Wow it sounds like @TrueTomHarley is having one of his 'wet dreams' that he seems to like talking about. (It is one thing that has me concerned about Tom actually. The point that he likes mentioning wet dreams and is so in denial about CSA in the CCJW)  ) 

Let's look at the book title, My Beloved Religion, And the Governing Body.

Furuli seems to love the religion not the GB. 

Tom knows exactly what i was referring to previously, and it was about Higher Education. I was not referring to the book contents (as i hadn't read it ) but referring to the fact that the man, Furuli, was a highly educated man and had a very strong reputation for his knowledge which was high and above normal schooling. 

Now Furuli has a dislike for the GB  and how they act. But he seems to have a love for the CCJW.  Furuli wants to defend the Organisation (because he knows how much damage the CSA is doing)  and to defend the Org he seems to find the need to defend the GB concerning CSA.... Anyone with common sense or love of truth will see this to be obvious. 

Mr Harley is a true JW. He has the need to twist truth because it is the only way JWs seem to survive the CSA issue. Mr Harley's headline seems inline with what the GB first said about CSA. 

I do know of course that Tom is a wind up merchant, and very childish in his ways.  But when he has to twist truth and misquote others then he is showing his true colours as a non-christian. Being a member of the CCJW will not get people saved through Armageddon. 

Quote @JW Insider 

" Because of Paul's visit, the body of elders in Jerusalem issued a statement showing that it was their fault, and that they had gone too far in trying to encroach on the consciences of Christians in other places. "

Wow, could you imagine the GB apologising, I don't think so. They won't even apologise for the CSA in the Org. 

JWI can you please give scripture to back up this 'statement issued' / apology, as you mentioned above. 

 

Does he mention CSA? Ray thought it was an overblown concoction of media. What say Rolf?

Quote @JW Insider

Barely mentioned. Not even in a much too long dissertation on porneia and similar words. But he does have one point about it here in one of the footnotes:

P.S. One of Furuli's typos is the spelling of "Sexual Immortality" with the extra T. It sounded like a good name for one of those "male supplement" drugs that spammed my email account in the days before spam filters.

Um, I wonder what a psychologist would make of that 'typo'. A man denying CSA in his 'Beloved Religion' then typing Sexual Immortality. 

Billy the Kid it becomes impossible to talk to you as you seem to deliberately twist everything I write.

Quote :-

 Keep in mind, Paul was a prosecutor of Christians. When do you believe, Apostle Paul never received God’s Holy Spirit since the majority of the NT was written by Paul to the congregations. Are you now suggesting the Bible is just a fabrication and a story for children? Is Paul evil in your mind?

It was I that wrote that the Apostle Paul was inspired by Holy Spirit and guided personally by Jesus Christ.

It was I that wrote that Paul was not one of the twelve and that HE wrote all those letter to the congregations. 

But you now twist it all to pretend that i said the opposite. 

Billy the Kid, what rubbish you talk. A Governing Body GOVERNS. RULES OVER. 

The GB of the CCJW rules over 8.5 million people, or there abouts. 

Jesus did not rule over, and He told the disciples not to rule over. He said that was how the 'world' works. 

Do not be lording it over the congregation. 

But you still miss the point of the 1st century 'body in Jerusalem' being inspired by God's Holy Spirit, and they GAVE PROOF OF IT BY THEIR WORKS. 

The GB of CCJW are not inspired and the lies written in the March 2020 Watchtower are laughable. 

For the GB to pretend that they were appointed by Jesus, and that Jesus refers to them as the F&DS.. It's lies or at very least deceitful.  

@Arauna  Thank you for the comedy reply. Oh blind sheep that you are, will you never learn.

@TrueTomHarley YOUR COMMENT ABOVE IS CLICK BATE OF COURSE. But it just makes you look very childish in a bad way. 

I'm glad it keeps you happy though.  

