Srecko Sostar

This statement is incorrect. God graciously offers repentance to bring about forgiveness. Therefore, those who fail to repent of their mistakes, as evident in the past biblical examples, will face divine judgment. God holds accountable those who claim to be His children, but later betray Him by renouncing their commitment, just as it happens today through baptism. The concept, the interpretation, presented by WTJWorg, when it talks about Armageddon (and the Last Judgment at the end of the 1000 years of the New World), actually involves collecting data about someone's "mistakes/errors". Because an individual's actions include his good and bad deeds on the basis of which he is "judged". According to the latest "clarification" a person can approach God in the last minute before Armageddon breaks out and will be saved from death. So now we see that WTJWorg theology is getting confused, as it has been many times before. A reversal has been made that in a certain way not only invalidates additional JWs theology, but also invalidates elements from Jesus' teaching that speaks of "separating the sheep and the goats" before his judgment seat. It also cancels elements from Jesus' standard, which is that those who did good to his brothers will be in his grace, and those who did not will be rejected. It means that Jesus must have a list of when we did or did not give someone water or clothes and the like. Separating the "sheep from the goats" as a process that takes place based on JWs preaching and people's decision to obey or reject the "good news" was the cornerstone of why JWs preach. Next to another stone, which is that the JWS should not be guilty of the blood, because they would be guilty of the blood of the "godless" if they failed to "warn" the people that the "imminent destruction" was coming. So, do we have a God who keeps records of our actions, because he needs these records to make a judicial decision whether to leave us alive or destroy us in "Armageddon"? Or do we have a God who will ignore all our past actions because we will turn/repent of our sins to him in the last minute before "Armageddon"? What is the real role of the much hyped and mandatory work of "preaching the good news", if people can be absolved en masse from every kind of sin because they will realize "who is the true God" in a minute before Armageddon begins? WTJWorg will have countless members who will be like Jonah who preached the "certain destruction" of those who did not accept the "global preaching of the last days", and in the end they ALL survived. What concept or to what extent, ratio is the official WTJWorg doctrine now advocating on this matter?

In directed video films for JWs conventions, those who have been excluded/dfd return.

There is no real estate tax in Croatia, yet. They have been putting it off for decades. So the owner of the property does not pay any taxes to the state because of reason he own something, house or any other real estate. In the case of inheritance of real estate from parents to children, no tax is paid (spouse, descendants and ancestors who form an upright line and adopted children and adoptive parents who are in that relationship with the deceased or donor). In other cases, 3% of the market value is paid.

Yeah, just like the prodigal son’s dad ran a broken home. If he hadn’t, junior would have never departed. Dad had a "rebellious-lost son" who left and came back. But dad also had a "faithful JW-son" who showed that dad made a mistake somewhere in his upbringing. Not only with the "lost son" but also with the one who "stayed at home". Now, did the father make a mistake in upbringing, so he created a "broken household"? And where was the mother? Or was he a "single father"? Or was the older JW son actually the "goat", because he showed all the accumulated negativity when his younger brother returned? SO, MM made a good point. JWs have no solution even for their own social deviations. They have the same sufferings as the rest of the religious world, who are in "the safe place of their own religion". I think the population of "nominal JWs" is increasing, regardless of whether they were "born into the religion" or accepted it by coming "from outside". My impression of this view increases when I see "mute" JWs standing by the carts and carrying on their private conversations with each other a few meters away from the "source of spiritual food". Jesus was active in reaching people with the "good news". What is "active" about standing 10-15 feet from the cart? On the other hand, JWs want to "fix the world", because they want to "fix people" so that they turn to God. So what exactly is the WTJWorg mission? "Going/flee out of the world" and not returning to it? So why are they fighting for tax breaks and state money? It is a form of returning to the world from which you supposedly escaped. Or for "freedom of speech and belief"? Within their church they have complete freedom to believe their own speech.

