Hello Richard, my thoughts are it is unfortuanate if a child does not have two doting attentive parents.
If the child doesnt he is foder for the wolves. The wactower are wolves in sheeps clothing in my book.
When one tries to figure out the meaning and purpose of life, one of the simplest basic answers is to reproduce yourself. Then if you have any pride or self respect you mold that reproduction into something that is decent, fine and upstanding. The bible says the word of God is for widows and orphans, there you have it. If you dont have someone looking out for you, you are going to fall prey to the god spell+gospell.
When you associate with some religions they zap your energy. They always have a engineered crisis or a tit in the wringer and their is never enough time for you.
I had 2 parents but they were hardly ever looking out for my best interest. My father was not a witnoid, he was just a big kid always playing with his various toys and hobbies. My mother was a witnoid and I doubt it was to improve my life, but most likely to provide association for herself.
Maybe some people are just plain stupid and then they become sheep. I got the message as a young child dont kill, or steal, back in Ohio in the 50's and 60's they had an electric chair. Religion did not stop me from killing or stealing, the consequences of the law did and maybe some luck. Religion robbed me of my energy to better my life.
I knew when I was very young, I wanted a good life. I went down the wrong hole for a while with the wactower looking for it.
If an individual doesnt have any structure or discipline in his life, in Florida he may end up in reform school, juvenile detention, and then the military. The military teaches many things plus they have a real not immagenary retirement plan and if you get killed between now and then you dont have to worry about it. Of course you could become maimed and disfigured but if you go in the military you are not smart enough to understand that to begin with, your sort of like a dog. When you grow some brains if it bothers you you can get out and you probably will have some structure and discipline to take with you.
And if they mess your head up while they had you, they have free hospitalization and medication for the rest of your life so you can deal with it, verses the wactower where your on your own and have to end up killing yourself because no one is going to help you after they screw up your brain. And you find out that Jehober is as real as Santa Clause and the Tooth faery.
You say you are grateful for the Watchtowers influence on your life. I dont know myself what I have to be greatful to them for. The public shools in Cleveland back in the 60's provided everything and more that the wactower offered. Reading, public speaking, sports etc with out any of the baggage. When my manners got out of line in public school I ended up in the principals office and he had a paddle with holes in it. He'd light my manners right back up. And I was a witnoid and still had manner problems, go figure.
The only positive spin I might be able to give the witnoids is they were part of my life. Life is a wonderful precious thing, a journey. They were the terrifying ghoulish part of the trip. Still they let me know I was alive.