@Srecko Sostar   As for personality. Everyone has a split personality or a dual one. Especially JWs because they are told to change, it does not happen naturally.

However when a person does get a Christian conscience then they begin to look more deeply at scripture and at the church / organisation they belong to. Hence many leave the CCJW because they can observe so much hypocrisy and immorality in it. The ones that stay are the ones either too lazy to look deeply, or, the ones that are too frightened to lose family and so called friends. 

But TTH pretends they leave because they cannot cope with it. He also pretends that they all go off into the 'world'. I suppose it might be the only way Tom can handle the fact that so many people leave the CCJW voluntarily. 

4 hours ago, Arauna said:

Depends how critical and judgmental you are of the people. (A cultural fault, I found amongst many of the British).  If a group of people have all the core teachings absolutely correct, then you should be happy to serve with them because one serves jehovah - not people.  But if you only focus on the imperfect  people - then no community of believers will ever be good enough for your self-righteous soul. You will miss out on the many blessings you could have had.  

@Arauna  you sound so bitter for a supposed Christian that is supposedly serving God 

@Srecko Sostar  asked which 'church' he should belong to, and I answered him. 

You talk about having teachings correct, but the GB constantly change their 'teachings'. And on another topic you many note that i call the GB out for their deceit when they say that Jesus calls them the F&DS. 

So I think it is your GB that are 'self-righteous' in a truer sense. Putting themselves first, making a name for themselves. 

This full situation always reminds me of this:

(Mark 9:38-40) 38 John said to him: “Teacher, we saw someone expelling demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said: “Do not try to prevent him, for there is no one who will do a powerful work on the basis of my name who will quickly be able to say anything bad about me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us.

I think this shows that a person does not have to be a JW to serve God through Christ. 

As for the GB being likened to the Sanhedrin, wasn't it them that had Jesus put to death? So yes i can see a similarity. 

And as for the 1st Century 'group of men in Jerusalem' that made decisions, weren't they inspired by God's Holy Spirit ?  Whereas this GB admits to not being so. 

And wasn't it the Apostle Paul that wrote to the congregations, not those men in Jerusalem ?

 And wasn't the Apostle Paul chosen and directed by Jesus Christ personally ? And wasn't Paul inspired of God's Holy Spirit. 

And didn't those men of the 1st Century PROVE that they were inspired by their WORKS. 

And Now :- The Watchtower dated (top right corner) March 2020.  Study articles May 4- 31 2020

Page 6 paragraph 16. from part way down, reads. (I have paper copy supplied by an elder)

" Jesus has appointed a small group of anointed men to take the lead in organising the work that he wants done today. Jesus referred to this group of men as 'the faithful and discreet slave' and they take seriously their responsibility to feed and protect you spiritually. "

What hogwash ! Complete lies or deliberate deceit.

Firstly the GB say they are not inspired, so how would they have been 'appointed' ?

 ALL anointed remnant are anointed of God's Holy spirit hence they know they are anointed. 

All of those of the Anointed remnant were seen as being the F&DS at one time, so when did Jesus suddenly decide to change this ? 

So how was / is this special appointing done ? 

Secondly. Jesus did not refer to these men as the F&DS 

Jesus asked a question ???? He did not make a  statement, and he certainly didn't say who they were.  

But many JW's just want their ears tickled, and many JWs are brainwashed enough to just accept everything written in the Watchtower. 

7 hours ago, Matthew9969 said:

And when do you trust what the gb says, you have a clear opinion on them.

Presidents have to tackle many issue's, they can't do them all in one day. Maybe the Russia/jw UN involvement has been on his mind and with all on his plate he's finally gotten around to addressing religious freedom. 

Yes my GB comment was a jibe. BUT, I do admit to getting concerned about 'world issues'. 

We have a virus that only half the world believes is real.

We have protests spreading around the globe over BLM.

We have America upsetting China. And now we have the UK, 'good olde Boris' upsetting China by planning to give Hong Kong people British visas / passports. Anglo-American war with China maybe ? 

