BillyTheKid46

THIS... I would pay money to see!
I have not been to a Comedy Club in 25 years.

Your illustration would work if the changes through the years have been only greater refinement. The reality is that the organization has vacillated back-and-forth on its doctrines (organ transplants, the meaning of "superior authorities," and the understanding of fornication come to mind). This vacillation is a serious issue. Think of the people that died refusing organ transplants or the women that were falsely accused of "consenting" to rape due to their inability to yell out.

Yes, I thought so from what you've said. The truth is I've not been keeping up, especially since this thread got re-visited and exploded with comments. I will have to go back when I get a bit more time. In the mean time I will read your (for you) concise comment 😅

I disagree .... you lack the perspective that only time and a LOT of varied experiences can give you.
Jehovah's Witnesses management does a LOT of things wrong, but they also do a lot of things right ... that no one else is doing right.  In the Corporate world, a good executive is one who gets 50% of his decisions right ... and of course WHICH 50% makes all the difference in the world.
Would you quit a job at Microsoft, because every other operating system they release bombs out, and drives everyone nutso?   I would not.
The reason God commanded us to be in subjection to the "Superior Authorities" is NOT because they are even right most of the time .... but because even the VERY WORST are better than anarchy.
The fact that we know Jehovah and Christ as they really are gives us a significant edge in having a quiet, peaceful, and prosperous life.
The TRUTH sets us free.
Humans are just nasty, selfish and no-good, so stuff ALWAYS gets lost, in translation.
I don't bitch and moan about what the Catholics, Baptists, etc., ad nauseum do or do not do, because they are a lost cause, and cannot reform.
My sincere hope is that we, do.
 
 

Although it may leave a lot of scars, callouses, and actually make you stronger and more aware ... "Anything that does not kill you will make you stronger".
If you want a good audience laugh ... use me as a good example.
 

YOU ARE MAKING A GENERAL STATEMENT THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO ME, ON ALL POINTS.
... and there is no hypocrisy on my part.
No one has EVER accused me of being "Brother Watchtower", nor have I ever been, or represented myself as such.
If I was "two faced", my head would have a LOT more hair!

Yeah ... I don't expect much from people, and less from people getting free money.
What they do or do not do does not affect the TRUTH, that I could not have learned anywhere else, and has been a blessing to me my whole life .... keeping me out of the hospital, prison, and the graveyard. Knowing the TRUTH has set me free, and KEPT me free.
..but I can completely do without Caleb and Sophia, and nutso stuff like the "overlapping generations", which is so transparently completely fake, and completely contrary to ANYTHING Jesus taught.
..... ad 85 percentum.

.... and have the Governing Body solemnly charge the Watchtower Lawyers to pursue JUSTICE, wherever it may be found ... NOT to forsake and pervert justice, to preserve the WTB&TS Treasury, and Warwick lifestyle.

I see no evidence that the Governing Body is trying to "extricate" themselves from the 100 and more years of failed false prophesy, and all the arrogant presumptuousness that accompanies their brazen self-aggrandizement,
I think, JWI that your considered assessment is a hopeful fantasy ... until they openly and completely and unambiguously make a full and public written apology for all the harm they have caused over the last at least 60 years with their arrogant and transparent manipulations for the sake of power and money, and real estate.
.... and put into effect policies and procedures for it not to happen .... again, and again, and again, and again, as we have watched for half a century.
.... and fer crying out loud .... throw those atrocious "Telly Awards" in the trash.
Nothing is more embarrassing than watching a con-man that is not good at it....
... and get those Caleb and Sophia dolls out of Tight Pants Tony's Office!

