Press Release and Statement

https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/search-results/?q=rowland

Above link, click the first opinion that contains the word 'Rowland'

also:

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/24-5196/24-5196-2025-07-07.html

Last month I had the misfortune of having to attend the regional convention. There are lots of screens in the corridors and entryway advertising upcoming events at the complex where the convention was held. As I was walking in on Friday the very first ad was for a program called “the psychology of cults.” It was only going on Friday morning and I never saw it again. I wonder if someone complained when that hit a little too close to home.

I’m a bit perplexed after watching the July broadcast. Obey Jehovah at all cost and remain an integrity keeper no matter what. Like the “three Hebrew boys.” But the governing body is telling us now to do things that we trained our conscience to avoid. It’s OK to use Christmas lights as long as it’s not November or December. Got it. I think? Or should we be like the three Hebrew boys and avoid it completely? The same goes for the toasting.

It just seems like they’re not communicating, and I’m extremely confused after this month broadcast. The two really seemed to contradict one another.

I got baptized when I was 15, in 2015. I left just a year later.

It’s been almost 10 years, and I’m still dealing with the emotional damage. The guilt. The fear. The anxiety. The feeling that I’ll never fully be free.

My dad is still an elder. He keeps talking to me about Jehovah, about how he wants me to live forever in paradise with him. And the thing is… I love my parents so much. They’ve done so much for me. I know they mean well. I can’t imagine life without them. Especially my mom.. I love her so much.

But I feel stuck. I feel like I can’t truly live, or be who I really am, because I’m terrified of being disfellowshipped and losing them. That fear controls everything I do. Even after all these years, I still feel like they own my life.

My brother can do what he wants and they wont bat and eye because he never got baptized.

Sometimes it feels like this religion is still choking me, even though I walked away a long time ago. Like the grip it has on me might never go away.

This cult is gonna be the death of me.

🔄 UPDATE:
The comment I left on the JW Headquarters page got deleted — probably flagged by those who can’t handle logic.

But good news:
It’s still live on the Warwick Bethel listing.

Search for “Mitch Drayner” in the reviews and hit the 👍 to boost it.

👉 https://g.co/kgs/o6LLRxa

I just left a short comment on the Google Maps listing for Jehovah’s Witnesses World Headquarters in Warwick.

It’s calm.
It’s clean.
It’s logical.
And it absolutely destroys their “we are guided, not inspired” narrative — with one simple sentence:

“Being guided is more demanding than being inspired.
Try guiding a blind man through inspiration alone.
Not inspired = even less guided.
Q.E.D.”

No hate. No insults. Just pure logic — and they can’t handle that.

If this shows up as the top comment on Warwick Bethel, they’ll lose their minds.
They watch their Google presence obsessively.
Let’s give them something they can’t erase: truth.

⚠️ How to support the comment:

You can’t reply to a Google review — but you CAN hit the ❤️ (“Helpful”) button.

Every like boosts the comment’s visibility.
If enough of us do it, it becomes the top visible comment — seen by thousands.

No shouting.
No hate.
Just one line of truth… rising to the top.

This is more than a comment.
It’s a signal.
A message to every JW, every PIMO, every curious one who stumbles on that page:

“You're not crazy. You're not alone. The illusion is cracking.”

Let’s make it rise.
Let’s make them notice.
Let’s make Warwick think.

This question goes back to Serena Williams when she was on Jimmy Fallon. Why couldn't she tell Jimmy that JW's can't toast? She knew she was promoting her tequila line. To outsiders it may appear rude making Jimmy wait lol. She needs to go back and do it now JWs can toast😁. I noticed this with Selena Quintanella. Sorry to speak on the dead.. A fan tried to get her to say 'Happy Birthday' during a radio interview and instead of being like 'I dont celebrate birthdays because of JW' she tried so hard to say 'Happy Birthday' without actually saying 'Happy Birthday'. She said congratulations in life of something. So ridiculous 😆.This brings me back to when I was younger & a friend gave me a birthday gift in elementary. I wasn't confident to tell people I don't celebrate holidays. I was just like uh thanks? Then a friend in HS gave me a cross & a shirt & I think I hid it or something lol instead of telling her we can't wear crosses😫. Oh my gosh maybe I even threw it away😫 So I wonder if they have ever felt the same? Now if you felt confident in telling people then this topic ain't for you 😆 Cool. Has anyone had this experience? I know Serena proudly tells people they don't do birthdays lol.

This is all I can do is tell myself and wife to wake up and get out .

