I agree with the above posts. Being a jw WAS fun for about the first 6 years or so.
I looked forward to the conventions, especially the new books and the dramas. I looked forward to the assemblies till the tone began to change in the late 80's-90's when the talk of the immenent paradise earth was more and more replaced with we are not doing enough. It got depressing going to assemblies, hearing their condemnation of us, making us feel guilty and worried we would die at armageddon. Assemblies USED to be encouraging! Not anymore.
I looked forward to recieving each new magazine in the mail and the annual yearbook.
I had lots of friends among the witnesses and I enjoyed working with them in fs, seeing them at meetings, assemblies and get togethers.
It was exciting being a witness, we were blessed by God and very soon armageddon would come and we would be living in paradise.
But yes, then things began to change. Years went by still no armageddon. GB members died, being replaced with stricter ones.
My friends moved away, I saw corruption among elders in the cong.
I saw more & more statements in the publications which did not match the scriptures cited to support them.
Meanwhile, my wonderful Mom got ill and after several painful years died. I felt Jehovah had betrayed me. Little by little my eyes opened wider and I saw more wrongdoing and inconsistancies.
Then I found out about the UN/NGO thing and my faith in God's organization was shattered. The explanation I recieved from the society was not completely satisfactory. Things in the congregations changed. The warmth was gone, the love was fake and conditional.
I remember back in the 70's you DID meet people at the doors who listened to you and gladly accepted the literature. Of course here in NJ we did not have people invite us in for food or drink, but there were people who listened.
It is a completely DIFFERENT religion now. This new gb is driving everything to the ground and any possible ounce of happiness of being a witness has been stamped out.
The publications look nice but are written for children.
I did have happy times back in the 70's, and early 80's when I believed in "the truth" and things were so much different.
I have no idea how anyone could be happy being a witness now.
And I agree with Magnum too- after seeing behind the wt facade the magic was gone. God's organization is fake. The magazines are not spiritual food from Jehovah, just writings from a religion, a cult.
The religion is totally different from when I began to study.