Either one of us is going crazy or someone has stolen your moniker : -)
Your whole post happened to be things I agree with, lol.
“1. none of them take the advice %100, and will use it more as food for thought for general guidance”
I, with newfound respect, beg to differ. I know a number of people who use the igros regularly to make their decisions, and many even encourage others to do so.
“None of THEM” was referring to what I wrote before “I know some people who do this” – None of THEM take it to the extreme, though I am indeed aware that some people out there do.
Of course we believe in Hashgochoh Protis, but determining what is meant to be done from a given circumstance is very dangerous.
I completely agree, great example.
There is a known joke in Chabad circles that a guy named Sholom was wondering about his engagement with Brocha from Brooklyn, so he opened an Igros Kodesh and was excited to find a letter that said “ברוקלין נ.י. שלום וברכה” (the header of every letter).