As soon as I realized something was awry with the religion of my birth, I immediately withdrew from giving talks (I was a MS), moved to another congregation, stopped going door-to-door, and immersed myself into researching what I thought I believed. From there it didn't take long before I stopped going to meetings altogether, maybe a couple years.
I personally don't see it as even remotely possible that someone can become aware of what the WT really is and continue believing. As soon as you are unplugged from the Matrix, you're compass turns to true north and the only lingering thought is how you could believe that bs for so long.
Good topic. I have a lot of interest in hearing personal experiences here.
FreeAtLast -- I read "from there it didn't take long....." and then......"a couple years". Seems like a contradiction at first. I guess because so many here seem to have made a clean break very quickly. Seems like very few are faders. Or maybe faders are just not as active participants on this board.
However, if one has all their family and long time ties to the congregation or the whole JW arena, that is to say, the majority of friends, social contacts, maybe business contacts all IN, then I could see it being a fearful and slow process to cut the ties. I see it being a very slow, but progressive metamorphosis. Once you learn TTATT, I don't see how anyone could ever sincerely jump completely back "IN". Yes, a couple years might in fact be "not long" when you look at it from that perspective.
At this point, I cannot imagine ever wanting to be back in the thick of it all -- elder; servant; pioneer; talks; etc etc. I've given up on thinking there might be some serious changes come down from "above". I know I've been lied to, cheated, decieved, etc etc.... Yet, I cannot imagine finding myself OUT totally and completely either. I already feel a huge vacuum from the alienation (I'm not sure if I'm the cause of the alientation or they are from viewing me as weak and a poor choice of association -- maybe some of both), and I imagine all that would become even greater. The real question here is: How long can one straddle the fence? How long until you blow your "cover" and slip up and say something glaringly "apostate" to the wrong person?
DOC