A Look Back Before We Look Forward
When I first started Beroean Pickets, it was intended as a means to contact other Jehovah’s Witnesses who wanted to engage in deeper Bible research. I had no other goal than that.
The congregation meetings do no provide a forum for real Bible discussion. The now-defunct Book Study arrangement came close on rare occasions when a group consisted of a number of intelligent, open-minded brothers and sisters with a true thirst for knowledge. I had the joy of conducting such a group for one blessed span of time. I always look back on it with great fondness.
However, in the current climate, frank and open Bible discussions even among long-time friends has become a dangerous proposition. Generally speaking, brothers and sisters are strongly disinclined to discuss the Bible outside of the strict confines of JW doctrine. Even within those confines, discussion is usually of a superficial nature. Therefore, I realized that if I wanted to find genuine spiritual nourishment with other Jehovah’s Witnesses, I had to go underground.
Beroean Pickets was intended to solve that problem for me and any others who chose to join in. It was intended to provide a place in cyberspace where brothers and sisters from around the world could safely gather to deepen our appreciation for God’s word by a mutual interchange of knowledge, insights and research. It has become that, but somewhere along the way it became so much more.
Initially, I had no intention of abandoning my faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. I started the site still believing that as a people, we were the one true faith on earth. I felt that we just had a few things wrong, mainly things relating to the interpretation of prophecy. However, our core doctrines—the make-it-or-break-it doctrines—were rock solid; or so I believed at the time.
My first post was in April of 2011. Two people commented. At that time I still believed 1914 was the start of Christ’s invisible presence. Following one-on-one discussions with Apollos, I came to see that the doctrine was unscriptural. So, nine months after my initial post, I posted again, this time on the topic of 1914. That was three and a half years ago.
It would be about a year and a half later that I had my own little epiphany which allowed me to resolve a growing cognitive dissonance that was becoming increasingly intolerable. Up to that point, I’d been fighting with two mutually exclusive ideas: On the one hand, I believed Jehovah’s Witnesses were the one true religion, while on the other hand, I came to see that our core doctrines were false. (I know many of you have experienced this revelation for yourselves, many long before I did.) For me, it was no longer a matter of good men with good intentions just making interpretive mistakes due to human imperfection. The deal breaker was the core JW doctrine that relegates the other sheep of John 10:16 to a secondary class of Christian who are denied adoption by God as his sons. (True, no one can deny God anything, but we sure are trying to.) To me this still is the most reprehensible of our false teachings, surpassing in its scope the false doctrine of Hellfire. (For a full discussion see “Orphans” as well as the Category Topic “Other Sheep”.)
Why So Easily Deceived?
No one likes to be played for a fool. We all hate it when we’ve fallen for a con, or learned that someone we trusted completely has been deceiving us. We may feel foolish and stupid. We may even begin to doubt ourselves. The fact is that things were different then. For instance, I was taught that 1914 was the start of Christ’s presence by people I trusted above all others, my parents. To learn more about it, I consulted the publications which gave a plausible line of reasoning. I had no reason to doubt that 607 B.C.E. was the start date for the calculation that led to 1914, and the fact that the World War I began in that year seemed to be the cherry on the sundae. There seemed no need to go further, especially when doing the needed research would involve days of effort in a well-stocked public library. I wouldn’t have even known where to begin. It’s not like public libraries have a section labelled, “All you ever wanted to know about 1914 but were afraid to ask.”
With the advent of the internet, all that changed. Now I can sit down in the privacy of my own home and type in a question like “Is 1914 the start of Christ’s presence?” and in 0.37 seconds get 470,000 results. I don’t have to go much beyond the first page of links to get the facts I need. While there is a good deal of dross and drivel out there, there is also sound reasoning from the Bible that anyone can use to examine God’s own word and arrive at an independent understanding.
