FayeDunaway,
I decided to dismiss myself of the JW notions of "faith," and basically adopt the Jewish view of "G-d," and it doesn't fit the normal Christian norms at all.
Jews don't teach a concept of "belief" or mental acknowledgement in God or any of their doctrines. Unlike Christianity, "belief" holds no special power or reward for the Jew. This is likely what James was building upon when he used the illustration: "You believe in one God, am I right? All and good, but so do the demons, and their belief gives them a feeling of doom." (James 2.19) James' epistle, say scholars, was written to Jewish Christians, and their theology was built upon belief that only the Gentiles were free from observation of the Law. (Acts 21.15-26) To be brief, Jews don't believe in God as much as they respond to God.
That is why you have Jews who are atheist, agnostic, Buddhist, secular, Orthodox, Reform, and even Hebrew Catholic. The question is not whether God is real, but whether one chooses to trust or believe in God. Regardless of how one responds, you remain a Jew (though some argue this point). Thus at your Passover Seder you will find all of these Jews at the same table. The Abrahamic covenant entitles Jews to a place in the world to come, or so they believe, thus there is no need for a salvation doctrine and therefore no amount of mental acceptance that this or that is real has any affect.
Jews argue with the God Concept and have been doing so since the days of Abraham who debated with God and Jacob who wrestled with God's messenger. We get up in God's face like did Job, and even abandon him when the going gets tough like the apostles did in the person of Jesus Christ. All relationships are like this (by the way I am currently single). None stay at a constant, and none are automatically over just because one side stumbles or chooses to relate to the other in a different manner.
Slowly Jews are just beginning to accept that some of their number can be followers of Jesus of Nazareth and still remain Jews as long as they are Torah observant or, if secular, do not abandon their cultural identity. Since the 1960s the Roman Catholic Church has quietly re-established a Church in Jerusalem made up of "Hebrew-speaking Catholics who live among the Jews culture." This wording of theirs translates to Jews who are Christian but still live like Jews. My relatives follow the unique customs and religious calendar of this group.
This is why my siblings and I left so easily and completely. Regardless of how one responds to the concept of G-d, leaving such a rich culture as our family built to exchange it for the dry and boring JW Watchtower world was just stupid. I have a brother who is atheist, but that doesn't change how we live and celebrate life together. The rich family ties of uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents were not severed, and one by one we kids just gravitated away from our parents who literally destroyed themselves with drugs and self hatred.
Since simple mental belief has no value to Jews, there is no argument about whether one believes this or that. Some among us accept Jesus as Messiach and others do not. Without the "faith=salvation" in our culture, it's no big deal. If there is a God say Jews, then God is going to save us because God loves us, not because we merely mentally acknowledge he exists or not. You don't have to believe someone exists for that person to exist or love you.
