Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Ex JW Community

     Once the internet became more mainstream, it made it possible to explore beyond what was once possible. Former Jehovah's Witnesses that had been shunned and cast out, faded away, or left on their own accord, began discovering that there were others online who had gone through very similar experiences as they had. Groups began forming in different settings. Eventually, there were thousands that were interacting with one another. This became known as the community of Ex Jehovah's Witnesses.

A lot of good came from this. Almost everyone shared a common bond with one another. We understood exactly what an individual was talking about when they shared an experience. It was a benefit for the newer ones that were going through a rough time, as there were many people on hand to offer advice or give suggestions based on what had worked in the past. It was a place of comfort, a safe haven of sorts. A place where a person was accepted, no matter what they attempted to pursue in life.

Another benefit came in establishing friendships. Already sharing such similar experiences aided one when trying to find a friend. Often times, several people would arrive at the same time and begin a healing process with one another. It was fairly easy to establish a strong bond with those that understood you, and you them.

It was also a very good way to share information that had been gathered. That information was being pooled together, making it easy for any individual that came along to do an extensive research without having to look around much. People began writing blogs, making videos, forming groups, starting campaigns, all with the intent at exposing the Watchtower Society, and educating the outside world about what was really happening within the JW realm.

Unfortunately, when there is a positive side, along with it will come a negative side.

There are those that jump to conclusions, reading something and assuming the worst. This lack of communication has led to rifts between individuals who seem to be interested in holding their ground instead of working things out.

There are those that enter groups that have established rules to help the group run better, and decide that those rules should not apply to them. Comparisons are made to following rules of a jw congregation. And once they are ousted after several warnings, they complain about being shunned.

Then there are those that feel they are more important than others, and therefore, what they say is fact. Inflamed egos that decide it best to cast doubt instead of showing support for one another. They attempt to discredit anyone that is not in line with them.

There are always dangers of meeting someone on the internet. All that you really know about them is what they decide to share.


From my perspective, I believe that a lot of the bad stuff can be attributed to the exposure those folks had to the Watchtower Society. After discovering that they had been lied to, it might become close to impossible for an individual to ever trust anyone again. An individual might decide that they will never succumb to any established set of rules in any type of setting. People do not like being taken advantage of. So for them, the ex jw community becomes toxic.


I    Understand!!! 


The problem with this outlook is that the overall purpose is being tossed aside. The focus is more on defending oneself instead of reaching out to help someone in need. If you are someone that has not had a positive experience in the ex jw community, why hang around and cause problems for others when you could simply leave the scene altogether?

It is unfortunate, yet also expected. Not everyone is going to see things the same way. But when you take a step back and look, the good is heavily outweighing the bad.

Helping People should always be the focus. New people are constantly entering the scene, looking for that same comfort that those that have been there before them have found. It makes me feel good when I see so many people jumping to the aid of an individual that is dealing with a bad experience.

It let's me know that the Ex JW Community cares.

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