Xavi Smith

Experienced Professional | Transitioning from Tech to Education

Tag: Jehovah’s Witnesses

  • I sent the following message to some of my mother’s family and select old friends:

    Howdy y’all. Just wanted to let you know from the horse’s mouth that I’ve decided to [no] longer be a Jehovah’s Witness. I encourage you to do some objective research into your beliefs. I was certainly surprised by what I found. Sending love and hugs. If you ever need me, you know how to reach me. May the force be with you ❤️

    It feels incredibly freeing to finally send this message. I haven’t had contact with much family in the past two-ish years. When I first debated leaving the cult, it was incredibly scary to think about how my family would react or how they’d treat me.

    In case you didn’t know, leaving the Jehovah’s Witness organization means essentially saying goodbye to everyone you’ve ever known. Members are instructed to shun people who leave the religion, even family. It’s quite nuts. My research led me to conclude without hesitation that this religion is false and for some reason that means I don’t get to have a family anymore. The only reason I got to do this on my own timeline is because the pandemic turned out to be a fantastic cover to leave this cult under the radar. Which I guess is something to be grateful for?

    But what used to be scary, I’ve now come to accept. I mean, my family has shunned me before, so what does it really matter if they do it again? Like, ultimately, people that actually care about you don’t emotionally blackmail you into being part of their religion 😘

    So this feels like closure. I hope to have left things open for any of them to reach out if they ever wake up from their indoctrination. Till then, it feels good for people to know where I stand, and I think it’ll help me start writing the next chapter of my life.

  • Jehovah’s Witnesses Finally Join the Australian Redress Scheme

    Looks like Jehovah’s Witnesses will join the redress scheme in Australia finally, but don’t think it’s because god somehow inspired them to do the right thing:

    The organisation says it will sign up because of new rules introduced by the federal government, which mean it would lose its charity status — and subsequent tax exemptions — for continuing to hold out.

    “Now that the law requires charities to join the scheme, Jehovah’s Witnesses will comply,” it said in a statement to AAP on Wednesday.

    Ah! Okay! Well at least the organization is being honest about being rotten. It can’t lose its precious tax status! The organization still takes absolutely no responsibility for the abuse that’s happened under its watch, but don’t take my word for it:

    “Jehovah’s Witnesses did not voluntarily join because we object to the assertion that the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses assumes responsibility for children,” the group said.

    For an organization that micromanages every aspect of life for members, this is certainly an interesting twist. But hey, a win is a win. I’ll take their hand being forced to do the right thing for victims, over nothing, any day.

  • Four Corners Reports on Pattern of Abuse Cover Up within Jehovah’s Witnesses Religion

    As some of you may know, I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness. In 2019, I decided to leave this organization after finding serious abuse cover up and coming across factual information that disproves the religion’s doctrine.

    One of the stories this report touches on is of a young man that committed suicide after being disfellowshipped for being gay. The young man turns out to be a nephew of one of the leaders of this organization, Stephen Lett. This is an issue that hits particularly close to home since my own coming out.

    All in all, it’s a scathing report. It reveals the Jehovah’s Witness religion (contrary to what its members believe) to be a man-made and human-led organization with policies and procedures that create a ripe breeding ground for all types of abuse.

    I’ve never been happier to have distanced myself from this toxic organization. The leadership’s dogmatic and arrogant attitude has led to the ruin of countless lives without even an apology from the organization. Although thankfully, some victims have won cases against the organization resulting in a settlement.

    Whether you’ve ever been a Jehovah’s Witness or not, I recommend you watch the video.

  • Does God Really Hate Queers?

    Here’s a fascinating, heartwarming, and heartbreaking video about being queer and whether it’s also possible to have a faith.

    Interestingly, my former religion makes an appearance just to show the world how horrible it is. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not accepting of LGBTQ people. Joshua, a gay man that is featured in the video, explains how he was disfellowshipped (or excommunicated) and subsequently completely shunned by his family. The story of the muslim woman is just as disturbing as she tries to find a marriage of convenience so that her family doesn’t disown her.

    It’s stories like these that push me towards agnosticism and atheism. How could a loving god expect you to shun someone because of who they love? Why would a loving god punish someone for something so deeply personal and intrinsic to who they are, such as their sexuality?

    So does god really hate people who are LGBTQ? I have no interest in a god that does.