Hi Pooh & Northern Girl,
As one of the most prolific posters here (not!) may I welcome you. Mainly a lurker and happy to read and follow threads..
Pooh - ouch - I have no advice - perhaps a tad of sympathy - having spent the first 33 years of my life as a jw and the last 10 not, prepare for a lifestyle change.
Northern Girl - perhaps I have more to say (and I'm qualified coz I'm from Newcastle!!).
Apostate site - perhaps the expression that brings the fear into many jw's perhaps a few ex jw's too. Relevance for saying this - just finished a phone call from my dad (a jw) who wants to visit me with the Presiding Overseer (who d/f me 10 years ago) - the jury is out at the moment on this. In our chat I mentioned the fact that a) the arrogance of todays jw puts me off as those who represent the "truth" and b) I have some genuine questions about the belief's of jw's, that, if asked, would constitute apostasy. e.g. 1914 - the generation that saw 1914 would see Armageddon. I have a genuine problem with that - is that apostasy?? As a jw 10 years ago I would have challenged anyone who questioned my beliefs as a a jw as apostasy but actually its a reaonable question - one that we'd encounter when door knocking. So why can't a jw ask it? My dad says they can ask it - oh yeh?
So Northern Girl - not an attack (I'm purely non judgemental - or a fence sitter) but being here last couple of years has shown a bunch of genuine guys (some ex jw's, some still in there) who have real problem with jw's and their beliefs. Many may be genuine some may not but "jehovah" gave us that free will - don't knock it.
Couple of final conclusions - as a jw I was so proud I was so humble - ouch - and b) as I wish I had, challenge the jw beliefs, not for the point of necessarily destroying, but for your own logical piece of mind.
Phew
Us Northern men don't talk this much!