Controlling the Medium, then the Message
Jesus came to set us free by revealing the truth and then granting us the gift of the holy spirit. (John 8:31, 32; 14:15-21; 4:23, 24) Jesus’ teachings are not human-government friendly. In fact, the Bible is the single biggest threat there is to the rule of man over man. That may seem odd to say since the Bible instructs us to obey the governments of man, but that obedience is relative not absolute. Human rulers, whether of the political or ecclesiastical variety, don’t want to hear about relative obedience. (Romans 13:1-4; Acts 5:29) The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses now requires exclusive devotion and unquestioning obedience. For years now it has condemned independent thinking.
In the beginning, when humans began to seize authority in the Christian congregation, they had to deal with the written word which challenged their actions. As their power grew, they controlled access to that Medium until eventually the common man had little to no access at all to God’s word. Thus began the centuries-long period known as the Dark Ages. Bibles were hard to get and even if they were attainable, they were in languages known only to Church authorities and the intelligentsia. However, technology changed all that. The printing press gave the Bible to the common man. The church lost control over the Medium. Courageous men of faith like Wycliffe and Tyndale saw this opportunity and risked their lives to provide Bibles in the language of the common man. Bible knowledge exploded and the power of the church was slowly undermined. Soon there were many different Christian sects, all with ready access to the Bible.
However, the drive for men to dominate others and the willingness of the many to submit to human rule soon created hundreds of new ecclesiastical authority structures—more men dominating men in the name of God. These could no longer control the Medium, so they sought to control the Message. To again steal away Christian freedom, unscrupulous individuals used artfully contrived false stories, false prophetic interpretations, and counterfeit words, and found many ready followers. (1 Peter 1:16; 2:1-3)
However, technology has again changed the playing field. Now it is incredibly easy for every Tom, Dick, Harry, or Jane, to check out and verify any statement made by men who claim to represent God. In short, Church authorities have lost control of the Message. Additionally, their misdeeds can no longer be kept hidden with ease. Church scandals are decimating organized religions. Millions have lost faith. In Europe, they consider they live in a post-Christian era.
In the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Governing Body is responding to this new assault on its power and control in the worst possible way: By doubling down on its authority. The men of the Governing Body now lay claim to the Biblical role of Christ’s appointed Faithful and Discreet Slave. The appointment of this tiny group of men took place, according to their most recent interpretation, sometime during 1919. Without any real Bible proof, they have presumptuously proclaimed themselves to be God’s appointed channel of communication for humankind. Their authority over Jehovah’s Witnesses is now, in their mind, unassailable. They teach that rejecting their authority is tantamount to rejecting Jehovah God himself.
A man can hold sand in his hand by cupping his palm, or by closing and tightly squeezing his fist. Any child who has played on a beach knows that the latter doesn’t work. Yet the Governing Body has clenched its fist in the hope of consolidating its rule. Even now the sand is slipping through its fingers as more and more are waking up to the reality of the Governing Body’s teachings and conduct.
Our humble site is one means for providing help and understanding to such ones. However, it does not fully fulfill the commission our Lord gave us.
Obeying Our Lord
Last winter the six brothers who are now involved in the Beroean Pickets and Discuss the Truth forums came to the realization that we need to do more if we are to obey Jesus in publicizing the Good News of the kingdom, of salvation, and of the Christ. However, realizing that the holy spirit does not flow through us to you, but rather is distributed directly to all Christians who put faith in Jesus and who love truth, we asked for your input and support. The January 30, 2015 post, “Help Us Spread the Good News”, explained our plan and asked for your feedback on a variety of related subjects. There was a survey at the end which a number of you completed. From that we saw that there was indeed support for the continuation of Beroean Pickets, even into other languages; but more than that, there was support for a new site dedicated to spreading the message of the Good News free of any connection to any religious denomination.
Laying the Groundwork
At present, just maintaining Beroean Pickets and Discuss the Truth takes all our free time and cuts into the time we need to earn a living. My first personal goal is to launch a parallel BP site in Spanish (and possibly Portuguese), but I lack the time and resources. Collectively, our group want to launch the Good News site in English, and then in other languages, but again, time and resources are currently limited. If this is to grow and truly become a means of publishing the Good News unadulterated by the ideas and rule of men, it will need the support of the whole community. Many have expressed a desire to help out, both with their skills as well as their financial resources. However, before that could happen, we had to set up the right infrastructure, which is what we’ve been doing the past five months as time and finances have allowed.
