Our Stories

Jay: Starting Over at 34: Shunned for Leaving My Faith

I grew up in the Jehovahs Witnesses from the age of 8-34 years. I left the religion at first by stopping all activity. Then I officially resigned from the organization, giving a formal letter of disassociation. Automatically the members of the re...

Dámaris: Still Waiting to Be Seen: Ten Years of Shunning

Most of my family, including my parents and my sister (who is sadly indoctrinated) are shunning me longer than a decade now.

Amy Loucks: Conditional Love: A JW Childhood Stolen by Faith and Fear

Mom joined when I was 11, the second to the oldest child of 6. The mom married the stepfather and moved far away from all family and we were not allowed to contact them. The family went deep into studying, meetings, field service, reading the bibl...

Aether: Baptized at 13, Banished for Being Me

I was shunned by my family when I came out as a lesbian. I was baptised at 13-14, having being influenced into that direction for many years. Older members of the congregation had began to talk to me about baptism. I didn’t know what it mean...

Sue: I Gave Her a Kidney—She Gave Me a Note Saying Goodbye Forever

Raised as 3rd generation JW’s. In 1978 I married a JW and set out to raise the 4th generation together. I hated going out in service, but I still did go. If I went to a door alone, many times I pretended to knock. In the 1990’s, ...

Raymond D Haws: My Wife Chose the Cult Over Her Family

My wife, Cassandre Damara Champaign Haws started studying with a JW co worker in secret just before Covid. After the covid outbreak started I mentioned wanting to go to church. She mentioned trying the JW'S. I attended a few meetings and was conce...

Adam Fish: This Is Me. I'm Here. I'm Not Going Anywhere.

I was born and raised where I spent most of my days. A normal family setup—two parents, two older brothers, and one younger sister—but I always felt like the odd one out. When I was six years old, my dad died. I remember seeing him on...

Held Hostage by Heritage: A Life Lived in Fear of Being Shunned

I'm 5th generation JW, yes that means my ancestors were Russelites. Which basically means I have very little choice because I have over 100 family members that would shun me. And I can't mentally handle it. I have personally known four different f...

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 [Geelong Revival Centre] 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&...

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...

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...

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...

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&...