Some questions...

Innocent as Doves said:

Hello everyone. I just found this site a few days ago and am happy there are people who have the same questions I do. I have a question that I have not seen addressed yet. (I haven't read everything here yet so maybe I missed it)

About 1-2 months after they started reading off the lists of the available EUA shots and how they emphasized there was not blood in them....(as if that was the ONLY thing we should be worried about)....there was a brief mysterious announcement by one of the elders on Zoom. I don't remember the EXACT words but it was something to the effect of: "If there are any pregnant sisters, please contact the elders". It was super brief, no explanation, and as far as I knew, there weren't any pregnant sisters in my congregation at the time that I could ask. Does anyone else remember an announcement like this? If so, what was it about?

Also, how did most of you handle the 'masking' thing? In the beginning, I was caught off guard with most people and did attempt to wear a mask. I quickly found out I could not handle it....physically or mentally. I did plenty of research on the subject and understood that wearing a mask to prevent a virus is like expecting a chain link fence to keep out mosquitoes. I felt it was just 'Virtue Signaling'....and still do. At the end of 2021 I moved to another state that was not as Tyrannical about masking. Compared to my last state, this state is Paradise. (Yes, I'm being intentionally vague, sorry about that).
Unfortunately though, the congregation did not follow suit with the state as we were 'Highly Encouraged' to wear masks at the KH. By this time, I knew it was just Virtue Signaling and also, honestly, felt like I was going to pass out if I wore a 'real' one for longer than 5 minutes. I stayed on Zoom once I found out that even though we were returning to in person meetings.....the KH was still 'highly encouraging' their use. 99.5% of the friends DID wear them. To me, mask wearing was Satanic. It had NO good use and I contemplated the scripture at 2 Corinthians 3:18. I tried going to the Hall because when I told one of the elders that I could NOT wear a mask....he still encouraged me to go to the in person meetings. But even though I was not wearing a mask, I just kept looking around and freaking out that EVERYONE else was! I left the meeting in tears before it even started. Did anyone else have a similar reaction? And OK, I'm going to say it out loud here now....and I would appreciate if someone tells me the reason for this. For some reason, it is MAINLY the BLACK friends that STILL wear masks. Specifically, Black SISTERS. Why is that? It is also the same in the general population here.....If you see someone wearing a mask in public.....90% of the time it's a Black Female. Why? And it seems they consider it a fashion accessory. One sister here wore a fancy black velvet and rhinestone mask to the meeting....and at our last Regional convention, there was a Black Sister wearing a mask with a cartoon like MOUTH with big red lips printed on it. It was just SO undignified. I pretty much avoid the ones who still insist on wearing masks....because of course, there is no reasoning with them. A good book I read even before the Plandemic started was called: "Good-Bye Germ Theory - Ending a Century of Medical Fraud" by William P. Trebing. Shock of shocks.....Germ Theory is just that! A THEORY! Excellent book if you haven't read it yet. OK....ending my rant here, I have more...but it would be 20 pages long if I covered everything. Hope to read some replies. Thank you.

(See: 11/22/2003 Awake pp 4-8 under title: "Wear a Surgical Mask?" Also, 12/22/05 Awake on page 5 under: "A Unique Pestilence" about 'fear')

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I felt very much the same way as you. Even though they let us come back to the Kingdom Hall eventually, masking up was required. I watched it entirely on Zoom until like 5-6 months later they dropped the requirements for masks.
You bring up an interesting thought about black sisters wearing the masks. At least within the United States. Outside the US they have a different culture and mindset but over here, propaganda is really powerful here in the United States. The intelligence agencies and media target black women into getting more abortions than any other racial group. It's like they have an agenda to make them angry and childless or if not they become reliant on the welfare state. That has to be included to understand their overall plan. To divide and conquer, cause division, make them feel comfortable with the government taking care of them so that they can control their minds more. It's all a facade. It's why most black women vote democrat in this country. And part of that has to do with them still wearing masks even though we don't have to anymore. They are enslaved to the government propaganda more so than most. It's why the intelligence agencies love to hire them. They are easy to control and they use their trauma as a source to fuel their so called Justice. The intelligence agencies don't hire people that don't have trauma or were raised in a good family with good values. They can't control those type of people as much. So they continue to sow that seed of discord and harvest the trauma from those types. It's why we see DEI agenda around in the industry and in government agencies. Some JW don't understand this level of propaganda and it's why they lined up for multiple booster shots. For it is a scheme of Satan to cause division and social pressure and one of his favorite tools to use is "safety and security" rhetoric. And we were correct! It's confirmed from many studies now that the vaccine caused more death and side effects than people who refused to take it. Now it's causing a boost in turbo cancer in relatively young people. I guess they weren't lying when they called those shots boosters.

StopTheInsanity said:

They feed antibiotics to livestock which makes its way into our bodies.

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Which is why we get Montezuma's Revenge when we visit non-Western nations.

If an Elder is speaking from the platform about medical matters and/or treatments such as vaccination and advises pregnant sisters to speak with an elder - do not do so under any circumstances or rely on their advice . Always consult a qualified doctor about your health. Elders are not qualified to talk about health issues and most are not qualified to speak on biblical matters either. I’m utterly amazed that such a thing could be uttered from the platform.

BARNABY THE DOG. said:

If an Elder is speaking from the platform about medical matters and/or treatments such as vaccination and advises pregnant sisters to speak with an elder - do not do so under any circumstances or rely on their advice . Always consult a qualified doctor about your health. Elders are not qualified to talk about health issues and most are not qualified to speak on biblical matters either. I’m utterly amazed that such a thing could be uttered from the platform.

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This is so true about the poor elders not being qualified. I considered starting another thread on the topic.

Innocent as Doves said:

Hello everyone. I just found this site a few days ago and am happy there are people who have the same questions I do. I have a question that I have not seen addressed yet. (I haven't read everything here yet so maybe I missed it)

About 1-2 months after they started reading off the lists of the available EUA shots and how they emphasized there was not blood in them....(as if that was the ONLY thing we should be worried about)....there was a brief mysterious announcement by one of the elders on Zoom. I don't remember the EXACT words but it was something to the effect of: "If there are any pregnant sisters, please contact the elders". It was super brief, no explanation, and as far as I knew, there weren't any pregnant sisters in my congregation at the time that I could ask. Does anyone else remember an announcement like this? If so, what was it about?