We have set up a non-profit corporation. Its purpose is to give us legal status and protection under the law as well as a means for funding the preaching effort envisioned. With that finally in place, we have secured a reliable dedicated server for all our self-hosted WordPress blog sites. Currently, Beroean Pickets is hosted by WordPress, but there are many limitations as to what we can do under that arrangement. A self-hosted site gives us the freedom we need.
Of course, all of this time and investment may be for naught. If this is not the will of the Lord, then it will come to nothing and we are okay with that. Whatever he wills. However, the only way to know which way to go is to follow the principle found at Malachi.
“Bring all the tenth parts into the storehouse, that there may come to be food in my house; and test me out, please, in this respect,” Jehovah of armies has said, “whether I shall not open to YOU people the floodgates of the heavens and actually empty out upon YOU a blessing until there is no more want.”” (Mal 3:10)
Where Do We Go From Here?
Where indeed? This is a question often asked of us. To this point, we have given no firm answer because frankly we didn’t have one. However, I think we are ready to address that issue. There is much to speak of, but I will hold off until our new Beroean Pickets site is launched. I am working on that over the next few days. I do not know how long it will take to transfer the domain name over, and accomplish the data transfer, but at some point soon—not yet—I will be closing down the commenting feature of the site so as not to lose any data during the actual transfer. Once the new site is up, you can reach it using the same URL you currently use: www.meletivivlon.com.
I would like to thank everyone for their patience during this transition, which I’m sure will be beneficial to all.
[…] yet another form of human rule—another ecclesiastical hierarchy. Typical of this thought is a comment made by […]
Just out of Curiosity and for that reason alone: Is there anyone that subscribes to this site that is fluent in biblical Greek? Anyone that has any Scholarly training? Or anyone with a wealth of biblical experience or expertise? Is there any Scholars, theologians amongst us? I’m not implying that this is important in order to attain the truth. Just curious. I think it is a testament to those that contribute to this site, that they have been able to examine in great detail so many different doctrinal teachings. However I cant help but wonder how they would stack up… Read more »
When Jesus taught, his teachings failed the scrutiny of the scholars of his day. But of course we know our brother was anything but a failure. When Paul taught, although a scholar himself, he failed to convince his peers who themselves were scholars. But of course we know our brother was anything but a failure Granted, so what we learn from the Bible might not cut any mustard with scholars. We have to be careful. If we lean on scholars to verify our understanding of the Bible, they could become a snare, as Bro/Sis might use them as a litmus… Read more »
I agree that a Greek scholar would be useful, but of course we would need to exercise caution for reasons stated. On the other hand you do not require a PhD to understand Hebrew culture – it’s really very easy to study and extremely interesting, and, of course, helps to give us a more accurate and detailed examination of scripture which would certainly be beneficial in our studies. Perhaps we could devote some time to this.
Hi Silvanus,
seeing that the thoughts condensed into letters are the product of Holy Spirit, would it not be better to have them decoded also by Holy Spirit, rather than by technical scholars and linguists?
“For it is to us God has revealed them through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the deep things of God.” 1 Co 2:10
This is a response to Hamilton Grey’s lengthy post You raise some interesting points, but unfortunately they are typical of the myopia that leads JW’s in the dark. I’ll address each of them as succinctly as possible: 1) You seem to be making a parallel between Israelites of Old, from Moses’ day to Jesus and the modern day movement of JW’s. Your comments about rebelling against Jehovah seem to suggest that what Meleti et al are proposing is tantamount to the rebels of old. However there is no parallel. JW’s have not demonstrated in ONE single way that they are… Read more »
Thank you stonedragon2k for your response to Hamilton Grey. When I read Hamilton’s diatribe I wanted to vomit because it’s not a lack of faith why we are all here. Also, how can one continue in an organization that has misled us for so long and claim to be Jehovah’s organization. It is clearly NOT Jehovah’s organization. It has all the markings of a false prophet 2 Peter 2:1-3 and I John 4:1-3. I support Meleti and the brothers of this site for exposing the false teachings of the Watchtower by thoroughly researching God’s word. Jehovah has led me to… Read more »
stonedragon2K, I like the way you put the explanation of Christianity into words which make it very easy to explain to people. I was talking to two Mormons today, and they were asking me which church I attended (I don’t attend any church) and was able to explain to them the meaning of Christianity. I would just like to add a scripture which I looked up when I got home. Eph 1:22-23 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who… Read more »
History has proven men are good at creating religion, preying on our need to be spiritual not just fleshly, it’s one of the arch deceivers favoured methods of deception particularly when targeting Jehovah’s people, remember the nation of Israel? -1Cor 10:11. For all his failed predictions the Judge was right with his proclamation: “Religion is a Snare and a Racket!”.
