Some may ask themselves why they post on forums such as this one. They may wonder what compels them to do so. You may wonder what causes others to keep at this so frequently. Here are some reasons of my own:
1. Spreading Information: My own life is far from over, but a big chunk was spent as a JW ... 27 total years of being associated. So, the other day at BRCI a young Canadian man, about 25 years old, approached me and complimented me for my posts on JWD. He studied with the JWs for a while, but he woke up before getting baptized and fully committed to the JWs. My posts were not responsible, as he had already made his decision. But, much information now available is helping people see through the WTS fraud. It is good to see that one more younger, happy, healthy-minded good person will not have thier life sucked out of them by the WTS - why? - Because of people taking time to keep information on the web.
Helping Others: Many coming out of the WTS have varying degrees of issues to resolve. Some of professional therapists recognize ex-JW symptoms as being almost identical to what divorcing people experience. So, to be there for those new ex-JWs, whether in person or on this forum, is a nice expeience. Yes, we rehash much of the same material, but each time, I still learn some new things about the JW experience, and its impact on peoples lives.
Self-Help: It has been and continues to be an important form of self-therapy to write about this religion, knowing that someone, and evidently many listen, understand, and have additional insight to share. It is validating and challenging. But, with every post, I am aware of how far I have come since leaving the JWs.
A Chance to make a difference: One of the things that binds us all together, besides the common experience and association with the Watch Tower religion, is that we ALL have been denied something important to us by the Society --- it is an important aspect of closure, and because it eludes us, our closure is NOT complete --- and that also keeps us in the battle of information --- and what is that which is denied us? Accountability! The Watch Tower leadership has not accepted responsibility for the harm they caused, the lies told, or made any attempt to be accountable. Therefore, by working together, we are going to force them to become accountable.
Closure! The root meaning of forgiveness is to 'let go.' To forgive does not always mean that we accept someone's apology, for such an apology may never be feasible. I doubt the proud, arrogant, and stubborn men who run the Watch Tower religion will ever understand the harm caused by their conduct, even if they were convicted in court and had to go live in the GrayBar Hotel.
However, the basic form of forgiveness will be in finally letting go of the religion ... accepting what happened ... understanding how it happened ... learning why it happened ... sorting out what happened ... moving on ... letting go. The accountability that the Watch Tower leaders arre about to face on the pedophile issue, is perhaps the most significant development since AJWRB and Ray Franz's books Crisis of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom.
The Future! In the aftermath of what comes about in the next few months ... I feel that many more will leave the JWs or stop studying and walk away. This issue alone may be enough to send the Watch Tower numbers spiraling down. So being there for yet more ex-JWs will be a good thing for many of us. The Internet is a Godsend in this regard. I feel I have achieved closure ... and with the upcoming Dateline program ... a sense of accountability. Moving on for me will not mean leaving ex-JW forums ... as I plan to stick around. But, it will mean in a sense, that I have passed through the Maze of doors and turns in the exiting process and reached the Final Exit Door. - Amazing