Denny Senner: Confession and Castigation: How My Sister Was Publicly Shamed and Shunned by Jehovah’s Witness Elders

I was born into the JW religion. My grandmother, grandparents, and parents were all in it. My grandfather and father were elders. I am one of four siblings.

My younger sister, at age 28, slept with someone she had met (she was a virgin) and straight away confessed, believing this to show repentance for her sin. She was interrogated for many hours by three elders (men), being forced to describe the exact details of the sex act, etc., over and over.

She was mortified by her sin—as a pioneer, she was well known and looked up to in the congregation, and we were a prominent family in the faith. I think they wanted to make an example of her.

We all believed her repentance would mean forgiveness—but she was disfellowshipped. She appealed, and another group of male elders subjected her to the same process for 10 hours. She was allowed no support. They upheld the decision and she was disallowed.

This was announced publicly at a meeting we all had to attend, with my sister sitting at the back of the hall for the announcement. From that moment, we could not even look at her.

My 85-year-old nan was warned that if she allowed my sister to visit her in the care home, she would be publicly reprimanded and viewed as bad association for others.

My sister was cast asunder with no one to help or support her.