I also found this site by accident, and there was a long topic about people who had served in Bethel, where they pulled back the curtain on what it was really like. I haven't found it again but it was fascinating to read at the time. I had already been out for some years but in some ways the image of Bethel as a small Christian utopia was still in the back of my mind. So, on the one hand, I was not surprised at what I was reading. But on the other hand, it really brought down the walls that protected my view of the HQ.
Why isn't this forum growing like reddit exjw??
by nowwhat? 59 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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NewYork44M
I used to be highly active on this board. I stopped when the discussions turned into a Trump fest. I am fine with discussing politics, but the discussions went way over the top.
Today I stopped by and am happy to see that the posts are back to the core topic of xJWism. I have warm feelings for the value that this site provides, and I wish the continued success.
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snare&racket
Right wing US politics were promoted, left wing and liberal ideology mocked. The majority of daily posts were from less than 5 people, some posting new topics many times a day, all promoting their political agenda and choosing topics to evoke unpleasant interaction. JW as a topic became diluted. It was a bad look for visitors and new people would likely have been confused as to the purpose of this forum.
Inevitably many people left because not all people see the world in the same way,
It’s a shame, this used to be a very important step in fading. EXJW Reddit is doing a great job for the next generation of JW’s that want to leave.
I appreciate what Simon has done here, life changing for me. Shame.
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Diogenesister
TOH I also found this site by accident, and there was a long topic about people who had served in Bethel, where they pulled back the curtain on what it was really like.
Yes the forum is an absolute treasure trove from the days when leaving wasn't easy and took hard work & research. Those people were a special breed.
I've been on exreddit since 2,000 subs & One thing that annoys me about EXJW Reddit (and I've brought it up with them) is that they term it the "biggest resource for JWs on the internet", which is laughable. They don't link to this forum which in my opinion is by far the biggest in-depth resource.
So when I've mentioned this forum there or linked to it, because of the name, many redditors think it's a forum for current believing witnesses!!!
I believe the reluctance to link to here stems from the initial influence of Evans& his cronies resenting this forum. It's also partly a political decision. ExjW Reddit has its place & there are many interesting personal stories and news items posted. But much of it is light-hearted memes or rehashed information. They do link to JWfacts.com, but not to here. That in itself is partly a political decision.
Snare & Racket Right wing US politics were promoted, left wing and liberal ideology mocked.
Snare I understand and can't disagree with you! But I think much of that stems from sheer frustration at the amount of left wing bias in the main stream media. I'm a lifelong lefty but a deeply fair minded person (even if I do say!) and I cannot stand the suppression of certain news stories and blatant lies they tell. I understand why people come here to sound off. It's got to the point where I no longer wish to pay my TV licence because the BBC is mandated to be impartial and they don't even bother to hide their bias. The urban elite are in charge and are throwing the working classes to the dogs. The left are now the party of suppression of speech, authoritarian war mongers and as for women's rights they have trampled all over us. Let's not forget crime because who does crime really affect? You guessed it ....the poor. Parents rights? Out the door....oh I could go on, sorry🤣I've just done what everyone hates. Anyway I think many come here as a sort of refuge from the insanity. But I get that it's given us a certain reputation.
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BereanThinker7
honestly i think its as simple as there no mobile app, and the "mobile version" isnt too user friendly.
Young people arent googling JWs on a desktop or laptop.
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Rattigan350
Reddit is just a place where kids can vent about their parents when the fact is they need the direction of their parents or their parents need to be slapped.
Reddit is like twitter, in that it is just people jumping on the popularity bandwagon, i.e. Democrats, liberals just insulting because they can and it is encouraged.
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EdenOne
I drastically reduced my participation here because: a) I'making a deliberate effort to keep the JW religion a very small part of my daily concerns, i.e., moving on to other more worthy concerns; and b) for a good while this forum spiraled down into a bigoted trumpist s**tshow. I really don't mind political discussion, but needs to be civil, which hasn't been the case. And adding c) this endless ongoing trashing (well deserved anyway) of that other ex-JW activist is already too long and frankly very tiring.
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Biahi
Thank you, snare & racket, and Eden one! 👍🏻
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peacefulpete
The database here contains real treasure. Sometimes I just go back and read 10-20 year old threads and amazed what I find. Thanks Simon for preserving it
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Anony Mous
I think it is largely a population difference. People on Reddit are primarily young and transitory, they grow up in JW, leave at 18, complain a few times and then are fully absorbed into ‘the world’. There aren’t really any great discussions there about in depth topics.
The people here are JW veterans that mostly have been around for decades in JW and thus have a lot more ‘lingering’ issues (whether it is family, stories) and thus stick around because JW is still influencing their lives.
That to me is the great difference, you can comment on Reddit about the progression of certain JW belief points, literally nobody cares about the history or depth.
TL;DR Reddit is for the shallow JW that never really got into the deep things and just wants an excuse to leave, this forum is for those that believed strongly or are long-term affected by the doctrines.