shunned

Chris comes from a large family of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Montgomery Alabama area. Being from a big family can result in big family drama though, especially when everyone is in...

Sitting at a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, during the circuit overseer's visit, a young Dylan was facing a crisis of disconnection. As he realized that he did not belong there on...

Coming from a cult that actively discouraged even basic education at times, it can be daunting to even contemplate trying to pursue higher education. What is it like to be a non-tr...

Being raised in the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses involves being taught to chase love. If a person can only be good enough, one day their god will love them. But being taught this ca...

From the time he was 12, Matt had to work. With his father's vices taking the family's money and groceries to put on the table, Matt stepped up. That started young Matt down the pa...

Jehovah's Witnesses promote men to the role of head of the family, and of the congregation. Keion, as a brother in the congregation and also as a family head later in life, faced c...

Growing up with parents that were not only Jehovah's Witnesses but also suffering from their own addictions and mental/emotional struggles, Aubrey felt invisible. When he realized ...

Five year old boys should be walking around full of wonder about dinosaurs and big trucks, not full of shame. Imagine stumbling on things at such a young age that would kick off sh...

Wayne was never one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and had nothing to do with the cult. Later in life circumstances would change, however, as his sister would fall prey to their teachings...

Going back five generations in the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses, back to the origins of what we know today by that name, Heath's family runs deep in it. His great grandfather was of...

Amber never knew her dad growing up. She looked around and saw other people with dads, including her step-siblings, and wanted the same. So when she was pressed by her mother to ap...

If you've ever watched the show Seinfeld then you know that sometimes spite is a good motivator. In Jared's case, spite motivated him to attend Ministerial Training School, an excl...