“From Devout to Done: Our Public Exit from the Jehovah’s Witnesses”

Former Jehovah’s Witnesses Aaron and Yana with their Children

Published by Miss Usato on May 5th, 2025

“No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family.” -Jehovah’s Witness publication, Awake! July 6, 2009, p. 29

Trying to explain why you’re leaving the Jehovah’s Witness organization to those still inside is like speaking two different languages—one built on freedom, the other on fear. For many, especially born-ins, it’s not just a matter of walking away from a religion—it’s leaving behind an entire identity, a community, and often, your own family. The emotional weight is staggering. That’s why, for one couple, the only path forward was full transparency. They didn’t sneak out quietly. They disassociated publicly—on their own terms—so there would be no rumors, slander, or guessing—just their truth, spoken out loud, for everyone to hear. The following article features Aaron and his wife Yana, now former Jehovah’s Witnesses, as they share their story on leaving the Organization. Including interview questions and their public dissociation letter, which they read to their Jehovah’s Witness family members, then posted for all to see, we highlight the importance of your life being steered by your choices and decisions. It’s also another inspiring angle on how you can leave the organization without the fear of being misjudged, with your intentions aligning with your beliefs, however loudly you would like to present them.

Their public letter wasn’t just a farewell but a clear, composed statement rooted in evidence and personal experience. It didn’t come from a place of rebellion, sin, or bitterness. It came from clarity. That’s exactly why I chose to share it publicly on AvoidJW. For anyone who struggles to explain their reasons for leaving to loved ones still inside the organization, this letter may offer the words you’ve been searching for. It addresses the contradictions in Watchtower teachings, the mishandling of CSA cases, and other troubling issues—all supported by real-life events and sourced material—without sounding like a typical “apostate” rant Jehovah’s Witnesses fear so much.

From rising star to feeling the shift

Aaron was born and raised in the Jehovah’s Witness Organization by a single mother, the youngest of four; he had no choice but to absorb the life of a Witness from the beginning. His older siblings were viewed as spiritual examples, and by the time he was six years old, he was already giving talks from the platform. At ten, he was begging to get baptized, but he was told to wait until he was twelve. At eighteen, he was appointed a ministerial servant. By the age of twenty, he delivered six public talk outlines across congregations while occasionally serving as an auxiliary pioneer. To most, he was a rising star.

At twenty, he married his first wife, who was eighteen years old. Like many young Witnesses, they decided to marry to maintain moral purity. But after nine years, their marriage ended in divorce. After a decade of faithful service, his divorce, even with scriptural grounds, it triggered silent judgment and cold stares from others.

He eventually remarried, to a Jehovah’s Witness named Yana. Though he remained in good standing and was never reproved or disfellowshipped, something had shifted. That experience of cold judgment eroded his enthusiasm for “reaching out” to others. He didn’t want a title anymore. He just wanted authenticity — something he was beginning to realize the congregation couldn’t offer.

Eight years into his second marriage, they found themselves expecting their first child. He was 38, she was 30. People in various congregations had taken notice: they were the couple who made it eight years without kids — a rarity in the Witness world. The sisters in their hall began planning a baby shower. His wife, a first-time mother, was genuinely touched. But something deeper was brewing in him — something that would change everything. Out of nowhere, a shift happened.

“It’s like I was out of the trance and could see what it really was, yet thousands around me couldn’t”

Aaron: “I’d been feeling for a few months that this might not be the truth, and honestly, it scared me. What did these feelings mean? Was I headed to being disfellowshipped because my weak faith would allow Satan to succeed at pulling me into sin(s)? I knew that if a person’s supposed “faith” was weak, they would not stay in the truth! Then we were at the 2015 convention, and it was like the manipulation, mind-control, and programming were super obvious to me in every single talk. I shared it with Yana.“

This was a spiritual and emotional wake-up call. No apostate websites. No outside influence. Just Aaron’s gnawing realization. He tried to dismiss it, but couldn’t. Driven by fear, he looked for “safe” and accurate information — and stumbled on something he wasn’t prepared for: The 2015 Australian Royal Commission hearings on child sexual abuse within Jehovah’s Witnesses. All the footage was public. All the testimony was recorded.

