Awesome thread with some great insights. I was raised a JW from 2 or 3 years of age, but only my immediate family. As I grew up I realised that the rest of my extended family on my fathers side thought we were crazy and I only saw them when we would visit them breifly. My moms side of the family live on the west coast so I never saw them, but my mom says they where non to please to hear of my parents coversion. My father was very strict with there beliefs. So I lived a pretty sheltered life. No after school activities, no college, ect.
I was married for 24 years with two sons when my life altering event took place. I guess it was a combination of things. I finally excepted the fact that the JW's supposed love was totally hypocritical and never worked in pratical ways for people who really needed this love. I was railroaded out of the BOE for standing up for a family that included a drunk DF'd father, a mother with an anger management problem and 4 abused children (2 of which were df'd) from ages 16 to 26. Believe me, being in this congregation contributed greatly to their problems. I was being witnessed to at work by a very conservative Christian who, I must say, really knew his bible. My own investigation of JW beliefs follow with a book call "Reasoning from the Scriptures with JW's". I would sneak this book into our apartment. I was caught by my wife with this material and she also found the internet sites I was visiting. The final straw was using this new found info with my sons in our family bible discussions. My wife left with our two sons. She thought I would come to my senses and follow. I never did.
My environment was suddenly change. Sure I was lonely and felt lost quit often. But I also had peace to think, meditate, seek professional help and to heal from a near nervouse breakdown. There was no going back to the JW's for me, regardless off the loss of family, friends and everything I have ever known. It's been hard, but unless I broke from this group how would any of my family?
You see the mind control and total giving of ones mind and life that a JW does once you are out. I can't believe I was duped so long. But the deeper your in the more blind you are. My wife and mom are totally blind and I fear my son's are becoming more so. I pray that they too have a life altering event. Sooner than later.
They think something is wrong with me and by extension all of us here. My mom is said that I go to church or celebrate some holiday's now. My explanations only hurt her and shut her mind down more. I asked her the following:
Explain the 1914 belief using only your bible.
Explain "Generations" of Matt.24
Explain what blood products you can and cannot take and the scriptural reasons why.
Explain how the FDS and GB thing works.
NO EXPLANATION. It did not shake her faith in the JW's, it just frustrated her with me.
Deeply entrenched things are hard to overcome.
