Thinking

There have been several statements in the publications for those concerned about children, mentally incapacitated, and those alive at Armageddon who have never had an opportunity to learn of Jehovah's goodness. We once taught that all honest-hearted persons have an opportunity because the angels could create the opportunity for them, even in countries like China, Saudi Arabia, India, etc. Yet, the gains that Witnesses have made in various countries around the world are almost always in proportion to the number of missionaries from Christendom who were allowed to work in these areas in the 17th through the 19th centuries. If Christendom paved the way, then we will do relatively well. If Christendom had been allowed very few concessions or none, then this is also the predictor of how well we have done (so far).
I thought that the related statement below (from 2002) not only says it clearly, but also reminds us to think about our own attitudes. Armageddon, Jehovah's impending judgment, should be a "motivation" for us to show whether we look at our fellow inhabitants with love. Do we see "each" and every individual [in the entire world] as having the potential to become a servant of Jehovah? Love makes us want to share the good things we have. If we love our neighbor, we want to share our experiences with them. If they are uncomfortable, or suffering, we want to share what we can with them to make them more comfortable, and ease their suffering. Religion is generally designed to bring comfort, but often leaves people less comfortable. Religion seems not to address the terrible prospects for the planet brought about by the greed of man. Yet, our message is a very comforting one for those sighing and crying, desperate, and  broken-hearted -- including especially, those who have a love for life on this planet.
The 0.1% number that you mentioned has been repeated in the same context with the message that literally billions will die. (99.9%) But, the publications no longer try to put a number or a percent on the deaths at Armageddon. I like the way it was worded here:
*** w02 8/15 pp. 18-19 par. 13 “Follow Me Continually” ***
How may we imitate him in this regard? Never should we develop a callous attitude toward the people around us. Granted, “the war of the great day of God the Almighty” is looming ever nearer, and many among mankind’s billions will be destroyed. (Revelation 16:14; Jeremiah 25:33) Yet, we do not know who will live and who will die. That judgment lies in the future and belongs to the one Jehovah has appointed, Jesus Christ. Until the judgment is passed, we view each individual as having the potential to become a servant of Jehovah.—Matthew 19:24-26; 25:31-33; Acts 17:31.
To me, this is one of the most significant improvements to our teachings because it does not open us up to the charge of being haughty and presumptuous about who will survive and who won't.
For me, this is one of many improvements the current Governing Body have promoted. When I was first going out in service, and even well after I was baptized, the attitude was quite different, and I remembered being bothered by it, especially when I had to defend that attitude to householders.
*** w55 11/1 p. 648 Using Wisely the Reduced Time Left ***
Time spent in trying to accumulate wealth, fame or power or in trying to perpetuate this old system of things is wasted, and that is what more than 99.9 per cent of this earth’s population are doing.
*** w58 10/15 pp. 614-615 What Will Armageddon Mean for You? ***
On Satan’s side will be all the rest of mankind, more than 99.9 percent, even as we read: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” That includes all the governments of the world together with their supporters, the commercial, religious and social institutions. Even the professedly Christian organizations? Yes, because all such that are friends of the world are making themselves enemies of God. . . . God’s Word likens Armageddon to the Flood, to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and to the battle at Gibeon, where God rained down great blocks of ice upon his enemies. Armageddon will be the worst thing ever to hit this earth in the history of man. It will be marked by . . . tremendous upheavals of earth, . . . rain of corrosive liquid fire and terror in the air, on land and in the sea.  No wonder that “the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground.”—Jer. 25:33, AS.
There was also an idea that children should be baptized as fast as possible, or the children might not survive even if the parents did. The expression "get into the Ark before the door closes" was even a part of the baptism talk at the assembly in 1967.
*** w58 6/1 p. 330 Why Dedicate Ourselves to God? ***
And yet that is the very course that more than 99.9 percent of earth’s population take and it accounts for the fact that the earth is filled with confusion, misery and wickedness. . . . Dedication is therefore the course of wisdom, for “the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life.” . . . Nor may we vacillate or delay. We are living in the days comparable to those in which Noah lived and time is running out! If we procrastinate we may not survive the foretold cataclysmic end of this old world at Armageddon.
*** w51 11/15 p. 682 par. 23 Baptism for Salvation and Fire Baptism ***
So the Scriptural conclusion is that what brought salvation from the deluge was for the survivors to be baptized or immersed into Noah the ark-builder. . . . The seven who went into the ark with Noah had to have confidence in him as Jehovah’s prophet. They had to be unbreakably attached to him . . . . They had to be incorporated into a system of things not of that world, a theocratic arrangement in which Noah was the chief builder, the chief consultant and shipmaster or pilot. So they had to submit to him as the head who took the lead and directed the body of fellow workers. Doing all this, they were in effect baptized into Noah. This being baptized into a chosen servant of Jehovah was duplicated in the case of Moses. As he was the mediator between God and the Israelites, they had no approach into relationship with God except through him. They had to accept Jehovah’s laws through him. Outside of the theocratic organization under Moses’ visible headship and outside of this “state of Israel” there was no hope and a person was “without God in the world”.

