This will be a short video. I wanted to get it out quickly because I am moving to a new apartment, and that’s going to slow me down for a few weeks with regard to the output of more videos. A good friend and fellow Christian has generously opened his home to me and provided me with a dedicated studio which will help me make better quality videos in less time. I’m very grateful to him.
First of all, I wanted to deal with matters of minor importance that many have been asking about.
As you may know from viewing previous videos, I was called into a judicial committee by the congregation I left four years ago. In the end, they disfellowshipped me after creating an atmosphere too caustic to permit me to actually defend myself. I appealed and was confronted by an even more inhospitable and adversarial environment, making any reasonable defense impossible to mount. Following the failure of the second hearing, the chairman of the original committee and the chairman of the appeal committee called me to inform me that the branch office had reviewed the written objections I had made and found them “without merit”. Thus, the original decision to disfellowship stands.
You may not realize this, but when someone is disfellowshipped, there is one final appeal process left open to them. This is something the elders won’t tell you about—just another breach in their warped system of justice. You can appeal to the Governing Body. I have chosen to do this. If you'd like to read it yourself, click here: Appeal Letter to Governing Body.
Thus, I can now say that I am not disfellowshipped, but rather, the decision to disfellowship is in abeyance until they rule on whether to grant the appeal or not.
Some are bound to ask why I am even bothering to do this. They know that I don’t care whether I’m disfellowshipped or not. It’s a meaningless gesture on their part. A mean, counterproductive action that just gave me the opportunity to expose their hypocrisy to the world, thank you very much.
But having done that, why bother with a letter to the Governing Body and a final appeal. Because they have to respond and in so doing, they will either redeem themselves or expose their hypocrisy further. Until they reply, I can safely say that my case is under appeal and I am not disfellowshipped. Since the threat of disfellowshipping is the only arrow in their quiver—and a pretty pathetic one it is—they have to take some action.
I don’t want those men to say that I never gave them a chance. That would not be Christian. So here is their chance to do the right thing. Let’s see how it turns out.
When they called me to inform me that I was disfellowshipped and failed to tell me about the option to appeal to the Governing Body, they did not forget to explain the procedure to seek reinstatement. It was all I could do not to laugh. Reinstatement is a wholly unscriptural form of punishment designed to humiliate any dissenter so as to make them compliant and subservient to the power of the elders. It is not from the Christ, but is demonic.
I was raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses from infancy. I knew no other faith. I eventually came to see that I was a slave to the organization, not to the Christ. The words of the Apostle Peter certainly apply to me, for I only truly came to know the Christ after leaving the Organization that has replaced him in the minds and hearts of Witnesses.
“Certainly if after escaping from the defilements of the world by an accurate knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they get involved again with these very things and are overcome, their final state has become worse for them than the first. It would have been better for them not to have accurately known the path of righteousness than after knowing it to turn away from the holy commandment they had received. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.”” (2 Pe 2:20-22)
That would certainly be the case for me, were I to seek reinstatement. I have found the freedom of the Christ. You can see why the thought of submitting to the reinstatement process would be so abhorrent to me.
For some, disfellowshipping is the worst trial they’ve ever experienced. Sadly, it has driven more than a few to suicide, and for that there will surely be an accounting when the Lord returns to judge. In my case, I have only a sister and some very close friends, all of whom have awoken with me. I had a number of other friends I thought were close and trustworthy, but their loyalty to men over the Lord Jesus has taught me that they were not the true friends I thought they were at all, and that I could never have counted on them in a real crisis; so far better to have learned this now, than when it might really have mattered.
I can attest to the truthfulness of these words:
“Jesus said: “Truly I say to you, no one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news 30 who will not get 100 times more now in this period of time—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the coming system of things, everlasting life.” (Mark 10:29)
Now that we have got the unimportant news out of the way, I wanted to say that I’m getting letters from sincere individuals asking for my understanding or opinion on a wide range of issues. Some of these questions concern matters which I already plan to address carefully and scripturally in upcoming videos. Others are of a more personal nature.