Aaron binge-watched every minute. Night turned to morning. Tears followed. The leaders he had revered were not just negligent — they were lying. The Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson had taken the stand and denied the rules that every Witness lived by. That was the breaking point. He woke Yana up in tears. Aaron: “I showed it all to her. I started searching for proof of what I somehow already knew, but it couldn’t be apostate material. My trained mind wouldn’t have allowed it, no matter how strongly I felt it. I’d never touched apostate content in my life.

Looking back, I realize I knew without logically knowing because it came from my heart—my higher self, God, intuition… something spiritual and invisible. And that’s exactly why the mind didn’t trust it. We were being trained never to trust that part of ourselves. The mind is what’s controlled. The heart, the higher self—that’s what’s free and powerful.”

The veil was lifted. There was no going back. Aaron knew then that he would have to leave for good, and that his child would never grow up in the “new system.”

“You can’t ‘half-leave’ a high-control group. You’re either in or you’re free”

The timing was complicated. When Aaron and Yana started waking up, the baby shower the sisters in their congregation were planning was just days away—one last display of “love” from a community that would soon shun them. His wife needed that moment. So they made a decision: they would wait until after the shower. Let them show love, even if it was temporary. She deserved to be celebrated, even if the love may not be real. Aaron: “We quickly realized that you can’t ‘half-leave’ a high-control group. You’re either in or free.”

The moment the shower ended, they prepared their exit. But they weren’t going to slink away in silence, giving the elders a blank canvas to paint their story. No way. They wrote a heartfelt letter explaining their departure, not just to the elders but to everyone. They decided to read it face to face to their Jehovah’s Witness family members, then post it publicly on Facebook—not to start a war but to speak truthfully, with love and sorrow, before the congregation could twist their exit into a “local needs” warning.

When they posted the letter, the fallout was swift. Over 1,000 “friends” on Facebook vanished, one by one, minute by minute, until virtually no one was left. Aaron: “We kept refreshing the browser, seeing the number of followers keep dropping, no likes or emojis. It was somehow entertaining. Only one person messaged us. That could have been traumatic and devastating to watch. However, because we were aligned and doing it from the heart, we were at peace with our decision and the result.

Aaron: “We posted the letter on Thursday, September 17, 2015, at about the time our congregation service meeting would end to provide maximum exposure on Facebook before the elders could announce at the next service meeting. We also sent a 1 line email to one of our elders stating, ‘We no longer want to be Jehovah’s Witnesses.’ They were not worth any more than that. We called in and listened to the meeting, and when they announced us, they said that we had dissociated ourselves. We also heard they had a special Local Needs part afterwards, but ended the call before it.”

Below is the letter Aaron and Yana posted on Facebook, highlighting some of the organization’s most blatant contradictions. The blue links reveal some of the evidence Aaron explains in the post.

The facebook post that changed everything

Aaon and Yana on Facebook, 2015 –

“CNN covered a two-week-long hearing in which the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (WTBS) was subpoenaed to stand before the Royal Australian Commission regarding why over 1006 accused child molesters were never reported to the authorities. The hearing went from July 27 to August 14, 2015. You really should watch ALL the videos! Geoffrey Jackson, current Governing Body member, Rodney Spinks – head of Service Desk, and Vincent Toole Legal are questioned along with the testimonies of victims. To be clear, Yana and I are in good standing, have done nothing wrong, and are in no trouble with elders or the organization. We were expecting to see an excellent defense of our faith. To our shock and heartache, ALL of these brothers, especially governing body member Geoffrey Jackson, flat out lied and disavowed several of our beliefs and practices. Additionally, local elders of congregations of the accused were questioned and put under the bus for following WTBS procedures and may now face charges.