Since 99.9% of the world population was going to die at Armageddon, some began saying that they could die but would surely be resurrected. My mother asked about this when hosting the circuit overseer for the week, and the circuit overseer's wife mentioned that her husband had given a talk where he said that they might die during the great tribulation when it was not "Jehovah's final judgment" at Armageddon. My mother was happy. (Her mother, my grandmother, worked almost all her life with mentally handicapped, "idiot savants," etc. Persons full of a lot of love but supposedly without prospects to survive Armageddon.)
Don't know whether the circuit overseer was told to say this or just speculating personally, but this was quite different from previous teachings. For example, both issues: the issue of "children" and the issue of the "uninformed" were dealt with in this question:
*** w51 5/1 pp. 287-288 Questions From Readers ***
Some maintain that at Armageddon there will be three classes: sheep that survive, goats that are eternally destroyed, and uninformed or unresponsible ones who will die but will be resurrected, and that in this latter class will be young children. Is this correct?-L. P., Montana.
We know of no Scriptural backing for such a view. The parable of the sheep and goats shows the nations being separated into two classes, not three. The goats headed for everlasting cutting-off are not just those who persecuted Christ’s brothers. The parable upbraids the goats, not for what they did, but for what they failed to do, for their indifference toward and lack of interest in his brothers.—Matt. 25:45.
Many who never come in touch with the anointed remnant nevertheless subscribe to what others do in persecuting or fail to do in the way of giving help. The Bible shows a communal responsibility, where a community upholds rulers who persecute Jehovah’s people. Did not the Egyptians suffer the plagues because of Pharaoh’s hardheartedness? Did not the Amalekites suffer for generations afterward because of Amalek’s opposition to Israel in the wilderness? Were not the entire households, including little children, of Korah and Dathan and Abiram swallowed up in destruction because of the rebellion of the household heads? Did not Achan by his greed bring death not only to himself but to his sons and daughters as well? Even King David brought death upon his people by his own transgressions. (Ex. 5:1, 2; 9:13-16; 17:8, 14, 16; 20:5, 6; Num. 16:23-33; Josh. 7:24, 25; 2 Sam. 24:10-17) Now, who will be rash and commit the folly of posing as more just than God by saying He was wrong in such procedures?—Deut. 32:4.
In harmony with the parable of the sheep and goats, Ezekiel chapter 9 shows but two classes, those marked for preservation and the unmarked ones appointed to destruction. And in this latter class note that little children were included, to be slain without pity. This is a prophetic picture of the destruction at Armageddon. At a time of judgment Jesus said: “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” That means not only clergy and laity but also parent and child. If a parent chooses to sin against the holy spirit despite the eternal interests of his offspring, that then becomes the responsibility of the parent. In that same time of judgment Paul and Barnabas said to the Jews: “It was necessary for the word of God to be spoken first to you. Since you are thrusting it away from you and do not judge yourselves worthy of everlasting life, look! we turn to the nations.” (Acts 13:46, NW) Those Jews became responsible for the fate of their offspring, not Paul and Barnabas.
Parents devoted to their children will in the interests of their offspring shun wrong ways, taking instead right paths so as to put their children in the way of preservation. “Jehovah knows those who belong to him,” and that also means little children at Armageddon whose parents belong to Jehovah and who try to rear them according to God’s Word. (Deut. 6:6, 7; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:19, NW) To Christian parents of young children the promise is: “Otherwise, your children would really be unclean, but now they are holy.”—1 Cor. 7:14, NW.
About 10 years after I was baptized, at the same time I started pioneering full-time, a more comforting answer became available (and has been repeated since):
*** w76 6/1 p. 347 pars. 16-17 Look Forward with Confidence in God’s Righteousness and Justice ***
16 Observe, however, that Jesus did not leave it up to humans to determine who are the “sheep” and who are the “goats.” How fine that is! For, if we humans were responsible to judge, how could we properly evaluate factors such as: How much of an opportunity did a person have to hear and accept the good news? Did his genetic, family or religious background affect his response? What is his heart condition—does he love righteousness? If he is a child or was born mentally retarded, how much bearing should family or community responsibility have on the matter?—1 Cor. 7:14; Deut. 30:19.
17 Unquestionably, not one of us is qualified to weigh these, and perhaps many other, vital factors and principles. We could not reach judgments that are ‘perfect, righteous and upright.’ (Deut. 32:4) Hence, why should any of us become needlessly involved with trying to decide who will survive and who will not?
 
 

Wouldn't it be interesting to see how true Christians might end up distinguishing themselves by the extent to which we give actual food even to our enemies, motivated by our love for Jehovah and Jesus Christ, and our true admiration of a kingdom based on Biblical principles:
(Matthew 14:14-16) . . .When he came ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt pity for them, and he cured their sick ones. 15 But when evening fell, his disciples came to him and said: “The place is isolated and the hour is already late; send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” 16 However, Jesus said to them: “They do not have to leave; you give them something to eat.”
(Matthew 24:45) 45 “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?
(Acts 2:43-47) . . .. 44 All those who became believers were together and had everything in common, 45 and they were selling their possessions and properties and distributing the proceeds to all, according to what each one needed. 46 And day after day they were in constant attendance in the temple with a united purpose, and they took their meals in different homes and shared their food with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and finding favor with all the people.. . .
(Acts 6:1-3) . . .Now in those days when the disciples were increasing, the Greek-speaking Jews began complaining against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 So the Twelve called the multitude of the disciples together and said: “It is not right for us to leave the word of God to distribute food to tables. 3 So, brothers, select for yourselves seven reputable men from among you, full of spirit and wisdom, that we may appoint them over this necessary matter;
(James 2:14-17) . . .Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he does not have works? That faith cannot save him, can it? 15 If any brothers or sisters are lacking clothing and enough food for the day, 16 yet one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but you do not give them what they need for their body, of what benefit is it? 17 So, too, faith by itself, without works, is dead.
(Romans 12:20) 20 But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; . . .
(1 Timothy 5:8) 8 Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith.
Spiritual food and works are still more important in the long run, but I think that sometimes we read verses like Hebrews 10:24, and others, and forget that these referred to material giving:
(Hebrews 10:24) And let us consider one another so as to incite to love and fine works.
(Galatians 6:10) . . .So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.
(Acts 9:36-39) . . .“Dorʹcas.” She abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy that she was making. . . .  and all the widows presented themselves to him, weeping and showing many garments and robes that Dorʹcas had made while she was with them.
(Titus 3:8) 8 These words are trustworthy, and I want you to keep stressing these matters, so that those who have believed God may keep their minds focused on maintaining fine works. These things are fine and beneficial to men.
(1 Timothy 2:10) 10 but in the way that is proper for women professing devotion to God, namely, through good works.
(1 Timothy 5:9, 10) 9 A widow is to be put on the list if she is not less than 60 years old, was the wife of one husband, 10 having a reputation for fine works, if she raised children, if she practiced hospitality, if she washed the feet of holy ones, if she assisted the afflicted, if she devoted herself to every good work.
(1 Timothy 6:17-19) . . .Instruct those who are rich in the present system of things not to be arrogant, and to place their hope, not on uncertain riches, but on God, who richly provides us with all the things we enjoy. 18 Tell them to work at good, to be rich in fine works, to be generous, ready to share, 19 safely treasuring up for themselves a fine foundation for the future, so that they may get a firm hold on the real life.
(Matthew 25:36-40) . . .’ 37 Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and receive you hospitably, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 In reply the King will say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