With regards to the latter, it is not my place to become some sort of spiritual guru, for our leader is one, the Christ. So, while I’m willing to give of my time to assist others to understand whichever Bible principles may be applicable to their situation, I would never want to take the place of their conscience by imposing my opinion or by making rules. That is the mistake which the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has made, and in fact, it is the failing of every religion which puts men in the place of the Christ.
Many naysayers question my motivation in producing these videos. They can see no reason for what I’m doing other than personal gain or pride. They accuse me of trying to start a new religion, of gathering followers after myself, and of seeking financial gain. Such misgivings are understandable given the appalling actions of most religionists who exploit their knowledge of Scripture to garner wealth and fame.
I have said it many times before, and I will say it once again, I will not start a new religion. Why not? Because I’m not insane. It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. Everyone who starts a religion ends up in the same place, the place were Jehovah’s Witnesses now stand.
For centuries, sincere, godly men have tried to fix the problems of their former religion by starting a new one, but the result has sadly never varied. Each religion ends up with a human authority, an ecclesiastical hierarchy, that requires its adherents to submit to its rules and its interpretation of truth to obtain salvation. Eventually men replace the Christ, and the commands of men become doctrines from God. (Mt 15:9) In this one thing, J. F. Rutherford was right: “Religion is a snare and a racket.”
Yet some ask, “How can one worship God without joining some religion?” A good question and one which I will answer in a future video.
What about the question of money?
Pretty much any worthwhile endeavor incurs costs. Funding is needed. Our goal is to preach the good news and unmask falsehoods. Recently, I added a link for those who wish to make donations to this ministry. Why? Simply put, we cannot afford to fund the work all by ourselves. (I say “we” because even though I’m the most visible face for this work, others contribute according to the gifts God has given them.)
The fact of the matter is that I make enough secularly to support myself. I don’t draw on donations for income. However, I also don’t make enough to support this work all by myself. As our reach expands, so do our costs.
There are the monthly rental costs for the web server we use to support the web sites; the monthly cost for the video processing software subscription; the monthly subscription for our podcasting service.
Looking forward, we have plans to produce books which I hope will be of benefit to this ministry, since a book is more convenient for research than a video, and it is a great way to get information into the hands of family and friends who are resistant to change and still enslaved by false religion.
For instance, I would like to produce a book that contains an analysis of all the doctrines that are unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Every last one of them.
Then there’s the very important topic of the salvation of humanity. Over the past few years I’ve come to see that every religion has gotten it wrong to a greater or lesser degree. They have to twist it to some degree so that they become an indispensable part of your salvation, otherwise, they would lose their hold on you. Tracing the story of our salvation from Adam and Eve to the end of the Kingdom of the Christ is a thrilling journey and needs to be told.
I want to ensure that whatever we do keeps to the highest possible standard as it represents our love for the Christ. I wouldn’t want any interested ones to dismiss our work because of poor or amateurish presentation. Unfortunately, doing it right costs. Very little is free in this system of things. So, if you’d like to help us out, either with financial donations or by volunteering your skills, please do so. My email address is: meleti.vivlon@gmail.com.
The last point has to do with the path we are following.
As I said, I am not going to start a new religion. However, I do believe that we should worship God. How to do that without joining some new religious denomination? The Jews thought that to worship God, one had to go to the temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans worshiped in the holy mountain. But Jesus revealed something new. Worship was no longer tied to a geographic location nor a house of worship.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24 ESV)
The spirit of God will guide us to the truth, but we need to understand how to study the Bible. We carry a lot of baggage from our previous religions and we have to throw that away.
I might compare it to getting directions from someone versus reading a map. My late wife had real trouble reading maps. It has to be learned. But the advantage over following the directions of someone is that when those directions contain errors, without the map, you are lost, but with the map you can still find your way. Our map is the Word of God.
In the videos and publications that, Lord willing, we will produce, we will always attempt to show how the Bible is all we need to understand truth.
Here are some of the topics we hope to produce in the coming weeks and months.
