JOHN BUTLER

Each time there is a slam on the GB for their unenthusiasm over higher education, I think that proponents of that education should be required to take ownership of the world that it has collectively created.
Unlike the GB, the movers and shakers of this world are, with few exceptions, highly educated. Let them point proudly to the world that their brand of education has made. See how many have the chutzpah to do it.

@TrueTomHarley please tell me , Are You a Prophet? :))

What motivated WT Society as Publisher of religious publications to go with declaration, statement: "We are not inspired?" 
Who asked Them .... Who forced Them .... to take Public Position on this Issue? Who want to know are They Inspired or Not? :))

.....No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. ...
What this sentence expressed? It expressed Idea how All what was written in publications is given by God to the authors of these articles. 
After many years later, the same Publisher, WT Society, claim how All what was written in publication is not Perfect Food and have Errors because Inspiration, Guiding, Teaching, Leading not coming from God. 
Well, please, WHAT Was and Is Expressed in The Watchtower and other publications? :)))) Man's Opinion or God's Opinion? 

“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:

 
 

Does this statement is applicable to JW's too... because they claim how they are only true religion, and how God and Jesus supporting, guiding, empowering, leading, teaching (only) them, and how WT Society with all other Legal Entities that this Society established is His Earthly Organization and His Possession among all other Nations and Religions??
Don't need to answer !! :))  Because you defending every religion doctrine you find fit to your understanding of Bible and your models of acceptable (i don't think that you are wrong in some of your understanding). And by that you support "interfaith" (something that is blasphemy to WTJWORG), because many religions have some "Common, General, Universal Truths". Otherwise, you would join WTJWORG and become a member of Only One True Religion. :)))

They spread rumors in print :)))

Tell us the names of those JW's who misunderstood, and we shall try to check  that   :))))

To quote SM Which goes back to what I had said here and months ago. Some JWs misunderstood and did as they did while others did not, 
Which kinda supports what i said.
Many Jehovah's Witnesses did believe that Armageddon was happening in 1975. 
 

Many Jehovah's Witnesses did believe that Armageddon was happening in 1975 
Despite what SM and others may say.  SM wasn't and isn't a JW. He just uses info he finds. 
My own brother is an Elder and was a JW from the 1960's onward. He personally knows, or knew at that time, people that sold their houses, gave up businesses, and did full time ministry. He has related to me, of cases whereby people were almost suicidal with worry, because they had given up everything in a material sense, so when it didn't happen they were penniless and some were homeless. 
The Org may not have put it into print, but they deliberately spread the rumours about it happening. 
 

To quote SM Which goes back to what I had said here and months ago. Some JWs misunderstood and did as they did while others did not, 
Which kinda supports what i said.
Many Jehovah's Witnesses did believe that Armageddon was happening in 1975. 
 

Many Jehovah's Witnesses did believe that Armageddon was happening in 1975 
Despite what SM and others may say.  SM wasn't and isn't a JW. He just uses info he finds. 
My own brother is an Elder and was a JW from the 1960's onward. He personally knows, or knew at that time, people that sold their houses, gave up businesses, and did full time ministry. He has related to me, of cases whereby people were almost suicidal with worry, because they had given up everything in a material sense, so when it didn't happen they were penniless and some were homeless. 
The Org may not have put it into print, but they deliberately spread the rumours about it happening. 
 

A cult would say things like:
 
"Avoid independent thinking...questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization. ( ie: the watchtower organisation )" (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 22)

"Fight against independent thinking." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 27 )
 
"All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah's channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.( ie: the watchtower )" (The Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1994, p. 8.)
 
“Persons who deliberately spread (stubbornly hold to and speak about) teachings contrary to Bible truth as taught by Jehovah's Witnesses are apostates.” Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock p.94
 
“Do not look for excuses to associate with a disfellowshipped family member, for example, through e-mail.” Watchtower Study Edition 2013 Jan 15 p.16
 
"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?  These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? . . . This "prophet" was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian witnesses . . . Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a "prophet" of God. It is another thing to prove it," (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1972, p. 197).
 
