Mary Aguilar Shares Her Story

Mary Aguilar Shares Her Story

By Mary Aguilar


My name is Mary Aguilar. I was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the early 70’s and 80’s and a victim of domestic violence. My husband was a Witness too, and still is. I spoke to elders several times about his violent behavior. Their excuse was that I wasn’t doing enough. I wasn’t a good wife. I didn’t pray enough. I wondered how they knew how much I prayed. After several attempts to talk to the elders, nothing was done and I had nowhere to turn.

The abuse and beatings from him were so bad that once my face was unrecognizable, and he turned my children against me. I remember one time he took me to San Diego, about 60 miles away, and he threw me out of the car and left me there for an hour with no money, nothing. I was petrified. So much for Christian brotherly love!

He was always saying I had a problem with headship and the brothers would go along with what he was telling them, placing all the blame on me. I tried repeatedly to please Jehovah, but the more I did the worse my husband became.

He turned my children against me telling them that I was a bad mother because I was disfellowshipped and I didn’t love Jehovah. I was in a helpless position. Before leaving for field service, he would beat me. I could never please him or the organization. I almost lost my little baby boy who ran into the street. When I screamed, he said, “Daddy told me, I don’t have to listen to you.” It was as if I was being tortured by my own family.

I felt as if the entire world didn’t understand. I couldn’t go to my family in NY as they weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses, so I didn’t want to disgrace Jehovah’s organization. My ex-husband told me that he wanted me to get a job, so I found a job in a French restaurant as a hostess. While working, I spilled a drink on myself. When I returned home, he accused me of letting someone kiss me. He beat me so bad with belts, and I thought to myself, “This is one of Jehovah Witnesses? Something is wrong here.” I couldn’t understand how a loving organization could put up with this evil person. I was disfellowshipped for smoking, but wife-beating and turning children against their parent was tolerated. I could never do enough and I felt like I was a whipping post for everyone.

The brothers were so self-absorbed that they failed to notice that I was being abused; nor did they care. We moved to another part of town, and this was good for him because no one knew him there, and the beatings would be more and more frequent. I was so exhausted from fighting and trying to please Jehovah, who was never pleased. I thought to myself, “What if I died one day in the course of these beatings, are they going to say, ‘She told me so?’” I would never want that responsibility for someone’s life.

All that I cared about was the Watchtower Society and how to please the leaders and getting people into the organization. I realize now that it is a publishing company with a lot of rules which actually stole my life.

One of my neighbors heard my screams when my husband was beating me, and told me later that I was a battered woman and needed to call a phone number she gave me. I hesitated to call but finally did, and to my surprise the counselor said to me, “When you come here you will think you are married to all these husbands.” I thought to myself, “No, my husband is a Jehovah Witness.” But when I went to the shelter, I saw there was no difference.

I was reinstated at the time when I decided that I needed to go for help. So I told the brothers that I wanted to go to a shelter for battered women and said that they could help me by advising me on what to do. I needed help, emotionally and financially! I was told, “You can’t go to the world for help.” I asked, “Are you going to feed, clothe and shelter me?” So I left everything behind, and with my children, we went to live in the shelter where we were cared for. The brothers didn’t help us at all. They still didn’t disfellowship my husband even knowing the truth about him. You just don’t go to a shelter for no reason.

When I came out of the shelter and during the time I was trying to put my life together, my husband kidnapped my children and hid them at different Witness homes; even a local elder hid my children. I didn’t drive, so I took buses, going from town to town to find them. I finally told the police and they found and returned them.

One of the so-called sisters, the one my husband eventually married, hid my children in Jehovah’s Paradise! When I got my children back, I moved to a new place. I had someone stay with me at night because I was scared of living by myself. The next morning, the brothers called and told me that they wanted to talk to me. I said okay. They came over and told me they saw a car in front of my house. I said that I was scared, and for protection, a man stayed with me. I told them that we did not sleep together. They told me I was going to be disfellowshipped. I said, “Just because the car was there?” They said, “Yes.” I asked them, “If I was in a room full of cigarettes and the cigarette smell was all over my clothes and I told you I wasn’t smoking, you would believe that I was? Things are not as they seem.” So I was disfellowshipped. And soon my husband divorced me.

Interestingly, the woman my husband married was terrible to my children, but, yet, considered by the Witnesses to be a loving sister. I couldn’t understand how these two people could get away with the things they were doing. They were seeing each other before the divorce, and then he set me up so he could be free to marry her. When I wrote Brooklyn (Watchtower headquarters) a letter, and notified them what had taken place and had a talk with the elders at the local congregation, nobody offered any empathy, nor did they ever apologize for hurting me so badly.

I would not be able to sleep at night if I knew I had done these terrible things to a woman and then taking her children from her. My baby was only 2 years old! My heart was broken and that terrified me. I had to go through life being disfellowshipped, wearing a label that I didn’t create, and being cast aside like a piece of dirt, but I am back now and I want others to know, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

We don’t have to suffer in silence anymore. I don’t care now and I won’t be what others want me to be because I am me; either accept me for who I am or don’t, but I will not change! I love life, and as long as I am alive, I will speak out for others in distress. I want to thank everyone who gave me a voice and also God for not allowing me to lose my mind over all the stress and heartbreak I’ve had to endure.

If anyone needs to speak out, I WILL LISTEN!