So, GB and their supporters/Helpers take care that even the smallest donation of a poor sister or brother is not taxed by the state. Truly, wonderful JWs brothers/elders who care for the needs of the flock. If soft and persistent language does not help in persuading government officials to get a lower tax or a complete tax exemption, then GB advises the last measure, which is to ... sue them, all of them. lol

"Technically speaking", we can still use Satan as a fashion designer, because he is a "murderer from the beginning", so what would be a problem for him to kill an animal for its skin? Figuratively, wearing leather clothing would mean that it was a specific "sign of Satan" characteristic for all those who rebel against God. lol ...., but "we don't know". lol

Geoffrey Jackson as one of top leader and as one "guided by HS" openly say, "We just don't know", when speaking about some doctrine in JWs theology. But as they already prove many times, they don't know many things. If He don't know, how you or me will know? lol

In your opinion, what is literal and what is symbolic in Genesis? The record of Moses? Or a translation? Ah, now we will still look at the text in Genesis as a symbolic and not a literal description of what was happening? Excellent. That suits me too. I will also manage in such a view of the description in Genesis. Then we can also question the "tree of life", right? Was it a literal or symbolic "tree"?

Their choice of clothing was fig leaves. So, very primitive and unworthy of a "perfect mind", but hey, they were in a panic so they took the first thing they could get their hands on. But God had a stable mind that was not influenced by anger or disappointment. He also showed fashion awareness as he gave them a very nice leather set so they wouldn't embarrass him with their looks in that world outside of Paradise. lol

Wrong. They are inside Garden and have conversation with God inside Eden. Maybe the problem is in Moses' writing? lol In Eden, God teaches them a lesson about disobedience, prophesies trouble, dresses them in animal skins, drives them out, and sets guards at the entrance to Eden. And Jehovah God made long garments from skins for Adam and for his wife, to clothe them.+ 22 Jehovah God then said: “Here the man has become like one of us in knowing good and bad.+ Now in order that he may not put his hand out and take fruit also from the tree of life+ and eat and live forever,*—” 23 With that Jehovah God expelled him from the garden of Eʹden+ to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken.+ 24 So he drove the man out, and he posted at the east of the garden of Eʹden the cherubs+ and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning continuously to guard the way to the tree of life. Let me know, please, if you have trouble reading the red letters. lol

If that brother is diabetic and eats cookies/cakes, then he should definitely be reported to no one else but... to his family doctor. lol

Part 2. Genesis 3; And Jehovah God made long garments from skins for Adam and for his wife, to clothe them.+ 22 Jehovah God then said: “Here the man has become like one of us in knowing good and bad.+ Now in order that he may not put his hand out and take fruit also from the tree of life+ and eat and live forever,*—” 23 With that Jehovah God expelled him from the garden of Eʹden+ to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken.+ 24 So he drove the man out, and he posted at the east of the garden of Eʹden the cherubs+ and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning continuously to guard the way to the tree of life. If Moses was well inspired when he wrote down these things and if he wrote them down in the right order, then we have a clear picture that God first clothed Adam and Eve and only then expelled them from Paradise. We have at least two, three possibilities, and maybe more. A - God killed some animals and skinned them and processed them and then gave them to Adam and Eve. B - Animals died naturally or were slaughtered by some predator, so then God processed the skin to make it suitable for clothing. C - Adam and Eve had something to slaughter the animals with, so they processed them themselves, and it looked, symbolically, as if God had actually clothed them. D - Or it was a miraculous event of teleportation of leather products from space, so they fell to Earth in front of Adam and Eve.