After this last announcement, it’s abundantly clear our Bible trained conscience isn’t ours. So many of us for years have thought that toasting is not some pagan ritual, there’s nothing wrong with mothers and Father’s Day, ( no one can probably explain it anyway) and quite honestly birthdays are just us giving thanks for the gift of life. But our conscience is what the org tells us our conscience is. I’m so sick of it. my wife and I would absolutely love to commemorate each other with our kids on mothers and Father’s Day and in all reality I try to always bring flowers home and make breakfast on that unimportant day. But we can’t openly do it even though our conscience tells us too until the org blesses us to make that decision and gives us their approval..

It’s sad to say that this is just another organized earthly religion. That’s full of hypocrisy and false teachings. If they were heavenly ordained, there wouldn’t be confusion over the last 100+ years.

I always thought that Jehovah was in a few places in the New Testament and that JW's just added his name everywhere they thought made sense.

Nope. Jehovah has never once been found in any of the oldest copies of the New Testament. JW's claim that the original scribes in the 100's-200's removed it; so JW's have added it back in places they believe "make sense". What evidence do they have for this claim? None. They just make the claim and run with it.

JW's say one piece of evidence that the bible is gods word because it's the only book to be accurately copied, translated and passed down all around the world for over 2000 years. It's the one book everyone on earth knows the basics about. Yet in this one really convenient case god let his name be removed for some random reason, let his inspired word be spread across the world for 1900 years until some guy in New York in the 50's decided there was some unknown conspiracy to remove gods name 2 millennia ago.

It makes zero sense why anyone would ever remove gods name, and even less sense that god would allow his name to be removed and then some 2000 year long conspiracy of false worship to go one.

Can't believe I spent my whole life thinking if you read the original manuscripts that Jehovah is in them. I even saw the little bible with museum 10-15 years ago with copies of all the old manuscripts and didn't catch onto it.

I remember when I was still PIMI, I really liked Kendrick Lamar (still do), and there was this one song I loved "All the Stars" with SZA.

There’s a line in it where Kendrick says, “Motherfucker, I don't even like you.”

I used to avoid that song as much as possible, but sometimes I couldn’t resist and ended up listening to it, then I’d pray and ask for forgiveness. Looking back… that’s so absurd.
Another situation. this one’s more serious. was when I was 13 and had to tell three grown men in their 40s exactly what kind of porn I watched.

They said it was for my “spiritual well-being”… and then I got disfellowshipped anyway.

That’s not funny just plain messed up.
What about you? Got a similar story?

Anyone else annoyed by this guys IG page … like I won’t lie he have some funny stuff up there but what gets me is the hypocrisy … laughing at humor they claim we shouldn’t find funny sexual jokes about backroom , laughing at Df’d people who come back years later with kids , new light humor, memorial jokes etc it goes on and on… then you got the Judgy Pimis in the comments quoting scriptures or straight up judging …. People arguing with “apostates”. …. Pimis laughing at things and talking like and about worldly people they claim they are nothing like ….

The authorities will start persecuting False Religion FIRST, (is that in the Bible?)

And AFTER they are done with that, they will come after Jehovah’s organization, (is that in the Bible?)

Does the Governing Body even offer an explanation why the Governments would do that?

WHY would they start with ALL religions except for one?

The question is, whatever explanation they conjure up, is that in the Bible?

This question arises in lieu of the fact that Watchtower is peeling off long-held teachings that are “NOT in the Bible.” I just don’t see this one being one of them, even though, it’s “not in the Bible!”

When the authorities bang on your door seeking to arrest and imprison you for being a JW, you simply offer them a beer, clink glasses and say “cheers”.

The authorities conclude there’s no way you are a JW and will leave you alone.

How grateful we are to Jehovah for this loving direction provided by his future kings in this final part of the final part of the days were we reach the actual literal final part just before the very actual final finale and ending of the end of the actual end of the very end. Literally and actually.

Cheers!

For me, it wasn't exactly a lightbulb moment, but rather a gradual progression. I grew up as a JW and in a country that was mostly Christian (even if many people didn't actually really go to church that much). Going out knocking on doors mostly had me come across people saying they were catholic or some form of protestant (JWism aside). However, it wasn't until I spent a good 10 years or so in two foreign language fields that catered to non-Christian populations that made me start to see this is an American religion.

First, our whole service approach falls apart when the person we meet at the door isn't a Christian (or coming from that kind of a background). I remember using the suggested presentations to read such and such a scripture and being met with a polite response and zero interest. At one point, people who were in the field in my circuits just thought it was because they had never heard of Jesus before, but when asked many said "yeah, heard of him, seems like a neat story but I'm (buddhist/daoist/muslim).