The strange dynamic that is reality in “news” today is that if you are a member of a cause, you are biased and thus not reliable as a source. You would think that those with experience would be the first ones consulted, but they are the last. It is a skewed approach that really only applies with regard to religious views—with anything else, membership in a cause does not interfere significantly with their ‘expertise’—but it does with religion.
However, you cannot stay neutral with regard to the “word of God” because it “pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and ...is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart,” says Hebrews 4:12. It separates people, either “for” or “against.” 
The “for” will be counted as biased under today’s system of news, and thus discounted. The “against” will not get the sense of it—whatever they say will miss the lion’s share of what matters. They will be like the “physical man” of 1 Corinthians 2:14 who “does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know them, because they are examined spiritually.”
As for the opposite of the physical man who “cannot get to know” things of which he tries to report?—“the spiritual man examines all things, but he himself is not examined by any man.” So the only one who can report accurately is dismissed as biased in favor of the one who can’t possibly come to know what he is talking about. Is that a great system, or what?
It doesn’t matter what is said, as much as it matters who says it. This rule plays out time and again. From the German concentration camps prior to and during WWII, Jehovah’s Witnesses, who preceded the far more numerous Jews, smuggled out detailed diagrams of those camps. Those diagrams were published in the Watchtower—and dismissed by more respectable outlets as Time Magazine because they were not deemed credible. It turned out that only Jehovah’s Witnesses had “the scoop.”
The rule played out once more when Gunnar Samuelsonn, an evangelistic researcher, published that Jesus had not been put to death on a cross but on an upright stake  He received his 15 minutes of fame—his place in the academic community solidly cemented. Jehovah’s Witnesses have said the same for well over a century, only to be told to shut up since they didn’t go to college—what could they possibly know?
Can the Falun Gong make the same claim—that if the “right people” do not say something, it means nothing? They will have to state their own case—not me. For all I know, they are the nutcakes that people make them out to be, but when I see how the media butchers stories of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I do not assume that other “new religions” are given a fair shake. (“New religion” is the scholarly term for movements a century or two old. The term is preferred to “cult” for being non-incendiary, and those who prefer “cult” reject it for exactly that reason.)
Everyone in my area recently received a copy of the Epoch Times in the mail, along with an invitation to subscribe. “What is this garbage?!” my liberal followers on Twitter sputtered, outraged at it’s pro-Trump outlook. “I took it straight out to the trash!” So I told them what it was and where it came from. As for me—naw—I skimmed a little bit, but no more—the articles were very long and seemed nothing I hadn’t heard before. Not putting my trust in princes, there is a limit to how much I will delve into identifying the good guys vs the bad guys. There all bad guys to one degree or another—all who would advocate rule by man rather than by God.
It may be that members of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Falun Gong are getting to know each other quite well in the remote areas of China. Bitterwinter.org reports:
“According to a document issued in 2018 by the government of a locality in Xinjiang, members of three banned religious groups—The Church of Almighty God (CAG), Falun Gong, and Jehovah’s Witnesses—must be sent to transformation through education camps and kept indefinitely until they have been “transformed,” i.e., become atheist. Their release depends on whether they have implemented five musts. These are a written pledge to stop attending religious activities; relinquishment of all religious materials in their possession; public criticism of one’s faith, promising to break up with it; disclosure of information about fellow believers and group’s/church’s affairs; and aiding the government in transforming other believers.”
The two groups are anything but “two peas in a pod.” The Falun Gong are intensely political and hostile to the CCP, whereas the Jehovah’s Witnesses are neither. “Mandatory singing of revolutionary songs was particularly hard on Jehovah’s Witnesses, who practice the so-called political neutrality and refuse to sing national anthems, salute flags, or serve in the army,” the report said. 
BitterWinter is a subset of the Center for Studies on New Religions, headquartered in Torino, Italy. It is chaired by Massimo Introvigne, identified as “one of the most well-known scholars of religion internationally.” (I see my chum George Chrysiddes, who wrote that nice review of my first book under the pseudonym Ivor E. Tower, hangs out here at least sometimes) His name cropped up repeatedly as I was gathering background for Dear Mr. Putin - Jehovah’s Witnesses Write Russia. Though I did not get it from him (I got it from Joshua Gill), I see he is of the same view as I that a resolute “anti-cult” movement, and not the Russian Orthodox Church, is behind the troubles of Jehovah’s Witnesses in that land. Head ones of the ROC might cheer that ban like children at presents under the tree, but it does not originate with them. The “anti-cult” movement has the same apparent goal of that explicitly stated in BitterWinter—that religious ones should “become atheist”—and the more mainstream faiths are so watered down already that it hardly matters what they believe—they’ll do whatever they are told to do.
If the charge is made that anything harshly critical of the CCP is a production of Fulon Gong—as I have heard—by means of their media arm Epoch Times, that certainly cannot be said of BitterWinter. It’s About page tells of a “network of several hundred correspondents in all Chinese provinces” who work at “high risk for their security – some have been arrested.” To be sure, it “receives some of its reports directly from members of religious minorities and organizations persecuted,” however it would appear that these ones do not call the shots. BitterWinter “is independent of any religious or political organization and is mostly the fruit of volunteer work.” It “does not take positions on political issues [Good!—Like JWs—will Hebrews 4:12 some day go to work on them?] and limits itself to the field of human rights.”
Unfortunately, “human rights” itself may be perceived as political. Invariably they focus on the human rights of individuals, whereas any government will be an attempt at balancing the human rights of individuals with the human rights of groups. With some, the human rights of groups far outweighs those of individuals. Even as Putin says he does not understand why his country persecutes Jehovah’s Witnesses, he qualifies the remark by observing Russia is 90% one religion, and “one cannot throw everything overboard just to please the sects.”
Frankly, I could wish that BitterWinter was all pro-Western propaganda that could be dismissed on that account, for our people are reported as undergoing some very tough times there—it makes Russia look like a cakewalk. However, the website initially strikes one as a treasure trove of unbiased documentation, exceedingly well-done, and well worth the donations it accepts, and well-worth boning up on.
At first I thought nothing appeared In BitterWinter with regard to charges of organ harvesting of the Falun Gong. However, searching the phrase “organ harvesting” pulls quite a bit of information up—here Is an example, including things already cited here—statements from the US State Dept, for example, or the UN. If they got their information from the Epoch Times, that would be one thing, but it may not be that way at all. 
 

