The Dark Secret at the Heart of the Jehovah’s Witnesses | Informer
Summary
TLDRThe video script narrates the personal journey of a former Jehovah's Witness, detailing the strict beliefs and practices of the organization, including isolation from the outside world and a 'two witness rule' complicating the reporting of abuse. It reveals the narrator's experience with sexual abuse within the community and the subsequent cover-up, leading to a crisis of faith. The story culminates in the narrator's decision to leave the religion, embracing freedom and family after a life of control and regret.
Takeaways
- 🙊 The speaker grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, inculcated with the belief that all other religions were false and under Satan's influence.
- 📢 Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their door-to-door activities, believing that they are living in the end times and that their outreach is paramount.
- 👨🏫 The speaker served as an elder within the organization, responsible for teaching and giving talks, but was not allowed to question the beliefs.
- 🤫 There is a prevalent issue of sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses community, which is often covered up.
- 😢 The speaker was a victim of sexual abuse and later found out that the same person abused another family member and his own daughter.
- 👥 The community often disbelieves victims, labeling them as troublemakers, until multiple victims come forward.
- 📜 Jehovah's Witnesses have a 'two witness rule' which makes it difficult to prove abuse cases, as it requires two witnesses to an incident.
- 🤝 The organization has settled many abuse cases out of court, often requiring victims to sign non-disclosure agreements.
- 🏆 The speaker's daughters were 'fellowshipped', or officially shunned by the community, which led to a 10-year period of shunning by their parents.
- 💡 The speaker's realization of the cult-like control within the Jehovah's Witnesses led to his departure from the organization.
- 🎉 After leaving, the speaker and his family began to enjoy holidays and celebrations that were previously forbidden, indicating a happier and more open life.
Q & A
What is the main reason Jehovah's Witnesses maintain silence according to the speaker?
-The main reason Jehovah's Witnesses maintain silence is out of fear and to protect the reputation of the organization.
How many Jehovah's Witnesses are there in the world today according to the script?
-According to the script, there are about 8 million Jehovah's Witnesses in the world today.
What does the speaker believe about other religions due to their upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness?
-The speaker was inculcated to believe that all other religions were false and under Satan the devil's influence.
What role did the speaker hold within the Jehovah's Witnesses community?
-The speaker held the role of an elder, which involves teaching and giving talks on the platform.
What is the speaker's experience with sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses community?
-The speaker was sexually abused by a Jehovah's Witness and later found out that the same person abused another member of their family and their own daughter.
Why did the speaker's daughter decide to take Jehovah's Witnesses to court?
-The speaker's daughter decided to take Jehovah's Witnesses to court because they did not receive an apology for the abuse she suffered.
What is the 'two witness rule' within the Jehovah's Witnesses community?
-The 'two witness rule' is a belief that before a matter can be proved, there need to be two witnesses, which makes it difficult in cases of sexual abuse where it's often hard to find two witnesses.
What is the consequence for a Jehovah's Witness who is officially thrown out of the organization?
-The consequence is being 'disfellowshipped,' where the person's name is read out, and they are told they are no longer a Jehovah's Witness, signaling that the congregation has nothing to do with them.
Why did the speaker and his wife shun their daughters for about 10 years?
-The speaker and his wife shunned their daughters because they were 'disfellowshipped' by the congregation, and as Jehovah's Witnesses, they were not supposed to have anything to do with them.
What was the turning point for the speaker in realizing the control and manipulation within the Jehovah's Witnesses?
-The turning point was when a senior elder told the speaker to 'give up his daughters and stay an elder,' which led to an extreme stress response and realization that the situation was ridiculous and unsustainable.
How has the speaker's life changed after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses?
-After leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses, the speaker enjoys celebrating holidays and events like Christmas, birthdays, and Halloween, which were not allowed as a Jehovah's Witness, and feels free from the control and manipulation they experienced within the organization.
Outlines
🙊 Silence and Isolation within Jehovah's Witnesses
This paragraph discusses the strict control and fear within the Jehovah's Witnesses community, highlighting the emphasis on reputation and isolation from the outside world. The speaker, a former elder, shares personal experiences of indoctrination from a young age, the belief in the end times, and the strict hierarchy within the organization. The paragraph also reveals a cover-up of sexual abuse within the community, the speaker's own experiences of abuse, and the subsequent impact on his family, including his daughter's abuse and the congregation's reaction. The 'two witness rule' is mentioned as a barrier to addressing abuse, and the consequences of being disfellowshipped are explained, including the shunning of family members.
😔 The Struggle for Freedom and Realization of Manipulation
In this paragraph, the speaker describes the controlling nature of the Jehovah's Witnesses, including the restrictions on thought and the pressure to conform. He recounts the moment of his personal epiphany during a meeting with senior elders, where he was told to abandon his daughters to maintain his position. This led to a profound realization and decision to leave the organization, which was accompanied by a sense of liberation. The speaker reflects on the lost opportunities due to his involvement with the group, such as education and career choices, and expresses relief that his daughters escaped the cult-like environment. The paragraph concludes with a note on the joy of embracing life's celebrations, which were forbidden as a Jehovah's Witness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Jehovah's Witnesses
💡Isolation
💡Elder
💡End Times
💡Sexual Abuse
💡Two Witness Rule
💡Shunning
💡Fellowshipped
💡Cult
💡Allegiance Oath
💡Freedom
Highlights
Jehovah's Witnesses maintain silence out of fear to protect their reputation.
