Misspeaches - I have invested a year trying to point him towards the truth an=bout the truth, he's the only reason I joined this board or know anything about JWs.
We used to argue about the JW religion, but this outburst came after I have backed off for months.
He has suffered from depression and drink problems since before his baptism..
I rang him last night and he told me he had just sold a lifelong treasured posession, as suggested by the elders...perhaps this really broke him up....this thing has always meant a lot to him.
I've seen my vital, vigorous husband struggle to fit the milquetoast mold. The JW life is a huge strain on a man's testosterone. I can see it in my husband's every movement as he strains to fit his collar.
I'd say your friend let his pent-up anger out on you. You're a safe friend. He can count on you to forgive him. Not so his new JW friends. They could reject him. He can't have an outburst at the hall. He's supposed to be meek and mild all the time. Then he comes across some information that all his effort and work is for NOTHING.
I find that my jw gets upset when he can see something is really wrong in jw doctrine or stories about them, but, he can't admit it and ends up shooting the messenger. This may even happen at a later date, not when originally presented with the info. Maybe something rings a bell when something is said at the hall or something. I wonder how many stay due to being too 'prideful' to admit there really is something wrong. In my case he would not lose any family if he left, and any friends he has made 'in', well, we know what kind of friends they are, conditional. The only thing he would lose by leaving would be his pride by admitting he was wrong to begin with. (in his own mind) I of course would welcome it, and would just consider it a strange blip in his search.
