witnessofjesus: you are leaving one cult for another. It is sad to see that people don't see how they are being conned by wts. Step back and do some research of wts' history and their past and present teachings. If you don't see any problem with wts AFTER you do a thorough research then you deserve being part of a second cult you've chosen to be part of.
You probably find people friendly and bible oriented which is all half true since they are as nice as most church goers and bible oriented they are to a limited degree as their entire understanding of the bible is based on wts dogma. Once you get baptized you will not be able to question wts or GB outloud or you may end up getting disfellowshipped and shunned by those who you think are your friends in the "truth."
Before you decide to take the plunge, read Gentile Times Reconsidered by Carl Olof Jonnson and Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz which are both excellent books. Since at this time you are convinced this is the truth I suggest you take a good look at old WTS publication with open mind and think deeply why you are leaving Mormonism to join this cult.
You think book of Mormon is a lie but WTS teachings aren't??? The whole story goes something like this.
Russell was interested in the bible, come to believe many things second advent movement was teaching and learned that Jesus second coming was invisible from Nelson Barbour and that it occurred in the fall of 1874. Because of numerous crazy calculations that Babour and him developed, he first taught that Pyramid Of Giza was stone witness for God and that it's passages lead to them understand the future prophesies found in the bible. 1878 was supposed to be the date for Jesus to began ruling from heaven and the second resurrection(?) has began to take place. Some thought they might go to eaven in 1878 and then 1881 if I remember correctly and 1914 was supposed to be end of the wicked system with establishment of peradise. Oh ya, I forgot to mention that it was 1799 which was a date for the start of the last days. A good book to read is Russell's third in the series, Thy Kingdom Come. As 1914, was approaching Russell seemed to have started tp doubt his dates or if nothing else started to water down the belief that the end was to occur in 1914 but as WW1 began he may have believed that was the end or at least the beginning of Armageddon but he died in 1916 thus no one knows how he would have acted after the war ended without any sign of Armageddon. At Rutherford took over the presidency he also became a dictator of the society and made it more closed society with crazier ideas than Russell wanted or may have imagined. Rutherford began changing policies to his own benefit, he named 1925 as the next big thing and proclaimed that date as having more proof in the bible than 1914. 1925 was the date where the ancient worthies of Hebrew 10(?) were to return just prior to the end. But the date came and went and instead of forgetting about this date, Rutherford had build a mansion called Beth-Sarin in San Diego for the princes that were to be resurrected any day then. That being 1929 if I remember correctly, while the deed was in trust with wts it was deeded to Abraham, Moses, David, etc.. and during this wait Rutherford had a pleasure of living in this dwelling. Top notch Cadillac was only good enough for Rutherford to drive in. Judge, he was not and yet didn't have a problem when others addressed him as such. As WW2 was raging he build a bomb shelter close to Beth-Sarin, which was only discovered after the property was sold, yet Armageddon was going to happen any time then but his obvious trust was in himself. During Ratherford's reign, 1799 and 1878 dates became 1914 some time in the 1920s while 1874 slowly began to fade in the late 1920s and officially became 1914 in 1943. Also they realized that the their calculation from 606BC to 1914 didn't work because there was no 0 year between BC and AD so they moved it to 607BC. When Knorr took over sometime in the 1970s they introduced Governing Body as leaders of JWs but the power was still with the president until 1976(?). 1975 was taught to be end of the world again, since late 1960s they implied that 1975 would be the end or that they may be mistaken by months not years. When people began to sell their homes the Society encouraged others to learn from these zealous witnesses as they were putting God's Kingdom first by going and preaching while some witnesses were taking on debt thinking that the end was imminent and they wouldn't have to pay back the banks. 1975 came and went and the Society never apolagized while people lost their savings or were in huge debt - the fault fell on the followers and not the leaders. Now they change the generation understanding and any change is viewed as new light which you have to accept and NOT disagree with it openly or you may end up in the kangaroo court where the elders may proclaim that you are subverting the congregation and disfellowship you - unless you repent and accept their teachings that cannot be questioned.
Same song and dance is performed today - end is so near and wts is the only place if you want to get saved. Everyone will be destroyed if they haven't accepted the teaching of the faithful and discreet slave - GB.
Even if you don't have a clue of their history which most witnesses don't, all you have to do is research the fall of Jerusalem which wts teaches occurred in 607BC. There is LOTS of evidents for that occurrance to have taken place in 586/7BC and not 607. Since 607BC is wrong, you should conclude that Jesus never returned in 1914 invisibly and thus the faithful and discreet slave wasn't chosen in 1918 as wts claims. Thus you can conclude that the leaders are self appointed and from there you should be able to reason on some of their teachings to be totally bogus.
Do your own research because you owe it to yourself and anyone else you may involve into joining wts. Here are some links to the old wts publications that you can research in as any questions that you ask of your bible conductor will be answered by quoting the newer publications which many times misquote what the original intend of the quote was.
http://www.archive.org/details/WatchTowerBibleandTractSocietyofPennsylvaniaWatchTowerpubs_0
http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/
Just because they teach some things that align with the bible doesn't make them the truth any more than Mormons being the Latter Day Saints.
BTW, you will be dedicating your life to the organization and not to Jehovah ;)