[The rest of this comment was copied from another site and has been deleted for copyright infringement concerns.]
Anon, I like your summary..Obedience and faith in Jesus leading and our father Jehovah is what’s important. I enjoy the commentaries and articles of those who contribute and comments, on this site…I stumbled on this site, few months ago, doing research on watchtower study. There’s good research done here, that’s for sure. Will we ever find a Perfect Christian organisation this side of new system? There are many changes happening, some I’m sure we don’t agree with. Working in the ministry the other day with a long time serving elder, feels the same. However, jesus did say that love would… Read more »
Opps Hamilton grey…
Thank you for those comforting and inspiring reminders, Hamilton.
Hamilton, You make a number of excellent points. If I am reading you correctly, the argument is based on a single premise: Jehovah’s Witnesses are Jehovah’s people. Am I correct in understanding that is your premise? I ask this, because you haven’t explicitly stated this and if, by Jehovah’s people, you mean anyone who is a Christian, then your whole argument is affected and in fact, becomes more tenable. There is no disputing that the Jews up to the time of Christ were Jehovah’s chosen people. In all the earth he had one nation. Even when it went apostate, where… Read more »
Hi Meleti, I enjoyed reading your reply, more than mine. You expressed my sentiments that were in my head, better than I did. Wow!! We have so much in common, my brother – I hope our ‘little’ divergence on a particular matter (you know the one – wink) will not stop us standing side by side as ‘one’. It shouldn’t as I have made a very good friend of a Trinitarian and we both see each other as ‘brothers’ although we differ in our opinions regarding the nature of Christ. I hope the same will be true of us as… Read more »
Hi StoneDragon2k,
I think that between us we covered the subject from two different but equally important points of view. I appreciated reading your insights on the matter and think they’ve added a needed balance.
Since our little divergence 🙂 I’ve continued to grow in my understanding of such differences. While there are Scriptural limits governing our association, I’ve come to see they depend more on motive then differing understandings. Be assured that I do consider you my brother and I’ve appreciated many of the well thought out comments you’ve contributed to the forum.
Meleti
Hamilton Grey,
just where would you be if Russell – and even men like Luther – had heeded your advice and ‘waited on Jehovah’ while remaining in the Church that taught him the basics of Christianity, and if he had reasoned, ‘Jesus is in control here, so why should I leave and start out on my own, and thus rebel against His headship?’
Do you know the meaning of the term ‘leaven of the Pharisees?’
I noticed this text is copied from this site: http://perimeno.ca/Index.htm
Thank you Nightingale, for pointing that out. HG’s post has been edited and the copyrighted content replaced with the link you provided.
I would like to make a practical suggestion on how you might proceed. Most or all of your readers will have access to the “Reasoning” book. Suppose you were to take the topics of that book in order, one by one, and discuss them on your new forum. Thoroughly research one topic at a time, trying to discern where (if at all) you are in agreement with the book, where you disagree, and why. Try to encourage your readers to reason and research together with you, and come to a reasonably sound consensus. The Reasoning book has enough subheadings, and… Read more »
It’s a very good suggestion. Thank you.
Meleti, I don’t mean to contradict anything anyone says – everyone has a right to their opinion. Is it a good idea to encourage people to read the WT publications which are full of false teachings. If brothers continue to read WT publications, will they not still be at risk of being influenced by them? IMHO I believe that many would. The Truth is to be found in God’s Word.