We have met the ENEMY ..... and he is us!   -   Pogo
(my emphasis)

Quite the opposite. I stated that I think the GB have a desire to do God's work and to obey God, and that they are worthy of double honor (especially as they work hard in speaking and teaching). They have reached out for the office of overseer, and as the scripture I quoted states, they are therefore desirous of a fine work. This is their goal, as I stated:
Somehow you decided that this means they are not worthy?
My concern was that a few of these men, evidently, have also succumbed to some ideas, based on doctrinal traditions that have been handed down to us since at least Rutherford's time. Those traditions include trying to maneuver 1914 into Jesus' parables even when it becomes clear that it won't work. They have therefore cornered themselves into making a declaration of their own righteousness and faithfulness in a presumptuous manner rather than faithfully and discreetly waiting upon Jesus to make that judgment.
This is just a false step that our brothers have taken, presumably before they were aware of it. Many Witnesses have noticed this. I would assume that thousands have noticed this and are therefore concerned. In fact, I now think that the GB themselves are aware of this doctrinal conundrum and have begun trying to extricate themselves. The first step is admitting that it is presumptuous to declare a specific group or class as Jehovah's "sole channel." Then admitting that many of the doctrines through the years have been false, and that even current doctrines and procedures are subject to error.  And if we are aware of a false step, our responsibility is to say something.
*** od p. 193 Part 2 Jehovah’s Righteous Requirements ***
25. In addition to confessing his own sins, each person has what responsibility regarding serious wrongdoing by others that could threaten the spiritual or moral cleanness of the congregation?
“If someone sins because he has heard a public call to testify and he is a witness or has seen or learned about it and he does not report it, then he will answer for his error.”—Lev. 5:1.
 

Very, very true ... but the first step to becoming invincible ( which is only a goal you might get CLOSE to ..) is to grit your teeth, and form an unbreakable resolve that that is who you WANT to be.
The following poem helped me a great deal ... written by a man who was dying of disease. I was taught it in the 8th grade in public school, and it took me 40 years of repetition to learn it by heart, without missing lines.
Invictus
By William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,       Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be       For my unconquerable soul.   In the fell clutch of circumstance       I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance       My head is bloody, but unbowed.   Beyond this place of wrath and tears       Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years       Finds and shall find me unafraid.   It matters not how strait the gate,       How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate,       I am the captain of my soul.   Also, it may help to watch about 5 or 10 times, John Wayne's last movie, "The Shootist",  made as he was dying of cancer in real life. At that time, one lung had been removed, and the other was failing.   He had to rest between "takes".    
 

"Anything that does not kill you will make you stronger". 
Tell it to the victims of Child Sexual Abuse. Tell it to the people who have been shunned by their families.  Tell it to the people that have lost loved ones because the loved ones would not have blood. Tell it to everyone that has been misled and hurt by the W/t / JW / GB et al. 
Things don't make a person stronger, they may show the person their own strength, but many have no strength. If you have strength then be happy with it, but don't take it for granted. Many of us don't have that strength.  

Hmmmm. It's usually easy to identify anyone's remarks here as their opinion, and I have expressed my opinion. If I had said, or "published" as you say, that the city of Sodom must not be destroyed forever in the final judgment and they are therefore coming back in the resurrection, or that only the babies and children killed in the Flood of Noah's day are coming back in the resurrection, then you might immediately recognize that this was an opinion, even if I used Scriptures to back up my opinion. Especially if you recognized that I was using a different set of scriptures than our publications use in order to back up my opinion.
No matter whether I think that something you or Tom or Witness, or John, or Anna or Jack or others might be right or wrong, if I can recognize that it is different from the most recent published presentation in the publications or from the platform, then I know that you or they have formed an opinion, no matter how sure anyone is about that opinion.
But I would expect you (or them) to provide (publish) a reasonable and hopefully scriptural argument for that opinion. And I might expect that the argument could be very good or could very well be flawed. Just as my own opinion might be flawed.
An opinion can very well be in opposition to the majority opinion, or accepted doctrine. My mention of the fact that perhaps thousands might think this way is an acknowledgment of the fact that I have heard these opinions from others too, and I extrapolate because I don't think I'm so unique or special in any way, nor is this congregation.
I think sensitivities to differences on this particular opinion have been weighted by the fact that it is fast becoming the most repeated unique doctrine in the Watchtower study articles. Since 2014, the expressions "faithful slave" and "faithful and discreet slave" have regularly edged out "1914" and "generation" and "Armageddon." In fact, from 2016 to 2018, the date 1919 was used far more in the Watchtower than 1914. I think you can guess why.

