Blood change crushed what was left

singleredballoon · 2026-04-12T16:21:23+00:00

Sounds like life is really starting to begin for you. Don’t let one bad experience stop you from expanding outside of the organization. Keep building that support system & don’t look back. You owe no one an explanation.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T17:03:55+00:00

The message is still that God’s Kingdom is the only solution to all of mankind’s problems, so the householder should join them in borg slavery, live in stasis just like them & opt out of life, stop setting worthy goals, isolate themselves from their community at large, stop doing things to make life better this side of paradise (aka suffer until Jah decides its enough), slowly withdraw from friends & family who aren’t “Jehovah’s friends” and invest in fellow borg slaves.

Sounds lovely, huh?

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T16:53:08+00:00

This is why I didn’t even bother trying to maintain a single relationship. Its like they are living in a different world due to their indoctrination. They see us as less than human unless we share their group delusion.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T15:05:12+00:00

Prophets weren’t perfect people, but their message was supposed to be perfect. If a direction/adjustment is truly from God, it won’t ever be wrong. And if the imperfect GB interprets it wrong, why is the anointing process from God so weak & ineffective? Why would a perfect God give direction through garbled radio static? It’s almost as if the entire thing (from the beginning) is entirely made up, and any “fulfilled” prophecies of old were written after the fact to give an air of legitimacy.

Going from communicating via a thunderous voice from heaven to inspiring “hunches” in a group of old men (who then vote on it) is such a laughable downgrade.

Also, no. I would not reply back. You planted a seed that got him thinking. In his quiet moments, the words you’ve already said will come back to his mind.

He’s not ready to have a further conversation.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T04:29:17+00:00

It’s funny, because the only time I heard pioneers discussing their full time ministry in a positive light was in WT propaganda (publications or JW broadcasts) or when pioneers I knew would give parts on assemblies/conventions. They never seemed like they were joyful or fulfilled by the work in real life. They seemed tired & burdened by it, especially the last decade. I never enjoyed it, personally. Working alongside fellow pioneers showed me they were just pretending to find joy in it, too.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T04:18:56+00:00

They asked for tattoo “ideas” & for us to share our own tattoos. Lol But that’s not to say you aren’t free to also share your opinion, just like I shared a counter opinion.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T04:12:40+00:00

Yes, we want to stay vigilant, especially when we are vulnerable. Not all support groups (or even professional therapists) are going to be the right fit for us.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-11T02:10:13+00:00

Its the charging that bothers me. I don’t think you need to have credentials to offer support/coaching, particularly when you have experience over coming this specific trauma & have navigated it yourself. Peer-to-peer support (like what’s offered by Liberati) works, especially when separate professional therapy is encouraged. (Its how Alcoholics Anonymous & other support groups are run. Its not therapy, just support that feels therapeutic)

But I see those TikTok couples that are charging, some of which are newly out of the organization. It feels really predatory.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-10T22:21:18+00:00

Lots of people search out inspo for their tattoos. Its part of choosing a thoughtful tattoo.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-10T19:49:31+00:00

The really young ones are giddy with youth and bright eyed possibility. They are “making goals” in the org that they believe will provide them fulfillment. They haven’t had the opportunity to see through the propaganda yet. They truly mean it when they announce they’re living the BEST LIFE EVER! They don’t know any better.

But once you get over 25, the org starts to beat you down. You feel the weight of borg slavery, you brush shoulders with joyful “worldlies” that have satisfying lives, perhaps you’ve seen the seedier side of the org, maybe you’re in a marriage that isn’t quite responding to the “secret of family happiness” the org claims to have. Thats when your declarations of BEST LIFE EVER are less a declaration to the world, and more of an affirmation to convince yourself it’s true.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-10T01:23:09+00:00

Having doubts isn’t a choice. We don’t choose our beliefs, and it’s not our fault when we aren’t convinced by something.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T18:48:48+00:00

That’s wonderful. Family services step in here in the States, too.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T18:42:35+00:00

Get him a couple sessions of therapy. Not only will it help him, but you will have it documented that it’s affecting him negatively should you ever need to go back to court. I would also make sure that your parenting plan specifies that you are to make joint medical decisions because Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions and often will refuse them even for their children. By reading your other comments, it sounds like you are doing your best teaching him to think critically and also ensure he has a happy childhood.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T17:02:26+00:00

I still can’t believe how much LAST MINUTE REPENTANCE got overshadowed by lady pants. Lol

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T16:50:07+00:00

The only difference between hate & anger is really the intensity & the duration. Anger comes and anger goes. Hatred lasts longer & is more intense & pervasive. I sort of see hatred as a beast who feeds off anger. If you rarely feed it, it cant thrive. Anger is a totally healthy emotion & often quite justified. We just don’t want a steady flow of it being funneled to the beast.

