Hi all - perhaps a brief intro from me would be appropriate....
I hail from Essex, England. A 2nd generation witness never knowing any other life and from a large and mostly devout family. I was disfellowshipped in 1993 aged 21 and the worldly girl I met, got pregnant and married (in that order) is mother to my 3 grown children and grandmother to our beautiful baby granddaughter. She is still my darling and wife. Our kids are happy, loving and have a strong sense of family and belonging. The Watchtower didn't beat me - I got away and had the privilege of raising my own family based on pure, unconditional love. I'm here because the love of my family beat the WT mind control that had held onto a part of me for too many years. If I can help others out of this cult, in any small way - I would consider that another great privilege.
Enough of that...I'd like to briefly share (sounds like the start of a field service call) a link to an excellent article that explains Virtue Spirals and Virtue Signaling. Although it is written by a Mormon and discusses the problem within the LDS community, I was struck by the close similarities to my own experiences and those in the article. I'm sure it will strike a chord with many of you - I certainly felt 'weak' and despondent s a witness in the years running up to my disfellowshipment as a result of the practice of virtue spiraling. Would love to know what others think.
All the best, Wobbly X