I am being polite, because that's how I am, and also I realise we are all stressed by our experiences, many of us depressed, and I don't want to hurt someone.... but to be open with you guys, you are very pessimistic, glass half empty. If you were alive a century ago, you would say that the church would always dominate the world, while outside America and Africa, the church is dead - except for some fanatical diehards in Poland and Ireland, Europe hates it. People with you attitude were so wrong! I bet 10 years ago you said America would never have a black president. People with you attitude were so wrong! If you don't want to get involved, fine, don't, your pessimism would kill the enthusiasm needed to power a movement, but there's no need to be offensive.
JWs are not generally narcissists. There is such anger and bitterness here, with people making absurd claims that stop us being taken seriously, and make any curious JWs think we are nutters. The first time I saw this forum, I saw some of the utter crap on here, one idiot writing as if only JWs had been sued for child rape, when the Catholic church has a far bigger problem. I didn't return to the forum for a while, and who knows who else you brush away by making wild angry claims or insulting all JWs.
What you have to realise is that any JW who was not born-in, ended up being there because they were not 'normal'. There are various reasons for not fitting in with the mainstream, and yes mainstream is sort of a cult of general society, but generally people are vulnerable to a cult because their life is in a mess, they are desperate, probably have some issues. Some people feel insecure and want the social club but are horrified by the morals, while others are repulsed by the worlds disgusting conduct, but are hurt when the spiritual sanctuary is not home to morals.
To different people, the organisation stood for different things, so yeah, we didn't get on that well, and that hurt us. We are whining like bickering school kids, with no empathy for others, we are all just born into some messed up world and struggling to get by the best we can, without a clue, and no wonder people desire a guilding parent-like support so much they dream up a father-like god. It's one think to criticise cults, but it's another to be rude to fellow victims - it's like a concentration camp suvivor saying "anyway I'm better than the rest" - what would you make of that?
We need to stop pretend all JWs are evil, and realise we are all just screwed up, that's what got us there, and we ALL need to find other help. Many of you obviously haven't faced issues, but would prefer to take it out on the JWs. The structure of the organisation is wrong, it's a cult, it's messed up, but even the leaders are so brainwashed, they don't think straight, but it's a jump to call them evil. Many of them love the Bible to bits, and as crazy a book it is, we can understand people cling to it because they are scared of the immoral world with such violence.
If anyone on here is trying to be a legend, it's not the exJWs who want to draw the public's attention to our plight, to help those in come out, to stop people going in in the first place..... it's the opinionated dreamers who pretend our good chats on this forum are bringing down the organisation, while slagging off those who try. The organisation are a little nervous of apostates, but it's not as if 50% of JWs leave a year because of it. They also are fearful of universities, any job outside self-employed lonely window cleaning, etc.. Basically any contact outside the chosen channel. But what really draws people away is sex; I respect the encouragement of family values, but people often fall to the pleasure, it's human nature, though so are many things I wouldn't promote. Most people only turn to apostasy after getting caught for fornication.
My suggestion never has been to bombard the "happy" JW inside the organisation, because they will see it as persecution. People outside do know who we are, we bash their doors, and they know we are a religion, that we are not the typical child raping church, and so from there, it can be reveal to them that we are weird. People would watch the film if it WASN'T someone's lifestory, and didn't had elements anyone, exJW or not, could identify with - obviously you chaps are not writers! If we may people outside more aware, more understanding, they may be more patient with JWs, so we will reduce the faith-building perscution. However, what I have mostly suggested is we find some way to make the truth more available to any JW looking, and have a programme to help them out when they want out. I never said that all exJWs are old CDs unknown in a cabinet somewhere in some office block - I said that is this forum; what we know must be shared.
You guys looking for excuses, I bet you were like that with the ministry, hiding when it rained! Shame on you! Your attitude is "I got out, to hell with the rest, screw them, I'm ok haha".... don't you have even the smallest amount of empathy for some poor misguided soul somewhere who is about to embark of the same years of hell following baptism?? Don't you wish someone had warned you before it was too late? Sure life is crap, and we can't fix the world, but doesn't mean we just give up. Are you the kind of person who looks out for number one and your family, and thats it? Sure we are disillusioned, but where is your sense of community??