Not quite having the resources just yet to plow through all of the above, just skimming it quickly instead, understand that what I say are but preliminary impressions. I know next to nothing about FG.
Are they secretive? Are they uncomfortably effective in spreading their message? Do they withdraw from “normal” society? Do they learn to lead “double-lives?” Do they mislead the regular people as to their true mission? Do they have some offbeat (and therefore ‘dark’) beliefs about what the future holds? Do they have members who die because of not embracing all that modern medicine has to offer? (at 75, no less, as though no one of that age has ever died otherwise.) Do they even have an elaborate “compound” in NYS? Are they non-violent, but still a cause for concern, since “all cults are non-violent until they are not”—that cute line from the #cultexpert—in his wacko world, the more peaceful people are, the greater the cause for concern.
When I see how JWs are slammed in the media as a cult, do I imagine that all the other “cults” are getting a fair shake? 
In TTvs the A, I wrote of the Moonies something to the effect of: Is is possible to lead a fulfilled life as a Moonie? They’ll have to make the case for it, not me. However, if the “mainstream” and “normal” life resulted in happiness, fulfillment, and provided answers to the deep questions that vex people, none of these cults would succeed in people giving them the time of day. Let them deliver a little bit before they condemn everyone else. 
 I might even prefer committed religionists to the vanilla people of today because you can “talk shop” with them. You are not faced with, as we are here in the US, people in a panic over discussing a Bible verse, people scared of going off the mainstream of conventional goals for fear of where that might take one, people who do not roll their eyes when you speak of what a verse might mean, and people who do not distrust your explaining a verse by appealing to another one—as though they already indulged you by listening to one, and what more do you want?
As far as I can see, joining one of these “cults” is getting off the “broad road leading to destruction,” in favor of the “narrow road that leads to destruction.” They both lead to destruction, one no more than the other. I don’t view “cultists”  as a threat to people any more than the “normal” life is a threat to people. 
Broad road or narrow road, the one factor that indicates they “lead off to destruction” is their rooting for various leaders of the world to succeed and for other ones to fail. They are part of the world when they do that. The “cramped and narrow road that leads to life” is marked by not being part of the world—not claiming that this or that human is God’s gift to humanity, not claiming that this or that leader must go down, but taking a neutral attitude towards them. “Pray for the king,” Paul writes to Timothy. “That way maybe he’ll keep out of our hair.” That is as “involved” as the religion that is true to God gets with regard to this world’s political structure of good guys and bad guys. Anything else, be it FG or conventional media, is equally part of the world in my eyes. Your “eyes may be opened” when you leave the FG, but it is only so they can be blinded by another source rooting for this world.

True - the Iron and clay is absolutely acrimonious.....the world over in every country. ... Except in totalitarian countries like Iran, China and Russia, North Korea because individual rights are 'no longer' tolerated - with emphasis on 'no longer' for China. Journalists or human rights lawyers who have opposing opinions go to jail.... or people are secretly killed with poisons or commit suicide (Russia) or just jump from buildings.... such as 6 people in one day recently in Hong Kong (China), or are openly and publicly executed in Iran. North Korea has 3 different types of gulags. Most citizens are hungry all the time.
Some countries have gone far-left in their way of suppressing human freedoms.  In Australia drones are catching people who do not obey the Corona law.  In some radical-left states in USA they are allowing anarchy. Members of these funded  organizations are bused in and their hotel expenses paid to riot. These people are anti-nationalism, anti-police, anti-american identity, anti-religion,  anti-constitution, anti-family unit and anti-culture.  It is a  perverted form of mao-ism. BLM leaders have openly said they want a communist system with equality outcomes for all humans. (Of course these are all the wonderful buzz-words but when this system comes, they will be the first to be the fodder for a hungry regime that chews up lives and spits it out. They will have done their job of causing anarchy and are now expendable.
Atheist regimes DO NOT RESPECT LIFE! ... and if any of you really think they do, then you are living under a dark cloud of misunderstanding. It is Judaeo- christian values which gave more humane values to the world. Atheism is lurking at the door in USA.... with laws being jammed through which erodes you rights to freely talk about your religion, eroding the quality of life by means of morality, and respect for life itself. 
The UN's has done a good job with this new modern philosophy (pushed by UNESCO for many years), which has been inculcated into the new generation at schools and who are now all of voting age.  The democrats are totality aligned with UN agenda 2030 and are working towards the new secular world order........ which will definitely be a  totalitarian technocratic regime or science dictatorship - whatever you want to call it.  The constitution and country borders will disappear according to this plan. 2030 is the next big milestone for this plan. Democrats seem to be set to win.... and US may be one of those countries who willingly gives over its autonomy to the UN once its national borders are not longer there - as planned NGOs following instructions of agenda 2030.
The new sex education has rolled out and will now be taught in all schools. It sexualizes children from age 4.  It openly teaches all forms of disgusting porneia to children and is 'normalizing' it - pushed by the UN-ESCO.  This is their way to secure the future and reduce human population on earth.  Lock-downs will keep people separated and people can then indulge in porneia - like animals..... because that is what we are according to science. According to agenda 2030 every drop of food, water, energy you as an individual use will be measured. 
The UN wants ONE world technocracy and they are on their way of achieving it. 
My interest in China is not to take SIDES against China or sides FOR china as some of you here are doing but to show you all which KIND of system will be ushered in by the UN since China is their model. China also signed up to Agenda 21 and the milestone of Agenda 2030 - and China are the model. 
So why is the new system tested in CHINa?  They already have the technology installed and their people are already under surveillance with social crediting etc. The algorithms, facial recognition etc. are being refined in China. Most tech corporations are experimenting in china  - anything is allowed.  The World tech corporations are working WITH china - and cooperating with it and testing out all the new "science" which will be gradually unveiled.  It is too shocking for us old people to imagine but the youth are being indoctrinated to be accepting of it. 
People like Elon Musk, Bezos and others are the ones doing the research on AI and trans-humanism.  Making of synthetic DNA etc is part of this new 4th industrial revolution. Jehovah will have to step in to save us from DNA-extinction like before the flood!
 
