Ten years before he was elected to Congress, Sam Carlin began questioning nearly everything he knew.
Britain’s youngest MP was raised among Jehovah’s Witnesses and as a child was a “regular participant” in what he now describes as a “highly controlling religious group”.
But at age 11, when he realized he was gay, his strict religious upbringing began to conflict with his inner identity.
Carlin, the Labor MP for north-west Cambridgeshire, was scathing of the group when speaking in the House of Commons last week because parliamentary privilege allows MPs to discuss issues without the risk of legal action.
He claims that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings often equate homosexuality with pedophilia.
He said there was a “culture of failure to report and condone child abuse” within the organization and that child abuse was covered up “at a catastrophic level”.
Carlin, 23, also claimed that Jehovah’s Witnesses are ordered to avoid family and friends deemed guilty of “serious crimes in the eyes of the religion.”
He called for the organization to be stripped of its charity status and to work to improve safeguards to prevent child sexual abuse.
A spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses told the BBC that “we completely disagree with all of Mr Carlin’s allegations” and called them “clearly false”.
“We are taught that we are God’s true people”
Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a Christian religious movement perhaps best known for their door-to-door evangelism.
The organization claims to have around 144,000 active members in the UK and around 9 million active members worldwide.
Carlin remembers growing up in the County Durham organization as “very difficult” and at times “very isolating”.
“You are taught from an early age that we are not of this world; we are God’s true people,” he told the BBC.
Unlike many other followers, Carlin was not homeschooled, but he explained that “we strongly encourage you not to have friends outside of your religion.”
As a young gay man, the experience was made even worse, he said.
Almost every week, he said, there is a “sermon about how evil homosexuals are.”
“Religious teachings often equate homosexuality with pedophilia – they are conflated,” he said.
“They treat them like dead people”
Carlin was not baptized, so when he left the religion entirely at age 13, he never suffered the “disfellowshipping” process he claims was common among members.
He told parliament: “When someone commits a serious crime in the eyes of the religion, their family and friends who are believers are ordered to completely cut themselves off from them and treat them like dead people.”
“I’m fine, but there are a lot of examples among Jehovah’s Witnesses of kids who grew up gay and then committed suicide,” he told the BBC.
Carlin said he maintains a good relationship with his family.
Jehovah’s Witnesses responded: “Former members are welcome to attend our religious services at any time; they will receive a warm welcome.
“Family relationships and natural affection continue at home.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses Call Carlin’s Allegation ‘Blatantly False’ [Paul Kerley/BBC]
Speaking in parliament, Carlin said there was a “culture of non-reporting and condoning child abuse” within the Jehovah’s Witness community and that abusers “remain at large”.
He argued that the organization systematically failed to report child sexual abuse due to a “strong culture of distrust of secular authorities”.
“There is good evidence that religious leaders often prevent victims or their parents from reporting abuse to the police because it would bring dishonor to God’s name,” he claimed.
Pressed by the BBC, Carlin pointed to a study commissioned by the Australian government that found that Jehovah’s Witnesses did not report 1,000 alleged abusers.
“This was not an accident; this was a catastrophic, systemic cover-up,” Carlin told parliament.
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For more information about child sexual abuse and help and support for sexual abuse or violence, visit UK: BBC Action Line.
He told the BBC he did not have data for the UK because detailed studies had not yet been carried out.
When asked if he personally knew anyone who had been sexually abused in the organization, he said he did know someone but would not reveal details to protect their anonymity.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses abhor child sexual abuse, maintain clear, globally applicable protection policies, and teach that anyone with knowledge of abuse can report it to the authorities,” the organization said.
Carlin gave his first speech in the House of Commons in July 2024, where he spoke out against Jehovah’s Witnesses [House of Commons]
Carlin is campaigning for mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse, a key recommendation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which is due to report in 2022.
But he said the government’s Crime and Policing Bill risked “watering down” the proposals.
He told the BBC: “There will be [in the bill] There are professional sanctions for people regulated by the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), but this is not the case with some religious organizations. “
For volunteer elders and missionaries of Jehovah’s Witnesses, “there are essentially no sanctions for non-compliance with reporting obligations,” he said.
Jehovah’s Witnesses dispute such accusations, saying “our elders comply with all legal reporting requirements and cooperate fully with law enforcement.”
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to be published in 2022 [PA Media]
But according to Carlin, would legal obligations really have an impact on an organization that ignores secular laws?
“I would think so because it means they have a personal stake in it,” he said, adding that “if you don’t comply with this obligation, there will be severe sanctions.”
A Home Office spokesman told the BBC: “We are committed to tackling the horrors of child sexual abuse and delivering justice for victims and survivors.
“The reporting obligations in the Bill already have very serious consequences for failure to report, including being banned from working with children.”
Carlin calls for changes to charity law [Sam Carling]
Carlin also wants charity laws changed to exclude groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“There are a lot of small religious organizations in this country who preach abhorrent things but are still able to register as charities, which means they can get all kinds of tax exemptions,” he said.
Carlin said an organization should only gain charity status if it “really does good work”.
A spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses responded: “Our charity meets the legal requirements for charitable status while carrying out recognized religious and charitable activities in the public interest.”
“Possessed by Satan”
Carlin, who was elected in a landslide by Labor in 2024, is keen to use his platform to speak out for other former Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“There are a lot of people who are leaving the religion who share my concerns,” he said.
“But people within the religion seldom find them because they are told that people who leave are essentially possessed by Satan or mentally ill.”
Andrew Basu, director of global communications for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said in a statement to BBC News: “We are confident that those who know us well – our friends, neighbours, colleagues and local partners – will recognize that these accusations are baseless and completely inconsistent with our actions and beliefs.
“Our beliefs are well known and anyone can consult them on our official website in more than 1,000 languages.”
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