Ida Halonen The bomb left the Jehovah’s Witnesses – make Tiktoks

In November 2023, Ida Halonen Bomban posted her first clip on Tiktok where she opened up about her experiences of being a child in Jehovah’s Witnesses. Today, her clips have reached an audience of millions.

– It has been a shame and it has been quite tough, says Ida Halonen Bomban in Efter fem.

It took twelve years before Ida opened up about her story to her friends and on social media.

“I felt very bad”

The Jehovah’s Witnesses movement has long been regarded by many as a sect, but since 2019 it has been recognized in Sweden as a religious community.

Growing up, Ida Halonen Bombans lived with her father in Northern Norway. The father was and is a strict believer and thus Ida was brought up in the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

– The only thing I wanted was to have a normal upbringing, she says.

The religious life that Ida lived as a Jehovah’s Witness had limitations. Partly, she was guided as to how she should look and dress, but also what music she was allowed to listen to and what she was allowed to watch on television.

– I remember that as an eight-year-old I was at school and started to feel that thoughts were rushing through my head. I simply felt panic. I didn’t really understand at the time what it was, but later I understood that it was then that I started having panic attacks.

Knocked on strangers’ doors

Jehovah’s Witnesses are often associated with door-knocking, where Witnesses inform about the organization’s beliefs by handing out pamphlets and the “Watchtower” magazine. As a child, Ida Halonen Bomban had to go and knock on strangers’ doors.

– You never knew who you would meet. It was very unpleasant to have to do it as a child, says Ida.

At the age of 15, she moved away from her father and thus left the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It was a decision that developed over a long period – and had its consequences.

– I lost contact with my father completely for two years. Friends and family didn’t want to talk to me at all. They completely rejected me. It was absolutely terrible.

Positive response

After she came out with her personal story on social media, the reactions have been many. Several have reported similar experiences.

Today, Ida lives with her husband and 2.5-year-old daughter. Having a family of her own has helped her move on from the life she lived as a child.

– It’s healing in some way, that I can still give her what I didn’t have myself.