– I tell my story to be able to help others to understand better, says Julio Alejandro Benavides. The 26-year-old says that he was ostracized from the religious community Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2021. At that time, he had wanted to break away for several years, but he stayed for fear of losing his friends. – That time period was pure hell. I had voices in my head saying that I was not worthy, that the religious community hated me and that no one wanted to have contact with me. He chose to start studies and got a girlfriend while he was a member. It was met with a lot of resistance. Benavides became deeply depressed and began to doubt the religious community. He describes how it ended with ostracism and exclusion. He now works as a volunteer at Hjelpkilden. It is the only organization in Norway that provides assistance to people with a background from closed or strict, religious environments. Young people make contact via snapchat Benavides himself contacted Hjelpkilden when he needed someone outside to talk to. Now he is one of the volunteers who manages the organization’s Snapchat account. The aim is to reach vulnerable young people. – It is wonderful to help people. It is time for the Norwegian state to hear stories from former members of various unhealthy religious communities. It is also time for those who doubt to take a stand themselves, says Benavides. Managing director Hilde Langvann at Hjelpkilden Norge says that they have been contacted by several people who have considered ending everything. Hilde Langvann is the general manager of Hjelpkilden. She is concerned about the increased pressure they are experiencing from people who want to break away from different religious communities. Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen / news – There have been 13-year-olds who make contact and say that they don’t want to live anymore. In some cases, we have found it necessary to contact the police, says Langvann. There are no statistics on how many people break with strict, religious environments every year. The help source has users with backgrounds from around 26 small and large environments. – We receive around 300 inquiries a year from people in bankruptcy proceedings, which we believe is only the tip of the iceberg. The threshold to seek us out can be high. After Hjelpkilden adopted Snapchat, the number has increased further. Need someone to talk to? If you need to talk to someone, you can contact these: Mental Health Helpline: Call 116 123 or write to sidetmedord.no. Kirkens SOS: Kirkens SOS is the country’s largest 24-hour crisis service on the phone and internet. Call 22 40 00 40 or chat with someone on the website. The VO line: A helpline for those who experience violence or abuse in close relationships. Call 116 006 or chat with someone on the website. The helpline for sexually abused people: 800 57 000 Cross on the neck is the Red Cross’s service for you under the age of 18. Telephone: 800 333 21. Write or chat on the website. The alarm phone for children and young people: A free phone for children and young people who are exposed to violence, abuse and neglect. Telephone 116 111. Acute risk of suicide? Call 113 when it is urgent and your life is at stake. Call the emergency room on tel. 116117 for emergency assistance. You can also talk to your GP. Jehovah’s Witnesses: – Not automatically excluded Jehovah’s Witnesses do not agree with Julio Alejandro Benavide’s descriptions of the religious community. – Someone who commits a serious sin is not automatically excluded. But if a baptized Jehovah’s Witness makes a habit of breaking the Bible’s moral standards and does not repent, he or she is excluded, says spokesman Fabian Fond to news. The meeting house of Jehovah’s Witnesses is called the Kingdom Hall. In Norway, the religious community has more than 12,000 members. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB Jehovah’s Witnesses were denied state funding in 2021. The state administrator in Oslo and Viken justified it with the religious community’s practice of exclusion. Just before Christmas, the religious community took legal action against the state following the decision. – When it comes to the discriminatory decision of the State Administrator, we look forward to defending our lawful religious practice in court, says Fond. Can have major consequences Hjelpkilden has operated for ten years without public operating support. With the help of project funds, they have managed to finance the aid offer. But now they risk having to shut down operations in October due to a lack of support. Author and journalist Aslaug Olette Klausen has worked with culture and outlook on life for a number of years. She believes that it is a demanding process to break away from a religious community, regardless of whether it is a closed environment or an open congregation. – A faith settlement can generally be compared to a divorce. Several may choose to remain in the congregation after leaving the faith, in order to maintain relationships with family and friends, she explains. – Hjelpekilden’s expertise in both these and breakaway challenges is invaluable, says Klausen. Hilde Langvann works three days a week for Hjelpkilden. From this office in Moss, she is contacted up to several times a day by people who want to break away from various religious communities and who struggle psychologically. Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen / news The aid source fears separatists will be left without an offer of help. – It can have consequences for lives. We have been working to get public support for several years, so I think it is hair-raising that we have not received it when almost all the parties have supported it, says Langvann. Will consider further work The Conservative Party, the Progressive Party and the Liberal Party spoke positively of Hjelpkilden getting operating support in last year’s budget. But it is up to the Ministry of Children and Families to allocate money. The ministry writes in an e-mail to news that they are considering further work on the issue that Hjelpekilden is concerned with. Photo: Silje Rognsvåg / news – Hjelpkilden is a very important initiative that we see has helped many. If that offer now disappears, it will be a great loss for all those who need the help Hjelpkilden offers, says head of the family and culture committee in the Storting, Grunde Almeland (V). The Conservative Party believes that the Storting and the government must simplify application systems in order to more easily give money to voluntary organisations. Hi! Do you have opinions on the matter, or know of something else I should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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Increased number of people breaking away from religious communities – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