Also, how did most of you handle the 'masking' thing? In the beginning, I was caught off guard with most people and did attempt to wear a mask. I quickly found out I could not handle it....physically or mentally. I did plenty of research on the subject and understood that wearing a mask to prevent a virus is like expecting a chain link fence to keep out mosquitoes. I felt it was just 'Virtue Signaling'....and still do. At the end of 2021 I moved to another state that was not as Tyrannical about masking. Compared to my last state, this state is Paradise. (Yes, I'm being intentionally vague, sorry about that).
Unfortunately though, the congregation did not follow suit with the state as we were 'Highly Encouraged' to wear masks at the KH. By this time, I knew it was just Virtue Signaling and also, honestly, felt like I was going to pass out if I wore a 'real' one for longer than 5 minutes. I stayed on Zoom once I found out that even though we were returning to in person meetings.....the KH was still 'highly encouraging' their use. 99.5% of the friends DID wear them. To me, mask wearing was Satanic. It had NO good use and I contemplated the scripture at 2 Corinthians 3:18. I tried going to the Hall because when I told one of the elders that I could NOT wear a mask....he still encouraged me to go to the in person meetings. But even though I was not wearing a mask, I just kept looking around and freaking out that EVERYONE else was! I left the meeting in tears before it even started. Did anyone else have a similar reaction? And OK, I'm going to say it out loud here now....and I would appreciate if someone tells me the reason for this. For some reason, it is MAINLY the BLACK friends that STILL wear masks. Specifically, Black SISTERS. Why is that? It is also the same in the general population here.....If you see someone wearing a mask in public.....90% of the time it's a Black Female. Why? And it seems they consider it a fashion accessory. One sister here wore a fancy black velvet and rhinestone mask to the meeting....and at our last Regional convention, there was a Black Sister wearing a mask with a cartoon like MOUTH with big red lips printed on it. It was just SO undignified. I pretty much avoid the ones who still insist on wearing masks....because of course, there is no reasoning with them. A good book I read even before the Plandemic started was called: "Good-Bye Germ Theory - Ending a Century of Medical Fraud" by William P. Trebing. Shock of shocks.....Germ Theory is just that! A THEORY! Excellent book if you haven't read it yet. OK....ending my rant here, I have more...but it would be 20 pages long if I covered everything. Hope to read some replies. Thank you.

(See: 11/22/2003 Awake pp 4-8 under title: "Wear a Surgical Mask?" Also, 12/22/05 Awake on page 5 under: "A Unique Pestilence" about 'fear')

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Hola y bienvenido!! La verdad que que nos reuníamos de vez en cuando por esa época, cuando creíamos soportar la reunión previo ver el programa semanal de la aplicación JW. Nos nos sorprendió lo de las vacunas ni las mascarillas, la mordaza que nosotros tuvimos fue impuesta muchos años antes de la pandemia. La pandemia y el trato del cuerpo gobernante fue un : Adelante!! se viene nuestro Señor pronto!! Al fin pasa algo más global, que afecta a todos los hermanos! Con ello no estoy diciendo que me alegre de lo sucedido, mi satisfacción es más bien por un sentimiento que todos aquí compartimos al querer que la profecia se mueva. Anhelamos el reino de Jehová. Mientras llega, aquí te sentirás más relajado. Saludos!!

Citrine said:

This is so true about the poor elders not being qualified. I considered starting another thread on the topic.

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You will get more replies than you can deal with I’m sure!!! Some of the greatest minds that I met in the watchtower were untitled, constant, consistent publishers, parents of a solid family, discrete and hard working workers in the world holding down a job. You wouldn’t know them they were so quiet - but therein was the depth and wisdom. They had a certain “love”, insight. Empathy and compassion. I remember him well!

Ana said:

Hola y bienvenido!! La verdad que que nos reuníamos de vez en cuando por esa época, cuando creíamos soportar la reunión previo ver el programa semanal de la aplicación JW. Nos nos sorprendió lo de las vacunas ni las mascarillas, la mordaza que nosotros tuvimos fue impuesta muchos años antes de la pandemia. La pandemia y el trato del cuerpo gobernante fue un : Adelante!! se viene nuestro Señor pronto!! Al fin pasa algo más global, que afecta a todos los hermanos! Con ello no estoy diciendo que me alegre de lo sucedido, mi satisfacción es más bien por un sentimiento que todos aquí compartimos al querer que la profecia se mueva. Anhelamos el reino de Jehová. Mientras llega, aquí te sentirás más relajado. Saludos!!

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Translation: Hello and welcome!! The truth is that we met from time to time at that time, when we thought we supported the previous meeting to see the weekly program of the JW application. We were surprised about the vaccines or masks, the gag we had was imposed many years before the pandemic. The pandemic and the treatment of the ruling body was a: Go ahead!! Our Lord is coming soon!! At last something more global happens, which affects all the brothers! With this I am not saying that I am happy about what happened, my satisfaction is rather for a feeling that we all share here when we want the prophecy to move. We long for the kingdom of Jehovah. While it arrives, you will feel more relaxed here. Greetings!!

Innocent as Doves said:

Hello everyone. I just found this site a few days ago and am happy there are people who have the same questions I do. I have a question that I have not seen addressed yet. (I haven't read everything here yet so maybe I missed it)

About 1-2 months after they started reading off the lists of the available EUA shots and how they emphasized there was not blood in them....(as if that was the ONLY thing we should be worried about)....there was a brief mysterious announcement by one of the elders on Zoom. I don't remember the EXACT words but it was something to the effect of: "If there are any pregnant sisters, please contact the elders". It was super brief, no explanation, and as far as I knew, there weren't any pregnant sisters in my congregation at the time that I could ask. Does anyone else remember an announcement like this? If so, what was it about?

