Hi Gang:
I remember being at a Circuit Assembly when the District Overseer gave a talk with a demonstration about the end of the world coming. His helper had a pair of "special" binoculars that could see into the future. The D.O asked this brother to peer into the future for him using these "special" binoculars and to describe what he saw. The brother described churches being destroyed and clergymen being struck dead by lightening. The audience erupted in laughter and applause. I was probably 6 or 7 years old at the time.
I can remember being told by my mother as a child of 8 that because I hated going to meetings that I would not live in the paradise and would never see her or the rest of my family again.
I can also remember my brothers and I daydreaming together one day about how great it would be if our parents left the JWs and we could do normal things.
By the way, there is a really good book entitled Twisted Scripture written by a very good friend of mine named Mary Alice Chrnalogar. She talks about how unhealthy and controlling groups behave towards their members and use scriptures largely out of context to manipulate and hurt people.
The interesting thing is that she has given her book to JWs and many of them leave the JWs after reading the book not because of doctrinal issues but because they recognize that JWs are an unhealthy and manipulative religious group. The funny thing is that the book never really discusses JWs in detail.
Jeff S.