We have a 'threat' of our cash being replaced by 'electronic money' only. Which will give government departments more control over people. 

An idea. Maybe someone could start a topic which could be regularly updated with 'world affairs', or does this already happen elsewhere on the forum ? 

The thing is, the Bible seems to talk about religion being wiped out before Armageddon. 

And we must remember that the GB say that 'We are in the final part of the final days' 

So why would the American President suddenly be fighting for international religious freedom ? 

i suppose it is to get more votes and to be 'liked' by more people, but this would appear to put backward the destruction of all religion. 

@JW Insider Quote " I think you have tried to group me with those who think R.Franz was all bad."

I don't know if this is a sneaky trick to try to make it look as if I'm grouping you with others, but I have no idea if R. Franz was good or bad, and it never crossed my mind. When i said you discredit Furuli, i meant simply by suggesting he was copying someone rather than having his own opinion. 

However, I still say that you put up three questions, but chose to answer the last question first. 

I have a bad memory but it sort of reminds me of Shakespeare  (I think ) Mark Antony ' I come to bury Caesar not to praise him '.. ............. A bit sly in my opinion. 

@ComfortMyPeople  You have shown the difference between doctrine and traditions of men. 

If only the GB could recognise that. 

@TrueTomHarley  I actually feel very sad about your massive comment in which you try to blame me for JTR's problems.  Sad for you Tom. Because you must be feeling a great deal of hurt to write such things. 

Quote " You did everything you could to separate him from his God. Remember, he was on my side of the Great Issue, not yours."

He didn't need to take your side or mine. He is a strong enough man to make his own decisions.  And your accusation against me is not that of a true Christian. Plus the fact that: The CCJW is NOT God. 

Quote " Rolf makes perfectly clear that he regards his faith as true." 

I also regard my faith as true. My faith is in Almighty God through Jesus Christ. My faith is not in the GB of CCJW. 

Quote " You can’t go about life being hypercritical. You have to be ready to move on. You can’t go digging through the diamonds to find the dirt. You have to be ready to forgive."

The GB have diamonds ? No. The dirt is on the top for those that actually see it. CSA isn't buried anymore. What was done in the dark is now brought out into the open. CSA is not hypercritical. 

The GB are being shown up for what they really are, and not just by 'idiots' like me. 

Mr Rook seemed to have his own reasons for disliking the Organisation. He made that quite clear.

And as for his family it seems they don't agree with your ways. Were they ready to move on or to forgive ? It seems not. JWs in practice. Hypocrisy. 

And by your tone, it seems that you hold a grudge against me. No forgiveness there then, only blame.

@JW Insider    I have to say it again. It seems that JWs are so used to being in a group, doing things in groups, almost living as groups, that they seem to have to put everyone else into a group.  I know this isn't putting Furuli into a group, but it is grouping him with R Franz. 

Why can't you just accept the man as an individual ? He is just as entitled to an individual opinion as anyone else is.  It just reminds me as when I say something similar to some one else on here I get accused of being one of their disciples. JWs, it seems, are frightened by people that have their own opinion. I think one reason is that JWs are not allowed to express their own opinion at a KH or amongst the congregation anywhere. 

Your first two questions : - Is any of it right ? Useful ? 

However you couldn't hold back for long could you ?  You had to immediately start  to discredit Furuli by almost saying that he copied Franz. This immediately knocks a big hole in those first two questions. You put the Franz question as last, but you could not resist answering it first. 

You disappoint me, not that it would matter to you. You definitely show how you have been indoctrinated by the CCJW / GB. 

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-delivers-promise-advance-religious-freedom-abroad-opinion-1508263

Don't know if this is exactly new news. but it 'sort of' sounds interesting.

Trump Delivers on Promise to Advance Religious Freedom Abroad 

This week, President Trump issued a historic executive order that ensures international religious freedom will be a major piece of his legacy. The new directive gives the U.S. government more tools than ever before to advance religious freedom globally and to penalize foreign nations that perpetrate or allow religious persecution.