You refer to Genesis chapter 3, and you don't read it. So are you a privileged person who needs to be shown every Bible verse. Usually, the participant can be expected to check the biblical account himself, so if he does not find a certain text, then he can complain to another that he did not find it. But for you, we will make an exception for who knows how many times because you are the way you are, and I accept that as my burden in communicating with you. So first of all, Genesis 3:7: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves." Here, Adam and Eve, not knowing or being able to do otherwise, tore the leaves from the fig tree and hid their body parts, which they considered to be shameful. Text says they were "loin". What is "loin"? the part of the body on both sides of the spine between the lowest (false) ribs and the hip bones. LITERARY the region of the sexual organs regarded as the source of erotic or procreative power. "he felt a stirring in his loins at the thought" a joint of meat that includes the vertebrae of the loins. "loin of pork" https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a2fe021a8e3ee580&rlz=1C1EXJR_enHR875HR875&sxsrf=ACQVn0-4syb_novD93zFYXVrf5z1KjPwzg:1708607358052&q=Loin+meaning&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMhYy1gr-EAxUZ7LsIHdfkDx8Q1QJ6BAg4EAE&biw=1366&bih=607&dpr=1 I will make a brief observation here. Why does WTJWorg show in its illustrations that God covered not only Eve's loins but also her breasts (with "animal skin") when the term used in the Bible refers only to the lower part of the body?

Let's keep in mind that the whole episode of sinning and talking and getting leather clothing takes place within the confines of the Garden of Eden. Only when God had finished talking with them and provided them with adequate clothing did He drive them out of the Garden. So the fact that they sinned within the confines of the Garden and were given leather clothing within the confines/boundaries of the Garden speaks for itself and disproves your remark to Many Miles. The assumption you made that getting clothes is related to the act of sin is only partially acceptable. Because nowhere is it explicitly said that people will remain naked forever or that they will dig in the garden with fingers instead of hoes. Because how will you spread the garden, and that was God's intention, without tools? Plants should be planted, sown, but also uprooted and cut. Unless they were to use beavers, giraffes, goats and elephants for such jobs? lol Climate change is also certain. So they would need clothes and a roof over their heads, and that again changes the way of life and has nothing to do with the status of perfection. Because both snow and ice is perfection that comes from God, too.

In fact, it warns of wolves that sit, stand, lie in the sheepfold. lol

Leaving what the Bible calls "Babylon the Great" is permitted. And it would be allowed even if it is not written in the Bible. lol

How can he/she (cong.) not? So the constant changing of rules and doctrines confirms that this is exactly what is being done. Some existing rules violates conscience very hard.

What principles ruled before the appearance of humans on Earth? What principles ruled the life of Adam and Eve? What principles are incorporated in the Old Testament? What principles are incorporated in the New Testament? From everything known and said, we come to the conclusion that the Principles are unchanging and always present throughout the entire time of "Biblical history" in both the Jewish and Christian eras. If one of the purposes of abolishing/cessation the OT is that laws based on the same principles are not written on stone or paper, but in the hearts of men, then the existence of the WTJWorg administration is not only superfluous, but also opposition to God's purpose that man be guided by "law ( principles) in the heart". Entire books and manuals exist to explain what, where, who and how one should say and do within the JWs congregation. How to look at it? WTJWorg very often refers to "principles" from the OT and mirrors the procedure/solution from that era either verbatim or modified. So why was the OT abolished if a solution to today's circumstances within the NT is sought in it? Basically, both systems are based on the same pillars of value. WTJWorg is actually corrupting the values expected in the NT by applying "outdated methods". Or through attribution that the NT contains such "principles" that cannot be found there. The last such escapade was with beards and writing reports (counting) about the number of hours and literature and other data. The hundred years of "biblical principle" (actually 2000 years, because they refer to Jesus and the apostles who "reported the ministry of preaching") in the physical form that I mentioned, clearly has no basis in any "original principle" known to us which is associated with God when he created people or even when the OT appeared. In fact, "counting" under some circumstances was a prohibited as sin in the OT law.

If I am not mistaken, WTJWorg teaches that only the 144,000 are found in the New Covenant. That is why only some within the JWs community take the symbols. It turns out that most JWs are not in the Covenant. If they are not in the Covenant, then they have no obligations towards the Covenant. What "principles" should apply to them? The OT was only for "natural born Jews". The NT is for "spiritual Jews" only. Who are these thirds?

