I have been a reading these message boards for almost a year and have been thankful for the information i have read. i have been dating a man for almost 3 years when i discovered last year he was a JW. i have been trying to understand what this was all about - can't even begin to get a handle one how odd it can all be. recently i found out not only was he a JW but married with 2 children. His wife found out, went to the elders and they talked with him and his wife. He has stayed in his home for fear of what I know is being shunned. He believes he will never be able to see his children if he were to ever leave AND she would be able to remarry because he was the one who committed adultry (?????) but he could never remarry. He is now in therapy, but can't admit to the half of the issues he really has. He is deepy depressed and at times suicidal. He has been "Baker Acted" (taking into custody by the police for fear of doing harm to himself or others) and i just don't get it. The intimate relationship is over between us, but we had such a great friendship that i think turning my back on him is just wrong - then again, from what i understand, unless he is ready to leave, there is not a whole lot i could do.
i went to the memorial last night to see what it was all about. there are no easy answers when a loved one, friend or otherwise, is miserable because of thier religion. I just can't imagine that just be opening your eyes to a bigger brighter world is bad, unless of course you have the horrible fear of losing everything you know. thanks for letting me vent and post.