On one hand I do feel sorry for the gullible. On the other hand I am with Dawg on this, is there ever an excuse for such intellectual laziness? Do we feel sorry for them because they are old and feeble? At one time they were robust and knocking on doors with fervor. They had no problem asking people to do what they were not willing to do themselves. They had no problem telling people it was ok to lie to their spouse, agreeing to clandestine meetings and so on. They had no problem spreading false prophecies and the false Gospel. One does not need a higher education to read the bible or to see that nearly the entire world is telling you are wrong maybe even evil to think, 'hmmm, why do people keep saying that? I wonder what their problem is? maybe I should look into this'. Yes I know, that is what brainwashing or thought reform does to a person. Then we must label all jw's as mentally incompetent somehow, unable to see for themselves not just the old folks who garner our pity because we see we too will be infirm like them one day and deserve pity and compassion and hope the younger generation forgives us our sins, our messing up their lives and world as they see it.
I think most jw's do join (not born in's) truly believing they are on the side of God but then they do start seeing things that are clearly wrong. Many cannot get over the fact that they have invested so much time and energy and may have even thrown loved ones away because of this cult so they stay hoping it will get better. Their pride does not allow them to leave, not necessarily the org itself. I have seen my share of threads from some older folks who are angry beyond words at wasting their life for nothing but lies. Did they never really have a choice? They did, hence the bitterness. They know they themselves could have, should have looked into things earlier and kick themselves for not doing it when someone opened that door for them.
I suppose I could compare (not the best comparison) to the elderly who are scammed on a daily basis. It is a terrible shame when it does happen. It is when happens to a young person too. Life is buyer beware. Nobody like to think they can or have been taken advantage of or played the fool. We all are susceptible to it to some extent at some point in life. Should someone tell us when we are playing the fool? If it involves the lives of others, whether you consider it financial, spiritual, or emotionally then we must tell them. The cost can be too high. Relationships that were broken could be repaired even if only for a short time before death takes them. I worked with the elderly for quite some time, some will not hear any of it, others will but not be able to agree due to their own pride, and some will not care one way or another and just wish to get life over with. And a very rare few will enjoy a thoughtful discussion with someone who cares for them, even if both parties disagree.