Maria is a young woman raised as a Jehovah's Witness in South Africa whose experiences of gender victimisation, sexual abuse and cover-ups within the church, as well as her eventual escape from its doctrines and control, are chronicled here. However, Maria's freedom came at a price - she can never see her mother and sister again.
A worldwide, Christian-based religious group that professes an unparalleled dedication to Jehovah (God), the Jehovah's Witnesses have a strong sense of community and appear to embrace a disciplined yet loving way of life with the promise of eternal salvation for those who follow the way of Jehovah. It is a seemingly benign religious movement, claiming to be politically neutral, racially and ethnically transcendent, with a membership of eight million people worldwide.
Yet, at its core, many former Witnesses claim that it is a fear-based doomsday cult that considers itself above all other belief systems. Allegations of homophobia, money laundering, brainwashing and accusations of sexual abuse abound. It seems that membership is managed and retained mostly by way of information control and manipulation, extending to the shunning of higher education and preaching their own version of the Bible.
Entering the church is easy, but leaving it can be a matter of life or death, as Maria and other former Witnesses discovered ...