- Should I get re-baptized and how can I get baptised?
- What is the role of women in the congregation?
- Did Jesus Christ exist prior to his birth as a man?
- Is the Trinity doctrine true? Is Jesus divine?
- How should sin be dealt with in the congregation?
- Did the Organization lie about 607 B.C.E.?
- Did Jesus die on a cross or a stake?
- Who are the 144,000 and the great crowd?
- When are the dead resurrected?
- Should we keep the Sabbath?
- What about birthdays and Christmas and other holidays?
- Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?
- Was there a worldwide flood?
- Are blood transfusions wrong?
- How do we explain God’s love in light of the genocide of Canaan?
- Should we worship Jesus Christ?
This is not an exhaustive list. There are other topics not listed here that I will deal with, God willing. While I intend to do videos on all of these topics, you can well imagine that it takes time to research them properly. I do not wish to speak off-the-cuff, but rather ensure that everything I say can be well backed up by Scripture. I speak much about exegesis and I believe in this technique. The Bible should interpret itself and the interpretation of Scripture should be clear to anyone reading it. You should be able to arrive at the same conclusions I do using only the Bible. You should never have to depend on the opinion of a man or a woman.
So please be patient. I’ll do my best to produce these videos as quickly as possible because I know many are anxious to understand these things. Of course, I’m not the only source of information, and so I do not discourage anyone from going on the Internet to research, but remember that ultimately the Bible is the only source of truth that we can depend on.
One final word on commenting guidelines. On the websites, beroeans.net, beroeans.study, meletivivlon.com, we enforce fairly strict commenting guidelines. This is because we want to create a peaceful environment were Christians can discuss Bible truth without fear of harassment and intimidation.
I have not imposed those same guidelines on the YouTube videos. Thus, you will see a wide range of opinions and attitudes. There are limits of course. Bullying and hate speech will not be tolerated, but it’s sometimes difficult to know where to draw the line. I have left many of the critical comments up because I think that shrewd independent thinkers will recognize these for what they truly are, the desperate attempts of people who know they are wrong but have no ammunition except slander with which to defend themselves.
It is my goal to produce at least one video a week. I have yet to attain that goal because of the amount of time it takes to prepare the transcript, shoot the video, edit it, and manage the subtitles. Remember that I am actually producing two videos at once, one in Spanish and one in English. Nevertheless, with the Lord’s help I shall be able to speed up the work.
That’s all I wanted to say for now. Thanks for watching and I hope to have something out in the first week of August.
Archived Comments
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Comment by messenger on 2019-07-22 21:17:27
In my investigation of Christian teachers I have not found that sectarian teachers hold to the belief their members must accept their sect's doctrines, that they cannot be members of their denominations if they don't, and that they are misled if they join another denomination. The Christian teachers I have heard express their view on those points consider religions who teach those things to be cults, and not Christian religions. Below, I attached a comment from an ex-JW who became a Christian pastor in another denomination. I don't know him, but I imagine anyone can ask him, and he will tell them, if that's what his new church teaches and believes. His comment was taken under JWSurvey's most recent article. That's where he can be found.
James Broughton says:
July 22, 2019 at 2:00 am
Thank you Sarah. I find it very helpful to explore the psychological impact of the cults, the type of people who join, their hopes and aspirations but I often find myself being dismayed at a common desire to dismiss all religion. Remember the old Watchtower slogan “Religion is a snare and a racket”. I was greatly blessed when as a teenager growing up in Liverpool, England I left the Jehovah’s Witnesses and found a living faith in Christ. The way to reach out to them is by firstly befriending them and lovingly showing them that their understanding of scripture is wrong, or, more accurately, enabling them to see for themselves their errors and misplaced loyalty. I am now a retired Church of England clergyman. The price I paid was that my late brother’s family no longer have any contact with me so my children and grandchildren are deprived of ever knowing them.
