Thinking

Do you think Jehovah lacks the power to correct the errors you talk about?
 
 
 

I suppose I always blew off the anointed idea as having authority (to me it's sola scriptura all the way, even Jesus said "Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God" - Jehovah is the authority, Jesus is the authority, the scriptures have authority - balanced w/the need to allow for differences in consciences (to me, focus on anointed is a weak faith which I tolerate). Maybe it was a local phenomenon, but it was mostly weirdos or really old people who partook. Invariably some would just go nuts. I think some people mistake the voices in their heads for being special. The desire to worship the creation has a real pull on people.
The other issues I have with the whole thing (not saying that it's not real) is that there's no objective measurement to determine this thing.
It's not as if you could go to the Bible and establish a diagnostic criteria (a spiritual DSM manual) for cases of being anointed.
In one congregation there were some that had some weird theory about being anointed meant you could see some weird thing when you looked at the sky when the sun was setting. I didn't even bother investigating that. The sister was weird, she'd lost a daughter and her son was a musician and periodically had to deal w/alcohol issues. I chalked it up to distress and wanting to be special in some way. Her belief did at least for a time calm her down. I don't know how she is today.
We used to think that all this was moot. It was simple. If you were at the right place and the right time and the deal was if you became a "true christian", then you were a defacto "anointed".
So all the people from the 1st century on, if they were true, then they were anointed.
I wondered. "Is that even true?" "Why some and not others?". Of course it didn't matter so much to me, because if anyone was it wasn't my business. I never got the chance to ask (I would have if there wasn't so much social pressure to NOT ask).  Ostensibly it was a spiritual job interview process, like they're hiring 144k down at the factory and they need people w/various life skills and experiences. Once the slot got filled (you died w/the golden ticket) it would be 144k-1 and so on.
I still believe that this kingdom and it's rulers will be pulled from humanity, but whether someone is or isn't anointed - that's their problem unless they make it my problem by saying "If you don't believe X, Y, and Z are anointed, you're outta here." I certainly won't argue the point when it's been made manifest.
In any case in MT 25, not one of the righteous had a clue who Christ's brothers were. They treated all men equally. But we claim to know. Huh. Somehow we're smarter than the righteous.
 
 

Reminds me of the guy who tried to steady the ark and got zapped for his trouble.
6  But when they came to the threshing floor of Naʹcon, Uzʹzah thrust his hand out to the Ark of the true God and grabbed hold of it,i for the cattle nearly upset it. 7  At that Jehovah’s anger blazed against Uzʹzah, and the true God struck him downj there for his irreverent act,k and he died there beside the Ark of the true God. - 2 Sa. 6:6-7
Someone didn't follow instructions, someone thought "here! let me help!" - Wrong choice! Thanks for playing.

A few years ago I was in Pittsburgh visiting one of my husband's relatives and since we were right there, at the "nucleus" of where it all "began" we went to see Russell's grave, saw the Pyramid (which actually is not his tombstone as some think) and we also went to the Allegheny congregation. The brothers there regularly do unofficial tours of Russell sites if any visitor asks about it. I mentioned to the brother about pyramidology, he laughed, a little uncomfortably, and said "we don't talk about that". I understand it's a little bit of an embarrassment, but if you know the facts about it, it is nothing bad, and I would say it's quite understandable for men of God at that time who were searching for truth to have looked into all kinds of things along the route. It becomes a problem when opposers twist or embellish facts and make it look like Russell was into the occult and freemasonry etc. So in my opinion it would be better to explain where Russell was coming from, rather than trying to bury or ignore it. But, and this is the sad thing, perhaps the brother in question really didn't know the facts, and this is where the cult thinking comes in. You are a follower despite some unexplained beliefs. But perhap's I am doing the brother an injustice, perhaps he knew all about  Russell's "theories", but just couldn't be bothered to go into it....

Do you think Jehovah lacks the power to correct the errors you talk about?
 
 
 

Do you think Jehovah lacks the power to correct the errors you talk about?
 
