Continuing our interview with Lloyd Evans, we focus this portion of the interview on Lloyd’s experience living as a Jehovah’s Witness—drawing occasional parallels between those living life as Mormons and those who are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Lloyd is the founder and senior editor of JWsurvey.org—a website that promotes freeness of thought among Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is also author of “The Reluctant Apostate,” a book that chronicles his experiences growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness and his journey to freedom from Watchtower indoctrination. His wildly popular Youtube channel “John Cedars” hosts a range of videos aimed at dissecting the various teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as new developments in the religion.
1084: Lloyd Evans on The History of the Jehovah Witness Movement
1086-1087: Lloyd Evans – How I Became an Ex-Jehovah’s Witness Activist
Audio
4 Responses
Thanks for a fascinating interview…the parallels between mormonism and the JW’s are hard to ignore, which is ironic since each religion considers the other one ‘crazy’. I just ordered your book, and can’t wait to read it ! Thanks for sitting down for hours and hours to get this story out to us. Thanks Lloyd !
Fascinating. My first mission city was Hof, Germany – a “sister city” to Ogden, Utah. The Mormon missionaries had minor celebrity status, with a lot of perks. (The mayor had us over one Sunday afternoon – and we presented him with a photo of his and his wife standing outside the SLC temple.) One night we were invited to a Catholic social club where we heard a presentation from a guy who had been in charge of the entire Jehovah’s Witness movement in eastern Europe. He’d grown up in the faith – his parents died in a concentration camp during the Third Reich. He was a leader in the church – but was troubled in in 1960’s when some significant doctrinal changes were made – after all, his parents had died for what was now classified as false teaching. He started asking questions, and was eventually disfellowshipped.
A couple of young women came, hoping to debate him. They’d start reading a passage from the Wachtturm (Watcht0wer) – and he’d complete the quote for them, and then explain why it wasn’t correct. I really felt bad for them . . .
When I was still living with my mom in The Hague I saw a very handsome, missionary-lookalike young man, from my window, down on the street. How lucky I felt he rang at my door and I followed the first JW lesson. I remember I wanted to pray with him, he said it was ok if I said the prayer, but he wouldn’t pray along. It was pretty humiliating he didn’t even close his eyes or bow his head, only because I was a woman and in his church women were not allowed to pray while a man is around ???????? The mormon church was discriminating, but at least the men prayed along while women spoke out. No chance, I followed a few lessons but I was allready too much feminist for mormon men, let stand for a JW man, no matter how handsome he could be.
To give it a fair chance I had been praying for an anwer, and one night I woke up with a verse from the bible in mind. I found the verse and it was about a woman being a prophet in the Old Testament. Neither the Mormon and the JW church provided female prophets, to me it was an answer that I shouldn’t go on with the JW-lessons and ponder about the verse according to the mormon church !
Another famous JW is Cliff Richard from ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Power to all my Friends’, sung for United Kingdom, at Eurovision Songfestival !
The last years I had the kindest JWs at my door. I followed some lessons or discusssed some bible verse at the door and I enjoyed the great spiritual insights they had. However I do not believe in a life after death, but due to my own experience can’t have any place to doubt there is life after death. Their belief after death your body is just going into the ground and the spirit is no more, is so opposite to what I became to know through experience, that I couldn’t join them in their beliefs. However, I concider them to be very lovely people.
Great to learn more about JW this way, the simularities and the differences and I had to laugh about John claiming the Mormons had won !!!!! LOL !!!!! We had a better story. Thanks to Joseph Smith, LOL !!!!!
I remember my mum became member from the 7th Day Adventist church. It was in those days I learned Mormons, JW and 7th Day started about the same time. In those days my faith was shaking, but now I think it is interesting just to learn about it.
Thank you very much for these interviews ! I Love to hear the next 2 !
Peace,
Mw. Adrie de Jong
The Netherlands
Hello Adrie,
You wrote your message a long time ago so I guess it is likely you will not see my message but I thought I’d respond just in case. I think that it is interesting what you said about the woman prophet in the Bible. According to the Church of Jesus Christ, a prophet is someone who testifies of Jesus Christ, provides guidance and warning and who receives revelation, and clarifies doctrine. The Church also encourages us to seek the spirit of prophesy. I think that the experience you described- the answer to your prayer, being the verse about the prophetess was your own revelation ie. prophesy. You felt in your heart that that was the answer to your prayer and it guided you. Maybe you aren’t so practiced in revelation that you are ready to give it to others like The Quorum of the 12 but you were given revelation for you in that moment. Honestly, I get little answers to prayers or thoughts, words, etc. that I should do something or say something often. Sometimes big life changers but usually super little things. All of these things help me know that God is aware of me and wants to bless me. I hope you continue to be a prophet to yourself, (the most important kind.) God bless, -Alison