Hi everyone. Been a couple of weeks since I've visited the forum. Davidl7, and Ray Publisher. Nice to have you with us. I really like to see what's going on in JW world. For me, joining the Watchtower Society (my mother converted when I was 10 years old circa 1970) was a bitter-sweet experience. But mostly bitter. The Witnesses I knew were really lovely people, but the teachings were severe - so much can't do this, can't do that; must do this, must do that; If you don't, then don't expect Jehovah to let you survive Armageddon. Big emphasis on expectations for Armageddon to arrive 1975 or 76. Kingdom Ministry telling us how reports of JWs selling their homes to go full-time preaching in the short time left and what a wonderful thing they were doing in this way. My father's parents were Witnesses, but he never got baptised. He never went to meetings. He said Armageddon wouldn't come in 1975, and he didn't like this scare-mongering technique. Still, I stayed with the Witnesses and became a Pioneer, well after 1975 had passed.
BTW, those who sold their homes, then ended up leaving the WT Society were said to have been stumbled - yes?
To cut a long story short - while I love the JW people, (and my brothers and sisters are still Witnesses) I've found over the decades through reserach, that the Watchtower Society Governing Body are the blind leading the blind. Life outside the Watchtower Society is, for me and thousands of others who've left, a much happier, kind, trustworthy and caring experience.
Just a thought on your comments/views that on this forum has so many who seem bitter and angry - have you considered why this might be so? If you could sit down with them one-on-one to listen to their story, you would understand the pain they've been through.
Best wishes from Flossycat, Melbourne, Australia.