“From an early age I accepted that I was garbage. I was not going to survive Armageddon. I knew I wasn’t going to make it. I knew I wasn’t good enough. I knew I was letting Jehovah down.”
How does someone get to this place so young? Ramo was baptized at just 8 years old into a cult that denies one the ability to be themselves, that forces children into a mold whether it fits or not, and that lets them know from early on how defective they are. The only cure is to serve Jehovah by following whatever the cult says.
“The crazier you sound, the better a witness you are.” Ramo learned over time how to work the system to survive mentally and emotionally in a dysfunctional environment in both his family and the cult. Eventually he found his way to freedom and now he tells his story to help others see the realities found inside the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The song that Ramo chose to represent his journey is The Rapture by Senses Fail.
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This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.
Follow my new podcast called LouisvilleOne at LouisvilleOne.org or look it up on a podcast app. You can watch the live videos on the YouTube channel HERE.
Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.
Hey Ramo I just listened to your story and I just gotta say wow ……It really touched me and I really connected with it.I was just curious if you are still in the Kewanee area….I live around the Bloomington/Normal area….would love to get together and burn one with ya.lol
Hey man thanks for the comment! I’m no longer in the area but I’m with you in spirit bro, everytime you spark up.
Thanks for sharing our story, baby brother. Very brave of you. The battles we fought are what made us the amazing & LOVING siblings we are today. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you and all that your are accomplishing. Hope to see you soon. Living, laughing & loving are so easy once you understand their TRUE meaning. These invaluable virtues are also FREE. LOL! I love you, Ramo!🥰😙😍 Love, LaLa
Ramo… man… where do I begin? I listen to the Shunned Podcast often and your experience has really been one of the most engaging for me. I walked away from the org a year and a half ago after 16 years in. Yes, I’m one of the rare few that joined as a young adult. I’m also fading and will never give them the satisfaction of writing a disassociation letter. I didn’t have a JW upbringing (thankfully) so I have no family members that would shun me and I wasn’t really close friends with too many JW’s so the shunning will not really affect me too much. I feel like I have it easy in that department- it just took a heavy mental toll on me. I just turned 40 last month and while I feel like I can breathe now, I have this animosity toward myself for not waking up sooner. It’ll take time, I guess, for me to completely forgive myself but your experience has been so uplifting for me. I mean, I’m really sorry you went through all that you did, but you really came out on top! Keep living your best life and know that you’re out here helping so many of us by sharing your story.
It sucks you can relate to any of this but I’m so happy you have a positive perspective on your own path. Thank you for taking time to say something kind. Love ya!
You’ve helped me see that even though I did not grow up in the JW cult, I did grow up in a cult. I have been stuck for a long time and you telling your story gave me hope and a new way of seeing.
After everything is said and done, for me it comes down to perspective and That’s why I shared my story with Mike’s help. Your words are why I told my story eventhough I was so scared. Thank you for your comment and I hope nothing but peace for you in the future.
Just listened to your story and I relate so much! this week will be exactly one month since my DF announcement and it’s the happiest I’ve ever been. But I’m also sadder that I’ve lost my parents and my cousins, I grew up alone too, as an only child but I’m so lucky that my dad did teach me to be financially independent and my elder dad did encourage me to go to college… so I feel so lucky but I’m happy to finally be what I want. I still struggle with the doubt if Armageddon is coming or not or if I will ever have that affection from my family again, I believe in God, I think I do, and I still struggle with “the truth”
Hi Alejandra, Mike here, the host of the podcast. 🙂
First, welcome to freedom, but freedom often comes at a price. It’s never free. I’m sorry that you’re facing shunning like so many others. You may find my site exjwhelp.com helpful as I have some videos there on subjects that people often ask. There’s also a downloadable roadmap of the grieving process that you may find gives you some peace. If you would ever like to work through some of the feelings you have, some of the doctrines that keep you stuck, or anything else, feel free to reach out to me through this website, the exjwhelp.com site, or my coaching website at storyworkscoaching.com . I’m a coaching professional that works with many to help them find their way beyond the life they were given as JWs. I help people find peace and find themselves, and I want that for you to no matter where you find it.
Take care of yourself. You have been through a lot and you deserve better things in life.
Hi Ramo.
Shunned podcast is great healing for me. Just wanted to let you know that this was the most genuine, heartfelt one yet. I laughed and cried throughout. Thank you for sharing your story. Best wishes always.
Rachel
Thanks so much for telling your story. I could really relate. You also just seem like a cool guy!.
Hey Ramo! I just want you to know how proud of you I am and how much I love you always, Tio. I love u.