I reiterate: my interest in China is not to take SIDES against of FOR China but to show you all which KIND of system will be ushered in by the UN since China is their model.  it HAS ALREADY GONE TOO FAR..... NO-ONE CAN STOP IT.  ONLY JEHOVAH CAN!
 
Just repeating old history is not a good exercise otherwise one makes the same mistakes.  One has to think about the similarities, consider the new players, their histories and the new innovations.  Evil people learnt that they can be exposed - after WW2 these atrocities came out.  Today, they will ensure and use methods to ensure that news cannot come out until it is too late and no-one can do anything about it.  They will not use the same weapons but use ones which are undetected.  Technology has changed and much more lethal anti-human weapons are now available.
Silent wars need silent weapons.....
But the news is still managing to trickle out.....
As I said before, situations change.  Yes, we are in a similar situation today where aggressive regimes are encroaching on other nation's territory. History is repeating itself but the political scenario which is heralding a new totalitarian regime has changed. i.e. Iran is funding so many revolutions in the middle east which is de-stabilizing it. World 'magnates' have funded several  "color-revolutions of which Ukraine is only one country.... and are apparently now trying to do the same in USA. 
To understand Chinese methods, please watch the interview above.... my link above.  Her father was the ambassador to this area years ago and she has spent many years researching all the issues going on there.  Do yourself a favor.  I read all kinds of information and make an assessment if they know their subject and are talking the truth. She has watched how China has taken hold of all the water resources in the entire region etc. 
To think that JW org will be in a position to blow the whistle this time round is ludicrous.  NO religion is allowed in China.  So if they focus attention on the plight of Witnesses in China, the authority will immediately start a witch-hunt just for the JWs.....and they will be maligned in the press as falun gong was.  They will not go to prison..... their body parts will be used.  So nothing will remain to report upon.  There will be no proof as family members are all targeted.  There will be no-one left to talk. Our organization is discreet.  It will never put our brothers in greater danger than they are already in.   To expose the injustice of people in prison (Russia) is a totally different situation than to expose people who are already being liquidated and all family members liquidated as well.  The GB will not want this kind of blood on their hands.  They will just warn us about trends they see. 
China is not the same as Russia.  Russia still allows state religion to build nationalism.  This proves to me that you have not thought things through (good a repeating other peoples writings but you do not think things through in the light of new information) and you do not understand the nature of totalitarianism.  If you can give me the names of journalists who are allowed to interview 'random people' in China and are allowed to move around freely without an escort I will be very happy.  These people must also not have any financial, family ties or other  ties to China which would compromise their honesty  in any way. They should have no interest in covering up the real facts.  
Since 2013 Xi Ping has been clamping down on his own people.  Foreigners were lucky but I have read quite a few stories of Westerners who got out just in time.  Last week one of the major, mainstream group of journalists got out of China by the skin of their teeth.  They were released after being detained.  The head office decided to remove them from the country. 
JW org  have already identified the king of the north and mentioned that it has allies.  What more can they do now?  We are in the downturn leading to Armageddon with extended lock-downs sure to come to control people during times of hunger, joblessness and unrest staring us in the face.
The new financial reset  is upon us and most probably will be digital money..... The UN has strengthened its grip on developing nations by lending them money during this lock down to get by...... and it has all kinds of strings attached. 
Now is the time to just trust in Jehovah.  The justice system has been compromised internationally - China is sitting on the human rights council together with Islamic countries. All the nations with the worst human rights histories.
International courts are shams now.... bias rampant and all courts politicized. JWs will no longer be treated as before.... with digity ......that is for sure. 
The god of fortresses will be everyone's master in the sense that you will not be able to dodge it. Satan is taking over the system with those who are against Jehovah and his future kingdom in the most powerful positions.  The situation is building up where they will literally stand up against Jehovah's kingdom.  When we preach against them they will be shocked because they will think all humans to be docile sheep accepting their technocratic rule with surveillance. 
I will b excited to see how this plays out.....