They will make FALSE prophecies:
 
"In subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God has already begun...And that the "battle of the great day of God almighty [revelation 16:14], which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced." SOURCE: "The Time is at Hand; 1889. ( note: The 1915 edition of this book changed "A.D. 1914" to "A.D. 1915." )
 
"...the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Revelation 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced," SOURCE: The Time Is at Hand, 1908 edition, p. 101.
 
"Now, in view of recent labor troubles and threatened anarchy, our readers are writing to know if there may not be a mistake in the 1914 date. They do not see how present conditions can hold out so long under the strain. We see no reason for changing the figures - nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble." Zion's Watch Tower 1894 Jul 15 p.226
 
 

@James Thomas Rook Jr.  " Thinking we are a monolith is a mistake, even though current management is continually trying to make us one. "
There is a strange way of thinking by some protesters (of which I'm not) that if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. 
I can sort of understand that thinking as I was told by an elder one day, 'If you are not serving Jehovah then you are serving the devil'. 
So James, it could be that, you are either part of the solution or part of the problem, and if you support the GB and it's JW Org / Wt, then it would seem you are part of the problem. 
The power of the GB and its Orgs (plural), is not from God, it is from its congregation and their donations. If the donations stopped and its congregation no longer supported them, the whole thing would collapse. Those 8 men and their legal buddies would be worthless. 
Remember James, NONE OF IT IS INSPIRED OF GOD. 

Duh.
Good JWs will not be here. They will have more regard for the preference of the organization not to get into cat fights with those who oppose.
Come on, Billy, let’s retire to the secret closed JW forum where this character can’t come so we can continue to plot our good cop/bad cop strategy. If you like, I’ll even reverse roles, be the bad cop, and let you be the good cop for awhile.

You are just kidding about this one right?

Actually, since I treat everyone exactly the same, inside or outside of "The Truth"  ....  that is not as significant as you might think, John.
I assume BTK46 is one of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I don't remember him actually indicating that he is one ... specifically.
He may be just one that adores the Governing Body (?)  There is a guy that worships President Trump, and paid $2,000 for a statue of him to worship.     BTK46 has not, to the best of my knowledge, joined the JW ONLY CLUB, and there is some evidence that he is a Watchtower Lawyer as well as him being a self-proclaimed scholar. 
Who knows?
I suspect, but I do not know ... so I give him the benefit of the doubt as really being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, as shown in the cartoon that mentions him, above.
There is such a thing in everyday life as "The Myth of the Monolith", which is sometimes true, but most of the time, it is NOT true ... and that is that the general assumption that all ( pick a group) are the same, and have the same motives, aspirations, values, and loyalties.
All Catholics are not the same, all USA Spanish voters are not the same,  all Jehovah's Witnesses are not the same, and all Negro people are not the same ... and the list goes on and on.
I have stated many times before .... I do not try to throw my lot in with the Jehovah's Witnesses as a religion because I agree with them ..... but BECAUSE THEY AGREE WITH ME. 
At least about core theology, and what is true, and what is TRUTH. I did learn the Truth from Jehovah's Witnesses, and it has been a blessing for me all the days of my life ... and probably kept me from being executed by the Governments, or being maimed or killed in various misadventures, or spending my entire life in a cell.
Thinking we are a monolith is a mistake, even though current management is continually trying to make us one.
.... I do not take up the torch for ANYONE .... except my wife Susan.
I take up the torch for IDEAS I agree with, and use that same torch to try and destroy the IDEAS I know are false.
Whether anybody here lives or dies is only of casual interest to me.
 
