@Colin I think the best advice anyone can give you at this stage is to fact check. Like I said earlier do it on your own. Make it firm in your mind then you can move on. I put this off and it caused me to just hang around. Now I regret it with all my being. I wasted so much time and well lots of cash. Makes me sick.
Again though do the fact checking yourself. In other words don't take anyone's word for it. Dig into it yourself.
A couple things that really opened my eyes. These are just the topics you'll need to do the research.
- How many prophecies and dates related to Christ's presence, and Armageddon. it is said the org is progressive but if you didn't believe these dates or the overlapping generations of today even though in the case of years ago were proven wrong would that be o.k.? No you'd likely be disfellowshipped for thinking and sharing your opinion.
- The bible itself, when were the books written. How many books has the JW bible excluded. When were the books canonized (when did they become part of the bible). you'll be shocked at some of the answers to these questions. At least I was.
- Bible translation. Just look into Romans 10:13 and 10:9. The same Greek word is used in both. The root is Kyrios. Yet when you look in the Interlinear bible somehow the formula the NWT says it uses is not kept. What is the explanation in the footnote in the Interlinear for Romans 10:9? go take a look.
- Investigate the endless false assumptions that simply went along with the bad science of the day. Wouldn't God know these things are false? Why would he direct his channel to believe transplants were cannibalism. Why would he deceive his followers into thinking he lived in a constellation for example?
- The blood issue. Why are sisters allowed to breast feed if we are not to eat blood? If anything is "eating" blood it is for sure breast feeding. The Watchtower never touches it. Were those that were disfellowshipped for taking blood fractions to save their lives automatically reinstated when the governing body realized they screwed up in the early 2000's?
- Is anyone EVER auto-reinstated when they stood firm that the governing body was wrong and disfellowshipped for it only to have the governing body finally admit they were wrong? Remember we're not talking about going to the convention you're assigned to we're talking about issues that are related to your very life!!!
Those are just a few things. The rabbit hole is literally endless. Crack the books and you'll have zero doubts when done.