I have learned to live with it, and perhaps even acquiesce that it must be that way. Of course, I don’t know what examples you may have in mind, but...
Do you think I can persuade anybody that the (largely) atheist anti-cult movement is behind our woes in Russia? No. It is all the machinations of Babylon the Great is all anyone wants to hear. We are so hung up on Babylon the Great that we do not recognize that she is mostly licking her wounds these days, and a powerful atheist faction has arisen that would eradicate everyone clinging to worship of God—us no less than they. Yet we still, in the main, carry on as though publishers in Judge Rutherford’s day, announcing that religion is a “snare and a racket.” It is, but here in the West, it does not play as the most timely theme. The atheists and the skeptics perch above it all and ridicule the different religionists calling each other false. As rude as some trolls are here, I see brothers equally rude on social media with regard to tweets mentioning religion—appending insults that have little to do with the topic under consideration. Do they think themselves witnessing? It doesn’t leave a good impression. I could wish that we got training about social media besides the refrain to “be cautious” of it. 
Trained, we might be able to do some good with it. The articles posted on JW.org lately—about coping with anxiety, safeguarding children from the horror of world news, adapting them to “distance learning,” and so forth? These are excellent contributions—exactly what is needed today by anyone wishing to preserve sanity. It would take so little for ones who know how to use social media to judiciously spread this all over the internet, to the benefit of countless people. But we are advised to be cautious as to our use of it. We are not trained, and most of those who venture there with the idea of witnessing are horribly clumsy—saying outrageous things, oblivious to what their audience potentially might be.  It could be used to such powerful effect, but it is not in a nod to “caution.” 
Still, maybe the fixation on Babylon the Great, and turning a (it seems to me) blind eye to the atheists and skeptics is what one must expect of Bethel. They, more than anyone, strive to be “no part of the world.” Over time, they get to know little about it. They live primarily in the world of Scriptures, and the scriptures say that it is in the skirts of Babylon the Great (not the atheists or skeptics) that is found the blood of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth. Primarily, the sin is one of omission, not commision. Had religion not neglected to teach the Word of God, there would not be the bumper crop of atheists and skeptics of today. So who can say that Bethel is wrong to keep on harping over false religion—that picture is the overall picture, and the skeptics are but a resulting subset.
Another area of seeming bias is how we speak of ex-members—as though they are all train-wrecks, and will remain so until they come to their senses and return. This is a point of great ridicule among ex-Witnesses, who take bows before each other each time one emerges who is not a train-wreck. I mean, it really does seem an example of “confirmation bias” on our part.
Still, the Word indicates that those who leave after knowing the truth are like Vic Vomodog, whose name I changed from Vomidog to please @anna, who didn’t like the image. “A dog that returns to its own vomit” is how Peter puts it, so from there comes the notion that the world will “chew one up and spit one out.” If the brothers find someone who says it in exactly those words based upon his own experience, they eat it right up and cannot relay it quickly enough. 
It used to drive me nuts. It still does, a little, but it does so less. The brothers don’t know because they obey the Bible’s own counsel to not go where they might find out. “Keep an eye on those who cause division and stumbling and avoid them,” says Romans 16:17. So they do avoid them, and thus the only window they have to look upon them is that of scripture. 
Ah, well. I would like it if they didn’t do that, but who is to say they are wrong? It’s a little like God declaring that Adam and Eve will die the day they disobey. It the long run, it makes little difference whether that “day” is one of 24 hours or 1000 years. It’s a little like your spotting the glitch of the tablets long ago and saying “Who cares, really? Maybe it was that way.”
 
 

There are people who live to slander. 
Is there shame in an arrest? Not on the part of the one arrested until he/she is found guilty. If found innocent, the shame may even be on the accusers.
Is it not slander to take an accusation that would otherwise never go beyond some tiny community billboard and re-broadcast it to the whole world news media .org?
In Ann’s defense, she is hardly the first one to do this. It is the new standard of the world and has been for some time. An arrest is synonymous to a conviction in the new world of “journalism.” She can’t possibly have missed the point of the reference to the French Revolution in which a denouncement was enough to send one to the guillotine—she is not stupid.

I am not suddenly absent Anne and you have done much more than speculate. 
so let me be less cryptic for you.
You are In my opinion a shameful trouble maker with very little sense ........again you say the shame is being arrested for that crime .. again you have presumed he is guilty of that crime...more personal speculation on your part
It would have been much wiser to have perhaps spoken or shared this info privately with some one you could trust ..and waited to see the legal outcome of what you found on the Internet
Many people have been arrested for crimes....the shame comes when one is guilty of that crime.
The shame comes when one rushes with information that may or may not be true...And places it on a public forum ......a fool does that Anne
you started this whole saga and now you hope his family will be okay...you didn’t care a fig about his family when you posted up his mug shot and allegations ..so don’t pretend to now.
I am not participating in this public debacle because of the reasons I have clearly stated.
just for the record ..I am a she and not a he 

Yes. Looking back on the thread, I see how easy the mistake was to make. Were the misunderstanding valid, you would be absolutely right to rebuke me. I would have done the same. I have at times. 
People don’t have time to read all this in depth. They see a seeming injustice and they jump on it. I do not always speak plainly, and I do sometimes speak too much. 
I would not say that it is only the brotherhood where such things can be sorted out—with both ready to make amends, both ready to walk things back, both ready to apologize without worry about saving face. But I can think of many settings in which such a misunderstanding would not be readily sorted out, and instead would serve as a wedge to trigger further arguments. 
For all the greater world speaks of “coming together,” they tend not to do it very often.

Yes I did Anna ..thank you for the clarification...and your right..this thread certainly is teaching us all something..and now I know what Tom was saying...but I guess this is a prime example of true brotherhood...we sort it out and fix it up...✌️

I would not have posted the arrest report, and I would not have posted it exactly for the reason that @Thinkingsays. Thanks to @Annafor clearing that up— it was another who posted it, and that is the person I referred to as “not exactly someone who loves Jehovah.” As for JTR, I think it is pretty clear that he did, screwy though he was in many ways. 
Is it in anyone’s vital interest to know what Ann posted? Is anyone here endangered by not knowing? I would not have posted it.
And, the other person called a “sex beast” from another thread—the one who was convicted for touching offense, not just porn, some decades past and who had never repeated them, the one whom the judge said that his past had finally caught up with him and that he had no choice but to send him to prison, as though if he had a choice, he might choose a less harsh punishment—that one would appear to give the lie to the mantra that a person cannot change. He can. He evidently did. Long ago. So you would almost think more attention would be paid to the wholesome teachings and moral atmosphere that prevailed so as to mold him into a different person.

