Welcome Saltheart Foamfollower, I like that you have created rules for yourself to help other JWs to think critically for themselves. What are your plans to also help yourself to fade from the WTBTS? Do you need to get a better education/trainingn to qualify for a better job? What would you need to do to help your mother to think critically enough so that your leaving would not cause your mother to consider you an apostate? You have a lot of options for preparing JWs to think critically for themselves without saying anything that might cause them to label you as an apostate.
I would recommend that you do the following to help you make your plan(s) to fade from the WTBTS, and, if possible, help other JWs, who you love to critically think for themselves.:
- Post as much as possible on JWN to either vent your frustrations and to ask for help about specific points of your plan. It is better to vent your frustrations on JWN then to JWs.
- Visit websites such as www.jwfacts.com, www.watchtowerdocuments.com, and www.jwsurvey.org, and www.freeminds2.org to name a few to research the WTBTS's history and changes in doctrines.
- Visit Steve Hassan's website www.freedomofmind.com to learn more about the BITE control techniques that the WTBTS does use and how to overcome them. If you cannot afford to purchase Steve Hassan's book "Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs" in an ebook format, see if you can either checkout his books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control", "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves", and (his latest book) "Freedom of Mind") at the library or at least watch the following two videos of Steve Hassan at least twice: "Steve Hassan explains SIA method to rescue loved ones from unhealthy situations (2003)" and "Steve Hassan at NYC Ethical Culture Society February 2013.
- Go to local community colleges, adult education/vocational schools, and/or high schools to take aptitude tests and obtain career guidance.
- Make more non-JW friends that you would enjoy spending time with. By the way where do you live? When you leave the WTBTS you will need a social network to help fill the void of JWs who will be shunning you.
- Only ask simple questions to help JWs to critically think for themselves. Reading Steve Hassan's books and posting on JWN will help you. Something as simple as saying Hello and is anything wrong to a JW may help them to open up about their doubts and/or use of anti-depressants. All you need to do is help them to focus on what is causing them problems and suggesting that they use the internet to search for key phrases. I would select key phrases that might help them to discovery a JW support forum.
- Ask JWs to do fun things with you, to do fun things with non-JWs, and/or to learn about topics/hobbies that will take a lot of time away from attending WTBTS meetings and reading WTBTS's propaganda. A very time comsuming topic to learn and one that will help you and your JW friends later in life is to learn about investing. If you lived in the USA, I would recommend going to the TD Ameritrade website and learn how to use ThinkorSwim to learn more about investing.
- Send JWs who you know anonymous emails like I wrote about in the thread You’ve Got Mail! TM. Something as simple as sending highlighted WTBTS propaganda that you can find links for such as in the thread ROLE REVERSAL: PLACING 1969 AWAKE WITH JW'S MANNING THE NEW PORTABLE LITERATURE DISPLAYS may help JWs to wonder how soon is soon.
Best of wishes of you fading from the WTBTS and helping others to critically think for themselves.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