Also, how did most of you handle the 'masking' thing? In the beginning, I was caught off guard with most people and did attempt to wear a mask. I quickly found out I could not handle it....physically or mentally. I did plenty of research on the subject and understood that wearing a mask to prevent a virus is like expecting a chain link fence to keep out mosquitoes. I felt it was just 'Virtue Signaling'....and still do. At the end of 2021 I moved to another state that was not as Tyrannical about masking. Compared to my last state, this state is Paradise. (Yes, I'm being intentionally vague, sorry about that).
Unfortunately though, the congregation did not follow suit with the state as we were 'Highly Encouraged' to wear masks at the KH. By this time, I knew it was just Virtue Signaling and also, honestly, felt like I was going to pass out if I wore a 'real' one for longer than 5 minutes. I stayed on Zoom once I found out that even though we were returning to in person meetings.....the KH was still 'highly encouraging' their use. 99.5% of the friends DID wear them. To me, mask wearing was Satanic. It had NO good use and I contemplated the scripture at 2 Corinthians 3:18. I tried going to the Hall because when I told one of the elders that I could NOT wear a mask....he still encouraged me to go to the in person meetings. But even though I was not wearing a mask, I just kept looking around and freaking out that EVERYONE else was! I left the meeting in tears before it even started. Did anyone else have a similar reaction? And OK, I'm going to say it out loud here now....and I would appreciate if someone tells me the reason for this. For some reason, it is MAINLY the BLACK friends that STILL wear masks. Specifically, Black SISTERS. Why is that? It is also the same in the general population here.....If you see someone wearing a mask in public.....90% of the time it's a Black Female. Why? And it seems they consider it a fashion accessory. One sister here wore a fancy black velvet and rhinestone mask to the meeting....and at our last Regional convention, there was a Black Sister wearing a mask with a cartoon like MOUTH with big red lips printed on it. It was just SO undignified. I pretty much avoid the ones who still insist on wearing masks....because of course, there is no reasoning with them. A good book I read even before the Plandemic started was called: "Good-Bye Germ Theory - Ending a Century of Medical Fraud" by William P. Trebing. Shock of shocks.....Germ Theory is just that! A THEORY! Excellent book if you haven't read it yet. OK....ending my rant here, I have more...but it would be 20 pages long if I covered everything. Hope to read some replies. Thank you.

(See: 11/22/2003 Awake pp 4-8 under title: "Wear a Surgical Mask?" Also, 12/22/05 Awake on page 5 under: "A Unique Pestilence" about 'fear')

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Welcome to the forum. It’s wonderful to have you here with likeminded ones who still love Jehovah but refuse to worship these men , the GB. I have so much to respond to your comments as I felt the same way except I knew from the beginning this pandemic was such a fake. There was no doubt in my mind about that. I no longer attend meetings, since beginning of 2022.

As to your wondering why so many Blacks were mostly wearing masks I can only say because of living in an area with many Blacks and having been in a congregation predominantly Black for years, most are influenced by superstition, whether witnesses or not. It’s caused many of them to fear the unknown. I experienced firsthand their comments pertaining to this.

Thank you all for your replies. My mind is going to a thousand more thoughts and questions right now.....but, the one thing I'd still like to point out is that I still believe this is Jehovah's organization. Because honestly, WHO out there has the Truth? No other Christian religion even acknowledges Jehovah. They all believe in the mysterious TRINITY. Today's WT pointed out that Jehovah had to remove his spirit (his protection) from Jesus briefly so that the Ransom Sacrifice could be accomplished. Could that be why the GB fell so hard for this plandemic? Or was it a monetary thing? I don't know. Speaking of which....Tony Morris left in the middle of this. Was it because he refused the vax? So many questions I have, now that I might get straight answers and not be afraid to ask.
I know I mentioned on the Adverse Events post....that I know we still need to keep forgiving one another because we are all products of our environments.....as some of you noted regarding my question about Blacks Sisters and masks. I love my Black brothers and sisters....and I try to keep forgiving them when they might do something that goes against my conscience. I'm pretty sure that I do things that go against theirs too....so I try to not over react. Just today at the KH, one of my favorite Black sisters came into the meeting wearing a mask....again. And I actually felt sorry for her because she was mentioning she now has Bronchitis and that her lungs have never been the same (since getting the VAX....which she said quickly and quietly) and the fact she was wearing a mask no one could even lipread what she was saying either. She has admittedly had Covid 4 times. So, yes, I agree that this VAX was a bad idea from the get go. For sooooo many reasons!
A few of you have mentioned TERRAIN theory....and yes, I am in that camp too!
So I am a little afraid here....I know we need to be 'not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together' and I read that some of you have stopped going to the meetings completely. If it wasn't for my husband, who is the calm, level-headed one....I might have gone that route too. But then I know I would have been disobeying Heb 10:24, 25. I believe Jehovah will clean out his house at the right time. Remember when the Israelites were using parts of the Temple for things that they shouldn't have? But it was still Jehovah's temple. It all got fixed eventually. Is it wrong of me to encourage those of you who obviously still love Jehovah.....to return to the meetings....especially with the Memorial coming up next week. I know Jehovah will do the right thing.....it's just that our timetable is different than his.
Anyway, please keep the comments coming because I am just so glad I found this site. I just need to vent and bounce ideas off where I won't be called a Conspiracy Theorist or an Apostate.