Sorry but I will have to disagree with you there since the question itself points to the interpretation doesn’t it?
You are right. Perhaps this might be a clue that these subjects are not as important as some might suggest. They definitely are not included in the section "elementary Bible teachings" which form the first part of the questions, but some are mentioned elsewhere in the book, such as the anointed and other sheep.  I  know for sure @James Thomas Rook Jr. only agrees with about 15% of the interpretations made by the GB and yet he remains a part of the congregation as far as I am aware.
I realize it seems like I am contradicting myself since I said that one " should have all those "own opinions on scripture" cleared up, otherwise one wouldn't get baptized as one of JW since one of the requirements is to agree with all 100 questions asked in the "organized book", but I did not necessarily mean these questions are about specific doctrine which one has to agree with, but rather that one agrees with the fundamental teachings and recognizes Jehovah's Witnesses as the true religion, which would take care of "own opinion on certain scriptures". All this of course could be covered under the umbrella that we recognize the GB/FDS as dispensing spiritual food therefor whatever it dispenses we agree with as the truth....well..... truth at the time . This is basically goes back to the header topic I raised.
Of course when I was going through the questions in the 80’s there was no mention of the  FDS applying exclusively to the GB. We know this has been a recent change as is evident in the 2015 version of the book.
Perhaps this will be something that will be re-worded one day.  However, it applying to all Christians has it's draw back, since how can all Christians be made masters of Christ's belongings? I suppose this is another subject.
If you can explain it concisely I would be happy 😃

