I was raised as a JW and have several family members who are witnesses, including my mother. While I love and respect her very much I was very resentful of being raised in "the truth". There are several reasons but the main one is the way I was "counseled" and ultimately publically pointed out as a bad associate. I am know in my mid-thirties and haven't been involved in the religion since I was a teenager. I got over the resentment I felt years ago because I realized that regardless of what I went through my mother's intentions were good and she did teach me a lot of things that have made me a better person. Not because of her faith but her character.
I have recently became curious as to why her and other members of my family are so firm in their beliefs and started researching the history. I started searching for unbiased info and found this forum. Hopefully someone here can help me out a little. I've read several things about Charles T Russell and "Judge" Rutherford, some of which are conflicting. Can anyone point me to a good resource for accurate information these men?
I'm also curious if the JW's still publically disassociate (I can't remember the exact term thay used for me) members who are not baptized. I was told they no longer do this. If not, when did the policy change and why?