Much has been written on this subject, and I’m sure you have heard about the witnesses breaking up marriages and so on. Some of it is true, some of it is not.
Did you realise the society has already judged your friends and family, regardless of the fact that they do not know them from a bar of soap? Yes, without even meeting them, the Watch Tower society knows that they are "bad associates". Why? Because they are not witnesses.
The verse the society uses here is 1 Corinthians 15:33 translated as "Do not be misled, bad associations spoil useful habits" in the New World Translation. Interestingly, this is translated as "Do not be fooled: Bad companions ruin good character" in Todays English Version, and similarly in the American Standard Version.
The implication here is that non witnesses will not encourage you to attend meetings, go out on field service etc. and this makes them bad. However if you read the surrounding verses, you will see that Paul was not referring to ones outside the congregation (or non witnesses). As to whether Paul was referring to habits (such as attending meetings) or character and morals as used in other translations, I am not qualified to judge. My opinion is that the society has chosen to translate this verse in this way to support their view that witnesses should not spend time with non-witnesses.
Think for a moment about the people who have stuck with you for years. Maybe they have annoyed you from time to time, and disappointed you sometimes. But you probably feel free to talk to them about anything, right? Are not these people your friends and family?
The Watch Tower society has already judged these people as "bad" and will insist that you minimize the time you spend with them. How does that make you feel? Really, what right do they have to tell you who you may associate with and who you may not? Why would you want to give them this control over you?
If you choose to follow the organization anyway, the only thing I will say is that when you have burnt out, and decide to leave the organization, you will probably find that those same friends and family will be there for you - unlike your "true friends" in the organization. They will shun you, refusing to even acknowledge you in the street. Who are really the "bad associates" here?