As far as I know, the Bible itself questions the position of elders within congregations, for a significant reason, actually because of danger. And that is that within the congregation there are false elders/teachers, who are wolves in sheep's clothing. Yes, the Bible questions the status of elders, thus opening the door for any interested person (a Christian who is part of the congregation) to question those who put themselves in the position of religious leaders. So read your Bibles dear JWs and you will see that you have a God given right to "examine the spirits". (1 John 4) Similar subject is under topic, Paul's Letter to the Galatians and the Struggle for Doctrinal Purity https://www.theworldnewsmedia.org/topic/90791-pauls-letter-to-the-galatians-and-the-struggle-for-doctrinal-purity/

One way to comment on your question would be something like this; Jesus' "elders", were chosen by Jesus and by God and HS, if I remember the biblical account correctly. In the continuation of their activities, they were "inspired" and were "guided" (even if it is one and the same) by HS. Jesus "taught" his elders how to do their ministry. From further activities, described in the "Scriptures", I did not see that the future elders went to some courses or that they finished some schools within a particular Congregation or within an Area (Circuit) in which several congregations operate. Obviously, it was to be expected that their placement in the service "by HS", at that time by "laying hands" on these new elders, was sufficient accreditation. It is to be expected that "spirit-led" elders do not need anyone's "teaching" because HS teaches them how to act and how to make decisions. In today's context, JWs elders should not go to "courses" organized by WTJWorg, because it is to be expected that they were also "appointed to the ministry" by the HS, at least that is what WTJWorg claims. And those that are "appointed and led by HS" should not be "led" by another person or organization, right? WTJWorg's desire to be recognized by the world authorities like their Catholic counterparts, namely that they (JWs elders) are members of the JWs Clergy, does not support the public claims that JWs do not have "paid clergy". It can only mean that maybe JWs will have "unpaid clergy". lol

On Sept. 21, 2021, Ivy Hill filed a motion for summary judgment, again requesting a declaration that its elders are “entitled to invoke the clergyman privilege under Section 6311.1(b) of the CPSL and Section 5943 of the Judicial Code, and, in the event the court determined that Section 5953 does not apply to its elders, that Section 5943 be deemed unconstitutional.”

JWs insist, for a very long time, on being treated as "clergy" before the courts. Or in a some wider context known only to WTJWorg' "creators of future". Reference has already been made in previous CSA cases to the Catholic clergy, and their (JWs) status as a clergy inside JWs Congregations. "Catholic type of confession" is in a form in which one priest and one person who "confesses his sin" have a special relationship. Of course, this is nothing like the JWs elders who examine the "sinner" in a three-member commission ( Judicial Committee) and determine the "guilt or innocence" of the sinner. As far as can be seen, the purpose of the "Catholic confession" is to forgive the sinner and to appease him and lead him on the right path without "sanction" of excommunication. With "JWs confession" one tries to determine whether there is guilt on the part of the one who is "confessing". Different forms of "confessions" are here in question and different methods and processes through which the "sinner" is guided. Also, there is a huge difference between becoming a "priest" in the Catholic Church and becoming an "elder" in the JWs Church. If JWs want to be like the "clergy" in the Catholic Church, judging by their demands to be treated in court the same as the Catholic clergy, then we wonder; do JWs elders want to go through the same requirements as candidates for the Catholic Priesthood? To finish college, not to get married and the like? Controversial demands of JWs will mean controversial solutions in WTJWorg theology and practice. It remains to be seen how the courts will view and resolve this, and how the WTJWorg Administration (read, GB) will adapt to it. Articles: Pa. courts weigh whether Jehovah's Witnesses elders must report confessed child abuse - https://pennrecord.com/stories/654791353-pa-courts-weigh-whether-jehovah-s-witnesses-elders-must-report-confessed-child-abuse PROCEDURE-COORDINATE JURISDICTION RULE-JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES - https://www.riederstravis.com/procedure-coordinate-jurisdiction-rule-jehovahs-witnesses/ 7 Steps to Become a Catholic Priest - https://catholicworldmission.org/how-to-become-a-priest/

But man, well, nobody hates you. Why such resistance and bitterness? lol