BlazingButterfly3,
First off, welcome to the board. I'll try and answer your question but many here have more knowledge of their beliefs over time than I do. I spent more time learning to be one than I was one. If you want, click on the icon under my pic for "Threads started by..." to see my original post to find out my history with the JW's. When you compare my perspective then with now, you'll see how far I've changed. But do that last. It won't answer your questions like reading on will.
I guess one of my first questions is what is so terrible about these people? What is it that they teach that is so wrong?
As Kaethra said, the outward image they project is nothing a person could see reason to argue with. The reality of the religion is one of changes in doctrine (if you use the search feature in the upper left hand corner of the page, keywords would include "vaccinations," "organ transplants," blood," and there's a thread from way back called "Does the Society believe in the Trinity?" listing numerous changes over time and where to find the proof). It's also a group that teaches political neutrality (John 18:36) and identifies the UN as the "beast" in Revelation (Rev. 13:1-4; 17:8). Yet if you do a search on "UN" or "NGO" you'll discover that they were registered with the UN for ten years or so as an NGO, and one of the duties of such is to promote UN policies. Is that neutrality or "sleeping with the enemy?"
In Malawi, Witnesses were arrested, tortured, even killed, because they wouldn't have anything to do with the government outside of paying taxes and so on. At the same time Witnesses in Mexico were allowed to bribe officials to get official party cards.
They teach nonviolence (2 Cor. 10:3). Yet it was revealed that the WBTS owns 51% of a company (through stock holdings) that itself owns 51% of another company working to develop a ceramic engine that the US military, among others, has expressed interest in. Besides the hypocrisy of owning stock (even indirectly) in a company that could have a military contract with a government, it violates the idea I was taught of not making long-term plans and trusting in Jehovah for your needs.
You...as a non-Witness;I...as a disfellowshipped or "df'ed" (or excommunicated) ex-JW; everyone else here who isn't a Witness in good standing...are considered dead meat when Armageddon comes. Bird fodder .
The biggest scandal to hit them recently is the child sexual abuse one. Doing a search on that will give you tons of info, which basically is this: children have told of sexual abuse at other's (JW) hands; the accused is confronted; he denies it; and since there weren't "two witnesses" (1 Tim. 5:19) to the alleged act, nothing will be done by them. To add insult to injury, the person bringing forth the accusation is often df'ed because they're "promoting divisions" or "bringing reproach upon Jehovah's name." Like former elder Bill Bowen, who found a file dealing with this in his congregation, brought it to the other's attention, got the "wait on Jehovah" treatment, and was df'ed. He started www.silentlambs.org to encourage victims to come forward.
The underlined terms will give you more background than I can when searched. You might also want to check into threads about dating a JW and whether or not it can work.
In a nutshell: hypocrisy. Doctrinal changes. Shunning of someone who only yesterday was a friend and a fellow Witness.
Before searching, you might want to (1) have a good stiff drink first, (2) make sure you're going to be undisturbed, and (3) be ready to read things that'll leave you in tears or screaming in anger. No, I'm not kidding. You sound like a person who's being impartial and with no preconceived ideas who's seeking to learn. That's terrific. I hope you take that attitude with you as you begin to research them.
