Cynthia Cooper grew up a Jehovah's Witness, but experiences an encounter with Jesus Christ. As a result, her family disowns her, leaving her desperate for a manifestation of God's love.
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I REMEMBER BEING FIVE AND
GETTING MY FIRST CHRISTMAS
GIFT FROM SCHOOL.
Reporter: CYNTHIA
COOPER'S FATHER DIDN'T ALLOW
GIFTS OR CELEBRATIONS.
WHEN HE GOT HOME, HE
IMMEDIATELY THREW IT IN THE
TRASH.
I REMEMBER BEING CRUSHED
BECAUSE I DIDN'T
UNDERSTAND.
Reporter: CYNTHIA
COOPER'S FATHER AND MOTHER
WERE JEHOVAH WITNESSES.
HER FATHER WAS AN ELDER OF
THE FAITH AND STRICTLY
ENFORCED ALL OF THE RULES OF
THE RELIGION.
NO CELEBRATION OF
HOLIDAYS, BIRTHDAYS,
CHRISTMAS.
JESUS CHRIST WAS SIMPLY A
PROPHET WHO CAME TO THE
EARTH.
THEY DON'T BELIEVE THAT GOD
IS ABLE TO TALK TO YOU.
Reporter: AS A CHILD,
CYNTHIA WAS INDEPENDENT AND
CURIOUS.
SHE STRUGGLED TO UNDERSTAND
HER FATHER'S RELIGION.
I WOULD ASK HIM
QUESTIONS, AND A LOT OF THE
QUESTIONS HE WOULDN'T
ANSWER, OR HE WOULD GET
FRUSTRATED WITH ME.
PRETTY MUCH HIS RESPONSE
WAS, BECAUSE I SAID SO.
I FELT VERY LEFT OUT AT
SCHOOL.
I FELT VERY ISOLATED.
THERE WAS REALLY NO OUTSIDE
INFLUENCE OR OPPORTUNITY TO
BE SOCIAL OUTSIDE THE
MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.
Reporter: CYNTHIA
CARRIED HER LONELINESS,
DOUBT, AND QUESTIONS INTO
HER TEENS.
SHE DREADED THE EXHAUSTING
WORK REQUIRED BY THE
RELIGION.
THE JEHOVAH WITNESSES
BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN GET
YOUR SALVATION THROUGH
WORK.
AND SO THE MORE HOURS YOU
HAVE IN FIELD SERVICE, THE
MORE DOORS YOU KNOCK ON, THE
MORE VALUABLE YOU ARE TO THE
KINGDOM HOME.
THE OLDER I GOT, I WOULD
PLAY SICK EVERY SATURDAY.
I'M NOT GOING OUT IN FIELD
SERVICE.
JUST ANY LITTLE WAY THAT I
COULD AVOID, YOU KNOW, DOING
THE WORKS OF THE KINGDOM.
Reporter: THE MORE WORK
HER PARENTS DID FOR KINGDOM
HALL, THE MORE CYNTHIA
REBELLED.
I PUSHED THE ENVELOPE
MORE.
I WENT OUT AND I DID
WHATEVER I THOUGHT IT WAS
BIG AND BAD ENOUGH TO DO.
SNEAKING OUT WITH MY
BOYFRIEND, GOING PLACES I
HAD NO PERMISSION.
Reporter: WHEN CYNTHIA
WAS 13, HER OLDER SISTER
MARRIED A MAN WHO WAS NOT A
JEHOVAH WITNESS.
HER SISTER'S ACTIONS AND HER
PARENTS REACTIONS FINALLY
BROUGHT CYNTHIA TO A
BREAKING POINT WITH THE
RELIGION.
MY PARENTS HAD LITERALLY
THROWN ALL OF MY SISTER'S
CLOTHES OUT ON THE FRONT
LAWN BECAUSE SHE HAD GOTTEN
MARRIED.
I BEGAN TO THINK, THIS IS
YOUR CHILD.
HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU LOVE
YOUR CHILD AND YOU LOVE GOD,
BUT YOU'RE TREATING YOUR
CHILD THIS WAY.
I JUST BEGAN TO QUESTION.
IT WAS SOMETHING INSIDE OF
ME THAT SAID THIS IS NOT THE
LOVE OF GOD.
SO I BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR
GOD.
Reporter: CYNTHIA
SECRETLY PRAYED FOR GOD AND
ASKED HIM TO REVEAL
HIMSELF.
SO TALKING TO TIME FOR
THE FIRST TIME IT WAS
FOREIGN.
THE JEHOVAH WITNESSES HAD
TAUGHT ME THAT GOD DOESN'T
SPEAK TO PEOPLE.
HERE I AM TALKING TO THIS
GOD WHO CAN'T HEAR ME -- I
DON'T KNOW IF HE CAN HEAR
ME.
Reporter: THEN IN HER
JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL
HAD, SHE EXPERIENCED
SOMETHING SHE WAS TAUGHT
COULD NEVER HAPPEN.
SHE BELIEVED SHE HEARD THE
VOICE OF GOD.
I ACTUALLY HAD A PINCHED
NERVE.
AT THE TIME, NO ONE KNEW
WHAT IT WAS.
I SAID, LORD, IF YOU HEAL
ME, I'LL SERVE YOU.
I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, I
DON'T KNOW HOW TO SERVE YOU,
BUT IF YOU HEAL ME, I WILL.
I HEARD THE HOLY SPIRIT SAY
OKAY.
