There is no simple answer to this question because the reasons are varied and complex. CA I did do research before joining but because of my own upbrinbging, came from a premise that the Bible was truly god's book. The ability to answer questions from it is powerful in these circumstances. What I checked was the things presented in the study material eg Origin of Christmas, birthdays, cross etc. I also looked up scriptures in a variety of translations. The progress of the material presented is designed to elict trust and eventually cross checking everything becomes less important.
To be honest I am still trying to understand the young me that fell for it all and in my defence I didn't have the internett then and research was far more difficult. I definitely stayed too long, but the enlightenment I felt from feeling I was learning about the Bible from the jws, is shadowed now in the freedom I feel from shedding the indoctrination. After critically analysing the org, I moved onto doing the same to the Bible inself. I no longer need definitive answers and am content to view life as a journey where my ideas will evolve over time as I add experience and knowledge to the path I tread.
BTW there is a veiled judgemental attitude in comments from born ins that makes converts like me think twice about commenting on a thread like this. All the exjws I know personally were converts, don't know any born ins. Perhaps that is also of being a convert, "birds of a feather flock together " both in and out of the organisation, or more accurately I personally never felt fully included in the congregation. I am a woman with a husband who never checked into the org. Unfortunately I stayed long enought to have one of my children remaining a fully fledged jw.
