Excellent analysis! It is important to me that the light of scripture be used to reveal the unscriptural practices of Jehovah's Witnesses as my close family are JWs and they shun me because they are taught "as doctrines commands of men" (Mark 7:7). They don't even know why they are shunning me except that they were told to do so by congregation elders whose judicial commitee meeting with me was so secret I didn't even know that's what it was.

I thought they were just coming to my apartment to see how I was doing after a serious car accident I was in. Even though I had not been involved with a JW congregation for several years, I had grown up with two of these three men and I thought they were concerned for my well-being. Turned out they just wanted to know if I still considered myself a JW and if I had been involved in any immorality that would scripturally free my ex-husband to re-marry. At the end of their "visit" they asked me to write a letter to the congregation formally disassociating myself. Instead, I wrote a letter refusing to do do so because of what such a course would do to my relationship with my mother which I was in the process of trying to restore. I assured them I was no threat to any congregation member nor to the reputation of any local congregations, but they disfellowshipped me without any advance notice or further communication.

Since their driving me further away, I have learned more and more about their unscriptural doctrines and practices, have become increasingly horrified, and now may very well become a far worse "threat" than they ever dreamed, just through my desire for the truth to be known. I love my old friends and family and all well-meaning JWs, but I do not love the Organization to which they belong, and I hope some day they will see just how unloving and unchristian it truly is.

Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Christian denomination?

I find it hard to believe they can claim to be Christian in light of the following scriptures:

Matt 7:1-5 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

 Romans 2:1-6 Therefore, anyone of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. 2 We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. 3 Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works

James 4:11-12 Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

I was raised as a Jehovahs Witness, but, naturally, I no longer attend their meetings. Through much soul-searching, though, I do respect their beliefs. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I simply cannot follow any Christion based religion that follows any translation of the bible. However, I will say this:

While my mother made me attend the meeting three times a week, I never had a problem with the congregation. They all seemed to me like people who were just trying to serve God the best way they saw fit. I have seen people who would give the shirt off their back, and food from their table, and go out of their way to help a stranger, but with a sadness heavy in their heart, not associate with a member of their own family due to diaassociation for greivious wrong doing.
I personally have seen families pray together so the person in question will realize their error so everyone in the family can be together in the paradise on earth later. This truly can tear apart a family emotionaly. But I also admire these same people for sticking to their rigid belief structure and drawing strength from it and each other. While I know it is hard on the person who is being ostrachsized by everyone, people must also compare this to other religions. Excommunation from Catholic churchs, and, of course the way cults tend to dispose of those members who they find undesirable. This is a cross in between. My mother told me only the family members of that person could associate with that person, but no one else in the congragation could. I always accepted that fact, but never really cared a lot about it, because I never really cared about their beliefs.
I know the Brothers and Sisters of the group do rely on the Elders for guidance. I know they are chosen as Elders, much the same way one of the 144,000 are chosen.(However even an Elder can be cut-off.) I have seen many members abide by the Elders decision because it is what the Elders are there for, because they believe the Elders to possess certain insights and a better understanding of scripture that the rest do not. True believers of the faith are fine with this. It is true that an issue needing the Elders to step in isn't discussed openly among the congragation, primarly because even though the group does share the same religion, personal matters are not. That would be considered gossip and that is not allowed.

Of course, Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult,.... by definition. Their religion is less than 200 years old. Religion is something that affects everyones life. Sometimes not for the good. Like all cults there seem to be sects everywhere. I am from Texas and all the congragations in my hometown area seem to be the same. Recently I have moved to Alabama, and my friends boyfriends grandmother and most of his family are Witnesses. What he has told me about them is NOTHING like what I was raised to believe. So I do not know if anyone can understand what I have been taught to be the truth about the goings-on. It is probable no one can.