Jesirae’ Shope: Finding the Truth Beyond the Walls of a High-Control Group

Letter to the Governing Body [the ruling council] of Jehovah’s Witnesses

To the Governing Body,

I am writing this letter to request that you remove me from all records as a Jehovah’s Witness. I was disfellowshipped [formally expelled] for something I was truly repentant for. My adopted father, Gerald Alan Shope, sexually abused me and two of my adopted brothers. Despite this, Gerald remains part of the Jehovah’s Witness congregation [local body of members], and the congregation did nothing to address it.

As a result of what I endured, I now suffer from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I have been out of the organization for four years now, and I am far more mentally healthy than when I was part of it.

Since leaving, I have studied many different organizations—mostly those identified as cults—because I wanted to understand how other people survived experiences even worse than mine. Through that research, I came to the painful conclusion that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not merely a religion or an organization; they are a harmful high-control group.

What religion would tell families they cannot speak to one another simply because someone has "sinned"? As humans, we do not have the right to judge whether someone is truly repentant, nor should we ever tell families that they cannot love or communicate with their own members. A true religion should work to keep families together, not tear them apart as Jehovah’s Witnesses do.

I want to be clear that I still believe God's name is Jehovah, that Jesus is His Son, and that the holy spirit is real. However, I no longer believe that the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach the truth. They teach what serves to recruit members and then use emotional and social pressure to keep them trapped inside.

I came from a deeply unhappy childhood. I entered the foster care system at age 12 and remained there until I was 16. During that time, I studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses because they made me feel like there was hope. At 16, I was adopted by a Witness family. Sadly, that hope was betrayed, and I came to learn firsthand that evil can exist even within a group that claims to represent God.

I am not saying that every individual member is evil; many are simply misled. But the organization itself—its practices and policies—are harmful and wrong. It destroys family relationships, something that is 100% against the teachings of the Bible. Therefore, I again respectfully ask that you remove me from any and all records you have concerning me.

I believe that, in time, the truth about the harmful practices within this organization will come to light. Accountability will eventually be demanded, just as it should be when injustice is exposed. I have included a poem I wrote in the hope that it offers insight into the experience of those who have been harmed.

Sincerely,
Jesirae’ Shope

Poem: Cult by Jesirae’ Shope (July 16, 2020)

Cults are something everyone thinks they would never join. 
When people think of cults, they think of Jonestown, People's Temple, or Scientology.
They don't think about the church or religious hall down the street.
But sometimes the most deceptive cults are the ones you would never suspect.

From a very young age, I searched for answers—
Why was my life filled with so much pain? 
Why didn’t my parents get along? 
Would God understand if I ended my life? 
No one could give me answers from the Bible that truly addressed my questions.

Off and on, my parents studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses,
And sometimes I did too.
They seemed like loving people.
Almost everyone I met in the congregation had a difficult past and was seeking comfort—
And the religion offered that comfort.

But it also offered strict directions:
Who you could talk to,
What you could listen to,
What you could watch or read,
Who you could marry,
How you should raise your children,
Even what you should wear.

Once you got baptized [a public declaration of commitment],
You were expected to strictly obey all these rules.
If you slipped up, you could be disfellowshipped [formally expelled],
And everyone you loved—including your own family members—
Would be required to completely shun you.

Meanwhile, serious wrongdoings, including the sexual abuse of children,
Were often hidden or minimized,
And abusers sometimes remained in trusted positions.

When I was about 12, I was placed into foster care.
At 14, I started studying more seriously with Jehovah’s Witnesses across the street,
And at first, it felt like my prayers had been answered.
At 16, I was adopted into a Jehovah’s Witness family.
From the very beginning, my adopted father abused me,
But I kept quiet—because speaking the truth would mean fully facing it,
And I wasn’t ready to confront it yet.

Eventually, I stumbled under the weight of what I was carrying,
And instead of finding support,
I was disfellowshipped and lost everything I thought was right.

Later, I met someone who suggested that the religion I had been part of was a cult. 
At first, I got angry.
But after watching videos and researching different cults, 
I realized with horror that it was true. 

I had always thought I was too smart or too strong to end up in a cult.
But I learned that those who have experienced terrible pain in life
Can be drawn to organizations that offer acceptance—
Even if it means surrendering their own judgment and freedom.

Any group that seeks to control every part of your life—
Your thoughts, your feelings, your actions—
Bears the hallmarks of a high-control group, or cult.

My advice is simple:
Be careful.
Ask questions.
And never surrender your right to think for yourself.