Support for Jehovah's Witnesses
If you are researching Jehovah's Witnesses it is only natural you have an array of questions. As JWfacts is the project of a single person, I have been unable to keep up with the volume of email requests I was receiving and no longer have an email link on the site.
Don't worry, there is a large community of current and former Jehovah's Witnesses at reddit.com/r/exjw that can answer questions about Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower related topics.
Recovering From Religion offers peer support and professional support to people doubting their beliefs. Volunteers of this not-for-profit organization come from a range of religious backgrounds, and provide support to people regardless of which religion they belong to.
Questioning whether Jehovah's Witnesses are the one true religion can lead to anxiety and depression and even thoughts of suicide. If you are experiencing such emotions, please seek help immediately. There are many free resources you can call for confidential assistance.
Australia: 13 11 14
Canada: 1833.456.4566
UK: 116 123
USA: 1800-273-8255
International Crisis Lines and suicidestop.com contain up-to-date lists of free support lines for almost 100 countries.
Security on the Internet
If you have questions, Watchtower recommends you discuss these with family or the elders. Unfortunately, doing so will not provide answers beyond what you have already been taught, and lead to being closely watched for entertaining "apostate" thinking.
A better alternative is to research online, as this will avoid unnecessary trouble, whilst providing a wide range of opinions to contemplate. When doing so, take the following precautions.
Rule number 1 - do not get caught. Many Jehovah's Witnesses have ended up in trouble after someone sees their internet history, or discovers their online profile and comments on social media. If you are going to research the Watchtower, always switch your browser to private or incognito. This way your login details and history are erased when you close the browser.
If you sign up to a forum, do not use a name that can be identified as you, and never post personal details, such as your name, address, congregation, phone number or email. Consider creating a new, inconspicuous email specifically for such purposes. Be extra careful on social media platforms, which are notorious for changing privacy settings, and information you may have thought was private becomes public.
It is difficult to cope with the realization you may lose family and friends if you no longer want to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses. jwfacts.com, jw.support, jwwatch.org, reddit.com/r/exjw and numerous other sites and YouTube channels have been created specifically to assist you and the thousands of others going through this right now. Many high control religious groups are similar to Jehovah's Witnesses, and recoveringfromreligion.org/ have a large global network of people providing support from a range of backgrounds. These sites draw on the experiences of those that have left in the past, show positive ways forward and what not to do. Applying the advice given will help you avoid unnecessary hardship and assist plan what to do next to building a successful future.
I wish you all the best for your future.
Paul.
Further reading
The following links provide wonderful information to help you understand why we get down and ways to improve your well-being.
Written March 2021, latest update June 2021
Paul Grundy 2005 - 2024