Over the past couple of years I've been really questioning myself about why I have doubts about the WTS and even the bible.
Even though I've been raised as JW all of my life I've often felt that I was'nt really a religious person. Unlike some of the people around me I just could'nt (and still can't) work up any excitement about the bible.
So after much thought I've come to the conclusion that the disturbing thing about all religions is that fear is emphasized more so than love. Some might argue and say that the bible teaches just the opposite, some will no doubt think about the scripture "God loved the world so much that he sent his only begotten son". I can't argue with the fact that sending Jesus to die for our sins is a loving action but I also can't dispute the fact that much of the bible is focused on individuals and nations who suffered because they wanted to choose for themselves how they wanted to live their lives.
All through-out the bible there is a repeating thread or message which is basically "you do things my way or you die". There are no other alternatives or options, either you do things this way or else you'll lose your life. Because of this it annoys me when I hear people say that humans are all free moral agents, we have the ability to choose how we live.
Another thing that really bothers me is that we're commanded to do one thing but we're placed in a situation where we're at a disadvantage.
To illustrate we're commanded in the bible to abstain from fornication. But any honest person will tell you that sexual desire is one of the strongest desires that an individual experiences. To leave those desires unfulfilled is a frustrating ordeal. To make it even worse we're imperfect and if that was'nt enough Satan and his demons are constantly tempting us to do wrong. Some people will say thats what marriage is for to allow us to properly satisfy sexual urges without breaking bibical commandments. But if you think about it marriage should'nt be a vehicle just to have sex. Marriage should be about love and companionship. But unfortunately we know this is'nt always the case so as a result there are likely thousands and thousands of people who are unhappy because they got married for the wrong reasons all in the name of trying to follow bible principles.
So in my conclusion it seems to me that religion is nothing more than a way to frustrate people. If people are really meant to serve God and have a chance at being happy spiritual persons why not give everyone a fair chance. Instead of bringing imperfect people into a corrupt world dominated by demonic influences why not allow everyone to have a clean start without the misery we currently have to deal with.