Have you ever asked JW's about that or just heard one sided sob stories off the net? That appears to be where our "history" is recorded. Can you make a valid judgment about anything with only one side of a story? The sob stories are a dime a dozen, but no one is interested in hearing the other side. People will believe whatever they want to believe.
The Bible is the source of all our beliefs and activities. When we 'disfellowship' someone it is because they have done something to break a law of God with the intention of getting away with it.....for the most part it is because of immorality, but no one is disfellowshipped who is genuinely repentant. "Genuine" doesn't mean 'crocodile tears'...it means working hard to never let that happen again. We encourage and applaud repentant wrongdoers as we are all imperfect ourselves. Disfellowshipping is based on 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.
That removal from fellowship is not a physical removal from our meetings, as anyone is free to come and go.....but it is a clear message from the congregation that the person is out of favor with God and needs to do something about it. We offer no fellowship with that person.
Anything a parent wants to teach their child can be considered indoctrination.....even atheism.
What makes religion any worse? Last time I looked, Bible principles were better than no principles at all.
Your parents must have been a trifle sadistic to do that to you
No more so than any other parents' impact on their children. What methods do you think we use?
We try to keep our teaching light and enjoyable. Our kids sometimes like to dress up as Bible characters and act out a Bible story...some of them are hilarious.
It was a response in kind I thought.
That depends on what you mean by "open mindedness"...we will not go to extremes either way. Our meetings involve covering topics that are pertinent to everyday life as well as Bible highlights so we cover a wide range of subjects. The emphasis is on balance and there is NO ritual in our weekly meetings. Our children participate in the meeting, adding comments about the topic as their understanding allows.You seem to have a very dark view of what we do. I was raised Anglican but hated it.....I have been a Witness for 45 years and I love being part of this global family. Are we perfect....?....nope...but I think we try harder than most.
We are very trusting of one another so we warn our children about how the world operates so that they can be aware of unscrupulous people and their motives. We teach them about the moderate consumption of alcohol and good choices for entertainment, as well as the responsibility to respect older ones. We aim to raise balanced kids with respect for themselves and with a healthy respect for God's standards. We teach them to try and avoid regrets, but that mistakes are not the end of the world. None of us are perfect.
The same as what I tell them when the door is open.My kids were always free to ask whatever they wanted to with no taboo subjects. If they attend school, how could there be?
Of course I would want to influence their decisions. I am their mother and no one has more of a right to do that than parents. But no matter how much I wanted to influence them, they had to make their own choices and reap what they sowed. Lessons don't have to be hard or painful, but some kids can't learn any other way.
Anything else you'd like to know?
The "evidence" furnished by science needs interpretation much like the Bible does. So how do you decide that the "evidence" is sound enough to bet your life on? 
