Our Stories

Jacob Vaughn: A Life Shaped by Faith and Fear

Hello, my name is Jacob. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and have been for over 40 years. Both of my parents became Witnesses when I was a toddler, so my entire life revolved around the religion as far back as I can remember. In that time, I&rsquo...

Jodie Knell: Regarded as Dead By Our "Loving" Community

I was born and raised in a high control religious group which I left 2 years ago. At that time, my husband and I were in our early 40s. Our whole life was our church, I was 4th generation, part of a large ‘prominent’ church family, he ...

Alexandra Bautista: Shunned for Love, Silenced for Truth

I was born into the Jehovah's Witness organization in 1979. I was baptized at age 15. I was reproved multiple times and disfellowshipped at the age of 23 for premarital sex. Even though I was repentant, a judicial committee of 3 elders expelled me...

Patrick: Even a Beard Was Too Much: My Awakening from a Life Inside Jehovah’s Witnesses

My name is Patrick, and I was born in Italy. My story is quite "ordinary" compared to many others. A few days after my birth, two Jehovah’s Witnesses arrived at my parents’ house. Like good salespeople, they capitalized on the greatest...

Rachel Wade: The High Cost of Being Raised a Jehovah’s Witness

I was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) from the age of six after my mum answered the front door to a Witness. She quickly got baptized [a formal initiation into the JW faith] after studying the Bible with them, believing she was doing ...

How Shunning Tore Our Family Apart

I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) from the age of 7. I hated every minute of it. I was bullied in school every year because I could not participate in any holidays or school events. I wasn’t allowed to salute the flag—which I...

Michael Shaw: A Lifetime of Control — and a Life After Leaving

When I realized it wasn’t the truth and I disassociated [formally left Jehovah’s Witnesses], I lost all my “so-called” JW friends overnight.I also have a devout JW mother who has had nothing to do with me for over 30 years&...

Traumatized and Abandoned: How Mandated Shunning After a Tragic Accident Changed My Life Forever

At the age of 16, and not baptized, I had a car accident as a learner driver. Subsequently, due to a death in that accident, which occurred on a beach in Queensland, Australia, I was held as being "blood guilty" because no one was wearing seatbelt...

Aaron Butterworth: Waking Up After a Lifetime Inside

I was born into [the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization].I woke up at 46.I started researching.I decided to write a letter of disassociation [a formal letter notifying the congregation that I no longer wanted to be considered one of Jehovah&rs...

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

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

Forced to Shun the Ones I Loved

I’m a born-in third-generation Witness. It hasn’t been easy growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, especially with all the people I’ve been forced to shun [cut off social and familial contact with]. In the late 1980s, my ...

Marie-Soleil Read: Nothing Prepares You to be Erased

I wasn’t raised in this faith [Jehovah’s Witnesses]. I chose it as a teenager, at a time in my life when I was searching for meaning, for love, for something to hold on to. I was fifteen, maybe sixteen, when I encountered Jehovah&rsquo...

Maria: Losing Family and Community for Wanting a Normal Life

I was born into Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs), with both of my parents being members. My mum’s parents were lifelong Witnesses, and my dad was a convert [someone who joined the religion later in life]. I left at the age of 16 but avoided b...

Kathy Davis: Fading at 62—A Life Reclaimed

My parents became Jehovah’s Witnesses when I was 10. At 12, there was a group of young ones getting baptized, so I went with the crowd. I was a very faithful Witness for 50 years and had been in the last congregation I attended for 22 years....

Siamese: We Waved to Our Grandchild—And the Police Were Called

My wife and I were Jehovah's Witnesses for some 40 years. Several years ago, we made the difficult decision to disassociate from the organization. That choice came at a heartbreaking cost. All of our children and grandchildren remained members of ...