One of the hardest things for me to learn about myself as I have mentally exited "da troof" is that I have a weak moral compass and I think this is common to many Witnesses. What do I mean by this?
I mean that as I have allowed less and less of my thinking to be framed by Witness doctrine, I have had to start thinking for myself about how I feel about certain things. For example, what do I feel about war, freedom of speech for extremists, charitable works, political views, animal welfare and much, much more.
This was underlined this weekend when I attended the circuit assembly (approx 900 attendees, 3 baptised - 2 born ins btw) where the Bethel speaker said that Witnesses have booked their ticket out of this system and don't have to worry about the wars and famines of this world because they know it's all going to pass with the New System.
In another thread it's been mentioned that the WTS is failing to mention other groups being marginalised and persecuted in Russia alongside Witnesses.
As a Witness I never realised the extent to which I was blind to the moral dilemmas that most other people have to think about, educate themselves on and come to a point of view about. Of course some people still fail to educate themselves on a matter but Witnesses have their thinking skills muted simply through the deference to the Sky Daddy having "a plan".
This perhaps is one thing when it's something like a political opinion but this also leads to wholesale ignoring of the many, many people who need help in our world. It might be the homeless person in the vicinity of the preaching trolley, the charity needed funds to help a group of under-privileged kids, those displaced by the war in Syria, famine victims in Africa and so on.
The suffering endured on a daily basis by millions of men, women and children becomes a side note, something that can be ticked off as a by product of the future paradise that means they will a wheelbarrow of fruit and a house by a lake.
When I speak to friends and family it is painful to see how easily they dismiss the suffering of others or ignore ethical and moral dilemmas for the sake of convenience simply because they can't even begin to think about this issues raised.
According to the guy from bethel, we are all God's children and loved by him but apparently not so much that he is actually doing something to stop the suffering. His love is limited to giving a handful of the population a free pass to the land of willful ignorance.
They don't have to care since supposedly God does.