 
 

It didn't used to be like that though. We had a sweet old anointed couple in our congregation back in England, in fact we were in their book study group and he was the conductor. Anyway, if one were to think of a perfect example of what one imagines the anointed to be, he and his wife were it. They were no different from any other faithful and spiritual brother or sister.
But things were different back then, there wasn't the taboo surrounding anointed ones like there seems to be today. Everyone just accepted they were anointed and that was it. We could talk about it. In fact my mum asked the brother once how does he know he is anointed, what happened when he realized he had the calling? He told her that before, he was looking forward to living on paradise earth, and then this changed, and he had this unrelenting desire to be with Jesus in heaven. He didn't feel special, and he didn't question it, he just accepted it. He did admit though it was difficult to explain.
I think today, "political correctness" has crept into the congregation too. Also, as has been discussed, there is some uncertainty about who really IS anointed today. Perhaps being discreet and minding our own business avoids situations where we might be questioning some "crazy" sister. We had one "anointed" sister in another congregation who would go around with a lit lighter muttering "I see you".

It has become the thing. I would love to see a national breakdown of it. Is it evenly spread among all of Jehovah’s people or is it focused in a few nations of similar attributes.? I’d bet a fairly large sum that it is the latter.
Though i would not bet in the presence of “cowboy” elders. We all know some of them have existed, and in their wake there is a certain amount of damage? What if you knew another in that same congregation?
 
In fact I am. When you have a gift, you bring it to the altar. You don’t diss everyone else for not having it. You see if (hopefully) they may have another gift.
This is all starting to come together. The music is rising to heart-bending finale.
I have not noticed this with my mutt but I am keeping a close eye on him. He is known to do anything he can to get extra treats. You should see how it wolfs down peanut butter on carrot.

Every man and his dog on line now claims to be anointed....it’s hard to take any of them serious...why on earth would he or any one be jealous of them??...I’ve had my differences with JWI here..but I will stand up for him..on this..I think he’s  got a lot more guts and backbone ..than you give him credit.

Well it totally depends on what amount of damage the hypocrisy .( that’s the only point I’m addressing here) .which is there...actually did...and we are not and nor will we be for many years be like Jesus ....In  The ability or power...of forgiveness ...but we can try....I think that’s what your saying Tom.
I think what certain ones here have done.....is  allowing their pain..and often a extreme pain ...a righteous anger ...turn to resentment and bitterness that may even be justified....BUT...it then it controls them....thus satan has got them either way.
Im Not  sure exactly what was said In This thread as I have blocked a couple but can pick up a fair bit.
what helps me..is remembering where Jehovah planted his son...right smack In The middle of his.....Then people...the most self righteous pious lot if there ever was...but ALSO there..were the wheat...and people struggling to serve their God .....and a lot that have been hurt forget that...and their anger consumes them and they are then a tool of the devil ....thus those that were the culprits..those  hypocrites...won.
I actually dont write this for anyone here ...because I know they will smart mouth my comment...but hopefully some one reading who has been hurt may be encouraged.

Well it totally depends on what amount of damage the hypocrisy .( that’s the only point I’m addressing here) .which is there...actually did...and we are not and nor will we be for many years be like Jesus ....In  The ability or power...of forgiveness ...but we can try....I think that’s what your saying Tom.
I think what certain ones here have done.....is  allowing their pain..and often a extreme pain ...a righteous anger ...turn to resentment and bitterness that may even be justified....BUT...it then it controls them....thus satan has got them either way.
Im Not  sure exactly what was said In This thread as I have blocked a couple but can pick up a fair bit.
what helps me..is remembering where Jehovah planted his son...right smack In The middle of his.....Then people...the most self righteous pious lot if there ever was...but ALSO there..were the wheat...and people struggling to serve their God .....and a lot that have been hurt forget that...and their anger consumes them and they are then a tool of the devil ....thus those that were the culprits..those  hypocrites...won.
I actually dont write this for anyone here ...because I know they will smart mouth my comment...but hopefully some one reading who has been hurt may be encouraged.

Every man and his dog on line now claims to be anointed....it’s hard to take any of them serious...why on earth would he or any one be jealous of them??...I’ve had my differences with JWI here..but I will stand up for him..on this..I think he’s  got a lot more guts and backbone ..than you give him credit.

Every man and his dog on line now claims to be anointed....it’s hard to take any of them serious...why on earth would he or any one be jealous of them??...I’ve had my differences with JWI here..but I will stand up for him..on this..I think he’s  got a lot more guts and backbone ..than you give him credit.

