Leaving, thanks for taking the time to ask such questions. I'd like to reciprocate by taking the time to answer:
"Would you like to quit being a cult member and get on with the rest of your life?"
YES, and I DID.
"Would you PREFER to keep your friends and family, in the process?"
YES, but I could not.
"Is this possible in your unique circumstances? "
I wasn't old enough to understand my circumstances, or to realize that my family would actually honor the decision to shun me indefinitely because I disagreed with their ideas about the world and god.
"Will you remain in the cult, if this is what it takes to hang on to friends and family?"
I might have, if I'd realized how hard things would be to leave, especially as a minor, but I am glad that my stubborn streak as a teen forced me to live an extremely challenging, deeply flawed, BUT authentic life.
"Does your "status" with the organization have ANY effect on your relationships with non-JWs?"
Understanding why yes is the answer to that question might be difficult to understand, but if you recognize that not every one on the "outside" of the JW paradigm perceivess how deeply damaging it is to be reared among high-control people -- (and perhaps those who don't understand are under some other high-control spell of their own) -- then it's a bit easier to figure . . . being reared in a cult does affect how you learn (and unlearn) human interactions throughout your life, so the long of it and the short of it, must be, YES.
"Would you want a friend or family member to "live a lie", just to please you?"
Good grief! No!
"Do you value Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech and Assembly?"
I value it highly enough to protect it militarily; even if your religion tells you to be a pacifist and not fight for your own rights, I would be willing to fight for your right to hold that belief and to fight for your freedom.
"Can you mentally and emotionally handle losing all of your friends and family?"
Sometimes I wonder if I have or do. It's been a long, long time since I disembarked from the JW train. I don't know what I'd do without the few remaining NON-JW relatives who are very, very important to my well-being and happiness.
"Will there be a bright future ahead if you leave?"
There will always be challenges and joys, regardless of whether you stay or go. Life is hard, and once you accept it, it's a breeze, LOL!
"Does what others think of you rule your life?"
More often than not. But I know that no matter what I ever do or say, for the rest of my life, I cannot change anyone's opinion of me. ONLY THEY CAN DO THAT.
"Will you suffer a tremendous financial setback if you exit the cult?"
Most certainly. I am quite certain that there is no inheritance for me and that my life would have involved many more material and worldly goods if I had stayed a JW, which is most ironic, considering how judgmental they always have been about "materialism." My JW family lives a very cushy, super-materialistic lifesyle, compared to mine, and it certainly is related to their nepotistic tendencies and to their unlimited capacity to view their material success as blessings from Jehovah for their loyal servitude to him, while viewing my struggles as a sign of my personal and spiritual deficiencies and "rebelliousness."
"Everyone has a unique set of circumstances. Each must count the costs and decide WHAT is important."
What is important to Me? Personal integrity and freedom to grow and to be . . . "to thine own self be true." How can one discover self and all of its ambiguities when locked into pleasing and serving the interests of a cult?
