Our Stories

John Briggs: From Fear to Freedom: Escaping the Grip of Shunning and Addiction

I was born in 1966 and raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some of my earliest memories as a child weren’t of play or joy—they were of fear. I remember my family saying things like, “Any day now,” “Not much lo...

My Father Kept His Secret to Protect Us

I was shunned. The elders asked me deeply personal and inappropriate questions about the man I later married. One of the elders who asked the worst questions—an older man—was later charged with sexually abusing my sister. She was only...

Kalia: From Shunned to Strong—Rebuilding a Life of Purpose and Love

I was a third-generation Jehovah’s Witness—my grandparents joined when my mum was a baby—so for many years, it was all I ever knew. For much of my early childhood, I was also home-educated, which meant I had very little interacti...

Michael Jones: Breaking the Chains of a Cult—My Journey Out of the Watchtower

I was raised a third-generation Jehovah’s Witness. All of my family and friends were Jehovah’s Witnesses (of course my friends were Witnesses—since the cult doesn’t allow you to have friends outside of the religion). I was ...

Elle Ariah: Red Flags I Missed—My Life Inside Jehovah’s Witnesses

I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness from about the age of five. My family and I became involved after fleeing a genocide. I remember my parents saying they were surprised by how loving everyone was, and since that wasn’t an environment...

Trapped, Betrayed, and Free—My Story of Abuse, Shunning, and Survival

Dedication This story is for every survivor who has been silenced, for those still trapped in cycles of abuse, and for those who are just beginning to find their way out. It is for Pete, who saw me when no one else did. I wish you could see me to...

Julie: Shouldering the Burden—Julie’s Journey from Shunning to Freedom

I was born into the religion (Jehovah's Witnesses). I was disfellowshipped at age 28. At the time, I was married with young children, and both my then-husband and I were disfellowshipped and shunned. It was devastating to us both. We attempted to ...

Yanil Barbosa: Dead to Them—How Mandated Shunning Robs Families of Life and Love

On May 28, 2019, my husband and I left the Organization of Jehova's Witnesses when sudden changes happened. We made research on topics and found out the incompatibilities between dogma and practices accomodating this as "New Light". We found out t...

Daniel Balderas: Escaping the Small Box—My Life with Jehovah's Witnesses

My name is Daniel B. Finally, there's a forum to tell my history. I'm six decades old now. This JW cult has brought death, destruction, and ostracism to my family and me. It all started when my mom and father came to the USA looking for a better ...

Micki: Real Life is Better—My Journey Out of the Jehovah's Witnesses

2020 was the year I realized I had spent most of my life in a doomsday cult. A perfect storm of events propelled me into researching my religion: a breakup, the pandemic, conspiracy theories, and job loss. One day, while on Reddit debunking QAnon ...

Science Saved Me

During my formative years, my parents aligned themselves with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Their affiliation led to my initiation into the faith through baptism at the age of twelve. My spiritual journey progressed steadily, culminating in my appointm...

Jordan: I Couldn't "Pray the Gay Away"

I was born and raised a Jehovah’s Witness in a loving family, the youngest of six children. My family was extremely involved in the organization. My father was a presiding overseer in the congregation, my three brothers were ministerial serv...

Don't Look in Their Eyes—It's Easier That Way

Our very young daughter was sexually assaulted by the Presiding Overseer. I reported the incident to the Elders and my father and was categorically informed that without 2 witnesses our daughter was not believed. Our family was a perfect target fo...

Kairo Kirk: Scared to Openly Question

I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. I got baptized at 11, and became a pioneer as soon as I could. My father was an elder. My parents were both extremely controlling and strict; I had no privacy whatsoever, and they monitored everything I did ...

Eric: Jehovah's Witnesses Use Pain, Loss, and Sadness as Power

I was raised in "the truth" by my mother. When I was 9, she married my stepfather who was very strict in religion. I had to study technology at school while I actually wanted to work in healthcare. But he wanted us to study engineering because tha...