I thought I'd share here what I took away from the conference. I posted this on Facebook. Also there will be video forthcoming in a few weeks as they get it put together. I have some audio but I am still in NYC and haven't been home to put it on my computer and see how it turned out.
So here you go:
Wow, yesterday's event was really great. I met people from Islam, orthodox Judaism, Quiverfull, the Amish, Mennonite, Hare Krishna, etc. I was greeted by strangers that knew my name from the podcast. A JW nonprofit organization sent someone to meet me and talk with me about opportunities. I met others that do work in helping people.
I met a woman that was taken to Libya because that way her husband could take the kids as he was afraid she was losing faith. He did. She spoke out for her children. I met people of faith that supported their spouse that had left faith. I met people that went from home schooling or educations that lasted only until the 8th grade that are in Ivy League schools. One courageous speaker's father was a governor in Pakistan that was murdered for even questioning the existence of an anti-blasphemy law.
One moment that stood out was when a speaker asked for a show of hands of how many were there that had left a religion. Then he asked how many were there to support. There were more supporters that were interested in this, that help through organizations, that knew someone, etc. that were present than those that had left. We need that. Those that leave need support in the outside. They need to be seen and heard and they often need help.
I'm looking seriously into starting a nonprofit to help victims of Jehovah's Witnesses that have left. So many struggle to survive after leaving everything they've ever known. JWs would say that's because of Satan. I say it's simply because they're dealing with the trauma of living and leaving that JW life. They need help to get the basics and they can't often thrive until they can first survive, like any population.
When religions use the FOG (fear, obligation, guilt) or the BITE models (controlling behavior, access to information, thoughts, emotions) they can rightly be called "high control religions", at times cults.
One interesting thing I took away is that nobody there shuns to the extreme that Jehovah's Witnesses do. Nobody strips you of everything and everyone to the extent that the JWs do.
Im so glad that I got to be a part of these voices speaking out. I hope that more will do so and that more will listen and support.
A man that was a Hasidic Jew talked about how there was a measles outbreak in NYC that made the news. Suddenly people were outraged that their community didn't vaccinate kids. Why? Because now it impacted their children. It was okay as long as it was over there, "those people", but when it touches the outside people take note. It's human nature. If we want to be better humans though at some point we have to start taking notice of "those people", those children and adults that need our help before it makes the news. We're out here collectively speaking out from JWs to Muslims, from Amish to Jewish, and we all have a story. It touches those of us that lived it and continue to and we hope our stories touch outsiders now to gain more support and supporters. That is how change will happen.
