When I was a JW, my story was a favorite, but, alas, I never got to tell it at an assembly in front of thousands of adoring JW fans. So, thank you, RF, for the opportunity to tell my story here. I apologize if this seems a bit lengthy, but I think some background info is relevant.
I lived with my grandparents most of the time until I was 11 years old. My grandfather was a country preacher in the hills of East Tennessee. He was a sincere and humble man with only three years of "book learnin'." I was taken to church several times a week where I observed lots of shouting, singing, fervent praying and old-fashioned fire and brimstone sermons. The stage was set.
Meanwhile, my parents lived in another state. When I was 9 years old, my bio father happened to meet his boss on the street. His boss was a JW, and offered my dad/i.e., sperm donor, some WT literature and offered a free home Bible study. My old man, never one to miss an opportunity to wheel and deal and kiss up to someone who had the potential to do him good, took his boss up on this generous offer.
That particular summer I was in the hospital for about 3 months. Upon my release from the hospital, my bio parents, not my grandparents, picked me up and took me home with them for the summer. On the way to their home, my bio mom/i.e., egg donor explained to me that we were going to the home of some Jehovah's witnesses, and told me the names of the family members, two of whom were kids close to my age. I was puzzled and apprehensive because I had heard only bad things about JW's up to that time.
Even before we went home, we stopped by the home of the witnesses. The two kids jumped from behind the front door and yelled, "Surprise!" They gave me some coloring books, crayons, and maybe some other small items as a welcoming gift. I was dazzled by these people. I thought they were rich. My family was always poor, and I had never been in such a large and lovely home as that of this witness family. To beat it all, they were so darn nice! So many of their doctrines seemed to fit with what I had been taught to believe in fundamentalist churches and they were so pseudo-intellectual along with it. I thought these people were very well-educated along with being rich.
To abbreviate the story a bit, my parents continued to study with the witnesses until I was about 12 or 13, at which time my dad got a different job and discontinued the study.
When I was 15 and living with my bio parents, my dad had a weird hallucination which prompted him to get religion, albeit temporarily. We started attending the Baptist church near our house. After a few months, the church invited evangelist Jack Van Impe to conduct a revival. Mr. Van Impe preached strongly against the JW's.
Being 15 and not very astute, knowledgeable, rational, or mature, I decided the JW's must have the "truth" or this big shot, wealthy evangelist would not feel so threatened by them.
So, my 17-year career as a JW began. It ceased to be any fun at all when I married an elder and got an insider's view of what really goes on in a congregation.
I am thankful to be free, to have been able to get an education, to have some measure of critical thinking skills and not to be dazzled by people who have money, status or self-promotion skills.
SandraC