On average, there are 40,000 people worldwide that are disfellowshipped.
There are about 6,000 members here (recognizing of course some of these are duplicate/triplicate accounts). That 6,000 is over a 2 year period. That is 6,000 out of a possible 80,000 that have been df'd.
That number (80,000) does not include all the walk aways or ones that simply became inactive or disassociate themselves.
I think it is arrogant to feel that any one (or even 10) person can take credit for all these people. Some here have helped a lot, but let's keep it in balance.
I know personally I made the decision to walk away from the Org on my own without the help of any "apostate literature" I did however appreciate the support I received once that decision had been made and I found H20. The articles and essays written by Farkel and Jan did validate my reasons for leaving and often made me think about topics from a different angle.
The support I got from alleged "fluff" posters helped me greatly as well.
Bottom line, we can all play a part. We are no longer needing "human letters of recommendation" to prove our worth to a man made group. Some write the essays that help people, some provide emotional support, others take the time to sit and reason over and over with questioning JW's. All are of equal importance IMO.
Kismet
Edited by - Kismet on 7 August 2002 6:50:52