We must consider that this is the very thing the WT says about works it calls “apostate”. “Don’t read them, don’t touch them, you could be influenced by the Devil”, etc. They want to control you with fear. As 1 John says so beautifully, perfect love throws fear outside. The only purpose for using the Reasoning book is for it to act as an “outline”. Besides, if you don’t systematically face what it is you were brought up to believe, how will you ever be rid of those beliefs? There is no need to fear this book, or any other… Read more »
Agreed Skye. I’m not sure what you’re referring to however. If you mean the above reference to the Reasoning book, I believe that was intended to serve as a kind of topical template for a publication that more properly explains Bible truths.
Dear Meleti, I wish to thank you, and all who have contributed thus far, for the hard work that has been done. You and many others helped me on my journey away from the indoctrination that I had received all my life. Also you released me from the fear that was instilled in me by the WT as to an open examination of Doctrine. I think the purpose of the new Site is admirable, and may the Lord bless your efforts. As I think it will be of huge benefit to JW’s I hope that it becomes easy for them… Read more »
Hello Meleti – I only knew it was a matter of time before you had to come to the obvious conclusion about jw.org. Its fascinating to see how your description of the organisation known as JW has shifted over time. I guessed that any affiliation that you may of had with the Society was truly over when you said this about them in the June 13th article Morning Worship Part: The “Slave” Is not 1900 Years Old We cannot help but feel insulted when such a transparently meretricious argument is used in an attempt to deceive us. Like the prostitute… Read more »
Hi StoneDragon2K, First of all, you’ve got to tell me how you came up with that interesting alias, unless doing so will compromise your anonymity. As to your questions, in answer to the first, I still go do some meetings for the sake of my beloved wife. But I don’t go to many as I find them to be very galling. I oscillate between the feeling that I’m wasting valuable time and the desire to stand up and speak out when I hear something said that is just plain wrong. However, I continue to maintain association with our friends because… Read more »
“I continue to maintain association with our friends because to make an absolute and public break with the Organization would mean I wouldn’t be able to quietly preach the good news as I now understand it. It is my hope to continue to win hearts over to Jesus”. How do you manage to “quietly preach” things that are not in line with current JW theology and avoid being accused of apostasy? I was accused of apostasy for discussing with a witness girl standing in the street by her mobile literature stand John 6 shortly before the 2014 memorial meeting. I… Read more »
It is not easy, Miken. We have to be cautious as serpents yet innocent as doves. A friend told me that it is like working under ban.
Miken, l agree it’s very difficult to witness for Jesus while still in the JW congregation, however, like Meleti said, he goes there to support his wife. I do the same to support my husband out of fear because if I don’t, he will turn me in to the Elders and I will be disfellowshipped. I feel like I’m in a rock and a hard place. The big question I face is what do I do since my husband is head of the household and I should obey him? Yet, by obeying him I feel I’m in direct conflict with… Read more »
Meleti, thanks for highlighting Matthew chapter 10. I was reading through the whole chapter and found it very encouraging. When Jesus was sending his disciples out to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God, he was warning them that persecution would come and that they must be prepared for that. Then in verse 28 he says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. …….” So the important thing for a Christian is to maintain what makes us the person we are – our beliefs, our standards, our principles, our way… Read more »
“Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of God’s people; pursue the practice of hospitality. Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing… Read more »
That’s a beautiful scripture, Hamilton Grey, thank you.
Anyone in the Mooresville, NC area? Would be nice to meet, study, and worship,
What a beautiful article, my dear friend.
I loved the illustration of the child playing in the sand. We are nothing but grains of salt, but check out this article: http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/09/17/161096233/which-is-greater-the-number-of-sand-grains-on-earth-or-stars-in-the-sky
I was thinking about Daniel 12:4 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
The Good News Association!
Thank you, Alex, and also thank you for that link. It’s the first time a mathematical calculation has brought tears to my eyes.
