JW looking clarity followup

[Tonus]

But your point was that the people had no issues and didn't want to speak out and they got shunned anyway. If they're dissenting voices then they can't try to play coy when confronted with their words and actions.

My point was in response to something you had said:

Discussing beliefs with people in a calm respectful way is upbuilding to humanity

I was pointing out that the Watchtower organization only agrees with this when it benefits them.  If you decide to discuss ideas or beliefs that the leadership does not agree with, it doesn't matter how respectful or calm you are: they expect you to stop, or face removal.  And they consider this to be a serious enough offense that they instructed congregations to consider it sufficient for a person to hold such views, whether or not they were discussing them at all.

I went through that same phase as you seem to be going through when I realized I was an atheist; it's a challenge to recognize that JWs aren't any different than any other religious group when it comes to the validity of their beliefs.  It's based on the same thing: human interpretation (often self-serving) of a book formed by mashing together a lot of ancient stories.  The fact that their policies and interpretations change so often should be a red flag: why wouldn't god help them get it right the first time?

Their stance on blood transfusions is a very good example.  Considering that they base this belief on a couple of short and simple Biblical texts, it's amazing that they have had to revise it time and again, sometimes undoing prior revisions entirely.  That might set them apart from other denominations, but not in a good way, IMO.