Cult type religions are wrong. People that have been in them for years is all they know and leaving means shunned by friends and family that you knew basically your whole life, which contributes to a fear of leaving it and makes you want to stay when the thought just makes you sick. I, luckily, didn't grow up in the jw religions but became it and went to the k.hall for 5 years until I realized what an awful mistake I made. Luckily, my husband (he was half-raised in it) and I both realized it was nonsense and left at the same time so we had eachother's support. I did not have a whole lot of friends that meant anything to me, either did my husband, which made it easy to leave with no thoughts about hurting someone.
I had a real good friend though, she was like a sister to me. We knew eachother from high school and she was the person that introduced the religion to me. Before I got baptized we were friends in school for 5 years. We had a blast together. When I got baptized we were still very, very close. When I stopped attending meetings I felt ashamd at first and did not want to tell her, afraid how she would view me and at the time I had a fear that I was an 'apostate' as that word was already drilled in my head as evil. Well, she found out from someone else that I was not going and then she confronted me about it and I told her I was not ready to talk about it. She was not satisfied with that answer and immediately shunned my husband and me. We were not disfellowshipped, and still aren't (not sure why they never followed through on that...).
It has been about 4 years now since we stopped going and 2 months ago I was at a store and ran into a close friend. We were talking and about 15 feet behind my friend I saw my JW friend. I did not interrupt my conversation with the person I was talking to and my JW friend saw me. I kept glancing at her as she then refused to look at me and then she practically RAN away. It was unbelievable. I walked around the store and could not find her. Quite, quite sad. It's like I had the black plague. She just threw years of fun times and friendship away. But...I can't get mad at her. I picture it this way...she has been a JW her whole life, her dads an elder, and that is all she knows. Her friends and family are all in it. It's like a chicken locked in a cage laying eggs it's whole life. That's all they know, nothing beyond that world. They want you to only stay in contact with JW friends so that it is harder to leave and look elsewhere for friends. I didn't have to deal with that growing up, I could be friends with whom I liked. I wish I could put an end to cult like/brain wash religions so people can truly live life.
I don't know what to tell you oompa, as I am not in your situation but I know it must be rough as you have family and friends you knew for years and years and that feeling of them shunning you because someone told them to and because of what's ingrained in their minds is a terrible feeling. You wish you could pound sense in their minds but you can't. Just keep your head up and hope they see sense, but I understand trying to stay in the religion so they talk to you and include you in their life. The whole situation is just crazy and sad. You do have a support system on here though. :)