All the best Meleti, i do enjoy the site, i think from the point of view in challenging my own beliefs, and studying gods word. We all want freedom/truth and it ultimately comes from Jehovah God, in my opinion this website and those who contribute to it, has an impact in peoples lives?yes you can tell by the comments–well, Who gets the truth. The apostle Paul said of God’s truths: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept making it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6) So, God reveal his truths only to those who really want them. Im an active JW, its great… Read more »
Hello Meleti Such beautiful news. Such refreshing. To simply read and share and bounce thoughts on Scripture I pray for Jehovah’s Blessing. It is exciting, it is like a light It is freedom to really study the Good News The message from Jehovah and Jesus This is lovely, this is love in hues. We can appreciate the hard work you are putting in, and we thank you so much for it, where would we be without a site like this? The hope and promise of a place to really get to share and discuss is like a cool brook on… Read more »
Meleti, I really appreciate the work you and the other brothers have done to share the research on the many JW doctrines that are false. I found your site to be a safe place to come and learn. Since there’s no independent thinking in the JW organization and I can’t express or challenge such false doctrines, I’ve remained underground because of fear of losing my husband and many friends due to the disfellowshipping. I look forward to the launch and all that’s to come. Many JWs need a place like this to come to and feel safe. I pray that… Read more »
I feel quite emotional at this exciting news and look forward to the launch! I do appreciate the time, energy and resources you have expended on this site. It’s been a comfort, a beacon of truth, a sometimes surprising spur to my own research and most definitely has engaged my thinking processes! I don’t know how I would have dealt with the dissonance I was feeling when I somehow stumbled on this site just over a year ago, so I thank you all very much for your hard work, and the dedication to truth that is leading you to provide… Read more »
Please keep me posted!
Excellent, thanks to all who have contributed so much thus far for clarity in searching for truth. I for one as a new follower appreciate all the time and effort. You have truly helped on my journey and I look forward with eager anticipation to what the future holds and your new endeavours.
Excellent Meleti. We need it !!!
Now many Spanish speakers like my relatives would have access to the website and be able to learn the truth.
Thanks Meleti : )
CP
Amen to that Brother , just please keep us updated on when the new site shows up. And yeah i myself throw that word a lot rock solid, yeah sadly many (admitted not all ) doctrines are not rock solid. But I have faith our king Jesus and. Our heavenly father Jehovah will always help us, they are 1000 percent rock solid
Please….Please…. In all your endeavours on this web site, keep in mind that the Identifying mark of true Christianity is love. This perfect bond of union should always be the underlying force behind all we do. I know you brothers have the best of intentions in launching a new web site. However I pray to Jehovah that it will not become another sect amongst many. Remember the words of Paul at 1 Cor 11 18,19 “For first of all, I hear that when you come together in a congregation, divisions exist among you; and to an extent I believe it.… Read more »
Many JWs leave the Organisation because they believe that by remaining in they are still at risk of being influenced by WT teachings. So perhaps that would be something to consider too. Mark 1:14,15 “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news of the Kingdom of God.'” Luke 4:43 “But he said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because this is why I was sent.'” Therefore in order to… Read more »
“The “word” = the seed message of the Kingdom of God.” That was true when Jesus spoke the parable, before his sacrificial death and resurrection. However after his ascension the emphasis changed to witnessing about him as recorded at Acts 1:8; 4:12. There are only six scriptures in the New Testament that record preaching about the kingdom of God Acts 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31. In three of those scriptures the preaching of the kingdom is also connected with preaching about our lord Jesus. The overwhelming message in the NT focuses on our salvation through and in Jesus, we… Read more »
Mken, 2 Tim 1:10 “but it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” This gospel is the one gospel of the Kingdom first preached by Jesus and by all the NT writers.
And Matt 24:14.
“Therefore do not become ashamed of the witness about our Lord….” 2 Tim 1:8
Sorry you don’t get it Skye.
Mken, Let’s be nice. What is it I don’t get, Brother. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your counsel, Silas. Many share your concerns. It is my foremost concern. In fact, all the brothers on the site concur with you. All I can say is that our goal is to avoid a repeat of the past. The last four years have seen us moving away from the influence of a lifetime of indoctrination. It is my intention that that journey continue. I have much more to say on the subject, but I will leave it for the next post.
Again, thank you.