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Samtidigt som Jehovas vittnen håller sitt internationella konvent i 3Arena i Stockholm kommer tidigare medlemmar att genomföra fredliga demonstrationer utanför arenan. På kvällen den 4 juli arrangeras även standupföreställningen Doomsday Comedy på Bacchi Syre i Gamla stan — en show där samtliga komiker är tidigare medlemmar av religiösa grupper och sekter.

Arrangörerna menar att medier som rapporterar om Jehovas vittnens konvent också bör belysa erfarenheterna från personer som lämnat organisationen.

Jehovas vittnen kommer att få stort medialt utrymme under konventet. Vi vill ge röst åt människor som har lämnat rörelsen och som ofta betalat ett högt personligt pris för att göra det, säger Jonas Skogstroll, initiativtagare till Doomsday Comedy.

Jonas Skogstroll växte upp i Malmköping i en familj där Jehovas vittnen funnits i fem generationer. Han beskriver hur han redan 2004 förlorade sin tro på organisationens lära men stannade kvar i många år eftersom ett utträde skulle innebära att han förlorade kontakten med familj och vänner. Efter att offentligt ha kritiserat organisationens ledning och dess hantering av övergreppsärenden uteslöts han 2018.

Sedan dess har han engagerat sig i frågor som rör barns rättigheter, religionsfrihet och stöd till personer som lämnar slutna religiösa miljöer.

Jag vill att människor inom Jehovas vittnen ska veta att det finns ett liv utanför organisationen. Många som kontaktar mig är unga människor som vill lämna men inte vet hur de ska börja ett nytt liv, säger Skogstroll.

Humor har blivit ett sätt att bearbeta svåra erfarenheter.

Tillsammans med den norska komikern Snorre Bue skapade Skogstroll konceptet Doomsday Comedy, där tidigare sektmedlemmar berättar om sina egna livsresor och erfarenheter av att lämna slutna religiösa miljöer.

Föreställningen har tidigare spelats i Norge, London och Nya Zeeland och är nu aktuell för Edinburgh Fringe.

I en recension från Nya Zeeland skrev Flat City Field Notes:

“The final performer is show deviser Jonas Skogstroll, who contrasts his past life as a Jehovah's Witness with his current life as a comedian and human rights activist. … He is delightful, basically a one-man Muppet Show … Skogstroll deconstructs his upbringing with great confidence.”

Cults are fascinating, terrifying - and also really REALLY entertaining! Join us in two special nights of stand up comedy on 9th & 16th of August in London's Southbank, where we put FUN back into FUNDAMENTALISM with a solid lineup of comedians unpacking their cult past.

Doomsday Comedy is the brainchild of Jonas Skogstroll, who went from being a religious fanatic to doing stand up comedy in gay clubs. Having discovered he is not the only comedian with highly entertaining material drawn from his own lived experience of growing up in a cult, he asked why not have a laugh about it together?

Doomsday Comedy shows are for everybody but especially for people who grew up in cults or are curious about what it's like to be in one. How people end up brainwashed and how they find their way out of it.

Growing up a Jehovah's Witness, Jonas was told everything outside of the organisation is evil and there is no happiness to be found there. He explains: “This was a way to keep those inside captive. So I wanted to show especially young Jehovah's Witnesses growing up that they have an option. That there is happiness to be found outside.”

“Also many that leave feel guilt and shame of having been Witnesses. And I think it's important while we move on, to meet up, even if just once a year, to celebrate the funny things - which there are many of! All humans have a need for nostalgia and community. There is no shame in having a Jehovah's Witness past because we have moved on. It's a good thing and it's healthy to laugh about it.”

Jonas concludes: “Life is short, let's enjoy it. Weird things happen, life is absurd for everyone but especially for those of us that grew up in a cult. Those who have had the strength to leave a cult, should celebrate it. Absurdity is the fuel of humour and laughter. And there are a lot of absurdities with religions like Jehovah's Witnesses. It's cathartic to take a humorous look at it together.”

The Lineup

The lineup consists mostly of ex-Jehovah's Witness and two ex-evangelical comedians from the UK and Norway:

• Sophie Sconcia, (UK) Winner of the audience vote for West End New Act of the Year 2025, Sophie is a natural storyteller. She welcomes the audience into her life with tales about her religious upbringing, her scandalous name and TikTokker kids.
• Spring Day, (US/UK) As seen on BBC's Live at the Apollo, Spring Day is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor in London. Spring's uniquely acerbic and sassy style of comedy is always a crowd pleaser, or shocker… She has written, produced, directed and performed seven solo shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has written for and appeared in many BBC productions, most recently BBC Radio Four's 13 Million Club in 2025.
• Sylas Shaw, (Romania/UK) is an actor, comedian, podcaster originally from Romania but now based in the UK. He has performed in 11 countries, and seen on screen in the UK, Europe and America. He's excited to be sharing both hilarious and heartfelt anecdotes of a childhood and teenage years spent within an offshoot of the cult known as Jehovah's Witnesses. The Transylvanian cult within the cult.
• Snorre Bue, (Norway) grew up as a Jehovah's Witness and now works in the ambulance service — two worlds full of doomsday warnings and dramatic exits. His comedy explores the dark and absurd corners of faith, mortality, and Norwegian emergency services.
• Buzzy Seager, (UK) has a unique mix of charm and witty, darker humour that is fun to experience. Buzzy was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, is a father, a divorcee, an LGBT ally and recently diagnosed neurodivergent; All of which are hilariously pulled apart on stage.
• Jill Paxton, (UK) raised an evangelical Christian, Jill was a very good girl. Now she's doing standup comedy of her life as a disappointing daughter, terrible mum and generally crap adult.
• Kat Molinari, (UK) was on the brink of being baptized until she turned to a brother and said 'Jehovah's Wetness lol'.

The Mission

Doomsday Comedy is about celebrating the joy and happiness for those that leave and sending a strong message to those growing up as Jehovah's Witnesses or in other high-control religious groups that there is life on the outside, so they can make an educated choice for themselves. Do they wish to stay members or not? To at least get the message across that there is life on the outside and apostates are capable of having fun. Most of all, this is a night filled with humour and laughter!

People can come expecting to be entertained, whether they have lived experience of being in a cult or not, or are simply curious. If you have never been in a cult such as Jehovah's Witnesses you will learn something. You will get much greater insight than you would from an online search or Wikipedia entry. If you are a former cult member, or have experienced church hurt, you can expect some kind of closure, making sense of the experience through humour. Feel part of a community with validation that leaving was the right thing. For anyone currently a Jehovah's Witness sneaking in, it shows that it is possible to leave and rebuild your life. That it's possible to find happiness, humour and life on the outside should you choose to leave.