Innocent as Doves said:

Thank you all for your replies. My mind is going to a thousand more thoughts and questions right now.....but, the one thing I'd still like to point out is that I still believe this is Jehovah's organization. Because honestly, WHO out there has the Truth? No other Christian religion even acknowledges Jehovah. They all believe in the mysterious TRINITY. Today's WT pointed out that Jehovah had to remove his spirit (his protection) from Jesus briefly so that the Ransom Sacrifice could be accomplished. Could that be why the GB fell so hard for this plandemic? Or was it a monetary thing? I don't know. Speaking of which....Tony Morris left in the middle of this. Was it because he refused the vax? So many questions I have, now that I might get straight answers and not be afraid to ask.
I know I mentioned on the Adverse Events post....that I know we still need to keep forgiving one another because we are all products of our environments.....as some of you noted regarding my question about Blacks Sisters and masks. I love my Black brothers and sisters....and I try to keep forgiving them when they might do something that goes against my conscience. I'm pretty sure that I do things that go against theirs too....so I try to not over react. Just today at the KH, one of my favorite Black sisters came into the meeting wearing a mask....again. And I actually felt sorry for her because she was mentioning she now has Bronchitis and that her lungs have never been the same (since getting the VAX....which she said quickly and quietly) and the fact she was wearing a mask no one could even lipread what she was saying either. She has admittedly had Covid 4 times. So, yes, I agree that this VAX was a bad idea from the get go. For sooooo many reasons!
A few of you have mentioned TERRAIN theory....and yes, I am in that camp too!
So I am a little afraid here....I know we need to be 'not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together' and I read that some of you have stopped going to the meetings completely. If it wasn't for my husband, who is the calm, level-headed one....I might have gone that route too. But then I know I would have been disobeying Heb 10:24, 25. I believe Jehovah will clean out his house at the right time. Remember when the Israelites were using parts of the Temple for things that they shouldn't have? But it was still Jehovah's temple. It all got fixed eventually. Is it wrong of me to encourage those of you who obviously still love Jehovah.....to return to the meetings....especially with the Memorial coming up next week. I know Jehovah will do the right thing.....it's just that our timetable is different than his.
Anyway, please keep the comments coming because I am just so glad I found this site. I just need to vent and bounce ideas off where I won't be called a Conspiracy Theorist or an Apostate.

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You should know that nobody on this site we are aware of believes in the trinity, however there are other religions that don't actually, though they are very few.
That said we recently chose to stop after many decades of service with special privileges. We are not ever going to attend another church! The scriptures say at John 6:68 "Peter answered him 'Lord, WHOM shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life'." NOT "where" shall we go away to as is often misstated by well meaning JW's. We spent the whole morning dealing with our Elderly parent who is still "in" and has a special "privilege" who just felt beat up over comments regarding Heb 10; 24, 25. They are not able to be in attendance in person and NOBODY hardly shows up for them. They are depressed and just got beat up emotionally from that! So, we have to uplift them spiritually, pray with them, read the bible and attend memorial via zoom with them so they don't feel so alone. So, as you more fully wake up you may see things a bit differently. We are not masters over anyone's faith or their personal conscience, so, yes it would be wrong to encourage us or anyone to participate in what we believe to be supporting unscriptural things. As one of us is a CSA victim (which was NOT handled according to the scriptures) and can tell you our slow fade has been extremely difficult, but Jehovah does not change and His holy spirit continues to flow to everyone who loves Him and requests it of Him. Our prayers still get answered, so we would never tell you not to go to a meeting and would appreciate it if you didn't encourage others to go against their bible trained conscience. We felt the same as you and your husband for quite a while too so we can truly empathize with your situation. It is not easy and has been difficult to come to certain realizations! This is all said with love as you are still clearly waking up. Please do not take offense at what we have said, but we are gathered here all together on this forum, encouraging one another, not beating our fellow slaves or judging them for doing what others feel they should be doing. We leave the judging to Gods appointed King Jesus. Some do choose to stay in and we support and respect that as that is their own personal decision and everyone has their own reasons and conscience.

You might want to read the Ex CO wife's experience on reddit. She explains where her husband is at now. They know more behind the scenes than R&F. Here is the first post by the ScreamInSilence40...you can search them on reddit and read more:

"My husband and I were in Special Full Time Service for nearly a decade together (he was previously at Bethel for 6 years before attending MTS, afterward which we were married). In August of 2021, we received a letter from the Branch stating that it is the “preference of the Governing Body that all in Special Full Time Service be vaccinated”(referring to Covid-19). We respect the fact that everyone has the right to decide for themselves if they get that or not, however, we had already made a conscious decision to NOT get vaccinated. Long story short, we were fired for our conscientious decision. We have never met anyone with a situation similar to ours. Many of our “peers” exchanged their conscience for a privilege(their words)-for obedience to the GB. I’m hoping to connect to someone who can relate to the choice that we made. I feel so alone in this! I’m so thankful that my husband and I are on the same page, though. Witnessing the blatant violation of Bible Principles by the GB in the last three years has rocked my world. It’s nuts that people can’t see it. And when I’ve tried to draw attention to it to people I thought were good friends that I could be honest with about anything, I’m told things like “there’s lots of accounts in the Bible where God’s people are given direction that doesn’t make sense”. When asked for an example they inevitably site “the Red Sea” and when I point out that Jehovah had explained exactly what he was doing and why in that account (Ex. 14:1-4), the conversation ends awkwardly. (Jehovah’s direction has ALWAYS made sense to spiritual people- prove me wrong). OR I’m told that I need to “prayerfully reconsider my view of the GB and who’s leading them” and “humble myself to stay close to Jehovah’s Organization.” I feel like I’m screaming in a vacuum. There’s so much more to our story- I guess - long shot here - if anyone is interested I’m so happy to share. When I tried to reach out to a fellow COW (we attended SCOTW together) she told me: “it’s not our place to question or discuss”. (!!?!?! I thought that was LITERALLY our job as JW’s). Anyway- just putting this out there hoping someone can relate. A year ago I quit watching or listening to ANYTHING on JW broadcasts. About 4 months ago I stopped attending meetings. I’ve been twice to the KH in the last 4 months and cannot stomach that everything I hear is either nonsense or hypocrisy. It’s weird. I haven’t decided to quit yet, though. I guess you could say I’m POMI, if that’s a thing! May Jehovah be with all those earnestly seeking him, and not putting their trust in men."

Welcome to the forum. I have been in touch with the creators of the adverse events forum to ask them for a ’like’ or ‘comment ‘ section on their site. This was out of admiration for the ones who wrote their testimonies. I felt that some sort of encouragement for them would be good. They didn’t want to become like x so didn’t see a need for it. But it now seems that some will find their way here. That is good.

