Kacey grew up as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the same Kingdom Hall as I did, so this episode is personal for me too. In this episode you’re going to hear what it can be like to grow up in a “divided household”, what it feels like to never fit in with the one community that you’re supposed to have in life, and how childhood sexual abuse can create a perfect storm that results in so much damage to a person. You’ll also hear how a person can rise above the damage and find happiness in life.

Resources mentioned:

About “The Four Tendencies” Quiz

Take “The Four Tendencies” Quiz

This JW Life Podcast

Ex-JW Critical Thinker 

John Cedars Channel

Apostate Chick

Vast Apostate Army

The song that Kacey chose to represent her journey is Suggestions by System Of A Down.

Support Kacey by leaving her a comment HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

One of the hallmarks of growing up as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that feeling that you’re never “good enough”. It drives a lot of the depression seen in the cult, and is often something that people that leave take with them. Imagine if instead of just feeling less than because maybe you aren’t hitting some goal of hours spent knocking on doors or taking care of responsibilities in the congregation that are expected of you the problem was something as personal and natural as your sexuality. In this episode we get an intimate look into what it’s like to be gay growing up as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and it’s impact on Fernando, which I’m sure reflects at least parts of the experiences of many others.

Follow Fernando’s artistic life on Instagram here.

Learn more about the wonderful charity called Free Mom Hugs here.

The song that Fernando chose to represent his journey, a song that he would listen to after arguing with his family about JW topics while he drove away, is Ride by Lana Del Ray.

Support Fernando by leaving him a comment HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

All music performed by Podington Bear.

We have an opportunity here to help more people, but I need some assistance in two different ways.  Listen to find out more.

Find us online at shunnedpodcast.com

Support the show at patreon.com/shunned

Support Mark by leaving a comment here.

Mark has his own YouTube channel here.

He is also quite active on Quora.

Mark chose the song Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye to represent his journey.

Here are some resources that were mentioned in this episode:

jehovahs-witness.com is a great forum to for those that are doubting, leaving, or have left.  Both Mark and I are members.

Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz is THE book for anyone leaving.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

JWFacts.com is an amazing resource that highlights the truth about “The Truth” from their own written word.

John Cedars channel on YouTube has great videos on the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Book of Thomas (among others) can be found here.

Oh, and below is my favorite verse from the Book of Thomas.  I told you I’d include it, and I also promised that it was amazing, so I hope you enjoy.  Remember, Thomas, like the other Gospel writers, was writing about the life and experiences that he had with Jesus.  I wonder why this one wasn’t included in the finished Bible…..

“(114) Simon Peter said to him, “Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.””

At the border of the states of Utah and Arizona lies another world, a community known as Short Creek.  A patriarchal world of polygamy with sister wives, where women have few rights, and where certain men have all of the power.  This episode is a fascinating look into a world that most will never enter, a world led by a man (Warren Jeffs) that now is serving a life sentence plus twenty years for child sexual assault.

A brave woman named Brenda escaped from this community and gives us a detailed view into the life and feelings of those that live in the cult of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, a Mormon denomination).  This is an intense story of being completely captive to a concept and the struggle for freedom by a woman with a big heart that overcame the lack of freedom over her own body and mind.

In addition to this in depth interview, Brenda also has a documentary called "If This Is Heaven, Then Give Me Hell" on Youtube:

Brenda also has a blog where you can learn more about her and her journey and another blog here.

Brenda chose two songs to represent her journey.  The first one that she mentioned is the theme song to Enterprise, a song that has a great message that resonates with her journey, but also a show that they enjoyed when they first left the cult.

The second song that she chose is Brave by Sara Bareilles.

Support Brenda by leaving her a comment HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

All music performed by Podington Bear.

Yet another person has their life impacted by the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses.  Listen as DJ recounts his life growing up in the cult as well as his awakening and eventual path out.  There are so many things going on behind closed doors, so many things that don't appear to be what they are, and so many arbitrary rules and the accompanying shame that comes along with them throughout a life as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.  DJ has some unique aspects of his family story regarding substance abuse and substance use, an interesting dichotomy in how things are viewed and regulated based on the opinions of men.

Here are some resources that helped DJ in his path out:

The Joe Rogan Experience - Joe interviews fascinating characters and thought leaders to bring their perspectives on living to life.

Lloyd Evans' book The Reluctant Apostate and his Youtube channel called John Cedars.

And last, but certainly not least, the book that every ex-JW should read, from a former leader of the cult himself (Ray Franz), the book Crisis of Conscience.  This book has just recently been re-released to great fanfare in the ex-JW community.

To leave a comment for DJ, please go here: http://shunnedpodcast.com/episode-ten-dj-is-shunned-by-jehovahs-witnesses/

In this episode we hear the audio of David's Kingdom Hall Crash and discuss the aftermath.  The original video is below, but my commentary and some additional updates are found in the podcast.

This episode is taken from the pre-interview process, before we got deep into David's story.  In it we talk about the abuse, the way abuse is often overlooked within the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses, and lots of other topics relating to the organization.  I think that there are nuggets here that can help victims of abuse as well as victims of the cult in general and that it was worth making something of the pre-interview to put out.  I hope you feel the same.

(see Part 1  for full notes)

Trigger Warning:  Sexual Abuse Discussion

In Part 2 you will learn more about Steve B. and his interactions with David.  You will see how relationships impacted David, both for the good and the bad as years went by.  You will see how the "loving spiritual shepherds", the elders in the congregations, treat those that are shunned and trying to come back to their flock.  You will learn about David's eventual path out of the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses and his new life as he is shunned.

In Episode 6 – Part 1, you will get to know David a bit.  This episode builds and will take you through David’s upbringing and right up into the beginnings of adulthood.  You will learn a lot about him and if you aren’t familiar with the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses you will learn about it as well through this process.  There is no mention of the abuse in this first part, so no trigger warning is necessary.  That will come in Part 2 and the way these things are handled in the cult will be discussed there.

For episode information and resources, or to leave a comment of support for David, visit:

http://shunnedpodcast.com/episode-6-part-1-sexual-abuse-and-jehovahs-witnesses-davids-story/