Did you choose the jw way as an expression of your most inner self ?

A Paduan

Or was jwism

a pain in the ass means to an end
a way of avoiding a perceived punishment (an attempt to alleviate anxiety)
a way of attempting to gain certain rewards
a path to 'status'
a way of avoiding the fear of the unknown
the assurance that you really were 'gooder' than the others, as suspected
the 'spiritual' way out of giving all your stuff to charity (and in particular to those who don't really deserve it)
for other reasons

I believed that jws can teach us about bible and in the same time we could learn language;also we needed to feel accepted ( we just arrived as immigrants to a new country);and there was good things we learned, from all this jws experience - among others that we were able to see manipulation and hypocracy and to break free from it.

invictus

starfish422

I didn't choose the way; it was chosen for me by my parents. My life was all laid out ahead of me; no bends in the road, no decision left up to me.

SpunkyChick

Although I was raised a JW, my internal dialog reflected #1-7...simply fear and driven based.

Gerard

Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 17
Here is what I recognize as good: it is well for a man to eat and drink and enjoy all the fruits of his labor under the sun during the limited days of the life which God gives him; for this is his lot.