Rick Wellstone: Stepping Down to Speak Out

I served as an elder in the Jehovah’s Witness organization, but I couldn’t stomach the elders' meetings anymore. All they wanted to talk about was disfellowshipping and how to avoid being sued. No thanks. I stepped down—and I told them exactly why.

Not long after, I left the organization altogether. I had seen too much. The abuse and rigid policies of the Watchtower were destroying people I loved. Some of my friends died because of it. I can prove it.

When I left, my wife—who was a fifth-generation Witness—filed for divorce. She now shuns me completely.