There are approximately 8 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.
Belief in the end times and the importance of preaching is paramount in their faith.
Narrator's indoctrination into the faith began at the age of 5.
Narrator's belief that all other religions were false and under Satan's influence.
Narrator's role as an elder involved teaching and public speaking.
Control over members' thoughts and consequences for disagreeing with beliefs.
Prevalence of sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses community.
Narrator's personal experience of sexual abuse as a child.
Narrator's daughter also a victim of sexual abuse within the community.
Resistance and disbelief from the congregation regarding the abuse allegations.
Legal actions taken by the narrator's daughter and others against the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Settlements made out of court with non-disclosure agreements.
The 'two witness rule' and its impact on reporting and proving abuse cases.
Isolation and shunning of members who are officially disfellowshipped.
Narrator's struggle with helping his disfellowshipped daughters while adhering to faith rules.
Moment of realization and decision to leave the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Narrator's wife's eventual departure from the faith after 10 years.
Reflection on the loss of personal freedom and opportunities due to the faith.
Celebration of life after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses, including participation in holidays and traditions.
Transcripts
they maintain this silence out of fear
the reputation has to come first we are
purposely isolated we are not to have
anything to do with the
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world so there are about 8 million
Jehovah Witnesses in the world today
they have a belief that we are living in
the time of the end door Todo activity
is Paramount and that's what Jehovah is
unknown for I was a a child 5 years old
and my mother and father became
Jehovah's Witnesses so I really knew
nothing else it was inculcated in me
that all the other religions were false
they were under Satan the devil's
influence I took it very
seriously I became an
elder an elder is someone that has the
responsibility to teach to stand on the
platform and give talks I really didn't
allow myself to even discuss or think
only if this is right they are able to
control how you think and if you don't
agree with their beliefs you can get
yourself into trouble there is a cover
up of sexual abuse I now know and can
tell you with certainty that it is very
very prevalent I was sexually abused by
Jehovah's Witness I didn't do anything
about that to be honest when it was
first happening I didn't know what was
happening when I was old enough to find
out or know what was happening I was
then so embarrassed I didn't want to
talk about it I discovered then later
that the person abused me had gone on to
abuse another member of my family
what was seriously catastrophic was
finding out that my own daughter at 15
or
16 came forward to tell me about her
abuse that caused a great consternation
within the congregation because the
Elder who abused my daughter was very
popular so you have people saying no he
wouldn't do that she must be lying the
youngster is seen as a troublemaker
later other people came forward and that
abuser of my daughter um was taken to
court with four
victims and was found guilty I can tell
you that my daughter only wanted an
apology because they didn't she decided
to take Jehovah's Witnesses to court as
did many other people in most of those
cases Jehovah's Witnesses have settled
out of court but made the victim sign a
disclaimer to say we won't tell anyone
I'm not AF that all Jehovah's Witnesses
are child abusers or or our bad
obviously that's not the case however
Jehovah's Witnesses have never really
said we have a problem they have what we
call a two witness rule Ian it is the
Bible that says that before an matter
can be proved you need two witnesses in
a case of child sexual abuse or any
sexual abuse it's going to be very
difficult to get two witnesses we had an
adult female that was raped by an
elder and it was the same Elder that
abused by Daughter the congregation
Elders said oh that's a shame one's an
adult and one's a child we can't say
that that's two witnesses there's a very
common phrase within Jehovah's Witnesses
that we have to watch our behavior that
it doesn't bring reproach on Jehovah's
name so they maintain this
silence out of fear and so the
reputation has to come first we are
purposely isolated to D this Fellowship
is to be officially thrown out of the
organization it's an announcement that's
made where the person's name is read out
and they are told that Mr X XX is no
longer a Jehovah's Witness that's a
signal that the congregation have
nothing to do with that person I have
two daughters that are just
fellowshipped so as a dad I wanted to
help them but as a Jehovah's Witness I
wasn't to have anything to do with them
and so for about 10 years my wife and I
shunned our daughters I got myself in
trouble many times because I did try to
help my daughters and on those occasions
I would be visited by other Elders
telling me off I was being controlled my
thinking was being controlled this is
what God wants when my daughters did
something wrong I went and reported them
cuz that's what you're supposed to do my
own denies in the faith I suppose came
when at one of those meetings when I was
being seen by two senior Elders one of
them said to me give up your daughters
and stay an elder and I had the most
unusual experience where I was up in the
corner of the room looking down on the
three of us and I now know that that's
extreme stress it's like an escape
mechanism but at the time I didn't know
what was happening and then I came to
and realized this is ridiculous I can't
do this anymore
so politely I just said I'm really sorry
I'm finished you won't be seeing me
anymore I felt this Rush of emotion and
stress just leaving me and I remember
jumping and punching the air and
thinking my goodness I'm free I went
home and told my wife who remained a
good Jehovah's Witness for another 10
years and I supported her until she too
came to a realization that something was
very very wrong and I realized I had
been misled all those years I didn't get
an education I didn't go to college I
didn't go to university I would have
liked for instance to have joined the
police force I couldn't do that cuz you
had to say an allegiance oath to the
queen we regret and I regret that for 50
years I was controlled but we don't
blame my Mom and Dad we know that they
were in a cult we were in a cult my
daughters were coming up in a cult thank
goodness they got out we enjoy things
like Christmas birthdays Mother's Day
Father's Day Halloween bonfire night you
name it things that you cannot do as a
Jehovah's witness life is good
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