This is The Detail's Long Read – one in-depth story read by us every weekend.
This week, it's a special feature episode.
On Thursday, RNZ published an investigation into the practice of shunning from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
‘Something Evil’, by RNZ investigative reporter Anusha Bradley, details how people who leave, or are banished from the church, cannot be in contact with anyone who remains.
In this special episode of the Long Read, Bradley introduces us to two leavers, who share more about the church, its darker side and the harrowing path they’ve taken in leaving.
“I knew once I made the jump to actually leave, I was going to lose every support person I had in my life,” said Brad Miller, who left in 2021.
“When you're raised a Witness, you're not allowed to have friends outside of Witnesses, you're not allowed to do anything socially that is not Witness-related.
"They strip your identity once you are gone. You are not human any more, you are this evil thing."
Miller followed his cousin, Cassie Dean out of the religion. They have supported one another building new lives in the ‘outside world’.
You can read Something Evil – and watch a video interview with Miller and Dean – here.
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