My Experience on the Leah Remini "Aftermath" Special on Jehovah's Witnesses

I was very happy about being asked to be on Leah Remini’s “Aftermath” special on Jehovah’s Witnesses. For months, I had heard that Leah Remini was going to do a special on the JWs, but I didn't know any details. Last year I had been on the  Dr. Phil Show, but when it came time for me to finally speak, it was maybe all of 15 to 30 seconds.

I had no idea when Leah Remini was going to do this show. Then I got a call from someone else who had been asked to be on the show but she declined (she was getting married that weekend) and she asked if I was interested. So I said "yes" and we were off to the races. I was interviewed by a couple of their producers and they decided I was a good fit for the program. They wanted the "women's issues" perspective on the program.

Reconnecting after 36 years

In this month of May 2018, it has been exactly 36 years since I decided to visit a church after leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The more I think about it, the more I know that God had me go to the right church at the right time.

In my testimony, I always mention a lady named Mary K who had left the Jehovah’s Witnesses herself whom God truly used to open my eyes to the false teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I already knew, I did not like their doctrines, their views on women, or their views on marriage resulting in spousal abuse.

I have given my testimony many times and always mention how I met Mary at church, recognized her as an Ex JW and was so happy to meet her. She took me under her wing and showed me exactly what was wrong with the Watchtower. I think what nailed it for me was when she produced the April 1, 1979 Watchtower from the “Questions from Readers” where a person wrote in and asked if Jesus was the mediator for all Christians or not. The answer given by the Watchtower was a firm “no” because, as they explained, Jesus was only mediator for the “anointed” Jehovah’s Witnesses, or those who claimed to be part of the 144,000 “heavenly class.”

When Spousal Abuse Happens in the Church

If you have read my testimony, you already know that one reason I left the Jehovah’s Witnesses (AKA “The Watchtower”) was because they turned a blind eye to the fact that my former husband was physically abusing me. I was told that I needed to be “in subjection” to my husband and to stop nagging him so much. I was the victim of his violence, but the elders were blaming me for not being a good and submissive wife. There was a point in our marriage when he left me for a time, but I was told that I had to wait for him to come back and I was not allowed to initiate divorce. It didn’t matter to them how much he was physically violent against me. I lived in fear of him, constantly. When I would hear him come home after work, I would cringe because I knew what that mean most of the time. There was a lot of yelling and screaming at me. Terrible accusations and craziness mentally brought me down. If I said something he didn’t like, he would just slap me across the face. I felt so stuck and a prisoner of this horrible mistake of a marriage I had.

Well that was long ago now, but even though it has been 42 years since I was finally able to escape from him, the scars of what he did remain. I feel like I need to be an advocate and a voice for other women who suffer at the hands of abusive men. I also speak out against ANYONE who ever advises a woman stay with an abusive husband.

No Longer a Spirit of Fear

On Friday, our family said goodbye to my nearly 95 year old (non-JW) Aunt Josie. She would have been 95 today. She was a sweet woman, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with studying with JWs and least of all, becoming a JW. Yet she remained loving and cordial to family members who joined the JWs and still loved them no matter what. She was a godmother to one of my cousins who became JW as a teen and she still treated my cousin as her goddaughter and was always very loving and kind to her. So at the funeral on Friday, there were four (4) JWs who came to her funeral. That one cousin who had been the goddaughter was there with her husband, and another one of my cousins who brought his adult son.