This is, in fact, a pretty easy question to answer. You did hit the nail on the head, as it were, with the definition of "discreet."
Here's where we can begin to see why.
The primary Watchtower that changed our current definition of the FDS was back in July 15, 2013. The article claimed that the FDS was now specifically and uniquely associated with the Governing Body. There we see the following, which I am including again here, not for you, but mostly for those who might not have read it carefully.
*** w13 7/15 p. 20 par. 3 “Who Really Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?” ***
In the past, our publications have said the following: At Pentecost 33 C.E., Jesus appointed the faithful slave over his domestics. The slave represents all anointed Christians on earth as a group at any one time since then. The domestics refer to the same anointed ones as individuals. In 1919, Jesus appointed the faithful slave “over all his belongings”—all his earthly Kingdom interests.
The first part of that old view goes back to Russell: that all of the anointed made up the faithful slave. Russell kept that view from 1879 to until about 1897. The assumption was that they would be appointed over all his belongings at the time of their resurrection. Then, in 1897, Russell discreetly published an article stating that the slave was only one person, one individual. Then, very indiscreetly, began publishing letters and articles that addressed himself as that faithful and wise servant (FDS), allowed himself to be referred to like this at conventions, and began referring to the Watchtower publications as "food at the proper time" or "meat in due season."
Watchtower publications have said that Russell personally admitted to being the FDS in private. The publications have also stated that, when asked, he would sometimes respond: "Some say the Society is [that servant] . . . some say that I am."
An attempt to apply another faithful steward parable to Rutherford began shortly after Russell died. But Rutherford himself continued to teach that Russell had personally been that faithful and wise servant. 
That didn't last more than a decade, though, because Rutherford went back to Russell's original view that all the 144,000 made up the faithful slave class, and that they fed one another, including themselves, as the domestics. Later it was added that 1919 had been the year that they were appointed over all Christ's belongings. By the 1950's, the "governing body" as the representative officers of the Watch Tower Society began associating themselves more directly with the work of that "faithful and discreet slave."
*** w58 1/15 pp. 45-47 pars. 17-23 Overseers in Apocalyptic Times ***
Can it still be true that the holy spirit appoints overseers over the congregations of true Christians today? Since the spirit is God’s invisible active force and is silent and unfeelable, how could we be sure that the appointing of overseers is by it today? The Holy Bible, God’s Word, makes this certain.. . .  Since 1919 God’s organization has risen up to let the light of his glory shine amid the gross darkness of this world, and the time has come for the fulfillment of his promise: “I will . . . make thy chiefs peaceful and thine overseers righteous.” (Isa. 60:1, 2, 17, AS; LXX; Thomson; Bagster) We are living also in the time of final fulfillment of the prophecy to which the apostle Peter referred on the day of Pentecost, namely: “It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.” (Joel 2:28, 29, AS; Acts 2:16-18) We should therefore expect the spirit’s activity to include appointing overseers.
19 As in the days of the apostles, the Christian flock of Jehovah God has over it a visible governing body. It acts for and in expression of the “faithful and discreet slave” whom Jesus Christ has appointed since coming into his kingdom in the heavens in 1914. When warning his apostles about his coming for the judgment of his followers at an unknown hour in the time of the end of this old world, Jesus said: “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings.” (Matt. 24:45-47) Since 1919 this “faithful and discreet slave,” who is a composite person made up of all anointed Christian joint heirs of Jesus Christ, has been taking care of “all his belongings” on earth. The slave has been faithfully giving out the spiritual, Biblical food at the proper time, so that there is no spiritual famine among the Christian witnesses of Jehovah. To make this “faithful and discreet slave” class equal to their heavy responsibilities in these last days, God through Christ has poured out his spirit upon them in these last days, in complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.
20 The governing body of the “faithful and discreet slave” class is taken from the members of this same anointed, spirit-filled class. By God’s spirit it is functioning. So, then, when the appointment of overseers is made by this governing body in harmony with the requirements laid down for overseers, it is really by the spirit that such overseers are appointed, although through human intermediaries. As the modern history of Jehovah’s witnesses shows, this is specially true since 1932, when the system of elective elders and deacons [ministerial servants] was done away with in their congregations.
21 The governing body of mature members of the “faithful and discreet slave” class always seeks the guidance of God’s holy spirit in appointing responsible men in the congregations overseers, together with their assistants, the ministerial servants. They do not act according to any personal favoritism or any bias. . . .
22 When, now, the governing body designates overseers that meet those plainly stated requirements, it is really the holy spirit that leads to the appointing of such overseers; it is really the holy spirit that makes such overseers. This fact becomes more evident when we note that it is also the fullness of the indwelling of the holy spirit in the candidate for the office of overseer that influences his appointment. The candidate must show that he is filled with the spirit by the way he conducts himself and his family (if he has one). . . .
23 In consideration of the spirit’s fruitage produced by the candidate and in harmony with the written requirements set out in the Holy Scriptures written by men under the operation of the holy spirit, the governing body acts, being itself moved by the holy spirit for which it prays to God that it may guide the governing body. In every respect, then, the spirit of God comes to the fore in the matter of appointing overseers. So today as well as in Paul’s day it may be said that the holy spirit appoints overseers over the flock of God that he purchased “with the blood of his own Son.” (Acts 20:28, Schonfield) If in course of time any overseer turns out bad, we must remember that even Judas Iscariot, whom Jesus himself selected to be an apostolic overseer, turned out bad, betraying his own Overseer, the Chief Shepherd, to his enemies to be killed.
I included a little extra from the context of the earlier Watchtower as foundation for discussing some related aspects such as the actual meaning of spirit-led organization, etc. But the main point is to keep in mind the two primary views most of us have held during our lifetime as Witnesses:
(1950's-2013) The GB, especially since 1919, acts for and in expression of the FDS, which has included all the anointed since 33 CE., but which has been appointed over all Christ's belongings since 1919. (2013-present) The GB, since 1919, is now the same thing as the FDS, which no longer includes all the anointed, but only the GB, and has only been appointed since 1919, but will not be appointed over all Christ's belongings until a future time when all of the anointed are in heaven.

