I am very new to this site. Today actually is my first time here. I was raised as a JW, I pioneered for 20 years instead of going to college. My husband has been PO for many years. I am not fully out yet because I have one son and grand baby still in, and if he knows my true feelings I will never see my grandchild. While I was in HS my closest friend needed an organ transplant but her parents were told she couldn't because it was cannibalism. She died. My mother, as a young child was denied immunization because they too were considered unscriptural. She has suffered most of her life from a serious childhood illness that could have been avoided. My sister came very very close to losing her life from a hemmerage during childbirth, possible leaving behind 3 little children. When I think of these things now, I realize how foolish and unnecessy the losses were. Today, my friend would be alive because the wt has changed their minds on their view of organ transplants. My mother would be a healthy lady because they also changed their views on immunization. All because this rigid cult made choices for these people they have never met. They have changed lives and affected and hurt so many people and rather than apologize for making a mistake, the arrogantly said "the light got brighter" so adjustments were made. But my friend is still dead. I love her family because although they too have been freed from this cult, they no longer hate. If you were never in a cult you won't understand how people could allow these men to direct your lives, but it's easy because the GB are masterminds at this, as was Rutherford. You are threatened that if you leave you will be shunned by everyone you know, including your family. And you can't really blame your friends and family because they have been trained to believe by shunning you they are showing love and helping you to see the need to come back. The only problem with that is that those who do return, do so for family, not Jehovah, because a god full of love would never treat his children like that. Most of the time JW's are not straight out told not to do something, first they are shown twisted scriptures about total obedience, then they are told that a mature Christian who really loved Jehovah would never do that. A very strong form of brainwashing. I personally feel there are some very self righteous JW's, but I also believe there are many good hearted, loving people who are entirely brainwashed or living in fear of losing their families if they dare think for themselves. So while I don't hate JW's, and I doubt the majority who've left truly hate them, they've been deeply hurt and many were not allowed an education, to start a family or even purchase homes, because Armageddon was right around the corner. When you see the big picture, you can't help but grieve for these people. They're not haters, they're hurt.