Hi Spade,
There are ex-jws at all parts of the spectrum. Some have become high-profile opposers , many just try to move on with their lives, some become atheists, some find other religious groups. There is, unfortunately, a lot of stuff out there that smacks of hate speech and propoganda against the witnesses, that turns many off their information.
Your wife is likely studying "What does the Bible Really Teach?", which a basic overview of the Jehovah's Witnesses Biblical belief. That is a good source of doctrincal belief, but does not really go into other matters that often only come up after baptism or attending the meetings for a period of time.
The most non-biased site I can think of to learn about Jehovah's Witnesses is wikipedia. It presents a pretty factual development of the modern day history of Jehovah's witnesses, with contributions from both pro and ex JWs.
Whether or not you eventually decide to become a witness, please investigate the following:
- To what extent may I question an official teaching if I do not believe it fully agrees with the Bible? This questions, and it's repurcussions, has different answers before/after baptism.
- To what extent will I need to avoid friendships with non-Jehovah's Witnesses if I become a witness?
- Do I accept that fact that if I later choose not to be a Jehovah's Witness, that I will be shunned by all Jehovah's Witnesses, with the exception of any immediate family living in the same household.
- Will the sexual restrictions between married couples affect this aspect of my marriage?
- What is the time commitment required to be an active Jehovah's Witness
- Do I belive strongly enough that Jehovah's Witnesses have the correct interpretation of the use of Blood that I am willing to refuse a blood transfusion, even in a life-threatening circumstance? Make sure to compare different religions views on this, including conservative Jews.
Now most of the above may not matter to you if you come to the conclusion that Jehovah's Witnesses are the true religion.
That being said, make sure to research the history and teachings of the Jehovah's Witness to see if you think they are inspired by God or not. A good overview of the history/changes in beliefs is given here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_doctrine and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses . I also recommend the book "Crisis of Conscience" by Ray Franz. It is a very interesting, balanced read and, suprisingly, not the bitter tirade I was expecting when I first looked into it.
Choosing a religion, especially one that requires active involvement, is a life investment. It is good to be informed with both the pros and cons before making this decision.