Innocent as Doves said:

Hello everyone. I just found this site a few days ago and am happy there are people who have the same questions I do. I have a question that I have not seen addressed yet. (I haven't read everything here yet so maybe I missed it)

About 1-2 months after they started reading off the lists of the available EUA shots and how they emphasized there was not blood in them....(as if that was the ONLY thing we should be worried about)....there was a brief mysterious announcement by one of the elders on Zoom. I don't remember the EXACT words but it was something to the effect of: "If there are any pregnant sisters, please contact the elders". It was super brief, no explanation, and as far as I knew, there weren't any pregnant sisters in my congregation at the time that I could ask. Does anyone else remember an announcement like this? If so, what was it about?

Also, how did most of you handle the 'masking' thing? In the beginning, I was caught off guard with most people and did attempt to wear a mask. I quickly found out I could not handle it....physically or mentally. I did plenty of research on the subject and understood that wearing a mask to prevent a virus is like expecting a chain link fence to keep out mosquitoes. I felt it was just 'Virtue Signaling'....and still do. At the end of 2021 I moved to another state that was not as Tyrannical about masking. Compared to my last state, this state is Paradise. (Yes, I'm being intentionally vague, sorry about that).
Unfortunately though, the congregation did not follow suit with the state as we were 'Highly Encouraged' to wear masks at the KH. By this time, I knew it was just Virtue Signaling and also, honestly, felt like I was going to pass out if I wore a 'real' one for longer than 5 minutes. I stayed on Zoom once I found out that even though we were returning to in person meetings.....the KH was still 'highly encouraging' their use. 99.5% of the friends DID wear them. To me, mask wearing was Satanic. It had NO good use and I contemplated the scripture at 2 Corinthians 3:18. I tried going to the Hall because when I told one of the elders that I could NOT wear a mask....he still encouraged me to go to the in person meetings. But even though I was not wearing a mask, I just kept looking around and freaking out that EVERYONE else was! I left the meeting in tears before it even started. Did anyone else have a similar reaction? And OK, I'm going to say it out loud here now....and I would appreciate if someone tells me the reason for this. For some reason, it is MAINLY the BLACK friends that STILL wear masks. Specifically, Black SISTERS. Why is that? It is also the same in the general population here.....If you see someone wearing a mask in public.....90% of the time it's a Black Female. Why? And it seems they consider it a fashion accessory. One sister here wore a fancy black velvet and rhinestone mask to the meeting....and at our last Regional convention, there was a Black Sister wearing a mask with a cartoon like MOUTH with big red lips printed on it. It was just SO undignified. I pretty much avoid the ones who still insist on wearing masks....because of course, there is no reasoning with them. A good book I read even before the Plandemic started was called: "Good-Bye Germ Theory - Ending a Century of Medical Fraud" by William P. Trebing. Shock of shocks.....Germ Theory is just that! A THEORY! Excellent book if you haven't read it yet. OK....ending my rant here, I have more...but it would be 20 pages long if I covered everything. Hope to read some replies. Thank you.

(See: 11/22/2003 Awake pp 4-8 under title: "Wear a Surgical Mask?" Also, 12/22/05 Awake on page 5 under: "A Unique Pestilence" about 'fear')

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Hi IAD, Thank you for your comments. I get very encouraged to read how others have experienced and seen similar issues and how they deal with it. You are not alone. I also understand your desire to follow the instructions in the scriptures, specifically regarding Hebrews 10:24-25. But you should also consider that we are in a time of distress and ultimately Jesus specifically instructed that there will come a time to “flee” out of “Judea”. Each conscience may be different and I am repeating this scripture but it seems appropriate.

Proverbs 16:2: “All of a man’s ways seem right to him, But Jehovah examines the motives.”

and

”Romans 4:13: “For it was not through law that Abraham or his offspring had the promise that he should be heir of a world, but it was through righteousness by faith.”

Having peace with God is essential for our worship to be clean and our individual conscience is essential in that as well. We cannot follow imperfect humans when it deviates from God’s word nor “commands of men”. We can only attain to that by doing our best to understand his word and balance the instructions we apply to our conduct. So ask yourself if you have ”freeness of speech” in the congregation? Does that situation result in peace with God? Honestly the amount of instructions from the Governing Body is starting to rival the Talmud, which brought no benefit to the Jews. In fact Jesus clearly stated they were more concerned with commands of men than true Godly principles taught by Jehovah.

Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, now that we have been declared righteous as a result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained access by faith into this undeserved kindness in which we now stand; and let us rejoice, based on hope of the glory of God.”
Sorry for my lengthy reply but I found your comment worth considering and replying to. You ask about pregnant sisters and I did not personally know any pregnant sisters during 2021 but I did briefly join a form called jw.talk dot net and there was a pregnant sister on that forum who was trying to verify that the vaccine would be safe for her and her unborn child. I was horrified but I wasn’t allowed to post any comments and I then quit that forum because they were “all in” on the vaccines but still would include the disclaimer that it was an individual conscience matter. They even downplayed myocarditis as no big deal. One of the forum watchdogs claimed he had myocarditis at one time and he recovered without any issue.

Regarding the masks, I agree that they are useless and I think they are nothing but superstition. However, I live in Hawaii and long before COVID, Asian cultures commonly wore masks. Before COVID when I would occassionally see a woman in Chinatown wearing a mask I wondered if she was sick or if she was afraid of catching someone else’s disease but now I know that it is their culture to wear a mask at the first sniffle and they think they are protecting others. For them it is more cultural than scientific. Hawaii was very strict with masks and there were police called if someone tried to shop without one. So, in submission to the “superior authorities” I wore a mask in the required situations, like shopping, doctor visits etc. I don’t think I ever wore a mask to the meetings because they went online (Zoom) very quickly. Although even on Zoom, I thought it preposterous that some wore masks on camera when by themselves in their own homes. Being the rebel that I know I can be, I thought of wearing a burka to the meetings in ridicule but it was just a thought.

As far as “black” sisters and brothers being more prone to masking, I have not found that to be the case. I have found that some cultures place more emphasis on being submissive to authority figures, such as Asian and Filipino. So, even today, I see about 20% of the public still wearing masks. I no longer attend the congregation meetings and I don’t know who in the congregation is still wearing masks but I‘m guessing from the ones I run into at the grocery store that it’s about 50/50 and spread out among the differing ethnicities in Hawaii.