Well it totally depends on what amount of damage the hypocrisy .( that’s the only point I’m addressing here) .which is there...actually did...and we are not and nor will we be for many years be like Jesus ....In  The ability or power...of forgiveness ...but we can try....I think that’s what your saying Tom.
I think what certain ones here have done.....is  allowing their pain..and often a extreme pain ...a righteous anger ...turn to resentment and bitterness that may even be justified....BUT...it then it controls them....thus satan has got them either way.
Im Not  sure exactly what was said In This thread as I have blocked a couple but can pick up a fair bit.
what helps me..is remembering where Jehovah planted his son...right smack In The middle of his.....Then people...the most self righteous pious lot if there ever was...but ALSO there..were the wheat...and people struggling to serve their God .....and a lot that have been hurt forget that...and their anger consumes them and they are then a tool of the devil ....thus those that were the culprits..those  hypocrites...won.
I actually dont write this for anyone here ...because I know they will smart mouth my comment...but hopefully some one reading who has been hurt may be encouraged.

" All things are clean to clean people;+ but to those who are defiled and faithless, nothing is clean, for both their minds and their consciences are defiled"- Titus 1:15

The remark sort of speaks for itself, doesn’t it? 
I like it when anti-Witness spokespeople come across as either pure hate cases or unhinged crazies—often both.

I hear their members breathe air from the same reserves as JwWs too. How do they avoid breathing what has been exhaled by Satanists?

You're absolutely right about the hypocrisy. It's all there. The cowardly behavior of some too. I understand too that some are closing their eyes to the deficiencies of yet another organization. I don't fault them for being human. I think of the parents of the man born blind who was healed, but for fear of getting kicked out of the  congregation failed to put their faith in Jesus, the one who healed their son. I don't fault those leaving because of any pain they've suffered at the hands of those they'd come to trust. So many have left and some have stayed. To me this is all in fulfillment of prophesy as well. To me it's all wheat and weeds until the end. There won't be any perfect organization now any more than there was in the 1st century. People can choose to stay or choose to leave and there's pain either way. The pain comes always when people put their trusts in nobles, the son of earthing man to whom no salvation belongs. No one should abdicate their Christian conscience to an organization, and yet what are people to do? Worship alone? Form yet another defective church? The history of Christianity is filled with these experiments in purity, but in the end all of them are impure. One has to determine how to live as a Christian in the midst of all this and try as much as possible to focus on what is for up-building. As to what people make of various prophecies and how these are interpreted, I'm certain that we won't know w/o any doubt or force-fitting what these mean until the time these things take place. I'm so sorry you lost your husband. I do appreciate your telling these things openly.

It may be that he simply prefers a place of sanity.

You are missing the point. Whether God does or doesn't, the assumption is that he does in the sense that the person qualifies as per the qualifications for an elder as stated in Timothy. And yet some elders may rely too much on their own biases in selecting elders, instead of looking to the qualifications in the Bible. For example they could frown on the fact that the person's shoes aren't shiny enough. So they are judging the man from a man's point of view. So by saying "because Jehovah hasn't decided yet" you are throwing the ball back in their court and maybe "shaming" them into realizing that the man they are judging as unqualified, may in fact be more spiritually minded than them. 

I think you would have removed several of the apostles from this designation if you had lived in the first century. When Jesus failed to perform any significant miracles in his hometown (Mark 6:5) I can just see you saying: "Well, it's not him, we still have to wait for a True Anointed. Maybe in 5 to 10 years."

While I'm at it. There's this phrase we often hear. "I encouraged bro/sis X". 
I often counter something like "Well, it doesn't look that way to me from the reaction."
They react surprised.
I'll say "You may have intended to be encouraging, But intent isn't sufficient any more than telling a person you love them when they don't feel loved. It isn't about YOU it's about THEM. What makes another person feel encouraged is as different from what makes another person feel loved."
I had to explain this to my father years ago. 
I'm in IT so to use a technical illustration from the OSI model you have to have each layer of the communication stack from computer A to computer B communicate using the appropriate protocol. If one layer isn't performing the appropriate handshake and following the appropriate protocol, the message never reaches its target.
People are complicated and one size rarely fits all.
 

Yes, this clarification is important.
Unfortunately, those who are taking the lead, and believe they are in charge of producing food at the proper time, feel, and have felt, the need to put their hope into a definite prediction of sorts, rather than just talking about a hope.....that is sometime in the future. Hence we have a reworking of the 'Generation' although as far as I am aware no one requested "new light" on this. 

WHOA! I need me a pair of these! I am entirely too nice to several around here and I let altogether too much slide by!

Plan as if Alan will be out of your hair tomorrow. Live as if you know he won’t be.