sigh. Well crap! Now everybody is all pissed off at me! But, I guess if I can dish it out I should be able to take it!
OK, I did frame my topic a little confrontationally, but, really, I couldn't begin to count the posts on this site from those who seem to take for granted that everyone here is a born again Christian to some degree or another. By the way, if you read the context of 1 Peter 3:15 you see that Peter was telling the congregation to be "ready to give a reason" for their belief to hostile non-believers (vs 16) and to do so "with meekness and fear (respect)". My basic question was (is) sincere. It has never made sense to me as a JW or since, Why would a loving, kind, all-powerful God allow such evil and misfortune to run rampant in his beautiful creation? Is the story of Job supposed to be the allegory that answers this question? If so, it makes God look weak, petty and frankly, easy to manipulate by his own creation, ie, Satan. It is the lack of a satisfying answer to this question, among others, that has led me to be doubtful of the existence of a God in the sense you all have referred too. Jojochan , I appreciated your thoughts. You come real close to my own feelings.
Honestly, I think a lot of you and your beliefs are like hot-house orchids in North Dakota, you're fine as long as the temp and humidity is in your comfort zone but look out if the door is opened to a frigid wind. A lot of my abrasive posts here were a rather cold, harsh wind. But rather stimulating, eh?