I really wanted to read the Awakes that you mentioned but I refuse to agree to the JW.org terms of use and so I don’t have the app any longer and I’m not able to open those publications. I’ll have to look elsewhere for them. I LOVED your highlighting the scripture at 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And all of us, while we with unveiled faces reflect like mirrors the glory of Jehovah, are transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, exactly as it is done by Jehovah the Spirit.”. Thank you for that.

I also appreciated your experience as detailed on the adverse events website. Regarding germ theory and terrain theory, I think they each have valid points along with error but in the long run it won’t matter because Jehovah will give to his loyal ones everlasting life or immortality depending on the hope. Again, welcome and I look forward to your comments.

Innocent as Doves said:

Oh yes, Germs are real. But the 'theory' is that Germs make you sick. There have been many trials where they purposely swabbed a sick persons nose and throat and then deliberately tried to "INFECT" a healthy person by transferring their 'germs'....but they did NOT get sick. I've experienced this my whole life. I've been around many a sick, supposedly 'contagious' person....but never got sick MYSELF. What about Doctors and Nurses? If Germs were 'contagious'.....wouldn't they all be sick all the time? BTW, did you know the Bible does NOT mention the words 'Cough' or 'Sneeze' even one time? Interesting I think. I also agree on the cellular damage. We are being poisoned from every direction. Air, Water, Food and even thoughts. Satan is the 'ruler of the authority of the air'. Eph 2:2 We are being poisoned....but not by breathing on each other! Doesn't the word Virus even MEAN poison? Also interesting. Thank you for your reply.

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Welcome! Just a minor issue I have with the way you are using the word theory. Theory in science is not the same as people use it in common English. Contrary to popular belief, a theory in science is the highest level that can be achieved outside mathematics. Gravity is also a theory. But since gravity can also be represented mathematically it is also a law. So gravity is technically a fact, a theory, and a law. As for germs, not all people are equally susceptible to everything. Some people are very resistant. Others are not. If you have a weak immune system you could die from a common cold. It's probably not a good idea to go around trying to argue against germs because if you are wrong, and someone listens to you, and then they get sick and die, you could end up blood guilty for misleading them -- even if your intentions were good. All I'm saying is exercise caution. We live in an age where it is very easy to convince ourselves we are experts when we are not.

Jahrule said:

Welcome! Just a minor issue I have with the way you are using the word theory. Theory in science is not the same as people use it in common English. Contrary to popular belief, a theory in science is the highest level that can be achieved outside mathematics. Gravity is also a theory. But since gravity can also be represented mathematically it is also a law. So gravity is technically a fact, a theory, and a law. As for germs, not all people are equally susceptible to everything. Some people are very resistant. Others are not. If you have a weak immune system you could die from a common cold. It's probably not a good idea to go around trying to argue against germs because if you are wrong, and someone listens to you, and then they get sick and die, you could end up blood guilty for misleading them -- even if your intentions were good. All I'm saying is exercise caution. We live in an age where it is very easy to convince ourselves we are experts when we are not.

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Great comment.

SusanB said:

Great comment.

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You guys know I'm a science nerd.

SusanB said:

I really wanted to read the Awakes that you mentioned but I refuse to agree to the JW.org terms of use and so I don’t have the app any longer and I’m not able to open those publications.

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I (the wife) didn't agree to the terms of use either and don't have access to the app on my phone anymore, though on jw.org you can hit decline for terms of use and still view to find the articles.

Soul Sage said:

I felt very much the same way as you. Even though they let us come back to the Kingdom Hall eventually, masking up was required. I watched it entirely on Zoom until like 5-6 months later they dropped the requirements for masks.
You bring up an interesting thought about black sisters wearing the masks. At least within the United States. Outside the US they have a different culture and mindset but over here, propaganda is really powerful here in the United States. The intelligence agencies and media target black women into getting more abortions than any other racial group. It's like they have an agenda to make them angry and childless or if not they become reliant on the welfare state. That has to be included to understand their overall plan. To divide and conquer, cause division, make them feel comfortable with the government taking care of them so that they can control their minds more. It's all a facade. It's why most black women vote democrat in this country. And part of that has to do with them still wearing masks even though we don't have to anymore. They are enslaved to the government propaganda more so than most. It's why the intelligence agencies love to hire them. They are easy to control and they use their trauma as a source to fuel their so called Justice. The intelligence agencies don't hire people that don't have trauma or were raised in a good family with good values. They can't control those type of people as much. So they continue to sow that seed of discord and harvest the trauma from those types. It's why we see DEI agenda around in the industry and in government agencies. Some JW don't understand this level of propaganda and it's why they lined up for multiple booster shots. For it is a scheme of Satan to cause division and social pressure and one of his favorite tools to use is "safety and security" rhetoric. And we were correct! It's confirmed from many studies now that the vaccine caused more death and side effects than people who refused to take it. Now it's causing a boost in turbo cancer in relatively young people. I guess they weren't lying when they called those shots boosters.

