Hello Danni
The Witnesses are a curious lot, but like mant people around the world there is good and bad in everyone. Its just that for some, the power over others goes to their heads a bit too much. Like any other hierachical organisation there is a split knowledge base between the people at the top (fat controllers) and the everyday levels below. The people at the top say, 'you will do as you are told, or you will 'die'', whilst the people on the everyday level ask why that must be so. The fat controllers answer by saying, 'do not question our authority, you must accept, if you continue to ask questions of us, you will die at armageddon'. Sounds far fetched right?
In essence, whilst we may not have received literal threats of being killed off if we didn't agree, we were warned that we would be 'spiritually' bumped off if we questioned too much. This is the practice of disfellowshipping or put another way, complete ostracism. Cut off entirely from fellowship with family and friends, everyone you've always known.
I'm trying to put this all simply, but probaly not doing a very good job of it, how to choose the words, come on Mark.
They put themselves and teach that their organisation is beyond the law of the land. Where any conflict arises that threatens their structure, they depend upon their own mechanisms in favour of Satan and his demons system, i.e. guys like you who in their eyes represent evil and sin. They believe they have the sole rights to truth over all other peoples belief structures. There is no middle ground.
Are they a cult at all or just disguised as one, disguised as a religion or are they a mind controlling corporation, basically a legal and publishing company, set up as a mlm hierachy, enrolling free labour members and passing themselves off as religious? If there system was anywhere else in society, for a lot of the harm they do, there activities would be banned with immediate effect.
I'm sorry to be so difficult to understand, I still can't write with clarity my entire feelings and understanding of this group of people and the negative effect they have on many individuals lives.
Good to see you here though.
Kind regards
Mark