Amongst other things, Brother Jackson actually DENIED believing the governing body is God’s only approved channel of communication, stating “I think it would seem to be quite presumptuous to say we are the only spokesperson that god is using on earth.” These high-ranking officials of the Organization and local elders are cross-examined with the Elder’s Book, the OD Book. Of course, the bible scripture by the Australian Royal Commission, and all is laid bare. They cover a wide range of topics far beyond the main issue of child molestation, including organizational separatism and national political neutrality, birthdays/holidays, inactivity/disfellowshipping, and a few other topics. Geoffrey’s outright lies and dodging of clear beliefs and customs every JW would know made us sick to our stomachs.

Yana and I then did what our own literature recommends in Awake 10/22/73 p.6: “Reasonable persons agree that the only fair method is to examine the evidence on both sides, both for and against a disputed theory. That is how one arrives at the truth.” So we researched at the library, encyclopedias, news outlets, and Google… sadly, what we found was much worse and more significant than the shocking video testimonies. We learned appalling facts that are verifiable public record, most of which are substantiated by our OWN publications like WT, Awake, and various Yearbooks. A small sampling of well-documented, irrefutable facts are:

After Aaron and Yana made these points, they finished their post, saying:

“Hence, after many tears and with heavy hearts, we can no longer have anything to do with this organization in good conscience. We will be submitting our formal letter of dissociation tomorrow. We still love our well-intentioned family and friends. However, out of courtesy and respect for your beliefs, we will be unfriending all JW’s over the next week to allow our friends sufficient time to see this post. If you wish to re-friend or contact us, you certainly may do so. Please refrain from encouraging us to reconsider, especially before you have listened to the eye-opening testimony of your governing body member, other leaders, and elders. Likewise, we do not want to convince others to leave the organization. We are publicly disassociating ourselves instead of remaining and trying to persuade others secretly. We also chose to disassociate publicly to mitigate any speculation on what we may have done to “no longer be Jehovah’s Witnesses”.

Again, to our friends and beloved family, we love you dearly. WE DID NOT WANT THIS. Additionally, the timing of learning about the publicized events in Australia and subsequent facts is quite challenging with our new addition. But we cannot hide from or ignore the reality and what we now fully comprehend.-

-Ironically, our own July 2009 Awake p.29 says, “No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family.” Yet we all know this is a hypocritical statement, because the Watchtower Organization a.k.a. “the slave” absolutely makes us choose. We understand that the strong beliefs of those who remain in the organization (even after watching these testimonies and learning other facts) will mean we must become dead to you, namely that you will no longer speak to or have anything to do with us. We will not take this personally. Everyone must decide for him or herself and be entitled to the freedom of living based on the principles and beliefs they hold dear, even as our own literature states.

Love,

Aaron & Yana”

The letters aftermath –“We know of 5 Witnesses who woke up after our letter”

What were your family’s reactions to the letter?

Aaron: “Yana was very nervous that she would lose her mother, but something told me- intuition or God, that she would stay in Yana’s life no matter what. We read her the letter, and she took it pretty well. But after we posted it for all to see, brothers and sisters who hardly ever spoke to her suddenly started swarming, visiting, and calling her. That and the fakery she had always experienced in the congregation confirmed it. She sent a one-sentence letter disassociating herself as well.”

What about your mother?

Aaron: “Being a devout witness for 50 years, we have seen her a total of 4 times in 9.5 years. When we read her the letter, she responded, “Yeah, but Aaron, don’t leave!” Then she said, “Read me those reasons you mentioned again, I’m going to look them all up.” -Yet, we never discussed it again. When our son was born a month later in October, she never acknowledged or came to see us. A few months later, she called and said, “I want to see Colton when he’s old enough to remember me.” That was her saying, ‘I’m fine not seeing him now, but I want to be recognized as a grandma when I do break the rules’. Yana and I told her, ‘No way. If you can’t treat him and us with real love, he will NOT be taught that you are his grandma until he’s older, where he can grasp why his own grandma has been non-existent.’ You will be an acquaintance of his parents. We will not be breaking a toddler’s heart explaining why his grandma wants nothing to do with us.” The last time we saw her, we got on the topic about love, and I told her, “The Organization preaches that they are all about love, but they strip it away, making it WORSE than all false religion.”