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I am a stickler for 'language'. The words have to be ACCURATE and CORRECT before I will take action on it. The first day they said we could come back to the KH I wanted to go. My hubby and I DID GO.....and were greeted by a cloud of MASK WEARING brothers. I know many if not all were wondering why we were NOT....and it was VERY hard for me to make it through that meeting. Several times I had to go the the ladies room to cry my eyes out and blow my nose....but I thought it was what Jehovah wanted me to do. I notified the COBE ahead of this meeting that my husband and I would NOT be wearing masks.....and he was very understanding. He actually tried to work it into a few of his pre-back to the KH talks and specifically mentioned to the friends that if any came not wearing a mask, it was NOT because they were being "REBELLIOUS".....but that they had legitimate reasons for not wearing one. Unfortunately, those talks fell on a FEW deaf ears. I'm not saying ALL of the friends had deaf ears....but it hurt greatly when even ONE tried to make us feel 'less than' because we were oxygen breathers. Because the SECOND meeting, we sat down in our seats ( I could not mingle in the sea of masks) and I heard a brother come up to the friends seated behind us say to them "Do you LIKE wearing these masks? Either do I but we are obedient" (or something to the effect of those words) I know it was said to them for OUR listening pleasure.....and not to poll others in the congregation. I broke out in tears and my husband asked if I wanted to leave....and I just nodded yes...and we left. From that time on it was just zoom meetings because I could not handle it and obviously there were some there that did not agree with the COBE's advice to be understanding to those who couldn't block their only 2 oxygen airways. But anyway, back to the LANGUAGE....masks were not 'REQUIRED'.....I made a note of the sign that was in the lobby of the KH....they were just STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. There was a reason they used those words. Actually, LEGALLY, NO BUSINESSES open to the PUBLIC could LEGALLY tell you that you could not enter un-masked. (I learned alot from Peggy Hall's YT videos on the LEGAL aspects of all of this.) Also, when it comes to LANGUAGE....I hated every time I heard someone say we were in "LOCKDOWN". I wasn't in prison. I had the key to my house. I was NOT in LOCKDOWN. But to this day, friends use this term all the time. AGAIN, we need to be ACCURATE in the words we use. We are supposed to speak TRUTH to one another. That includes HOW we use LANGUAGE.
Thanks again for reading.

Innocent as Doves said:

I am a stickler for 'language'. The words have to be ACCURATE and CORRECT before I will take action on it. The first day they said we could come back to the KH I wanted to go. My hubby and I DID GO.....and were greeted by a cloud of MASK WEARING brothers. I know many if not all were wondering why we were NOT....and it was VERY hard for me to make it through that meeting. Several times I had to go the the ladies room to cry my eyes out and blow my nose....but I thought it was what Jehovah wanted me to do. I notified the COBE ahead of this meeting that my husband and I would NOT be wearing masks.....and he was very understanding. He actually tried to work it into a few of his pre-back to the KH talks and specifically mentioned to the friends that if any came not wearing a mask, it was NOT because they were being "REBELLIOUS".....but that they had legitimate reasons for not wearing one. Unfortunately, those talks fell on a FEW deaf ears. I'm not saying ALL of the friends had deaf ears....but it hurt greatly when even ONE tried to make us feel 'less than' because we were oxygen breathers. Because the SECOND meeting, we sat down in our seats ( I could not mingle in the sea of masks) and I heard a brother come up to the friends seated behind us say to them "Do you LIKE wearing these masks? Either do I but we are obedient" (or something to the effect of those words) I know it was said to them for OUR listening pleasure.....and not to poll others in the congregation. I broke out in tears and my husband asked if I wanted to leave....and I just nodded yes...and we left. From that time on it was just zoom meetings because I could not handle it and obviously there were some there that did not agree with the COBE's advice to be understanding to those who couldn't block their only 2 oxygen airways. But anyway, back to the LANGUAGE....masks were not 'REQUIRED'.....I made a note of the sign that was in the lobby of the KH....they were just STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. There was a reason they used those words. Actually, LEGALLY, NO BUSINESSES open to the PUBLIC could LEGALLY tell you that you could not enter un-masked. (I learned alot from Peggy Hall's YT videos on the LEGAL aspects of all of this.) Also, when it comes to LANGUAGE....I hated every time I heard someone say we were in "LOCKDOWN". I wasn't in prison. I had the key to my house. I was NOT in LOCKDOWN. But to this day, friends use this term all the time. AGAIN, we need to be ACCURATE in the words we use. We are supposed to speak TRUTH to one another. That includes HOW we use LANGUAGE.
Thanks again for reading.

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Don't feel bad. What was done to you, and many others, was VERY unChristian and unloving. Jehovah and Jesus are watching and taking notes. I'm not going to condemn anyone, but I wouldn't want to be one of these narrow minded "obedient" slaves when the GT begins. I hope they wake up in time, otherwise they're going to follow the WT over the cliff.

Wide Awake said:

You should know that nobody on this site we are aware of believes in the trinity, however there are other religions that don't actually, though they are very few.
That said we recently chose to stop after many decades of service with special privileges. We are not ever going to attend another church! The scriptures say at John 6:68 "Peter answered him 'Lord, WHOM shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life'." NOT "where" shall we go away to as is often misstated by well meaning JW's. We spent the whole morning dealing with our Elderly parent who is still "in" and has a special "privilege" who just felt beat up over comments regarding Heb 10; 24, 25. They are not able to be in attendance in person and NOBODY hardly shows up for them. They are depressed and just got beat up emotionally from that! So, we have to uplift them spiritually, pray with them, read the bible and attend memorial via zoom with them so they don't feel so alone. So, as you more fully wake up you may see things a bit differently. We are not masters over anyone's faith or their personal conscience, so, yes it would be wrong to encourage us or anyone to participate in what we believe to be supporting unscriptural things. As one of us is a CSA victim (which was NOT handled according to the scriptures) and can tell you our slow fade has been extremely difficult, but Jehovah does not change and His holy spirit continues to flow to everyone who loves Him and requests it of Him. Our prayers still get answered, so we would never tell you not to go to a meeting and would appreciate it if you didn't encourage others to go against their bible trained conscience. We felt the same as you and your husband for quite a while too so we can truly empathize with your situation. It is not easy and has been difficult to come to certain realizations! This is all said with love as you are still clearly waking up. Please do not take offense at what we have said, but we are gathered here all together on this forum, encouraging one another, not beating our fellow slaves or judging them for doing what others feel they should be doing. We leave the judging to Gods appointed King Jesus. Some do choose to stay in and we support and respect that as that is their own personal decision and everyone has their own reasons and conscience.

