Former cult members often reference the moment when they finally realized they were in a cult. In 2023 the Watchtower Society reported approximately 8.6 million members. Like many cults, Jehovah's Witnesses discourage critical thinking and members' exposure to any information that could be critical of the belief system. Such insolation from the real world is one way to keep people brainwashed. For Andre Jackson, who grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, this moment of "waking up" became the focus of his Doctoral dissertation. Andre grew up in Germany, where his mother became a Jehovah's Witness when he was 7 years old. By the age of 10, Andre accepted the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses: When he almost needed a blood transfusion (which the group teaches to be a transgression against God), he rejected it and was willing to die for his belief. Andre focused his dissertation research on the waking up process of Bethelites, Jehovah’s Witnesses who live and work in the Bethel compounds. Around 0.25% of Jehovah's Witnesses, around 22,000 individuals, are Bethelites. So how do people "wake up"? Come join us in this fascinating discussion.

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