I didnt read most of this thread because its about 1AM but here's my point of view.
I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. I never got baptized into it, but I went preaching, I went to the kingdom hall, I prayed, I met my wife at one of their conventions, etc. I havent been to a meeting other than their yearly Memorial in about 5 years, but Ive never been what you'd call devout. My mom, on the other hand is 100% devout. Shes realized that telling me "i wish youd come back to meetings" isnt going to get be back there, so she's calmed down a bit, but she still brings it up from time to time. My wife is a JW, and fairly devout, as is her family, my sister and her husband, etc.
My mom has breast cancer. She was diagnosed last year, and just two weeks ago she finished her last bout of chemotherapy. But at this point, I have no idea if shes going to survive. When she was first diagnosed and trying to get her health insurance all set up to pay for it, she was having issues with MDAnderson accepting it. She prayed and prayed and prayed. And finally, MDAnderson accepted her insurance. The first thing she did was call me crying that she was so thankful to Jehovah that he worked things around so MDAnderson would accept her Medicaid/care. She said that god was so loving, and understanding that he touched the insurance company's hearts, so they would be accept her insurance.
Here's the thing.
How is a god so fucking powerful that he can make hospitals and insurance companies talk to each other for treatment.... but his all-powerful might can't seem to get a grasp on preventing cancer?
My brother/sister in law who are also JWs just 'praised jehovah' because he saw fit to allow them to work part time, and still afford their bills. So god can make sure your part-time schedule works for you so you can go knock on more doors. Praise god! But hang on.. cancer? Thats just too much. Can't pull that shit off.
I used to argue for them. I used to say "look, if I had to pick a religion, Id pick JWs because it just makes sense to me. It works with how I feel about the world/universe/where/who we are." Ive read the bible a couple of times in the time that I used to go to their meetings, and for a time, it made sense to me.
But honestly, fuck that religion. Fuck religion in general. Fuck the non-existent entity that humans refer to as God
There is no Jehovah. There is no Jesus. There is no Messiah. There is no Buddha. There is no Brahma. There is no *INSERT RANDOM GOD NAME HERE.*
I mean this in the most respectful way, OP, but - tell your daughter to stop fucking with that shit. It's a waste of time, and a heartache. Tell her to live her life. Tell her to find more meaning in her life through her career, through love of a significant other, through family. Get her away from all the bullshit religion out there.
edit: Oh yeah, I forgot this little tidbit. Last year before my nephew was born, my mom and her now ex-husband got into an argument that ended up with his hands around her neck. Somehow, she got away from him and ran to her brothers. She left him for 3 months. Then she went back to him, and they had a little 'talk' with some of the elders (priests) in their congregation. I was there. I almost murdered him for it. Nothing was done to him in the congregation. My mom decided that she'd stay with him, but if there was an inkling of mistreatment, she'd bail on the spot. Ive made my peace with possibly ending him and going to jail for it. That's something I can live with.
She stayed with him for a few more months, and some of the other elders persuaded her to stay with him because its what "god would want" due to the sanctity of marriage. She finally did leave him after continued verbal abuse. Now he's still where they used to live and badmouthing her and saying that she went crazy because of the cancer, and left him. And as of yet, nothing has been done about the initial attack. Not that the JWs can do anything legally, obviously. But I mean they never reprimanded him, or anything.
Fuck Jehovah's Witnesses.