I think Thinking thought you were talking about JTR, whearas in fact you were talking about Ann O' Maly 😂. Another classic example of how misunderstandings can happen. It stems from trying to be too diplomatic and not mentioning names. Sometimes it's good to be straightforward. One thing is sure, this thread is teaching quite a few lessons 😁
 

“What we have here is a failure to communicate,” said Cool Hand Luke, before they shot him dead. 
You don’t want to do that. What I meant is that there are many platforms that do not appear to recognize the applicability of Proverbs 11:13:
“a slanderer goes about revealing confidential talk,But the trustworthy person keeps a confidence,”
but instead they carry on as though confidential talk should be revealed to all. It is not something I have any control over—other than whether I should participate on this site or not, and I’ve explained many times why I do.
No, but you can read her collective comments, and certain things become pretty clear. By doing that, it is as though you have super powers.
Look, I was chastened by your remark. “Point well made,” I said. What more do you want? No one else backed down any. Nor was I the one to fan the flames in the first place. 
 

Who Did This???? No trial for him then hey
Well I cannot read his heart so I wouldn’t know if he was a lover of Jehovah or not...you must have super powers Tom......also the point about this statement of this website is Theocracy Dies in Darkness....errr ummmm ...not if your one of Jehovah’s Witnesses it  doesn’t...or it shouldn’t !😉...or should I say not if your a true lover of Jehovah...aaaaaah..I’m getting as sarcastic as you my brother....not a good trait to have actually 🥴

:))) is this "sexism" ?

Nobody ever thinks about such things on social media. The actual news media has long since set the example of relaying accusation as though it were conviction.
Nobody ever thinks of such things. Until it happens to them. Then they think of it.

Which also says that the person may be guilty or innocent and being charged means nothing at this point ...
Even if he is guilty in the end....shame on all those who threw their hats in the ring...before it  was legally morally and spiritually decided.
This is none of your business nor mine...never alone being a topic of discussion by brothers and sisters on a public forum...
why would any of you do this?....where are your senses...
I am gobsmacked  at how you have all expressed your personal opinions and posts like a mob of gossipy old  women...
Talk about shafting someone before a trial...sheesh...hate to have you as my friends ...
One would have to be very ignorant to think everything that comes out of the Sheriff  office is true..and wow ..with a mug shot as well....
Let him have his trial....let him defend himself or not defend himself...
if he is guilty so be it...if he is innocent...imagine him coming here and reading all of this...
I don’t know what is going on but nor do you..so I would advise the moderator to take down all  of these posts until his trial is over...
 
 
 
 

I’m not having a shot at you ..and I know you didn’t do this ..(and I’m going to address this to all brothers and sisters here)......but to post a brother or anyone’s photo up without absolute bullet proof evidence.. ...something just of the internet is incredibly serious....this is not how Jehovah handles his judicial matters at all...so why are we all talking on this with out evidence....
Personally I would think the moderator better jump on this...and those of us that claim to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses better pull our heads in and  shut  our mouths.....remember how Jehovah acts on such incidences and not judge a matter before all the evidence has been gathered....
I have seen what false accusations or misunderstood trials etc has done to a man...and woman...it’s absolutely cruel...and if a person is guilty...then same thing applies...
If this brother did this...then let the courts handle it...and we mind our own businesses ...we DO NOT KNOW THE CIRCUMSTANCES OR DETAILS...
This sort of thing puts this forum down In to the gutter
PROVERBS 18:13 NLV
Sprouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish 
Message Bible ...Proverbs 18:13 
Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.

I know a number of people who have been convicted and later proved to be innocent...I don’t know what is going on here...and I’m not going to comment on this because I don’t have proof of anything....it seems he has yet to go to trial???....

I know a number of people who have been convicted and later proved to be innocent...I don’t know what is going on here...and I’m not going to comment on this because I don’t have proof of anything....it seems he has yet to go to trial???....

I know a number of people who have been convicted and later proved to be innocent...I don’t know what is going on here...and I’m not going to comment on this because I don’t have proof of anything....it seems he has yet to go to trial???....

Don't know if you will have time or inclination to read posts at present James. I have enjoyed some of our exchanges, especially when you have shared some technical insights, or glimpses of your anarchic sense of humor. And I must admit to a sense of achievement when getting your occasional "like" to a comment.
I am sorry if you have fallen on hard times. I hope you are able to get through things.
Please apply your own advice: "stay closer to Jehovah than I did". Start getting close to Jehovah.... now! This is a God who can retrieve people from the grave even. He will help you though the pits now...if you let him. Use Psalm 139 for meditation. Stay focussed James. 

