Welcome, nonamegiven. You express your dillemma very well. If you remain true to yourself, you will be permanently shunned. If you outwardly cave to the social pressure, something inside you will die. Shunning is a cruel and unusual punishment.
If you look at this time of isolation as a sort of sabbatical, a time to reflect and know who you are and what you really believe, perhaps you can find your way. Here's what worries me most:
IF I decide that I do not agree with what is being taught I can't tell anyone (wife included) that I disagree with the prophecies and that I'd like to go my seperate ways.
It's the worst thing in the world not to have your partner at your side at a time like this. Is it possible to have your wife agree at least to a weekly bible study, so that the two of you can progress together? Our very own Amazing managed to bring out his entire family with him. He did it by having a plan and with a graduated bible study that slowly introduced independent thinking.
http://www.freeminds.org/psych/exithelp.htm
Regarding question 5. Besides the misrepresentation of secular medical information, the Watchtower society consistently misquotes scientists regarding creation and evolution. Alan Feuerbacher (AlanF on the board) has spent a lot of time hunting down the sources of many of their quotes, and showing how the WTS misrepresented the scientist's views. Here's just one example:
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/notes-on-francis-hitching-and.html
Consider that it is very poor scholarly form to fail to give references for your material. Without giving references, other scholars can't verify your claims. The WTBTS rarely gives their sources. Why?