On JWSurvey I wrote Mr. Broughton this response:
messenger says:
July 22, 2019 at 5:53 pm
James B.,
Your story proves there isn’t a common desire among ALL ex-JWs to dismiss religion. Though it is a common practice among many ex-JWs. It might be more prevalent among ex-JWs than ex-members from other sects because of what JWs were taught vs what members in most other sects were taught. WT teaches that all other sects worship the Devil. Other Christian denominations I have heard from don’t teach that, but allow their members to worship in other groups without claiming their souls are hell-bound.
I do find that many ex-JWs do believe all sects demand members to adhere to their doctrines, or suffer consequences. I can only guess they hold that belief in ignorance, not knowing what other sects actually teach due to not investigating them. A major reason for not truly investigating them probably has to do the with conflicts between a few sectarian doctrines and WT doctrines, that most ex-JWs continue to hold to if they remain Christian. And yet often, in their smaller communities, these same people accept each other's beliefs, thereby forming a religion without the larger structures contained inside most sects.
A second reason, and this is the primary reason, is that God has not given understanding to all people. Without understanding people approach unknowns guessing what the most favorable outcome for them self is. Not believing in God gives individuals excuses not to spend any of their time and effort in God’s behalf. So, instead of choosing what they consider might result in a long range benefit, they choose their short term benefit, that of not expending their life to help a God they don’t know for sure exists. Instant gratification is seen everywhere, from our fast food restaurants, to our dating apps, and in comments on this site..
Comment by Dan Adams on 2019-07-18 11:32:32
Our prayers are with you.
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2019-07-19 18:21:47
Much appreciated!
Comment by Andrew on 2019-07-18 20:48:22
Meleti:
Both my wife and I have been waiting for word on your situation. We are proud of you for standing up for truth, and your courage is inspiring. We look forward to more videos and blog posts.
A brother we have known for 35 years recently has woken up. When I asked him what helped him to do so, he mentioned that he has been following your blog for several years. Your work is not in vain! It is helping many of us, including my wife, and I know you will continue to help others with your rational and sensible approach to helping your brothers and sisters who find themselves in very difficult situations. We love you very much!
AndrewReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2019-07-19 18:22:05
Thank you, Andrew!
Comment by jamesbrown on 2019-07-18 22:07:47
Hi Eric,
A lady I work with has stopped her study with the witnesses, because of last week WT on child abuse.
She asked a question of her conductor, regarding a paragraph she read.
Question was simple: If their is NO LAW regarding reporting a confirmed child abuser, but just disfellowship him, so the children and congregation can remain clean, what about the public and their children that he might come in contact with? Do we show a duty of care to the public that we go from house to house that we are the GOOD SAMARITANS?
She said to me, I gave an example to the sister that was studying with me:
Suppose you saw a snake in your backyard where your children are playing, would you run to protect your children by grabbing a stick, and flicking the snake over the fence in MY back yard where my children are playing?
Is that an act of love that Jesus was showing according to the WT?
Sister's response was, we are ONLY interested with the ones in the congregation NOT outside, Jehovah WILL SORT THEM OUT.
So the woman said, you really dont care where you flick that snake as long as its NOT in your backyard, true. The sister said, so you dont want to be a JW? Do you want to die with the rest of Satan's people? Remember we are the ones who have the TRUTH.
What a way to reason with JW's on this topic.
Many thanks Eric and all of you writers, for the hard work you are doing.
Many thanks againReply by messenger on 2019-07-19 13:14:40
Boy was that lady you work with studying with a slow JW sister. The sister was obviously parroting something similar to what she heard or read before, but with far less tact. So she spoke without giving any consideration to what the statements she said really meant, even after your work mate explained those to her as clearly as they could be explained. It was that, or the JW sister is no Good Samaritan, even while she studies the Bible with people.
That lady you work with sounds as sharp as a new razor blade.
"Remember we are the ones who have the TRUTH." (The sister's quote), What do you say to that? I know we all used to believe it. But what response can be given having even the slightest chance of breaking through to the person? Maybe, you can ask the lady you work with James Brown. She might have an answer. I don't. And it looks like she didn't have a chance to try during her last study since the sister confronted her right off with, " so you don't want to be a JW?"
