Brother just wanted to say, never be discouraged by the pace of progress. I grew up Eastern European, in the faith from the start, but not brainwashed. Always had the rebellious spirit, "I'll come to a conclusion myself type". And I've been at this conclusion for as long as I can recall, without brainwashing, through my own experiences, and I've had some undeniable unique ones since young. When I come on here and see comments like yours, the joy it brings is truly immense. But the point I want to make is, even though I've truly known God and the truth, since I could remember. I am currently in one of the deepest valleys I have ever been regarding it. And as happy as your comment makes me, it brings guilt onto myself. So I want to tell you that it'll always be a battle, it's not supposed to be easy, for anyone. Nowhere in the scripture does it promise us smooth sailing. However there's nothing more comforting than finding Christ, as hard as life may be. Godspeed Anon