‘Ali Millar is brutally frank about her life and experiences.’ Photo: Book cover of The Last Days, by Ali Millar
The Last Days, by Ali Millar
Author: Ali Millar. Review by Robert Ashton.
I’ve always found Jehovah’s Witnesses fascinating and, over the years, have come to know several reasonably well. But only one, Kevin our window cleaner, has ever been prepared to talk about faith. We’ve chatted about how he spends Saturdays knocking on doors, and how he remains cheerful, even after people have been rude or slammed their door in his face. But what happens at his Kingdom Hall has been a subject he’s always avoided sharing with me. So Ali Millar’s memoir, about growing up a Jehovah’s Witness and then leaving the movement, was a book I had to read.
Millar spares us none of the anguish and wild rebellious behaviour that I think was part of her struggle. She did not find it easy to break free from the closeted world Jehovah’s Witnesses create. It struck me that one of the reasons this faith group has been so successful is that, from birth, its members are indoctrinated with the view that they are a spiritual elite, chosen to survive the imminent Armageddon. The fear of an apocalyptic death is a strong incentive to toe the line. No wonder Jehovah’s Witnesses are an obedient bunch.
This powerful conditioning encourages submissive behaviour and a willingness to dedicate life to following Jehovah. But cultivating this mindset can also lead to disaster; I was reminded of the siege and massacre at Waco, where Davidians chose death over integration, or the way ordinary German people chose suicide over the uncertainty of life in a post-Nazi world.
Ali Millar is brutally frank about her life and experiences. She writes about sex and abortion, and the trauma of being interrogated by a group of elders who sat in her flat to judge her misdemeanours and decide if she should be banished. Wives are expected to obey their husbands, and it was at her husband’s suggestion that they confessed to elders that heavy petting had taken place before they were married. This she writes was because they sought absolution, but she suspected that the elders’ quizzing was as motivated by titillation as it was by truth seeking.
I could not help but make comparisons between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Quakers. Both are considered odd by many, with styles of worship that differ from mainstream Christian churches. Both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Quakers are encouraged to apply moral codes to their everyday lives. We have our testimonies, while Witnesses are expected to avoid ambition or promotion. They even have to report on their success at distributing copies of The Watchtower.
This is a fascinating book. I’ll be interested to ask Kevin if he has read it, or been warned to avoid it. His reaction will be almost as interesting as the book!