Did any other family members or friends reach out or keep in contact?

“Initially, None at first.” Aaron’s older sister, a pioneer and elder’s wife, never spoke to him again. Neither did his oldest brother, until 9 years later. His middle brother and wife left the organization after Aaron and Yana, but they just recently started talking from time to time. Aaron: “A week before the shower, we broke the news to one friend, a sister, telling her we planned to post our letter after the shower, which she’d also be attending. She was shocked; we’d always been pillars in the congregation, and she loved us. She responded, “I’m still going to be in your lives no matter what.” We gently told her, “We get it and feel the love. But please don’t do that to yourself. You can’t live in both worlds—it’ll tear you apart.” She insisted, “No, it won’t, you’ll see. I’ll stay in your life.” I knew better and prepped Yana for what was coming. Sure enough, she held on as long as she could-until she couldn’t anymore, resulting in shunning us. That’s basically what we expected with everyone.

Since our post, we found out that 5 Jehovah’s Witnesses were disassociated or disfellowshipped soon after reading our post. One couple reached out and said our post deeply moved and catalyzed them. They fully accepted it was a cult, and they left the Organization shortly after us, too.“

“We have no regrets”

Was it more difficult to post this letter on Facebook, or to read your dissociation letter to your family members?

Aaron: “Neither, actually. In hindsight, I now know I had no problem telling anybody, because it was my real truth and it was prompted from the heart.”

Why do you feel posting your letter publicly was the best route?

Aaron: “We wanted EVERY friend and loved one to know firsthand exactly why we left, our true love for them, and that we held no animosity, which, if disfellowshipped, they would have either heard through rumors or assumed the worst. We wanted them to see firsthand that we were of sane mind, not demon possessed, and still had love, instead of a person who disassociates being depicted as demonic, insane, and misled for leaving Jehovah. Lastly, we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to see with their own eyes that this organization is a fraud without having to see anything “apostate.”

How is your family today? Do your kids know what you guys went through?

Aaron: “Our oldest is 9 and knows nothing about any of this. As far as they are concerned, we have always been free. They assume we are closer to Yana’s side of the family. We will explain everything as soon as he is mature enough to comprehend. But they do fully understand we are spiritual, not religious. Ironically, they see how some of their friends from devout Christian (i.e, Catholic) families seem enslaved and owned by customs, compulsion, and beliefs. Our oldest also knows the difference between spiritual and religious. The girls are 4 and 6, so they understand this too.”

Five years after leaving the Organization, Aaron wrote and released a book, ‘Unbounded, Journey to your Within’ about navigating a hi-fidelity journey to your “within” to identify and remove unconscious internal conflict, decode your most authentic expression and maximize your purpose and fulfillment across four significant areas of life: Self, Love and Relationships, Money and Work.

Aaron: “As empaths, over the last 10 years, we have deliberately dodged everything about the Organization, because we knew we would see and feel so much suffering and wanted to raise our vibration and grow. After leaving, we were free, at peace, and with no animosity whatsoever toward anyone (including family I lost or even the cult itself) – for we took nothing personal and understood. Nearly 10 years later, we find ourselves drawn to help anyone on their journey to THEIR truth. That is our goal now.”

Stories like these help others realize that there are ways to leave this organization. It’s the realization that no, you are not leaving to torture, humiliate, or hurt your loved ones. You are not being selfish for wanting to leave. You are your commander, and only you should be able to control your narrative. Aaron and Yanas’ story has touched more than just 5 Jehovah’s Witnesses, and it’s encouraging to see they took the steps needed to be at peace with their decision to go public—every step you make towards bettering yourself and growing counts. You are the process.