Affected person tells

Leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses is “very difficult”

Heidi Wieser was once a Jehovah's Witness herself, but left as a teenager. Today, she provides therapeutic support for those who leave.

(Bild: zVg, Christian Jauschowetz, Krone KREATIV)

The attempted bomb attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses in Styria have brought the rituals of the faithful back into the public eye. A former "Witness" on the ostracism of dropouts.

Two attempted bomb attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses in Styria within a few months (we reported) have also brought the religious community back into the public eye. Above all, the question of the perpetrator's motive - the police are investigating at full speed - raises questions.

Lack of understanding leads to hostile attitudes
Even though Jehovah's Witnesses have been a legally recognized religious community since 2009, they remain controversial in the public eye. "There are always certain connotations with religious communities that cause a stir, with Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, the issue of refusing blood transfusions. People don't understand that, which quickly leads to a hostile attitude," explains Daniela Grabovac, Head of the Styrian Anti-Discrimination Office.

"Ostracism just didn't work for me"
The treatment of dropouts is also repeatedly criticized. Ostracizing those who have been excluded and voluntarily left is common practice - even within the family. Heidi Wieser, a psychotherapist from Graz, is also familiar with this. As the daughter of a Jehovah's Witness, she left the community herself as a teenager and now also accompanies dropouts in her practice.

After leaving, people are often in a very bad way, they have usually lost contact with family and friends and are often not even greeted. You have to be able to cope with that.

Psychotherapeutin Heidi Wieser

"This ostracism just didn't work for me. For me, religion has to do with love and that just doesn't go together," says Wieser, explaining her motives. "After leaving, people are often in a very bad way, they have usually lost contact with family and friends, often you don't even get greeted anymore. You have to be able to cope with that," says the therapist. What's more, dropouts don't know "the world out there" that well and often become depressed or even have suicidal thoughts due to excessive demands.