shunned

Fostered by a woman in the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, little Ashley caught the eye of the person that would adopt her as a part of their family. All Ashley wanted was to be "normal", but her adoptive parents were in a cult that didn't allow for such. She would do all of the things asked of her by her adoptive family and tried to connect to the performative spirituality around her while u...

Like the 1944 film "Gaslight", and the resultant term "gaslighting", those with the power around Lexi growing up tried their best to create a reality for her that didn't match the one she had internally. Loss and pain was used against her, and whether it was her own family or other members of the cult, she was being manipulated to think that she was depressed, struggling, and even suicidal. Gaslig...

Catherine did all the things that the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses wanted her to do, but she could never find connection with it. Though she was held out at times by "spiritual men" as an example of someone to imitate by her works, those actions only made her doubt more as she knew she wasn't sincere. She was sincere in trying, and dreaming that someday she might connect to this thing that was so i...

Jehovah's Witnesses are a performance based cult that are all about "what have you done for me lately". Your actions are everything to them. Sadly it is the same with relationships when it comes to JWs, you either do what they want you to do or you cease to exist to them. You, by yourself, are not enough. You must be who and what they want you to be. Jose was a super sincere person that just wante...

"I had these huge dreams and aspirations of what I wanted to do, where the attention was all on me. But in my actual life I was so afraid to be noticed because, in my experience, being noticed wasn't necessarily a good thing. You want to fit in with the mold… standing out in that context can be dangerous." Listen to find out what Trevor is referencing in his quote above. A young man with big dream...

Whether it was giving his first talk or becoming an unbaptized publisher or getting baptized, Nate knew what was expected of him as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. With a desire to please his parents and a desire to get them off of his back, Nate did what he had to do to get by, hoping that it would alleviate the pressure. But every step just leads to the expectation of yet another, as nothing is ever...

During a meeting with the congregation elders about her abusive husband, JoHannah asked the question that is the title of this episode. Trying to get the elders to understand the severity of the abuse in her home, words that fell on deaf ears, she would take the courageous step of leaving her marriage only to be looked down upon for doing so. Such is life when you've been conditioned to tolerate a...

Harrison lived a life full of change and drama growing up. A mother that was dependent on alcohol and disfellowshipped from the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses twice, move after move after move, including living with a grandmother that was also eventually disfellowshipped, there was a lot of chaos at times. Having not really been interested in "The Truth" as JWs call it, a chance month of field minist...

After a night spent with her boyfriend talking, a relationship that as one of Jehovah's Witnesses she wasn't supposed to have because he wasn't in the cult, a phone call comes in from Elizabeth's father wanting to know where she is. After replying that she was at Waffle House planning a wedding with her friend and that she just lost track of time, she told her boyfriend that now they had to go to...

Amanda travels the United States but is not allowed to have friends as a kid, both outside OR inside of the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses. Amanda isn't home schooled to further her isolation but is sent to school because her dad teaches. Amanda can't play sports at school but her dad coaches some of them. Amanda's dad screams and even gets physical but everyone outside of the home sees a different s...

To participate by donating to the cause, you can donate here (I will personally match the first $200 dollar for dollar): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/shunnedrecovery You can also Venmo to @michael-shemwell-1 (last four digits of phone are 3279 if needed) To learn more about this day and how you can go out and participate on your own visit: https://exjwhelp.com/exjwhelpday/ To watch this on YouT...

The cult of Jehovah's Witnesses has some interesting takes on life and death. On one hand, as today's guest puts it, Jehovah's Witnesses give up on life before it even starts because to them this world is going to end and this life is but a means to that end. On the other hand, they believe that they have the "real life" talked about in scripture, even sporting the hashtag bestlifeever on some of...

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 a cult that dictates behavior and divides families. In this episode you'll learn about Chris, his family, his story, and how his story overlaps other things going on in the family as well. The song that Chris chose to r...

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 once again, and as he felt this darkness in the Kingdom Hall, Dylan would do something that would change the course of his life. On the congregation's wifi while the meeting was going on, Dylan took a chance on Dylan for t...

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-traditional student? How can I afford to go? Are there ways to pursue this without the support of my parents? How do I even apply? In this episode we answer your questions as submitted through the Shunned Podcast Facebook...

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 can lead to people going back to things that treat them poorly, whether it is their god, their religion, their family, etc. as a part of chasing that love. Aaron was both disfellowshipped and divorced and each time he went...

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 path to workaholism which would be put to the test as he went through life, at times taking care of his dad after his parents divorced, and later taking that same dedication to his dad on to the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses...

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 certain blowback for his actions due to this position that he was elevated to simply for being male. This is an interesting story of one man's journey to find himself and his place in relationships without any healthy exa...

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 his sexual orientation and needed support, he was again ignored and felt invisible. But the reality is that there were invisible things going on within Aubrey as well, Aubrey is intersex. Listen as Aubrey is open about l...

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 shame that would haunt your every thought and action for years. And all of this because you were in a cult like Jehovah's Witnesses who shame human exploration and lack any understanding of how people truly work. Eventuall...

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. Her enthusiasm for sharing what she learned with him would eventually lead him to researching the realities of the cult, and ultimately end with him being shunned because he knew too much and asked too many uncomfortab...

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 the anointed with the heavenly hope back in the 1930s when the option of an earthly hope was brought to the fore, his great grandmother holding that earthly hope. So this cult has its fingerprints all over the family, a...

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 apologize to the School Overseer in her congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses one day, little Amber asked that brother to be her dad. This would touch off years of control and grooming at the hands of an elder in the Kingdom...

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 exclusive school for Jehovah's Witnesses that taught men to lead congregations in various ways. Find out how that went for him, how he got there in the first place, and why he is now telling his story. The song that Jared ch...

At just 12 years of age, Jacelly got baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses with the promise of a great life. Shortly thereafter her illusions were shattered as she was promptly sexually assaulted within the congregation and met with apathy regarding her plight. Over and over again in her life with her family and the cult, Jacelly would find herself let down and confused, wondering how people coul...