I'm sorry, but I HAVE to say that dear Doug didn't believe or feel that way, at ALL, dear ANOMOS (peace to you!). If you knew him, you would know that he was a man of faith, although not as strong as HE would like at times, due to the challenges of HIS life... as well as having had a FALSE "faith" and FORM of godly devotion (that prove FALSE to its power), shoved at him. Stuff down his throat, almost. If you read his writings... or better yet, his "bio"... you will see that he was absolutely a believer and even referred to himself as a christian. As one who DID know him... and pretty well.. I have NO doubt he was my brother in Christ. Indeed, it was my Lord who sent me TO Doug... almost over 800 miles away... so that we could meet. And from almost that very day, I called him brother... and he called me his [little] sister. Believe me, Doug Checketts was NOT a man who would call someone that "just because." It had to be real to HIM... as well as from the person it came from.
Because of that direction, I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to get to know Doug... and his genius... for more than 15 years... and I KNOW that if HE were to blame anyone, it would have been the WTBTS. And not necessarily even (all of) the individuals that were loyal to it who caused him GREAT pain, including that best friend and even some of his own flesh. He LOVED them all, though, and so that loved allowed him to SEE that most of them were just victims of a heinous, vicious scam set up to make others BELIEVE God was involved. He knew some actually wanted to be part of that scam and "acted accordingly"... and SHAME on them!... but those weren't the ones who hurt him most. It was the ones HE loved... even in spite of their love for HIM turning "cold."
But although his faith was tested (by MAN, NOT God), Doug was able to see that it was NOT the MOST HOLY One of Israel, JAH of Armies, who allowed such mess... but the "Bible God" (as he often called "him") that the WTBTS and others like them (who like to dominate their fellow man) created and pushed. I cannot related how many conversations we had where he would share with me a recent "miracle" ("Shel, there's NO other explanation for it! I just asked, and...
"). I had the privilege of being a part of those miracles on a occasion, and I KNOW Who Doug believed was responsible.Please... don't dishonor what he KNEW about God with YOUR anger/disillusionment/disbelief at/of (a God)? Doug was never angry at the TRUE God, but at the WTBTS and "Jehovah", and those whose following of THESE caused them to not only treat others horribly, even demonicly, but teach/force others to do so, as well. As he SHOULD have been. As well ALL should be. If one knew him... or even paid close attention to what he "said" in many of his posts... one would know these things about him.
I am not angry with you, though; please don't take that away from my words here. It's just that I know he would NOT have felt good knowing that his passing was used by others to speak against God. That is not what he was about, at all.
I hope this helps and, truly, peace to you!
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
Shellamar
...OUTLAW