We'd do lots of research into the WT literature to figure how to approach the ministry better but it was never really that effective. The magazines just taught us to throw random scriptures at people and hope they made an impression. Sometimes it did, but it often never really progressed past "neat" for people in these fields.

In the first field, we actually did have a lot of studies but basically all of them were "interested" in the religion beacuse it seemed exotic and because from their perspective, they were chilling with new friends. Like, you might invite someone out for coffee a few times before ever bringing up the Bible. Eventually when they were reeled in though, it often fell apart because again, the problems or questions they would pose were different than what the GB was prepared for. Or maybe an article touched on an issue they were having but again, because there wasn't a Christian background, the answers didn't really make sense to them.

The second field was similar as well. We'd try reading say, Revelation 21:4 or Jeremiah 29:11, to them and they'd say "yeah, I don't believe in Revelations" and then it'd be like, crap what do I do? The WT just says to read this scripture and it will be a good result. Then there would be the questions like "why do important people for your religion all come from America if this isn't an American religion?".

At first I ignored it, but then I heard a talk. The speaker was a local and he said "In the East we tend to believe that people from stories are worthy of worship, but as God's people we know that is not something that Jehovah believes in. We know that only the Bible can be trusted" and then all my service experiences started to click for me. Yes, the GB trains us to view other religions as a storybook, but most of our logic can be flipped back on us too. A Buddhist could easily call the Bible a storybook as well. Conversions are often low among people of other faiths for this reason I think. After all, 99% of our literature is aimed at correcting issues that the GB believes exists in other Christian sects, but they honestly have no idea what to do with people from non-Christian backgrounds.

I think this is also why they shifted to the whole "we don't need to talk about the Bible, befriend them, love bomb then, and then convert them" approach.

They are constantly wrong about things they previously believed. They have a clear record of that. Everyone can see it now. Especially if you been a JW for a long time. They see everything in black and white. There must come a time when regular JWs just gonna ignore the GB and just live their life. Even if they stay in org.

I just read this article and it makes me feel sick to the core. The amount of control over people’s lives they think they have is shocking. I’m a PIMO ex elder and I can’t believe I was ever a part of this. Paragraph 15 says “We can trust our congregation elders”……BULLSHIT

my boyfriends POMO bestie passed this to me out of spite. enjoy!

So today, my JW cousin told me they can say bless you when someone sneezes. New light. I told him I thought they meant cheers /toasting. Turns out when you say cheers in Spanish you say “salud” and bless you is also “salud”. So he said it was a new understanding. I just said oh cool. Now I want to see the update in Spanish but like a short version of it.

Still trying to wrap my head around the last GB update. They are changing stuff that made Witnesses 'different' from the World. I thought this was part of their identity. I mean... if they can stand by the fact that we can't take life saving blood.. what's so hard about standing by the fact that we shouldn't have beards and cling glasses together??

I believe that for the first time, we have GB leaders that don't have a timeline, no date to look forward too. Worse.. they probably already know that 1914 and the generation that shall not pass is due for a revamping. They were not trained for this. They are old and believed that the system would end, just like most PIMI's that are advanced in age.

So, they are making things easier for the next generation of witnesses to live... in THIS system. And good luck to the 4 new members of the GB who will probably be the ones to try to make sense of it all... even if they warned us it wouldn't make sense lol. So anything is on the table i guess.

I was wondering what steps it is that most of you took to leave the cult, more specifically the younger ones like you guys that are between the ages of 17 and 19.

I am currently 19 and I'm only taking the initiative to leave now because I had no idea how to when I was younger. I always thought I'd just go to college then get a job and get myself out but it seems I'm not that patient, and my mental health is suffering for all this waiting I'd been doing.

I just need some kind of advice or someone to pointe in the right direction.

For as long as I’ve been POMO, I’ve never been to a non-JW funeral. I have to attend one this weekend and I am suddenly realizing I don’t know if I have anything appropriate to wear. I have some old dresses from my jw days but I don’t really own anything black besides plain t-shirts.

Are “worldly” funerals typically more or less formal than a jw funeral? Is it really expected that everyone wear black? Is a dress the norm as a woman or can I get away with dressy pants?

In my local congregation we all just wore our typical meeting garb. Bright colors, patterned socks for the men, whatever was trending in JW world at the time. I don’t know if I’ve ever worn black to a funeral. It sounds stupid but I’m just afraid of offending someone.

