What first got me really thinking wasn't the new 2010 definition of "generation" in itself, but the unsolocited reaction of several brothers and sisters to it in casual conversation. What I saw in them was their cognitive dissonance kicking in - confused, disappointed, even angry, but unable to openly express themselves. It was their grappling with their doubts that got me starting to question. . . .
From there I knew there were some things that didn't add up from the past that I had wondered about but shelved. The first was 607. Before I became an elder, I had started to research this but stopped as I kept finding contradictory evidence (history books, museums). I googled 607 587 and all sorts of apostate stuff came up. I wondered, What's going on here. .. but didn't look at any of the apostate stuff. I researched it on my own and came to my own conclusion.
I also started going through an old set of Studies in the Scriptures someone gave us and was both surprised and amused by early bible student beliefs. In the end, a pattern started to emerge; the same pattern that emerged when I studied "false religion" in books like Mankind's Search for God: in many ways, my religion was the same as the others. It's origins and doctrine could be completely described and explained in human terms. There was no need for a supernatural power overseeing or directing it. It was the result of men making shit up. From there, I revisited the bible. . . and the rest is history. . . .