You might want to read the Ex CO wife's experience on reddit. She explains where her husband is at now. They know more behind the scenes than R&F. Here is the first post by the ScreamInSilence40...you can search them on reddit and read more:

"My husband and I were in Special Full Time Service for nearly a decade together (he was previously at Bethel for 6 years before attending MTS, afterward which we were married). In August of 2021, we received a letter from the Branch stating that it is the “preference of the Governing Body that all in Special Full Time Service be vaccinated”(referring to Covid-19). We respect the fact that everyone has the right to decide for themselves if they get that or not, however, we had already made a conscious decision to NOT get vaccinated. Long story short, we were fired for our conscientious decision. We have never met anyone with a situation similar to ours. Many of our “peers” exchanged their conscience for a privilege(their words)-for obedience to the GB. I’m hoping to connect to someone who can relate to the choice that we made. I feel so alone in this! I’m so thankful that my husband and I are on the same page, though. Witnessing the blatant violation of Bible Principles by the GB in the last three years has rocked my world. It’s nuts that people can’t see it. And when I’ve tried to draw attention to it to people I thought were good friends that I could be honest with about anything, I’m told things like “there’s lots of accounts in the Bible where God’s people are given direction that doesn’t make sense”. When asked for an example they inevitably site “the Red Sea” and when I point out that Jehovah had explained exactly what he was doing and why in that account (Ex. 14:1-4), the conversation ends awkwardly. (Jehovah’s direction has ALWAYS made sense to spiritual people- prove me wrong). OR I’m told that I need to “prayerfully reconsider my view of the GB and who’s leading them” and “humble myself to stay close to Jehovah’s Organization.” I feel like I’m screaming in a vacuum. There’s so much more to our story- I guess - long shot here - if anyone is interested I’m so happy to share. When I tried to reach out to a fellow COW (we attended SCOTW together) she told me: “it’s not our place to question or discuss”. (!!?!?! I thought that was LITERALLY our job as JW’s). Anyway- just putting this out there hoping someone can relate. A year ago I quit watching or listening to ANYTHING on JW broadcasts. About 4 months ago I stopped attending meetings. I’ve been twice to the KH in the last 4 months and cannot stomach that everything I hear is either nonsense or hypocrisy. It’s weird. I haven’t decided to quit yet, though. I guess you could say I’m POMI, if that’s a thing! May Jehovah be with all those earnestly seeking him, and not putting their trust in men."

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Thanks so much for your thoughts and sharing this experience as I can so much relate to what they went through. How the GB ever thought they could decide on what medical treatments to receive is suspect in itself. My suspicions were raised as time went on and they pushed the vax more and more. I had always thought as the Bible says, we shouldn’t go against our conscience. This is where things in the organization were changing real big.

As it was I noticed that the ‘spiritual food‘ we were being fed were lacking in so many ‘nutrients.’ Our WT studies focusing on our obedience to the GB. It was and still is never ending. I too, at first thought that saying their direction “may not make sense or seem practical“ was the example of at the Red Sea but something just didn’t set right with me.
Of course that never mattered anymore when things really started coming to light.

However, for the first time I’m seeing the answer to my prayers, not only for myself but how to respond if someone brings this up.
I‘m so grateful now for understanding for sure that Jehovah never gives or has given direction that doesn’t make sense. I remember thinking, “but what about Jehovah being “a God, not of disorder, but of peace.” ( 1 Cor, 14:33) “But let all things take place decently and by arrangement.” ( 1 Cor. 14:40)
Their directions were and are going against what the Bible says. And we should be “obeying God as ruler rather than men.“ We can never go wrong in doing so.

Thank you again so much for sharing this. Particularly Exodus 14:14 that answered these questions I‘ve had on my mind in the last three years. Although this experience is very sad and there are many of us who’ve had to suffer because of how WT has handled this pandemic and now how they are handling whatever else comes along for their benefit.

They‘ve never really cared for Jehovah’s sheep, especially in recent years with this diluted spiritual food being fed. I was reading a WT article from times past and the contrast in content is unbelievable. They must’ve gotten rid of those writers because now they only serve up pablum, not spiritual food. Anyway, I’ll end it here because I might get off on a tangent and won’t be able to stop.

Innocent as Doves said:

Thank you all for your replies. My mind is going to a thousand more thoughts and questions right now.....but, the one thing I'd still like to point out is that I still believe this is Jehovah's organization. Because honestly, WHO out there has the Truth? No other Christian religion even acknowledges Jehovah. They all believe in the mysterious TRINITY. Today's WT pointed out that Jehovah had to remove his spirit (his protection) from Jesus briefly so that the Ransom Sacrifice could be accomplished. Could that be why the GB fell so hard for this plandemic? Or was it a monetary thing? I don't know. Speaking of which....Tony Morris left in the middle of this. Was it because he refused the vax? So many questions I have, now that I might get straight answers and not be afraid to ask.
I know I mentioned on the Adverse Events post....that I know we still need to keep forgiving one another because we are all products of our environments.....as some of you noted regarding my question about Blacks Sisters and masks. I love my Black brothers and sisters....and I try to keep forgiving them when they might do something that goes against my conscience. I'm pretty sure that I do things that go against theirs too....so I try to not over react. Just today at the KH, one of my favorite Black sisters came into the meeting wearing a mask....again. And I actually felt sorry for her because she was mentioning she now has Bronchitis and that her lungs have never been the same (since getting the VAX....which she said quickly and quietly) and the fact she was wearing a mask no one could even lipread what she was saying either. She has admittedly had Covid 4 times. So, yes, I agree that this VAX was a bad idea from the get go. For sooooo many reasons!

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Yes, many of us here too, including myself still believe this is Jehovah’s organization but just as in times past Jehovah’s people ( leaders) have turned away from the true God. Many times we‘ve read the words in the Hebrew scriptures, for example at 1 Kings 22: 51,52 — “As for A·ha·ziʹah the son of Aʹhab, he became king over Israel in Sa·marʹi·a in the seventeenth year of Je·hoshʹa·phat the king of Judah, and he continued to reign over Israel for two years. And he kept doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes and went walking in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jer·o·boʹam the son of Neʹbat, who had caused Israel to sin.”

Many of Israel and Judah’s leaders would start off good then would start doing “what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes.” And if you consider the first century Jews, that goes without saying. They went so far as to have Jesus killed.
So, yes this is Jehovah’s organization but they’ve turned away from Jehovah and they will have an accounting.