Well – I joined TFP today and just started to look around. I didn’t expect to post a comment so soon, but your topic really hit home. I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness by my parents, but figured out by age 13 that something about it was really whacked. I left home and the JW’s at 18. It meant losing my family (parents, a brother and two sisters), but it was the best decision of my life.
My advice is to watch out for your own mental health. Read up on the religion and get a better understanding about how they operate. I’m talking about the mind control aspects and the way they entice new recruits. This site is a good starting point:
www.watchtowerinformationservice.org
It sounds like your friend is going through some internal turmoil. It’s very difficult for a Witness to reconcile the crazy stuff they should believe with the reality around them. It’s also typical for someone in that position to go back and forth – hardcore one day, more easygoing the next. That’s how it was for me.
Unfortunately, most kids raised in the faith never make a complete break from it. They spend their lives guilt-ridden, going back and forth between the “World” and “The Truth”.
If she is going through this struggle, then she needs an objective non-judgmental friend. One who appreciates her for herself, not for how “good” a witness she is. You sound like that friend. Good luck, but watch out for yourself.