JUST HUMAN- Hey my friend, I remember you very well indeed when you used to post here. I'm happy to hear that you couldn't live a pretend life within the JW organization anymore. That being said- there's no really easy way to leave. I agree with On The Way Out in that perhaps a quick exit would be better for you as you've tried the other type before.
The thing I feel that is positive with a quick exit is that it cuts through the BS of elders trying to dominate you. They can only dominate us if we ALLOW them to dominate us. If we are gone, invisible, vanish from the scene- then the elders are talking to the wind or a ghost- nobody . That's how I stopped attending in 2003.
Of course some JW family members will shun you - but you might explain to your mom that you just are depressed and have doubts, tell her it doesn't affect your love for her but that you just feel it's something that you need to do for you and take the time to reflect on things. If your mom loves you and accepts you unconditionally as my JW mom did ( she never shunned me in spite of me not attending for years up until her death ) then your mom will respect your decision and not force her views on you. If she doesn't respect your decision- oh well- then it's your mom that's messed up- not you.
Lisa Rose is correct - we cannot live the rest of our lives pleasing people who are going to find things wrong with us all the time. In fact, many times JW's will STILL look down on us once we start attending again and only socialize with us at meetings, not informally - until we " prove " our " spirituality " to them again. It's just not worth the effort to live a fake life for people who don't give a damn anyway. My 2 cents on this discussion. I wish you the best my friend, and am glad you're back ! Take care
