I am just curious as to why you are disturbed that SOME former JW's don't "believe everything". As if to imply that those that "believe everything" are somehow superior?
A sad, yet curious fact about believers (not all, but a definite some) is that their belief is predicated on getting others to believe in, exercise faith in, the unseen entity that all religions claim to know, represent, but never produce.
So this whole thread is a misnomer, an exercise in futility. This topic has nothing to do with the utility of faith. You instead challenge those who "don't believe everything".
The whole premise of your thread is to discuss fiction with those who "don't believe everything".
In my view, maturity is reached when a person can keep their own beliefs while letting go of the need to somehow convince or force their beliefs on others.
I realize that you might protest and say "But I am not forcing my beliefs on anyone." Fair enough. But are you allowing for the very real possibility that YOU are in error?
If you can't recognize your own theological gray areas, then you only bring this up for one reason, as an apologetic for your own dogmatic point of view. As if others must be convinced you are right, or that others must be convinced they are wrong.
If you see God where others don't, all I can say is, tell her we said hello. But you seeing god, and believing we were somehow created is a long way from identity and personality.
Your use of words like "belief" are disrespectful in my opinion, to myself and many others. As if atheists and agnostics replaced belief in god with a belief in a non god. Atheists and agnostics will ever only bring up one point that seems to be lost on you; you and your beliefs, and your passion, have produced not one iota of EVIDENCE of a god, to say nothing of a god with a distinctive personality.
Anyway, my question to you is, why do you care?