Link to article at top. 

7 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

You have not figured out yet that JTR was one of my aliases?

That is an insult to Mr Rook. 

@Arauna Quote  " I do not have the same culture as most  people on this forum.... so I often see things differently.... "

That applies to me also. And @Srecko Sostar I would think too. 

I have the feeling that most on here are American and of course most of the GB ( 7 out of 8 ) are also American. Unfortunately it would seem that Americans are raised to have an attitude. And to have that 'Collateral Damage is OK', frame of mind. 

But you've raised a point. You do not have 'the same culture' and therefore you often 'see things differently'. 

Now, apply that to the GB. If they were from different parts of the Earth, they would be from different cultures and would 'see things differently'. What a wonderful mixture of men that could bring in. Many on here have said that the GB are not especially highly educated. So having men from different cultures / countries would not be a problem. It's not the level of worldly education that would matter, it is the spirituality of the men. 

( Worldly education is however needed to get worldly employment. )

5 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

Which church to join would you recommend for someone who is "dull", not "sharp enough" ?

Hypothetical question !

Is there one worth joining is the question ? Do any of then meet the mark of serving God through Christ properly ?

@Space Merchant What is true to some will not be true to others.  And in the CCJW / Watchtower, 'truth' to them changes over time. 

As for your previous comment to me, i was just mentioning things that do cause damage within the CCJW. 

As Jesus himself said   ( English Standard Version )
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."

TTH I presume you are in contact with JTR so that you are able to know why he does what he does. 

Do you presume that JTR was not speaking from his heart ? Do you think he said things to 'make friends' ? 

I don't believed JTR was swayed by anyone. i think he said what he wanted to say because he had those feelings in him at the time.  I hope he is well and happy. 

Um, yes well. Thank you @JW Insider  8 translations per page................  Maybe i could manage one with the 4 translations per page. but my concentration would only be for around an hour on that. 

As for most of my bibles they have lots of notes everywhere.  BUT, i was always told not to take such a Bible on the ministry because it look disrespectful. I disagree with that viewpoint, I think it looks used and referenced. In my opinion the actual paper copy Bible is a tool to be used and if writing notes in it helps then go for it. You wouldn't buy a spade and not dig with it, just to keep it looking new and shiny. 

Thank you for your help on this. I know much can be done online but I like sitting in my rocking chair occasionally and just relaxing and reading. 

I love to put 'votes' on all individual comments because to me it shows impartiality. My vote is for or against each comment, not it's writer. 

@JW Insider Quote ' Responding to the Australia trek...'    But all things are possible with God.  Imagine if he had been the one that mentioned the Red Sea opening up, before it actually happened.  Would you have laughed at it ? I think Arauna thought it through in a human way, but if God actually wanted it to happen then it would happen. (No i don't believe will, but in theory it could have) ---------------

  12 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

those who lead will (do) cause damage.....,

@Anna  replied 'I guess the answer depends on what you interpret as damage. It's complicated because not everyone gets damaged by the same thing. It also depends on our ability to forgive.'

Child Sexual Abuse damages more than just the victims. So does the Shunning procedure. Even the Blood issues. 

It brings as back to Collateral Damage, which Americans are all to familiar with. 

@JW Insider  There are things in the NWT that I'm not too keen on, but detail would only cause controversy. And ye olde King James is a bit past it's best. 

A Hebrew to English translation would be helpful to me I think. And possibly a different Greek to English also. 

I have the Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. I actually find some 'differences' in this to the NWT. 

Yes, I will have to do some research, but I was asking for advice as to which might be the most helpful to me. 

When you say you like the 'original' NWT, how far back are you going ? What colour is it ? 

I use the grey 2013 at the moment but I also have a black one that says  'Revised 1971 C. E. New Edition of 1981' (?) .   Was there a green one much earlier ?