"Remember we are the (only) ones who have the TRUTH" is even more difficult to respond to with any chance at a successful outcome than, "but only we have the faithful and discreet slave." At least to this assertion I can explain the true meaning of Matthew 24:45. Even though JWs most likely won't see it. But, how to respond to, "we are the (only) ones who have the TRUTH," with any success?
The only answer I have is say that we are nearly always successful, because we are only messengers. God lets people see or not see his will. So, go for what you know. That's all we can do, isn't it?
JAMESBROWN,
Why don't you start a Bible study with that female workmate you speak of? Matthew 25:19-27
If you do you might just use the Bible and no WT publications. As you mentioned she is now turned off on WT. But you are not WT, are you JamesBrown? Tell her you're not, and she might take you up on that invitation.Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2019-07-19 18:23:42
The really sad thing about that exchange is that the sister's opinion is not the off-beat exception some might think, but the norm.
Comment by messenger on 2019-07-19 00:06:23
Most Witnesses label other Witnesses apostates, those having left WT and WT beliefs, because of what elders and WT teach them to think about us. And some among them describe our motivations as being bitter towards the WT organization or its elders; diseased minded; and desirous of retribution for some ill treatment we received. In other words, they describe us as those damned apostates that just want to strike back, often minus the descriptor "damned."
In all the teaching I have done, as a Jehovah's Witness, I never thought the reason that any person I approached or taught did not agree with the WT theology I taught, because they were diseased minded, or had evil intent, or because they had a bad heart. Most of the folks I conducted Bible studies with were so biblically illiterate they probably would have agreed with any other point we studied that was different than the point we studied in the book, as long as that different teaching was in the publication we used. Most just parroted what was in those publications. There were so few of my studies that fiercely defended biblical positions that contradicted the WT study publications we used. And, as I stated above, I never thought they did that because they had an evil intent or a bad heart. I just thought they believed they were correct about the ideas they believed. But since WT taught me I shouldn't continue studying with those people, I didn't. Because back then I believed WT knew the Bible and was what it claims to be, appointed by Christ.
Eric, you stated you were associated with Jehovah's Witnesses from a very early age. I wasn't. I got attached to the organization at 23 or 24 years of age. But it was the Watchtower organization that taught both of us to teach what we believe to be the truth about scripture. Before, when we believed WT was correct, we did that. Now that we believe WT is incorrect, we still do that. To do anything else would be hypocritical and dangerous to ourselves.
Some Witnesses among the many who label us apostates will be saved. Because practically all Jehovah's Witnesses label us apostate, since that's what they are taught. And like we used to, they believe WT who taught them to do that is appointed by Christ. So that is all they know to do while still believing WT holds to the exclusive biblical TRUTH on Earth. Other Witnesses who say we have diseased minds, and think of us as those damn apostates, run a serious risk of being judged by Christ as deserving of death. Because they don't know who they speak against and who we represent. “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" (Christ)
Their biblical illiteracy is not what will get that second group of Jehovah's Witnesses killed. What will kill them is their hatred against us. ""But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell." (Christ)
Comment by Leonardo Josephus on 2019-07-19 03:32:56
Excellent comments so far this week.
Love your appeal letter, Eric. I wonder whether their reply will reveal anything, assuming you get one. All the best to you.
Glad to see the edit function is back.
Comment by Psalmbee on 2019-07-19 19:45:32
Hi Meleti,
I was just wondering, if they decide to hear your appeal, where would the hearing commence?
Also has anyone else been in front of them on an appeal?
If they don't grant you this appeal and at least show social media they have some backbone against apostates, their infestation is only going to worsen. So many thousands are staying tuned to see the outcome, and perhaps millions! They know it and want to hide from it or shrug you off like some little pest.
I got news for them they are messing with a full grown Bear.
PsalmbeeReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2019-07-22 14:36:19
?
