Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses-Critical Thinkers » Critical Thought Podcast

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Meet Jonathan, a former Jehovah's Witness that realized something was wrong with the teachings long before he learned the truth behind the organization. As he states in this interview, things just did not sit right. He knew something was amiss, but could not pinpoint the issues.

If you have questions about his experience or may be able to relate to him and want to reach out, Jonathan can be reached at [email protected].

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#exjw #JehovahWitness #exjwcriticalthinker

You've no doubt heard of the term PIMO which means Physically In, Mentally Out. This is how Jehovah's Witnesses that are trapped in the religion but no longer believe it is the truth but they remain in the congregation because they do not want to lose their family.

Justin's PIMO story is much more than that because he was literally in survival mode while pretending to be a Jehovah's Witness. His entire livelihood was in danger if the brothers at the Kingdom Hall really knew how he felt about the Watchtower, Bible & Tract Society. In fact, he was facing the possibility of losing his job because not only the owner of the company, but approximately 80% of the staff were all Jehovah's Witnesses. Therefore, if Justin were to leave the religion, he may as well be quitting his job too.

It is interesting how Jehovah's Witnesses may seem to feel slighted because people do not want to deal with them and their religious beliefs. Yet, when it is convenient for them, they turn around and treat people the exact same way for choosing to leave their group.

Be sure to check out Justin's channel at EXJW Diaries https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsYLpWKwDlJUrp_SipTHAQQ

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What does it mean to be a PIMO? The acronym stands for Physically In, Mentally Out.
It is a term that is used for individuals that no longer believe in the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses but they are unable to leave for fear of shunning.

THE GROWING NUMBER OF PIMO'S IS ASTOUNDING.

We receive countless emails from individuals waking up all over the world.
It is amazing how the Internet has been a game changer for many people and they are receiving a confirmation by going online and meeting up with likeminded individuals learning the real truth about the Watchtower.

Do not allow fear to keep you from knowledge. You should always continue searching for information and knowledge. Never allow an organization to hi-jack your mind and keep you from living your life to the fullest. Never does the scriptures tell people to stop living for a future date.

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How to Reach VEVIAN VOZMEDIANO

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  ABOUT VEVIAN
  Learning how to live after leaving or getting disfellowshipped from the Jehovah's Witnesses is a challenging journey. It destroys your whole approach to life. It's like the rug gets pulled out from under you in every way because the organization defined everything about your life. It defined who you were, what you believed in, your relationships, your purpose in life, your view of the world, your view of the future, and your view on what happened to us after we die. Being part of it is how you made sense of the world.
  
  As a Jehovah's Witness, you were taught to be "no part of this world." The religion made you believe that it was only "Jehovah's people" who had "the truth". I'm here to tell you otherwise.
  
  When Jesus said, "the truth will set you free," he was speaking of your OWN truth. Living your truth means that you unapologetically embrace who you are and present that true self to the world. Your authentic self is the self that will most benefit you and the lives of those you encounter.
  
  Leaving or getting shunned from the organization and not having your voice as a woman can leave you feeling psychologically and mentally stunted and incapable of making life decisions. You could be feeling helpless, suicidal, numb, riddled with guilt and shame, angry, suffer from sleep deprivation, eating disorders, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and interpersonal dysfunction.
  
  It is heroic of you to say NO to the organization and no longer want to be part of it. Possibly for the first time in your life, you are starting to ask yourself, what do I want and believe?
  
  Welcome to your healing journey and finding your truth.
  In a very real way, you have to re-create your identity from scratch.
  I know what what this feels like.
  
  I was disfellowshipped in December 2011. I wrote four letters to get back into the organization in 2 years. I missed everyone, including my mom, who has been a regular pioneer for 30+ years. After these two years of getting rejected re-entry, I decided I wanted to see what life was like in the real world. It turns out it's pretty INCREDIBLE!
  
  I've dedicated the last ten years of my life to my healing journey of finding my own truth. This journey of self-awareness, self-inquiry, self-acceptance and self-compassion led me to the path of self-love. It turns out, the only person you need approval from is yourself!
  
  Along my healing path, I've picked up tools, habits, and tactics that I'm sharing in this program.
  
  This program is intended to help support you and help you discover who you are outside of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The group format and setting will provide a safe space to connect with like-minded individuals who will intern empower you on your journey.
  
  During these eight weeks, you will take a deep dive into your inner world to unlock what you believe, who you are, and help you connect with your full potential!
  
