Hello LouBelle,
These are some of the toughest questions out there for sure. I empathize with what you're feeling. I can only speak for myself. I know there are people on this board who won't agree with me, but that's okay. Not everyone is at the same "place" in life. Everyone is different.
I wouldn't give up my personal relationship with God for ANYTHING in the world. Note I didn't say religion. There's a big difference between RELIGION and a RELATIONSHIP. I know God is real. I know this deep, deep down in my spirit. He is my best friend.
Even if a person is a Christian, their life is not neccesarily a bed of roses all the time. There is sadness, suffering, etc. amongst the happiness & joy. But, it's during the LOW times that you learn life's most valuable lessons, I would say. And when you have the Lord to lean on, it makes the road so much better.
I can understand why you have the thoughts and feelings you do regarding God. You were brought up in the WTS.....but the Witnesses' "god" is not the true God of the Bible. These wonderful people are sadly being deceived by the Governing Body of the WTS, and are serving a counterfeit "god". My heart goes out to them because of this, and I pray they'll see the light someday.
All I can say is.....this life we're living is but a TINY FRACTION compared to eternity. I'm looking forward to the eternity part.
Lavendar