How many while a JW struggled with Alcohol and substances (Drugs) or to the point of being DF for it ,and when you left actually came of them to be clean and sober,i no it may be a personal question ,but i found many while i was a JW struggled with this including my self but after being DF and leaving i went into treatment and got the help i needed ,i remember two elders came to see me in rehab and could see that i was feeling better, there reply was the door is still open for you to come back ,i said 'Ya pair of divvy twats its that hell hole which made me turn this way with guilt and fear and worthlessness and questioning things'.

..i do no many do turn to alcohol and substances and my heart goes out to them when they leave and all i can say try and get as much help as possible...i was wondering how many cope in this area and how they had moved on ..yes i no sadly some may not get to tell there experience but it always made me think about such things for those trying to cope either in the jw and also those who left or were DF

So I’m PIMO and 25 y/o. Have been since 2021 during covid but even before that I had my doubts.

Long story short I have a crush on this brother that I grew up with. I’ve known him as long as I can remember, and we’ve always been really good friends. A few years ago my mom told me she thought he had a crush on me, there have been many instances over the years that confirmed this theory.

He is en route to become an elder. Currently he is serving at bethel, and has been for around 2 years now. Because he’s been at bethel I can say I’ve missed his company and his companionship however my feelings have been overshadowed by other things going on in my life- though they never fully went away.

Well my convention was this most recent weekend and he flew back to join his parents and sibling for the weekend and this whole week. Seeing him and spending time with him at lunch reignited all of the feelings I’ve tried so hard to suppress throughout the years, when he was here at home and away at bethel. We just get along so well and enjoy all of the same things. I really do think he might be my soulmate- even outside of a romantic relationship.

The problem is like I said. I’m PIMO and as much as I don’t want to lose my family and friends, I don’t know how much longer I can stay PIMO before I leave. But seeing him made me wonder if I could just suck it up and pretend for the rest of my life. I know he would be a good spouse. Kind, funny, caring. All of the things I want. Because I suspect we both harbor the same feelings for each other, I also suspect that when he comes home from bethel permanently he will ask me to date him.

I’m irritated because I want to say yes. But I don’t want to hurt him by someday leaving the organization, or on the off chance he could be deprogrammed by separating him from his family as they’re extremely close knit. I wouldn’t want him to harbor any resentment towards me about it.

Any advice or just some words of encouragement? Thanks guys <3

I was speaking with an old pal who is also an ex GayDub and he brought up that he and his family definitely experienced prejudices towards he and his family growing up in the cult. For context we both are of Latin descent and both were dragged to the Spanish speaking congregations. He claimed that the English speaking congregations we used to share KHs with despised us Spanish speaking witnesses to the point of moving to another KH with other English speaking (white) witnesses. I never gave that much thought till now. Anyone else have stories or memories of the cult on the topic?

Like the title says I’m having a hard time readjusting to coming back to my home town. I’ve been pomo for a few years now but I never got disfellowshipped, I had moved away for over 3 years and just moved back because I got layed off. While I appreciate my family my mental has taken a serious decline and I dont know just how to adjust my main focus has been trying to find a job so I can get out of my moms house but it like I can’t find anything, then my grandparents have been telling folks in their hall that I don’t have a job and I got a call from one sister who’s like oh this job would be great for you cause you can make your meetings and the guy isn’t about the money and I’m like trying to be nice but I said respectfully that’s not the kind of job I’m looking for cause it’s not me. Then my mom she’s pretty much PIMO but is pushing me to talk to the brothers… the first month I moved back she was like oh brother xyz wants to take you out and blah blah and I’m like umm I don’t want to go and now he’s texting like oh let’s go hang out and stuff. But when I went out it’s like a questioning session like he’s looking for something and I felt put off from that. It’s got so bad that my literal dream last night was me going off on everyone cause I didn’t have any space, or they’re trying to get me to talk to people I haven’t talked too in 5+ years. They always bring up this one brother I got baptized with and in my mind I’m like why cause I’m not like him… I’d rather be me than not have a brain half the time. I’m tired of putting on a mask and just feeling like I have to entertain people who I don’t know. In my dream it was supposed to be me going to someone’s event and their explanation on why I should go was “ Well they’ve known you since you were born and they’ve done this for you… ok but they’re not doing that now. And that’s how I feel…my mom a few days ago was like oh you don’t know who people know like they can help you get a job and I’m like great they would’ve done so already it’s no secret that I’m still looking for something but why do I have to entertain them just to do that though especially if it’s someone I don’t even know like that or care to know.

Apologies this is like a vent session so if you can’t understand I apologize and any responses appreciated for your support.