Minimus,
Your post struck a chord in me and I have to respond.
My mother is 83, and although she has been out of the "truth" for approx 20 years like me; has been reminising about it since my Dads death last March. She is the last left of her family, friends and generation, and the only thing that seems to bring her any comfort these days is her grandchildren and great grandchildren. I try to bring my kids to visit at least once a week. And lately she has brought up Jehovahs Witnesses, and references to her life ( at one time very theocratic and " pillar of the congregation" type) and talks about all the friends she and my father had ( Dad was an Elder, and no one came to his funeral- after 20 years being out- are we surprised? No.) . She has been speaking so fondly of her younger, fruitful years as a JW, that I offered to take her back to the Kingdom Hall . ( UGH! I said it for Mom) She said no, however I think she thinks of those days longingly.
I supose that my point is that she is so old and frail that I could not bring myself to disagree with her about my childhood and yearly adult years ( difficult as they were) as a JW, and to condemn the religion that she and my father chose for me. Not in front of her anyway. She knows that I no longer endorse the religious teachings I was raised with for myself or my children. And arguing with her might just make her feel worse, and at that age, so totally all alone.
I think it does not produce any results to argue with someone elderly . The mind is set after so many decades, almost like a tunnel vision. And all I can say is that, at that age, with all that life experience, and having to be alone and live with the grief of losing my father---if it makes you feel better and brings you comfort to go back to those beliefs--by all means do it.
( I cannot believe I said that)
Age does have some privledge. And placebos have been known to do some good.
At that age, can a comforting illusion be so wrong?
regards, Frank