Posted by practicus [practicus] on April 08, 1999 at 03:56:41 {vxsc0.TBNkfm21baNmCYXLrxSb9K/Q}:
I have watched Nicodemus struggle, both here and on Witnesses.net. Believe it or not, I do have a compassionate side, and watching this elder, I believe he said he was, deal with such conflicts is very disturbing. Not to be trite about it, but I do "feel his pain," having once been in a similar position.
I was out, came back in when finding nothing better, involved myself in deeper study, and found a new appreciation for what I now fully accept as the Truth. Some may now consider me as one of the "God = Society" crowd, but that would be a mischaracterization of me and most loyal Witnesses that I know. It may sound good rolling of the tongue, but it just isn't accurate.
Nor is all that other stuff: blind, brain-dead, cult-led, etc., etc. In the main, we are individuals who read and study the Bible and can see the Society and its teachings mirrored in it. That is our understanding, but it is nevertheless an honest one, not the result of brainwashing.
It hurts to see this sort of struggle in anyone, and each of us who experience such a struggle must work it out for ourselves, one way or another.
I wish you well, my brother.