  Please consider supporting our work on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/exjwcriticalthinker
  
  Check out our t-shirt designs: https://exjwcriticalthinker.myspreadshop.com/all
  
  How to Contact Us
  We appreciate hearing from our viewers; however, we do not have enough staff or resources to communicate with everyone. We rarely check messages in our social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), therefore, if you want to reach us, email us directly at the email address listed below:
   

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You can visit Amira aka Tuffryda at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCROI7_fBzYBC4wmJZS3Cs6Q

In this episode, Amira discusses what it was like growing up as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and the difficulties she faced in school. Neither one of her parents were baptized as Jehovah's Witnesses, but Amira's mother was born and raised in the religion. Her mother, a person that didn't accept the religion as her own, allowed her mother to instill the beliefs in her daughter.

Amira tells her story about what it was like navigating her educational pursuits and the difficulties she faced trying to decide whether or not she should attend college. Mainly, because her Jehovah's Witness family didn't encourage higher education, but her academic advisors were telling her to move forward with her interests in learning.

Of course, no one talks about how much it costs to go to a four year university. So, in this episode, Amira helps other young people her age to understand the difficulties she faced and hopes to steer you in a better direction.


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#exjw #JehovahWitness #exjwcriticalthinker #Jehovah'sWitnessRelationships

This episode will be one of many in a series educating the public about Jehovah's Witnesses and relationships.

The information contained herein is from our perspective and what we have seen. Trust and believe, there are many more sides to this coin. It is just one of many that we will be presenting to the audience to see how Jehovah's Witnesses think and view relationships. The religion simply makes relationships more difficult because it sets up false titles and positions that people want to attain and when they do not materialize, it can wreak havoc in the lives of its members.

We regularly receive email's from individuals asking us for our advice about pursuing relationships with Jehovah's Witnesses. There are many different combinations of issues pertaining to these relationships. Some are married to disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witnesses and didn't realize it until their significant other decided to return to the Kingdom Hall. Others met the Witness on the job and began seriously dating all to find out that the person wanted them to join the group or else they would have to terminate their relationship.

We realize that in order to help educate individuals about being married to a Jehovah's Witness, it would be best for them to see what it is like when both parties are baptized in the faith. Once you see how stressful it can be for two people that are both willing participants in the religion and the issues they face, it makes it easier to help unbelievers to see the possible difficulties they will face.

In this video, we discuss the basics about how Jehovah's Witness women are pressured to marry individuals that are ministerial servants. We also provide experiences of several individuals that realize their past mistakes about getting married too young. 

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Autism Awareness

Our guest, reached out to us to tell her story about what it was like living with Autism and trying to fit into with the Jehovah's Witness culture.

Autism in Adults
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/autism-in-adults.htm
https://www.autism.org/autism-symptoms-and-diagnosis-in-adults/

Autism - Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/topics/autism

Early Identification of Autism
https://neurosciences.ucsd.edu/centers-programs/autism/early/signs.html

Autism Society
https://www.autism-society.org/what-is/symptoms/

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In this episode, JT & Lady Cee discuss how the Jehovah's Witnesses view Heaven, the only ones that will be accepted and how they view those that do not agree.

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Sean has a YouTube channel called "Ask An Apostate (almost) Anything" https://www.youtube.com/user/cordialneondiva/featured 

Like most born-in Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sean got baptized young at age 16. Over the course of time he served as a ministerial servant, engaged in regular and auxiliary pioneer service. 

According to Sean, the waking up process was rough and so is the subsequent fallout. However, he confidently states that “It's totally worth it, but man, it's brutal.

Sean was raised in a progressive Jehovah’s Witness household where he remembers his father climbing the Jehovah’s Witness corporate ladder. Both parents were regular pioneers (and his mom remains one today). Throughout the years, his parents have sacrificed a lot for the organization.

Sean’s dad was the regional convention and circuit assembly overseer and has now been moved into a position where he is being used to train other brothers to do the same thing. He also did a lot of work on Kingdom Hall quick builds and Assembly Hall builds, and has done work with the LDC, RBC, and HLC. 

He recalls meeting a lot of "heavy hitters" in the organization. He grew up constantly going to dinners and family vacations with district overseers, circuit overseers, branch representatives, bethel speakers, missionaries, and even went to dinner with a Governing Body member. (Or at least he thinks he was, but at such a young age he was not impressed.

Sean’s family hobnobbed with the elite Jehovah’s Witnesses, and he got to see a LOT of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on at regional conventions and on local congregation levels. Looking back, he believes this was the start of his waking up process although he didn’t realize it at the time. 


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