Mary Aguilar


David

David

I was a JW since birth (baptized when i was 15, dissociated myself when I was almost 19). I am now 37 year of age and my parents have shunned me and have not spoken to me for many years.

However, they have a good standing relationship with my stepsister who was turned down for baptism by the elders when she was 14. Since then, she has not re-applied nor has she returned to the organisation. She also ran away from home when she was 16 to seek refuge with her non-jw family in the UK.
I know for fact through other sources that my parents come regularly in the UK to visit my stepsister but refuse to see me because in their eyes “I am dead”.

My father is an elder (i learned about this through a local newspaper on the net in France as I now reside in the UK) and NOT ONLY does he comply with the family shunning directive and policy but he is also selfishly motivated to do so given his position as an elder. This is clearly stated in the elders secret book Shepherd the flock.

My father re-married when I was about 2 and had me in custody as he believed that if I lived with my mother, I would have an unhappy life and she was not worthy as she had left the WBTS one of the reasons why they divorced. My mother’ s mother taught my father in the truth but she also left just after 1975 went by. Both my father and stepmother always discouraged to see her because she was labelled “worldly” and would have been a bad influence to my well-being. in fact, when I was 5, we moved to Mauritius as there was a need for JWs and that is when I lost all touch with my mother. As a result, I grew up as a JW but without a mother for almost 19 years until I left. Why did I leave?

When I was 17 or 18 I was assigned to the sound for Recording public talk at the Kingdom Hall, I gave talks when I was 8 until I left, pioneered several times, spoke at conventions… I strived to be a good witness and wanted to end up at HQ because preaching was hard. I was even challenged by an elder when I was pioneering about my hours and whether they were made up. That is when my doubts started. Then when I was often sitting at the back of the call to do the sounds, I started to take a step back as to what I was hearing, a smug repetition of words that we’re no longer reaching my heart and my mind. I picked up on many contradictions, paradoxes but I could not put into adequate and objective words. In the end I was no longer listening to what was being said at the KH meetings as I knew deep in my heart that it was not the truth but like brother Ray Franz but “traditions of men”. (Watchtower did not reach my heart as it was common to say with the JW). Had I read the writings of Ray Franz, Peter Gregerson, Don Cameron or Barbara Henderson I WOULD NEVER HAD GOT BAPTISED. Obsiously I couldn’t as their writtings were released after i had left the organisation in 1996.

In the meantime, I have lost my childhood, I did not have the chance to get to know my mother during all my youth since I was 2, I have and am still going through therapy to re-construct myself hoping one day, my parents will wake up to this JW scam or at the least try to be more human towards me.
Please view my latest conversation with one of the elder from bethel UK regarding shunning and hois reaction when quized about the Finished Mystery and false prophecies.

Rosy Di Stefano

Rosy Di Stefano

Dear Mary, I had the chance to briefly talk to you when you were in contact with my husband Roberto. I just read your sad story, and I’m so disturbed by what happened to you: a sadistic husband, elders who really do not care of the sheep, those who need particular care… I’ve heard so many times of elders who do not move their finger to help sisters in the same sad situation… it is a shame, these men should represent God??? No way!
Anyway, I’m enjoying the happy end for your life, happy that you could have your children back, and that you left this organization which is so far from christian love.
Accept my solidarity, with christian love

Rosy,

Rosy Di Stefano

Rosy Di Stefano

Dear David,

I’m so sad about your experience and life. Also sorry that you lost the better years of youth without your mother, I’m a mother and can’t believe she accepted the situation your father imposed.
So sad, you have to live your present life without the affection and support of your family… things like these are not from a group of persons who love God, they love only a human organization which acts rather as inspirated by the Devil!
Fortunately you ‘woke up’ about this organization, early in your life so you still have time to build your adult life as a free person.
I wish you much strenght, be courageous, the future is in your hands, you will achieve what you hope.
With real christian love,

Rosy

Sharon Christensen

Sharon Christensen

Dear Mary…your story and mine…sooo simular…only I never had childern. Ended up in a womans shelter…going to the world for help was the best thing tht I did…against the orders of the Elders. Eventually, all in my life…I had to leave behind…since all was connected to the Wts…soon as I left…there was the elder meetings…no matter where I went, they insisted I go to mtngs and service…the bros told my ex where I was…on and on…they turned on me for going to the world…my husband they…put on high…sadly another sister married him and suffered for it…bonus, she did not stay as many yrs as I. But since… I have a good husband…good daughter…good cat! ;). No matter where I was…what I went thru…I always felt someone was looking out for me…Never was it the GB of Jw.org. or any of their Ogre helpers! ;)). But life is way better after…leaving this horrible religion which is just as abusive and controlling as the ones in their midst…another “best thing” I did! All the best Mary…and all who have suffered within the chainz of…JW.ORG…and survived alive and broke free. Love to all. :)))

Sharon Christensen

Sharon Christensen

Also to David..You are free…enjoy and move on…be a survivor…It hurts to be shunned…But you have ones like us with similar experiences who feel for you and believe it or not…though we have perhaps never met…can say we care…such ones…are in our thoughts…may some day…all who have been affected by such a horrible religion feel peace and happiness…One can never get back lost life of childhood etc…but hopefully in time…some healing can take place for all of us who have hurt…Love to all..

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