already! …I often hear comments like this. “You should just move on and let the past be the past.” I have to agree that in many cases that is often the very best advice. So why is [...]

Recently I’ve been asked: “What religions did you study?” and  “What made you become an Atheist?” The answers are: many and science, respectively. Religious Study I began many years ago by studying and/or looking into several Christian religions: the Catholic Church, the United Church, the Lutheran Church, the Pentecostal Church, to name a few - I really [...]

I was recently asked a very interesting question by a non Jehovah’s Witness. It seems he has a friend who is either a current Jehovah’s Witness or has just recently left the Society. He asked me: What helped you leave the Jehovah’s Witness Organization? and How do you witness to a Jehovah’s Witness? [How do you help [...]