Former believers, did you feel religion scammed you?

[Tonus]

I'm always amazed to hear it when you say you came out of the JWs. That just seems like a particularly severe version. But you seem to have extraordinary balance and perspective. Do you still get on well with your family and friends who are still in, or do they shun you if you go apostate?

Hmmm, there's a bit of a story to tell, to be honest. At present they still consider me a member, though I haven't been to a regular meeting in a good eight or nine years, and have not been to the Memorial (the annual observance of Christ's death, which they unofficially consider mandatory to attend) in two or three. Those among my family who know about it already left the JWs themselves long ago. Those who don't are mostly uncles/aunts/cousins that I normally have very little interaction with. Being cut off from them would have almost no impact on my life.

My mother would shun me if she knew, but that would be a much greater inconvenience for her than for me. She must suspect, but I doubt she wants to know. I am sorely tempted to write a letter to the Watchtower Society stating my situation and formally disassociating myself, as I think that after a short period of upheaval, my general situation could only improve. Deliberately cutting the ties has otherwise never been a priority because once I stopped being active there is no real difference between where I am now and never being one in the first place.

The primary impact would be the reaction of those non-family JWs who live nearby and whom I run into now and then. It would be awkward to see people who ordinarily offer a warm smile and a greeting try their hardest to pretend that I'm not nearby and/or that they've never seen me before. But even that would not occur frequently and would be a minor issue; it's not me rejecting them, after all.