I haven’t tried to rank them. If I did, I don’t think you would be in first place.
I do take it seriously. I just dial it back a notch or two.
If it is any consolation, I dial JWI’s stuff 2 notches or 3. You don’t think I buy all his stuff, do you? It is but food for thought—sort of like that verse that says you think you know it all after hearing the first witness, and then the other fellow comes along. I don’t know why he goes on and on the way he does—to me, all one need do is see how governments are treating our brothers and extrapolate from there—still, this site is a lab for me. I think it is a lab for you. I think it is a lab for him. As Voltaire said, the most sure way to be dull is to reveal everything—I don’t have to know where everyone is coming from.
I am on a Voltaire kick now. My Great Courses regimen has gone from Bart E to Henry VIII, and now it is on Voltaire. I listen to the CDs while walking the dog, who doesn’t listen himself, and they permit me to be a seed-picker, like they said of Paul at Acts 17:18, who picks up a seed here and poops it out there. I give the appearance of being smart, having something to say on everything, yet if one pressed you or JWI on China, both of you could expand indefinitely. If one presses me, a seed-picker, I change the subject to Gilligan’s Island. Seed-pickers frequently operate on the very edge of their knowledge, but nobody knows that but they. All that is lacking—as I note from watching Zoom commentators on TV—and which I will soon remedy—is to truck in a ton of books from the Goodwill, and make a podcast in which I can barely be seen for their sheer number. “Whoa! Look at all those books!” people will say, “he must be smart!” Mission accomplished. 
Voltaire is a name that I’ve long known of but relatively little about. Now I know a little more, and I find, so my surprise, that some of the things I do, he also did. My head, which was already dangerously large, as Cesar pointed out, 
now gets so big as to take up all the space in the Librarian’s library.
As to at least make a pretense of staying on topic, the daughter of one of my friends served as a missionary in China, along with her husband. Several years ago he told me that the Chinese secret police had infiltrated our congregations there in no time at all, but they also reported to their superiors that there was nothing to worry about, since our people had no interest whatsoever in changing politics. It is a story a little bit at odds with reports coming out of that land now. Maybe it was naïveté to begin with—some starry-eyed brother misreading reality—we do things like that. At any rate, based upon that input, I expressed similar naïveté in Tom Irregardless that I am almost embarrassed to own now. Still, no harm done, I think. It never hurts to give the other guy the benefit of the doubt, even if sometimes it is hurled back in your face.
I fall in between you and JWI as regards looking at signs, probably a bit closer to your way. Angels are desiring to peer into these things. It is not for me to tell them to straighten up and get back to work. But the friends can get pretty worked up over things that may turn out here-today, gone-tomorrow. Someone was all excited the other day about Trump brokering a new deal in the mid-east. Does that herald the cry of peace and security? they wondered what I thought. I don’t get worked up over such things. The media has so firmly suppressed the story, for fear of making Trump look good, that few here know much about it, anyway. I try to seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, follow counsel I have found trustworthy, and figure that matters of timing will unfold as they will.
 
 

I guess I am the most predictable here..... but I do not care.   I say what I think and even if no-one takes anything seriously.... they will remember where they heard it when the time comes.

I have often said - these Agenda 2030 plans are on the table - and as we speak they are implementing their plans.  How far it will go - we do not know….. but the bible is clear...…. the image of the beast will rule for a short while (because others will give it their authority - by trickery or willingly - we do not know) and then go into oblivion.  Those people with its political mark will NOT get everlasting life... the bible is clear. Many people will be forced to have its mark because it is Satan's intention to deceive or force people to get this political mark..... they will face tests if they refuse it.
Why am I bringing this up - because it is already under our noses and can happen very quickly...… never ever have I indicated that it is far off in any way.   Hunger is at the doorstep of the entire world with this Covid 19 bankruptcies everywhere. It is not my fanciful thinking...…. it is already here. A very high percentage of home owners in USA defaulted on their home payments last month (if I remember correctly it is 37%).  When government help stops we will see wide-spread hunger, looting and upheaval - unless the government uses stronger measures to keep people contained...….   a totalitarian type of control will ensue....
If one does not foresee something it is very hard to deal with. Easier to know... at least for me personally.  There are the type of personalities that prefer to know nothing at all..... and just go unprepared into what is coming...… although I doubt one can prepare oneself for what is really coming.  However, I cannot unknow what I know.  Sometimes I do wish I had a less inquisitive nature. 
Agreed USA is a dragon and acting as a "prophet."  The CIA operations and propaganda and funds they throw around has been the same since the cold war - overthrowing many regimes.
Regarding the terrorism, I wish to bring to your attention that Iran is an extremely aggressive regime.  It has funded most of the conflicts in the middle east  - but I am not here to talk politics but would like to mention my knowledge of islam and the battles within it. 
My knowledge of the conflict in Yemen and the starving of children (Shia Islam inspired) and my knowledge of the problems in Lebanon with Hezbollah-funded insurgencies from Iran ….. even the conflict in Syria.   The brand of Islam that Assad follows in an offshoot of Shia - Islam.  Saddam Hussain was also pro-shia….. a minority ruling over the majority Sunni.   The conflicts in Middle east is between branches of Islam.  And ALL branches of Islam are conquerors, when the time is right, because Mohammad was waging war every two months to expand his empire...until his unexpected death...... This expansion was carried forward after his death and is called the "golden age of Islam" under the caliphates who waged the wars. The third caliph had the Quran written down 21 years after the death of  " the prophet" because so many men who learnt the verses by rote were dying in the battles According to Islam history written 200 years after his death).  They gathered all the stones etc the Quran was written on and wrote it down and burnt the rest of the writings which differed from those that seemed to be true. Caliph Uthman was also a masterful soldier and took on Persia, Afghanistan etc.  Later they took Africa and the conquest only ended when they were stopped in Tours - France, by a Frankish king. 150 years after Mohammad's death most of the present Islamic world was already been captured (except for Constantinople)  and soldiers paid with booty and slaves..  The split between Shia and Sunni came after the 3rd caliph in time of Ali.... disputes about succession.
Iran wants 'Dabiq' which is in Saudi Arabia territory and constantly undermines it - as I explained before.  This features in their final day prophecies and they have to fight a war on this territory against the Anti-Christ which will be a battle against the one-eyed JEW and his followers...…. now you know where some of their hate against Israel comes from. They are against USA not just because they are allies of S Arabia .... but because of the eschatological prophecies.  The alliance between Israel and S Arabia makes sense.  Israel knows about Iran's plans, and know what is going on because  their intelligence is the best in the world.  In the end Armageddon will bring all these groups who hate each other to conflict - brother against brother. 
I am not taking political sides - just saying what is driving most of these conflicts in middle east - is terrorist religion. S Arabia bombing civilians in Yemen...… a human catastrophe.  Yet we see that Iran is working with other totalitarian states such as China and Russia - even doing military maneuvers together.  Last week China provoked Taiwan by doing military maneuvers in their ocean waters.
What does this prove?  That things are moving forward in the direction we expect it to go and it can develop into something very dangerous very quickly.  The ongoing tensions remind me of the time before both the first and second world war when no-one wanted to go to war but it was sparked by some incident.  Wilhelm 2 was aggressive and building up weapons before WW1. Same with WW2.
We presently see a lot of posturing while people will soon be starving as crops all over the world are failing and Covid 19 has broken supply chains and decimated farming industries......