Affected person says: Leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses is “very difficult”

Two attempted bomb attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Styria within a few months (we have reported) have once again increased public interest in the religious community. Above all, the question about the perpetrator’s motive – the police are investigating at full speed – raises questions.

Lack of understanding leads to hostile attitudes
Although 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, for example with Jehovah’s Witnesses the issue of refusing blood transfusions. “You don’t understand that, which quickly leads to a hostile attitude,” explains Daniela Grabovac, head of the Styrian anti-discrimination office.

“Osjection just didn’t work for me”
The treatment of dropouts is also repeatedly criticized. Excluding those who have been excluded and those who have left voluntarily is a common practice – even within the family. Graz psychotherapist Heidi Wieser also knows this. The daughter of a Jehovah’s Witness, she left the community as a teenager and now also supports those who have left in her practice.

“This exclusion just didn’t suit me. For me, religion has to do with love and that just doesn’t go together,” Wieser explains her motives. “People often feel very bad after they leave, usually have no contact with family and friends and are often not even greeted anymore. “You have to be able to deal with that,” says the therapist. Furthermore, those who have quit do not know the ‘world outside’ very well and often become depressed or even have suicidal thoughts due to excessive demands.