Comment by Chet on 2019-07-19 23:47:24
"For centuries, sincere, godly men have tried to fix the problems of their former religion by starting a new one, but the result has sadly never varied. Each religion ends up with a human authority, an ecclesiastical hierarchy, that requires its adherents to submit to its rules and its interpretation of truth to obtain salvation. Eventually men replace the Christ, and the commands of men become doctrines from God. (Mt 15:9) In this one thing, J. F. Rutherford was right: 'Religion is a snare and a racket.'”
You said a mouthful there. Every religion is, in one form or another, an attempt to institute reform. It can't work, because human authority does not work. Ecclesiastes 8:9 is a profound observation. "All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt." I may have lofty motives, but the moment I start to accumulate followers, it will change things for the worse.
Comment by LaRhonda T. on 2019-07-20 14:13:57
Thank you, Brother Wilson, I am looking forward to the various topics you mentioned, especially the one you mentioned about should one get re-baptized. As far as I'm concerned, you always have been and always shall be my Brother. Peace and Blessings!
Comment by Joshua Nicholls on 2019-07-20 17:09:04
As I said over at your YouTube channel Mr. Wilson I look forward to your series of videos by Gods grace.
Comment by Warp Speed on 2019-07-25 09:15:43
Waking up to the reality of the JW .Org is only the first step, and a baby step at that.
Keep searching friends.....
Love from WarpReply by MarthaMartha on 2019-07-26 14:48:59
Hi Warp!
So true,
Funny how we thought we were Bible students when in reality we were battery hens being fed in captivity instead of being free range.
Freedom is lovely isn’t it. At last I understand Jesus’ words that his load is kindly and light.
Greetings to all the Warp clan from Martha and hubby in UK.
XxReply by Leonardo Josephus on 2019-07-26 17:27:27
Good to read your comments here again.
Look after yourself. By the way which end of this country are you in ?Reply by MarthaMartha on 2019-07-26 17:34:54
Hi Leonardo
We’re in the North West, not far from Liverpool.
Which is neither end but in the middle really!
?Reply by Leonardo Josephus on 2019-08-02 07:00:26
Us PIMOs are way down south.
Comment by MarthaMartha on 2019-07-26 14:45:59
Hi Eric
We watched your video the day of it being released.. sorry for the late comment.
It’s good to see you looking well and sounding determined and still fighting injustice and unscriptural behaviour. And looking well too.
Whether your latest appeal will provoke a reply remains to be seen and I don’t think you’ll get one, but that’s not the point; you’re doing what you’re entitled to do and giving an awesome witness for truth. Who knows who might read it and start thinking for themselves.
We hope all goes well with your move and all your plans come to fruition.
I personally love the idea of a book.
Wishing you good health and energy for your future plans, with love and thanks for all you’ve done so far. We’re free and it’s wonderful.
Love
Martha
P.S LOVED the letter! ?Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2019-07-26 15:34:55
Thanks MarthaMartha. Good to hear from you. I'm still unpacking. Unfortunately the move came on the hottest day of the year and it drained me. I just don't bounce back like I used to.
Reply by MarthaMartha on 2019-07-26 16:09:04
Yes that’s understandable, we too feel our age and we’re a few years behind you!
Take care, rest and feel better. X
Comment by jamesbrown on 2019-07-29 20:37:36
Hi all
I had a brief conversation with one of the brothers about John 17: 3 This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I asked him a question: Everlasting life depends on what? He said taking in accurate knowledge of Jehovah and his son Jesus.
I pointed to him, In Digging for Spiritual Gems, GB says:
What has this week’s Bible reading taught you about Jehovah?
So, I asked where is Jesus? Doesn't everlasting life means taking in knowledge of him as well?
He said to much emphasis was put on Jesus in the past, so GB has changed all that, after all we are called Jehovah’s witnesses and not Jesus witnesses.
We ended the conversation by him saying " my conversation with him was very discouraging and not upbuilding, and I should learn from the publications, how to up-build the brothers".
Well that’s what happens when you reason from the scriptures with JW's.
Just thought I share this experience with you.
Love to all