NC, I think we may view the sin of hypocricy in a different way. I think it is a very small sort of sin, one that everybody is guilty of -- especially those who claim to hate it most. So, sure, Christians are hypocrites. So is everybody else. I don't think it's a big deal.
So the issue for me comes in when Christians pretend that they have better morals and were a force for good in the world. They don't, and they weren't. Individuals certainly did good things, but the institutions themselves drove a lot of dodgy stuff.
The institutions certainly did some dodgy stuff, so did the people. Both also did some really positive stuff, which I think you are in the habit of undervaluing. Establishing hopsitals and schools is a pretty big deal, for example; these were things the religious institutions did long before any government figured it should bother with that sort of thing. Just an example.
Atheists have also done some pretty bad things, but they weren't driven by atheism, because atheism has no organization or rules. It's not a code of conduct, it is simply a description of how a person views gods. That doesn't prevent an atheist from picking up another ideology that drives them. But atheism has no pope or GB to direct them---they are on their own.
Weren't "driven" by atheism? Not sure I can agree. I certainly agree that atheism doesn't have a set of requirements requiring or prescribing various actions. But there is a philosophical core within atheism that is problematic for this idea.
I think what we actually have here is not a left over JW thing, but people who've had to employ a great deal of critical thinking to escape a cult, but did not turn it off when it came to other religions. As I said, some people may come to different conclusions when they look at a religion's history, and they may be able to reconcile it all with their current belief. But I don't think dismissing valid criticism as just some left over JW thingy is legitimate. They have simply come to a different conclusion than you have when looking at your churche's long and bloody history.
I hear ya. I disagree, sorta. For the following reasons:
Atheism's long and bloody history is longer and bloodier. The Cultural Revolution, the genocide in the Vendee, the starvation of the Ukranians, etc., etc., etc. Throw in National Socialism's paganism, and the score gets pretty lopsided. I've gotta own Bloody Mary, you gotta own Pol Pot. Fair's fair.
So, if you are really looking at long bloody history and choosing between atheism and Catholicism, it seems to me you only get one answer. Atheist's are, I suppose, not acting hypocritically; maybe that counts for something.
I think you may greatly overestimate the degree to which critical thinking plays a role in people leaving the JWs. If you look at the de-conversion stories, they almost always involve some mistreatment at the hands of the JWs. You and I are exceptions to this general rule, it seems. Even if we weren't exceptions to the rule, is it really a great analytical achievement to figure out the JWs are nonsense? I don't think it is.