Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “jw”
In I Felt the End Before It Came: Memoirs of a Queer Ex-Jehovah’s Witness, Daniel Allen Cox provides an intimate and powerful narrative of his life within the Jehovah’s Witnesses, his awakening to its cult-like nature, and his ultimate escape. Through his story, Cox sheds light on the pervasive influence of the sect and offers valuable insights for others trapped …
By Monica Velin Rodriguez Stories are powerful. Two weeks ago, on July 2, I was sitting on an aeroplane headed to the annual conference of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). A local Minnesota philanthropist saw the stories my husband and I had shared on the Stop Mandated Shunning website. He was so moved that he wanted to support the cause. He said, “You’re …
Stop Mandated Shunning (part of The Open Minds Foundation) are thrilled to announce an innovative research initiative in collaboration with the University of Roehampton, London, to study the harmful effects of mandated shunning as practiced by high-control religious groups. This three-year, comprehensive research project, costing approximately $100,000 per year, will be spearheaded by esteemed researchers Dr. Savin Bapir-Tardy and Dr. …
I was a born-in to true-believing members of a faith-based group that practised mandated shunning. At ten years of age, I learned just how inhumane the practice is. And for me, it was a traumatizing event; one that I will never forget. My parents, who were devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, sat down with me and my 5-year-old brother. They told us …
To say that I was born and raised in the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion does not accurately describe the scope and magnitude of its effect on my life. It was more than a religion; it was my entire existence. It wasn’t just how I worshipped; it was who I was. Being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses was so inextricably a part of …
I was 39 years old when I first realized I was going to die. All my life I’d been led to believe and cherished God’s promise to me that I would live forever on a Paradise Earth. However, I had begun to doubt this was possible. Was I mortal? Had I been misguided? Years of bullying, double standards, and contradictions …
My story starts in Mexico City, where I grew up in extreme poverty. At age 18, I emigrated to the USA in the hope of a better life, but that’s not exactly how it worked out. After a few weeks in this new country, I was without a job, without money, hungry, and I didn’t speak the language. Worst of …
My name is Jake Reinert and I am a 25-year-old ex-Jehovah’s Witness from Spokane, WA, USA. I was born and raised in the religion and was a 3rd to 4th generation Jehovah’s Witness. Shunning was a theme of the religion that I learned from a young age, and I myself was shunned from every single person I knew at the …
By Robert U. Rational In the realm of human rights and personal freedoms, the issue of mandated shunning by high control religious groups remains a deeply concerning practice that inflicts untold emotional and psychological pain on countless individuals. At ShunningIsACrime.org, our mission is to challenge and ultimately criminalize this coercive behavior through legal channels worldwide. However, the success of this …
By Robert U. Rational In today’s interconnected world, bullying has become a widely recognized social issue, with considerable attention directed towards its prevention and mitigation. However, there exists a form of social coercion that often flies under the radar, which is mandated shunning from faith-based communities like Exclusive Brethren, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology, Haredi Jews, Amish/Mennonites, and the Bahá’í Faith. While …
