-When I was in my early teens we were studying the Revelation book for the second time. The first time I didn't understand much but the second time I remember that my family had quite a lengthy discussion about the lake of fire. They were trying make sense of the scripture and the JW interpretation. My young mind just started thinking that it didn't really matter if we understood it or not, it was in the book so it was what we believed.
-1995 The WT changes the view on what a generation is for the first time. My dad who isn't a JW but knew all about the generation teaching says "Oh, I guess they had to change that those anointed were getting pretty old." Part of me agreed with him that that was the real reason. However, I never said anything to anyone about that, instead I followed the rest of my family in thinking that my dad was just cynical and too lazy to be a JW. LOL
- I don't remember the particular year but at the regional convention there was a talk with new light about who the Princes were of Isaiah. Well, after what was probably one the most boring talks ever the brother got to the point, the princes and chieftains were the Elders of the congregation. That they would have a special place in the Paradise as leaders of God's people. I remember thinking that this was a good way to motivate brothers to reach out to be Elders.
- The WT article "Feeding The Many, Through The Hands Of The Few" comes out and again everyone is trying "make it make sense". I didn't really even try, I felt like the brothers were purposely trying to cut down the role of the anointed and raise themselves up above it. Sure, we all knew that the brothers in Bethel were the ones really in charge but why was there this need to make it so clear? Were they afraid that there would be divisions in the org? Also, this new light erased the previous idea that their were always honest hearted ones who God considered part of the slave class. That idea was appealing and seemed strange to change it.
-Again, I forget the year but it was another RC. It was the last talk of the convention, we had been promised very exciting new light. The last talk arrives and it is about the book of Daniel and the feet of iron and clay. Without any real scriptural explanation the brother starts in on how we used to think the feet of clay would be a time when other weaker nations would grow in prominence. Now though it was adjusted to mean that we were already in the feet of clay. That the world powers had already been weakened by different factions within their own countries. As an attendant I looked around at people in the audience and noticed that unlike when I was growing up people weren't very enthusiastic about the new light. No one really even mentioned it, it seemed like it was changed for the sole purpose of making it seem that Armageddon was imminent.
-2013 The article "Seven Dukes, Eight Shepherds" mostly the article was all over the place. The only thing that stood out to me was that now infamous quote and how they want Elders to obey any directive given and in turn the average publisher. Around the same time they released the drama "Walk By Faith, Not By Sight" which also drove home the message of listening to direction rather than using your own thinking. This combined with another fear mongering article complete with JWs huddled in basement really flipped the switch for me to start thinking about what I really was involved in.