AND SO I TURNED MY NECK, AND
SOMETHING SNAPPED IN THE
SIDE OF MY NECK.
AND IMMEDIATELY I WAS
HEALED.
AND I KNEW IT WAS HIM.
AND THEN IMMEDIATELY THE
PEACE THAT I FELT ONCE THAT
CAME OVER ME -- IT WAS
AWESOME.
Reporter: CYNTHIA KEPT
HER PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
WITH GOD A SECRET UNTIL SHE
MOVED OUT OF HER PARENTS'
HOME.
SHE KNEW THERE WOULD BE
GRAVE CONSEQUENCES.
WHEN SHE WAS 19 AND LIVING
INDEPENDENTLY, SHE DENOUNCED
THE JEHOVAH WITNESS
RELIGION.
I WROTE A LETTER TO ONE
OF THE ELDERS OF THE
CONGREGATION, AND I TOLD
THEM I NO LONGER WISH TO BE
A WITNESS.
I HEARD LATER ON THAT THEY
PUBLICLY DISOWNED ME AT THE
SERVICE.
Reporter: SO DID
CYNTHIA'S PARENTS.
WHEN MY PARENTS DISOWNED
ME IT WAS DEVASTATING.
I REMEMBER MY DAD CALLING ME
AND TELLING ME I WAS NOT
WELCOME.
IT CRUSHED ME.
THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENT
EMOTIONS.
BUT ONE THING I KEPT IN THE
BACK OF MY MIND IS THAT I
HAD HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD.
SO IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, I
KNEW HE TALKED TO ME WHEN HE
HEALED ME.
SO THAT'S WHAT KEPT ME
GOING.
Reporter: A COUPLE OF
MONTHS LATER, CYNTHIA MET A
PASTOR AT A LOCAL GYM, AND
HE INVITED HER TO CHURCH.
BECAUSE OF HIS INVITATION,
SHE ATTENDED A CHRISTIAN
CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
HER LIFE.
AT FIRST SHE WAS AFRAID.
I HAD BEEN TAUGHT THAT
ALL OTHER CHURCHES WERE TIED
UP WITH SATAN, THE DEVIL.
AND TO GO IN AND EMBRACE
THAT WOULD BE BASICALLY
WORSHIPPING THE DEVIL.
BUT THERE WAS SUCH A PEACE
THAT CAME OVER ME THAT I
KNEW IT WAS GOD AND I KNEW
IT WAS HIM LEADING.
Reporter: THAT DAY
CYNTHIA LEARNED ABOUT JESUS
AND HIS PLAN OF SALVATION.
CYNTHIA GAVE HER LIFE TO
CHRIST.
WHEN I FIRST GOT SAVED
AND I ASKED CHRIST INTO MY
HEART, I FELT CLEAN.
GOING TO THE ALTER, I FELT
LIKE I WAS BEING RINSED OF
EVERYTHING.
IT WAS A FREEING
EXPERIENCE.
IT WAS INDESCRIBEABLE.
Reporter: CYNTHIA'S NEW
FAITH WAS GENUINE, BUT HER
CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY
ONLY WIDENED THE GAP BETWEEN
HER AND HER FAMILY.
I FELL INTO A DEEP
DEPRESSION.
AND I CAN REMEMBER HAVING A
BOTTLE OF PILLS.
AND I CALLED ONE OF MY
FRIENDS AND I BASICALLY TOLD
HIM GOOD-BYE.
BECAUSE I WAS PLANNING ON
KILLING MYSELF.
AND RIGHT BEFORE THAT
HAPPENED, HE KNOCKED ON THE
DOOR, THANK GOD, AND HE
PRAYED ME OUT OF THAT
DEPRESSION.
Reporter: WITH THE
SUPPORT OF HER CHURCH,
CYNTHIA DREW ON GOD'S
STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT.
HER VICTORY OVER DEPRESSION
CAME WHEN SHE STARTED
READING THE BIBLE AND
MEMORIZING SCRIPTURES.
CYNTHIA SAID HER HARDSHIPS
ONLY MADE HER FAITH
STRONGER.
I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT
WHO JESUS WAS FROM MY
PROVIDER, MY COMFORTER WHEN
I WAS LONELY.
HE WAS MY PEACE, YOU KNOW,
WHEN MY MIND WOULD TRY TO BE
CONFUSED.
HE HAS BEEN MY MOTHER.
HE HAS BEEN MY FATHER.
HE HAS BEEN EVERYTHING TO
ME.
Reporter: TODAY CYNTHIA
IS STILL ES STRAIRCHLD
ESTRANGED FROM HER FAMILY,
BUT SHE HAS FORGIVEN THEM.
SHE SHARES HER STORY IN HER
BOOK, "THE COST OF
RELIGION."
I HAVE A RELATIONSHIP
WITH JESUS CHRIST.
I LIVE MY LIFE BASED ON THE
RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE I WANT
TO BE PLEASING TO HIM.
THAT IS SO ABSENT FROM THE
RITUALS THAT COME WITH
RELIGION.
THERE IS NO COMPARISON.
IF THERE IS SOMEONE TODAY
WATCHING AND YOU WANT JESUS,
AND MAYBE YOU WERE TAUGHT HE
IS JUST A PROPHET.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY
TO INVITE HIM INTO YOUR
HEART.
HIS BLOOD IS MORE POWERFUL
THAN ANYTHING.
HIS SPIRIT IS MORE POWERFUL
THAN ANYTHING.
IF YOU DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM,
HE WILL FIND YOU.