You're all pretty right. My little brother's (still goes to meetings -- I see the light so I don't) wedding was a prime example. I took my "worldly" girlfriend (then of 3 years) and she was in shock. The speaker at his wedding went ON AND ON AND ON about how the man is the head of the household and a woman should submit to the man and give the marital dues, etc. It was amazing how different it sounds once you're not brainwashed. I looked around and saw all these witness women nodding in agreement -- are they f-ing nuts??
My GF about slapped the piss out of this guy. Nevertheless, like most witness fuctions it was a dry reception for fear of stumbling someone (not that half the people aren't closet alcoholics anyway), so I left, got some beer and started a party for my little bro!!
I regret every minute of being a witness. Every minute. The only thing that ever came out of it was a headache. I lost all my friends to disfellowshipping (still my BEST friends to date) and suffered constant "meetings" about who saw me with one of them last week. The only witness friends I still have don't go to meetings.
I never got baptized so I couldn't get disfellowshipped, but i'm looked down upon. To them, nothing is more important than meetings and field service time. Who actually put in 10 hours? We all sat around on "break" and recorded time. I used to drop off like 20 mags at a laundromat and go home.
Most all of those people live a lie. They say and do things when no one's around.
Want to know if you're in the right religion? Ask yourself this:
"When is the last time that I went to meeting or out in field service because I WANTED TO GO, not because it's forced or expected or because I would be looked down upon for not doing it. When's the last time I did it because I WANTED TO."
I answered "Once, when i was six".
Thanks for listening...