I am a former JW of more than 30 years. I can assure you that JWs are - in general - good and sincere persons who believe what they are doing is God's will. However ...
Being good and decent and believing one is doing God's will is not owned exclusively by Jehovah's Witnesses. One will find persons like that in ALL of the religious organizations and religious systems on the earth.
I can also tell you that JWs are people like other people who have their share of problems; many of them very serious ones. I can also tell you that there are bad and wicked persons within the Watchtower like you find in other religious organizations. If all were good, there would be no need to have a practice of disfellowshipment would there. Yet, there are many JWs who are engaged in outright bad conduct but who do not get caught.
I know of a JW married woman who is actively having an affair with a co-worker. She even told me that she knows it is wrong but has fallen in love with the person and not willing - just yet - to stop.
I am an African American who now lives in West Africa and I can assure you that the JWs here and the ones who sit in air conditioned and carpeted kingdom Halls live in two entirely different worlds with two entirely different mindsets. Poverty and hunger can make a JW "play with their beliefs" and perform acts of vice one would not otherwise commit if in a Kingdom Hall in the United States who live in "relative" luxury.
People tend to measure up JWs based on what "THEY" personally see and experience in their immediate environment. Yet, outside the King Halls and behind closed doors one will find many cases where one will say to themselves, "He/She is a Jehovah's Witness?"
Jehovah's Witnesses are very good at putting on false/fake smiles when they speak with persons. Yet, all too often when persons they once expressed such "warmth" towards expresses doubts, questions,challenges or even investigates the teachings and/or the organization, that warmth is turned off like a light switch.
I personally has assisted friends and family members into the organization when I was one of JWs. Even to this day, I far exceed them in experience and knowledge. When I disassociated myself, they will have nothing to do with me. I know that Christ never shunned or condemned anyone. (e.g. the adulterous woman, the evil-doer he promised paradise, the persons who persecuted and executed him. He ask that they be forgiven).
The policy of disfellowshipping or casting out may be a "Bible" teaching, but it is NOT a teaching of Christ. The Bible is NOT the Word of God, Christ is.
JWs, like persons of all religious organizations in the world, are in captivity to a "system" a "concept" and to men. It is "the organization" or "the religion" that is their God. The organization is feared. Fear of what "the organization" can do to them.
Until one rises above the thick clouds of deception that are everywhere - including the Watch Tower - and realize that God did not send His Son into the world of mankind to create religion or Jehovah's Witnesses. He sent His son to establish a Brotherhood. That is, each individual - upon learning from Christ - passes that "bread" and "water" (his teachings) to others. And they to others WITHOUT establishing divisive and bickering organizations. As that is NOT a brotherhood.
Yet, the world today is divided. Christs household is divided and each member of that household - though they believe and teach Christ differently and false - each claim they are right and all others are wrong.
I can tell you that JWs are victims as well. They too - like all of the others - have been misled and have dealt in deception and concealment.
That JWs are warned not to speak with disfellowhipped and disassociated ones or not to read what THEY define as apostate literature should tell one something.
If what the Watch Tower is teaching is the truth, why would it care who its members talk to or what they read? Unless ...
It fears discovery and exposure of that which has been hidden. There is no need for any religious organization to prevent, block or implement policies of punishment if one is caught listening to anyone other than the Watch Tower.
"The truth has strength to stand on its own."
There is no need to defend the truth
The closer one gets to the truth, the more that is revealed.
This is why the leadership Watch Tower organization (Governing Body) diligently keeps its membership focused on "The Bible" , "The Publications" and "The Organization" but NONE of those things are THE TRUTH. ONLY Christ is. (John 14:6)
The organization well knows that if it truly started promoting Christ as "The Word of God" instead of "The Bible," that what it is teaching would be exposed by the "light" of Christs truth.
Test this for yourself. Pay a visit to the official Watch Tower website at www.jw.org and count the number of times Christ is mentioned in comparison to "The Bible" being mentioned.
The Bible wins hands down.
The Bible has replaced Christ as "The Word of God."
Notice on the website that it is "The Bible" that teaches. NOT Christ that teaches. (Matthew 23:8)
Wake up people! You are being led down a path to revere "things" (Bible, publications, Governing Body, the organization) rather than God and His Son.
The serpent (devil) knows how to be nice when he needs to. You all know how well-mannered he was with Eve.
So it would be blind to think that JWs
