Sorry to wait until now,
Of course feel free to offer your perspective Br. Tom. I know it is easy for those of us who spent time, thirty years more or less in my case, to think those who haven't been there don't have much to offer, but we'd be fools not to listen to other perspectives. Just note that it's hard for folks who've been there to be objective one way or another. Objectivity is something you have to offer and it has its place.
I'm married to a woman who was raised in the Witness "family," so to speak. It's all she really knows never having been anywhere else, like me, who was raised in the Baptist faith. Although she went inactive several years before I did, she hasn't tried anything else, period. Think about it, all of her life, even since she left to a point, my wife has always judge her self and her salvation against the standard held out to her by the organization. The elders were like priests, their judgement of her at various times was her reality as she'd been taught from the time she was aware that her relationship with the organization was the same as her relationship with God. If you can imagine that my friend,; then you can get an idea of what both she, and our new friend are going through. The difference is that our new friend has embraced the teachings of Bro. Russell, whereas my wife can't quite bring herself to even read The Divine Plan yet. But then we're in our sixth decade of life, and she has a lot more to overcome in that regard than Quinten.
While more often than not one who's been there and understands the lifestyle has the better chance of being what one like us needs, sometimes the right person with an objective view can fill the roll even better. In this case it looks like you are that one in Quinten's case friend. Please feel free to offer the benefit of your experience to me as well. You, Broken, Rolando, Belle, and so many others around here are so appreciated by this sojourner here.
Dupin
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