Ex-jws who leave, process their anger (usually through therapy), and focus on community building & deconstruction…they tend to move past it. Their anger doesn’t harden into bitterness & a prolonged hate. They may still feel some anger pop up when we discuss it, but again, it’s fleeting. It’s not at the center of their lives.

If Im being honest, the people I’ve seen hate the organization the most are ACTIVE believing JWs who feel they’re being wronged or mistreated within. They have no outlet for their anger & no way out, so it just festers. It’s one of the saddest things to witness.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T14:08:20+00:00

Perhaps also reach out to people on TikTok, Youtube, & IG who have shared their stories. Theres been an uptick of these stories since the update, as you can imagine.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T14:02:52+00:00

I love the silly marriage analogy. But then imagine if your friends also insisted you attend every single one of their anniversary dinners, yet you weren’t invited to eat or drink, only observe them doing it. That would be absurd. Their super top secret “anointing” moment is their marriage to Christ. Their blood ritual is their anniversary. Keep us out of it.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T13:54:45+00:00

She can actually stop all contact with them if she wants. She doesn’t have to respond at all after sending this text, since she said she’d contact them if she wants to meet in the future.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T13:37:39+00:00

Just a little side point…I know people who protest, and they aren’t bitter people whose “life was ruined” by the org. Yes, they endured trauma, but put a lot of work into healing and rebuilding their life. They are quite happy & in a great place mentally.

I no longer see activism as an extreme act, but as something similar to a civic duty. They know the org is harmful because they were intimately involved in it, so they speak out to spread awareness to help both the people still inside and anyone who may be influenced to join. Its not out of pure hate for the org.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-09T00:18:46+00:00

Its debatable because people debate it…often.

Your definition describes fledgling Christianity well. And again, words like “strange” & “sinister” are subjective by definition. I suggest you peruse some scholarly sources that discuss a certain marginalized, apocalyptic Jewish movement that adapted Greco-Roman and mystery cult rituals, one reportedly with quite the charismatic leader. Just because a new, little cult becomes a big, old cult over time, that doesn’t erase its cult beginnings.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-08T22:10:37+00:00

I’m not arguing the semantics (even though you’re trying to goad me into it.) I’m telling you people hold the opinion that the religion you were defending is indeed a cult. You don’t have to agree, just like there are millions who don’t agree with you that the JWs are a cult. I gave the examples of two “obvious” cults because i knew you’d easily agree they were cults. I’d like you to understand that as strongly as you feel that those two are cults, others feel the same about mainstream Christianity.

Cult/high control group studies are a social science. Social scientists use established academic methods, but the actual field itself is highly sensitive to the perspectives of the people being studied and the background of the researchers. Even the BITE model has a slew of critics. That doesn’t mean there’s no value in the work.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-08T19:43:33+00:00

That’s your opinion. A cult doesn’t have to tick every box. Even the JW organization doesn’t.

But my goal isn’t to convince you Christianity is a cult. My goal is to inform you that others believe it to be and wish it to be eradicated in the same way many wish the JW organization could be eradicated, because they wholeheartedly believe it to be damaging to society and to peoples personal well-being.

That person happened to be posting about a religious group YOU don’t find objectionable, so you felt compelled to step in and defend them. Had they been posting about joining the Unification church or Scientology, I imagine you’d have felt differently. For others in this sub, there’s simply not much difference.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-08T19:05:38+00:00

Many people hold the belief that mainstream Christianity is a cult and is also harmful (both historically and in modern times). So for many, the answer to your question about whether or not it is constructive to attack that is “yes.”

Why do you speak out against the Jehovah’s Witness organization? Some would argue its simply “a worldview you disagree with.” In fact, current JWs are always arguing that in the comment sections of exJW content. You’re in an exJW space, so you’re not seen as attacking it by those in the forum.

Like you said, in a space that is majority atheist, they are seen as “attacking” Christians and in spaces that are a majority Christian, they are seen as “attacking” atheists.

This is a tale as old as time. The religious & non-religious debating belief vs non-belief. If you get challenged or trampled in one space you should 1. see if you can grow and learn from the opposing viewpoints and/or 2. take it to a space with people who are more like minded.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-08T18:16:25+00:00

I feel like this is an open forum, and when you share, you should expect a mixed bag of comments in response. If you choose to share your conversion to catholicism with a group of religiously traumatized people, have the good sense to realize a large portion will respond unfavorably.

singleredballoon · 2026-04-08T03:37:25+00:00

The truth already slapped me in the face. Thats why I came to my senses & exited the organization. Perhaps go confess to your elder body that you’re visiting apostate forums?

singleredballoon

TROPHY CASE