I know of some Witnesses that haven't go out in service or attended a meeting in years. Most "new ones" (to them and they could be Witnesses for 10 years!) that live in the territory have no clue of these "Witnesses". Maybe, just maybe, they might attend a Memorial. YET, they would NEVER accept a blood transfusion, would shun a disfellowshipped person, etc.........What's up with that???
Hmm, beats me, but then again, I can almost understand why inactive Witnesses behave this way. I contemplate that concept a lot because my boyfriend is incredibly inactive - never goes to meetings, hasn't been out in service since he was 8 years old, went to university and got a degree, associates with "worldly" people like me, etc. - but he still clings to his beliefs about holidays, blood, etc.
For him and probably lots more like him, I think it's because he grew up that way. He grew up being told that "worldly" holidays and blood transfusions, etc., are all evil and that you're gonna be destroyed if you take part in these things. He grew up believing that these things are wrong, his entire family are Witnesses, parents, siblings, grandparents, so the people with the most influence and meaning in his life have been telling him for his entire life that there are things that he should and shouldn't do, so even if he's not a practicing Witness, or even a baptized one for that matter, he can't let go of the only things that he's ever known.
Think about it - what things did you learn as a child can you not let go of?? When I was growing up, alcohol was evil, it was bad, it was only for grown-ups and I was not supposed to go anywhere near it, so even now, I can't touch the stuff. I'm 20 years old, nearly 21, I've been legal drinking age in Canada for nearly two years and I have people offering me drinks all the time, even family members, but I can't bring myself to drink the stuff. I was always told that it was bad, so I can't reconcile that with the notion that I am old enough and mature enough to partake in it. The thought of having an alcoholic beverage kinda freaks me out, it's fine for everyone else, but it's just not meant for me.
The same goes with things like cooking styles and how you fold your clothing, it all has to do with how you grew up. I grew up making scrambled eggs in a frying pan, but my roommates, who are from other provinces, all make theirs in a pot, and for me, that's odd, but for them, it's perfectly normal and using a frying pan for scrambled eggs is weird. Different people grow up with different values and practices and customs and these things tend to stick with us forever. And when people ask me why I do things a certain way, like how I make stuffing for a chicken, my answer is generally, "Well, that's the way Mom always did it." I do things the way that I learned to do them, we all do.
Plus, there's the WTS's mind control and scare tactics, those things will cement any kind of behaviour just as well as any form of conditioning. Those things are the basis for conditioning Witnesses to do the things they do, and then it's just a matter of making it a family thing, just like anything else.
Does that sound reasonable to you??
-Becka :)