 
 

You know.... I give considerable thought to being FAIR, with all people ... and the thought occurred to me that I am taking up a CONSIDERABLE amount of space In your head, Billy, and not even paying rent.
I am living rent-free in your head, and although there is a lot of empty space, I seem to be taking up most of it.
Here is what I propose:
Lets say you, Billy, have 2 acres of free space up there, and I am taking up at least half of your imagination.  I think a fair market value is $35 dollars a day per acre, with a $10 a day bonus per day for my not having to be exposed to any competing sense of humor. 
OK ... so that would be $45 a day .... and lets say I have been consuming your thoughts for about a year and a half ... say ... for want of a better figure, 548 days.  So that would be 548 days, times $45 dollars per day so that would be in round numbers $24,640.
I am assuming you do not dream about me, because you have never mentioned it .... but that would subtract from the above estimate, anyway.  I am trying to be fair about this.
I have decided to pay you IN FULL for the space that I appear to be permanently occupying, and from time to time as it appears to continue to be the case,  perhaps at 600 or so day intervals, give or take, to catch up on the back rent, for living in your imagination.
I asked a Lawyer if I would need a receipt, but he said since there was no formal agreement, it would not be necessary,  Apparently all Real Estate transactions in every State are only legal if they are in writing, but he suggested that since I do not have any personal information about you, except that a lot of people have given you firearms over the years, and you hide behind an imaginary persona, with imaginary pistol and rifle as shown in your photo, and have an imaginary .50 caliber sniper rifle, and I live only in your imagination, the safest bet would be to pay you in the "coin of the realm".
Since I do not know how to use BitCoin, please consider this code Blc%d42dyyjTHY65, as payment in full .... in imaginary money.
 

Heck ! ... for all I know, BTK46 may be one of TTH's alternate on-line personalities !

TTH makes some good points .... technically, by adoption, TTH, BTK46 and myself are BROTHERS, and we are friends.
All here is just banter, trying to get the ground rules straightened out.
That does NOT mean there are any active "Bromances".

John, you are such a two-year-old. You know very well that I rebuked him harshly not long ago, and that he took offense to it.
Nonetheless, I know your style, and I now know that you will be taunting me over this forever. So...is Billy my friend or not?
Yes, assuming that he is the brother that he claims to be, he absolutely is. He is loyal to God. He is loyal to Christ. He is loyal to the human organization that does its level best to follow their lead. He is my friend. He may sometimes display himself a marauding and unhinged pit bull, but he is my friend. In the Kingdom Hall, we would get along just fine. 
Maybe, since you have paired us, we will roll with the illustration of ‘Good Cop/Bad Cop.’ (Guess which one he is) The good cop really and truly does not want you to fall into the hands of the bad cop, for he knows how bad that bad cop can be. He thinks the bad cop is doing it all wrong and indeed wonders sometimes whether the bad cop can truly be a cop. However, the bad cop thinks the good cop is a namby-pamby, fraternizing with the crooks way too much, and wonders ‘where is his loyalty?’
The metaphor works well enough. I like it.
Let me direct you, therefore, to the L.A. Confidential movie in with the corrupt official taunts the good cop: “Oh, give me a break! You are not going to pull the good cop/bad cop routine on me, are you? I wrote the book on that routine!” Whereupon the bad cop grabs him by the scruff of the neck, nearly drowns him in the toilet, and then dangles him by a single foot over the 20th floor window that he had kicked out. 
Placing the jellyfied mess that is left of the corrupt official back on the couch, as the two leave, he says, “Was that in your book?”
Your witness, Billy. Go as easy on him as you are capable of.

Yes well two complete nut cases together, you should get along just fine I suppose. 
 

Yes well two complete nut cases together, you should get along just fine I suppose. 
 

That is a good point Srecko. The audience at the ARC wasn't JWs (and any indoctrinated JW would've probably avoided viewing the ARC recording). That is why Geoffrey Jackson is able to make disingenuous comments like the one Anna brought up. They weren't meant for JW ears. Another that comes to mind is his remark that the GB claiming sole spokesperson status would be "presumptuous." He wouldn't dare say something like that to active members, because it would confuse and disturb them. No, the comments were meant for outsiders that are less familiar with the organization and less likely to question him.
The ARC is not the only time representatives for the organization have taken advantage of the general public's ignorance of JW doctrine and culture. They bend the truth to make the organization seem more open and tolerant than it really is. Another example was when a JW Bethelite stated under oath in a Canadian court that disfellowshipping does not alter normal family relations. We know that to be a false statement, but the organization has no qualms with using shady legal language to muddy the waters. There is basically a public voice and a private voice. Very alarming when the organization promotes that it has "the truth," because there aren't different versions of the truth.