Sorry about this, but I'm going to play the "Bible's Advocate" here for a bit. First of all, there is nothing to disagree with on any of those questions because the answer is given only with Scripture, not interpretation of those Scriptures. Not one of the questions mentions "the generation," nor 1914, nor 1919, nor 1922, nor the United Nations, nor the "great crowd," nor the "other sheep," nor the "anointed," nor the meaning of at least a thousand different prophetic interpretations.
Even the question, about the Governing Body spells out no specific opinion to disagree with, because the term is never mentioned in any of the scriptures:
*** od pp. 201-202 Part 3 Jehovah’s Arrangement of Things ***
12. What is the Governing Body of the Christian congregation, and what role does it fill today?
“Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: ‘Unless you get circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ But after quite a bit of dissension and disputing by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was arranged for Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem regarding this issue.”—Acts 15:1, 2.
“As they traveled on through the cities, they would deliver to them for observance the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and the elders who were in Jerusalem. Then, indeed, the congregations continued to be made firm in the faith and to increase in number day by day.”—Acts 16:4, 5.
“Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on coming finds him doing so! Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings.”—Matt. 24:45-47.
If anyone had studied the verses in Matt 24:45-47 carefully, along with the Watchtower's explanation, I would think it should have been obvious to them that the Governing Body cannot currently claim to be that faithful slave of Matt 24:45. So the question itself, when applied to the Scripture, would only go so far as to indicate that the Governing Body, like all good Christians, would only HOPE they are faithfully participating in fulfilling a role of a faithful and discreet slave.
The reason, of course, has already been explained, but I'm always willing to explain again.

That is totally a Billy the Kid comment.  So is Tom, Billy ?
Look how he /whomever twists what i have said. That is definitely Billy the Kid.  
The Devil IS Satan and Satan IS the Devil, but this comments tries to pretend he isn't . The question is WHY ? 
Billy I think you have dropped a big clanger here. 

I just got back from the meeting, and having lunch at Golden Corral with Susan, and had planned on working on my chicken coop and run, but it's 94 degrees out there!
Plan B is to irritate you, TTH, and then take a nap.
I sleep better if put a few bees in your bonnet, before a nap, or get a big red down arrow vote from BillyTheKid46.!

I'm A Little Black Rain Cloud, of course..mp4

To be fair to you, John, I did a partial cut and paste and forgot to take out what was irrelevant. Sorry. That doubtless confused you even more than usual. My bad.
I changed it. Again, maybe my bad. JTR will howl that I have thwarted factfinding by the dozens if not hundreds of honest tried and true citizens that he is convinced have nothing better to do with their time but hang out here.

No, but they have a platonic spiritual "Bromance" going on, and are beginning to think alike.
(shudder!)
 

@BillyTheKid46 Another thing to point out is that people who believe humans transcend into spirits upon death, to heaven and or hell negate and usher out what Jesus' sacrifice was all about. In a short sense, they contradict themselves, literally throwing Jesus under the bus. Second, the hellfire doctrine paints our father, God, in a bad light, painting a picture that he is actually partnered with Satan when he is not. They missed the book of Jeremiah when God reacted to the burning of sons and daughters in the fire, as it pains God to see the practice he drove out the land, people get their giggles and gullies out of it as did those of olden times who burnt people at the stake.
It is stuff like this that prompts those who know God by means of Scripture to speak up and speak out against slander.

Yes, I am not. However when someone speaks ill or slander them, although not a Muslim, I will correct people on their views. Namely the whole situation with children in the battlefield, and the Prophet, Uhud. When people slander, to some we see it as a taint. People need to speak up in order to correct others, although at times, the one who is the truther in this sense may make error on his or her words and or suddenly go blank.
When it comes to what a cult actually is, we have to know what is actually a cult and what is not. Now for your faith community, people deem you as a cult due to, the core faith, of the only God being the Father, whereas others would brand you because you do not believe Jesus is God. And it is put the surface from there. This is why the lot of us raise up to slander, especially in the face of what a lot of us have a disdain for, the very doctrine that has ruined what Jesus' church was all about.
It is one thing for someone to be unaware and ignorant, but willfulness and all knowing of it? Such one will be burned and rinsed in refutation.

“Debunk” – to prove that something such as an idea or belief is false and silly.
 

It wasn’t falsely “debunked” until the expectations of the organization never were fulfilled.  It was then that the responsibility of believing in a scam fell on the shoulders of the members, even though it was the "serious students of the Bible" who believed 1975 to be an important date.  I would guess the most serious of "serious students" would be the leaders who approved of printing the article.  
A collage of expectations: