Today is my one-year anniversary of joining JWN. It has been quite a journey from being disfellowshipped and functionally agnostic, to searching for answers about 607 BC and TTATT, to my journey to mainline Christianity, to working toward get reinstated and fading, to finding that I still had lost my best friend, but in the end, finding Jesus fill that role. A year ago today I would have never imagined walking into a church, or getting baptized again, this time in the Name of the “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”, not in the name of an organization. A year ago, I didn’t want to look at the Bible, and today, I read at least a chapter every day.
For more on that see: http://www.jwstruggle.com/2012/11/questions-about-our-baptism/
I remember being frightened by the name of Ray Franz and his “evil books”. Now, his books are some of the most beloved works I’ve ever read, especially In Search of Christian Freedom. I remember being frightened and skeptical of websites like JWFacts. I remember going from “it’s mostly lies, halftruths and misrepresentations”, and over the process of months realizing it was completely true.
I never imagined that I would be the organizer in my area's Ex-JW Meetup Group, a role I only took so that the meetup group would not vanish for lack of an organizer. BTW—the job is still for the taking at anyone who is more competent than I at it. So far, I’ve been very poor at the task.
I remember being afraid of former Witnesses and “apostates”, carrying in my head the angry, bitter, hate-filled in-your-face stereotype. Now I realize that a few are, but most are surprisingly balanced folks despite having their world turned upside down--many are very loving and kind people who want what is best for everyone. We are not a monolithic entity, but represent many viewpoints. This is healthy.
I remember the first VHS video the Society released, “Jehovah’s Witnesses—The Organization behind the Name.” It opened with the narrator asking, “Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses?” Then a little girl pranced up to the mailbox to get her subscription copy of the Watchtower and the narrator answered, “They are your neighbors!”
In that same line of thought: Who are “Apostates”?
They are your neighbors!