CruithneLaLuna
JoinedFather adhered to Christian Science, mother to Methodism. They sent me to a Catholic school. I was preached to by a JW classmate and became interested, against my parents' wishes, when I was 13 (in 1967). I got baptized in 1973. Being a JW did not seem to solve any of my inner conflicts - only to exacerbate them - and contributed to the ruination of relations with all of my relations. I.e. I became truly the black sheep of the famiy - not "persecution," but a deserved reaction to my becoming an asshole on the subject of religion. Eventually, circumstances forced me to choose between living on disability payments and going to college, and chose the latter. I became a software developer, but suppressed my potential for a progressive career for the sake of spiritual and family goals, per JW teachings. This resulted in unhappiness, burnout, and the loss of my career, which in turn led to financial collapse (goodbye, $250K worth of assets) and eventually, homelessness for a period of time. I do not blame all of my mistakes and problems on the religion, yet I am convinced that it was a harmful influence in connection with most of them. I left the organization in 2000, and my spiritual explorations since then have led me to Neo-Paganism (the Druid path), where I am presently comfortable. I am also working on putting my life back together, constructing anew all that JWism led me to destroy, and constructing in personally satisfying ways that JWism precluded. That's enough for this mini-bio. :)