Patiently waiting for Truth

Perhaps to say "Father" or "Heavenly Father" would be best solution .... or "God", with large G letter
In fact, this terminology is supported by Jesus' famous prayer as answer on his disciples question, asking; "teach us to pray."

When they heard this, many of his disciples said: “This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?” 61  But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were murmuring about this, said to them: “Does this stumble you?* 62  What, therefore, if you should see the Son of man ascending to where he was before?z63  It is the spirit that is life-giving;a the flesh is of no use at all. The sayings that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
John 6:60 -63

But Br. Lett DOES love selfies with people 😄

I know of an elder and his wife who will not have any symbols at all. I also heard one brother mention the appropriateness of a recovering alcoholic obtaining wine. Our household (3 of us) will have the emblems, but I don't think I am going to pass them around. To me that would feel too pretentious since the reason for passing them is not there...
I am not sure what rules you are referring to with regard to the memorial. The only rules I know of, and they are pretty straightforward, is the wine should be unfortified and the bread unleavened and the anointed are the only ones who partake and the great crowd are observers. The exceptions to the rules are If there is no one partaking then the emblems are not necessary. They are only necessary when a whole congregation physically gathers in case someone partakes. In a home where it is clear no one will partake, then to me, having the symbols is like a Catholic having a statue of a crucified Jesus to remind himself visually of the sacrifice that he made. That's how I see it anyway....
As a side line,  the friends fussing over what brand or type of red wine should be used is positively irritating me, lol. Red wine is red wine! As for the bread, as long as it is unfortified flour and water, rolled into a flatbread and baked, it doesn't matter if it's as hard as rock, because no one will eat it! 😄

My wife and i sat and watched this Special Talk on Sunday 5th April 2020
In honesty I thought it was a bit weak, but I suppose it was for 'people of the world', or was it to convince the congregants ?
However the stupidity of starting the talk with the idea of comparing to other religions and their morality. 
Come on, even some of you have said CSA is everywhere, in all religions. And divorce, and fornication. 
The CCJW is not seen as the clean religion standing out above other religions anymore. It is rather naive to think that the public find the CCJW cleaner or with higher moral standards. Or was it aimed at JWs ? Who really was he trying to convince? 
And the second failure was the 'picture of the GB etc'. The speaker makes the point that Jesus is the leader, which of course is good. But then he shows this picture of the GB and others as if the picture is from God. He was using scripture, great, but then this picture, as if it came from the same source. 
Anyone that was convinced by it must be very naive or lack intelligence. And the excuse cannot be that God and Christ use the less intellectual, because the Bible tells us to make sure of all things. The speaker did not use any scripture in relation to the picture, but tried to convince people that just because it was in that picture it must be true. How totally uninspired is that ?  A picture of Christ above the GB, above others in the CCJW. with no scriptural backing. 
And then he went on to ask 'How would you show how you accept Christ's leadership ? ' He follows this by quoting Matthew 16 v 24, to disown oneself and follow Christ. 
But that in no way proves that the CCJW are the way to go. It says to follow Jesus Christ. 
One last point, he mentions the Great Crowd 'described in Revelation' but once again NO scripture. 
A very poor talk with very little basis and even less scripture. It really showed a lack of God's Holy Spirit. 

My wife and i sat and watched this Special Talk on Sunday 5th April 2020
In honesty I thought it was a bit weak, but I suppose it was for 'people of the world', or was it to convince the congregants ?
However the stupidity of starting the talk with the idea of comparing to other religions and their morality. 
Come on, even some of you have said CSA is everywhere, in all religions. And divorce, and fornication. 
The CCJW is not seen as the clean religion standing out above other religions anymore. It is rather naive to think that the public find the CCJW cleaner or with higher moral standards. Or was it aimed at JWs ? Who really was he trying to convince? 
And the second failure was the 'picture of the GB etc'. The speaker makes the point that Jesus is the leader, which of course is good. But then he shows this picture of the GB and others as if the picture is from God. He was using scripture, great, but then this picture, as if it came from the same source. 
Anyone that was convinced by it must be very naive or lack intelligence. And the excuse cannot be that God and Christ use the less intellectual, because the Bible tells us to make sure of all things. The speaker did not use any scripture in relation to the picture, but tried to convince people that just because it was in that picture it must be true. How totally uninspired is that ?  A picture of Christ above the GB, above others in the CCJW. with no scriptural backing. 
And then he went on to ask 'How would you show how you accept Christ's leadership ? ' He follows this by quoting Matthew 16 v 24, to disown oneself and follow Christ. 
But that in no way proves that the CCJW are the way to go. It says to follow Jesus Christ. 
One last point, he mentions the Great Crowd 'described in Revelation' but once again NO scripture. 
A very poor talk with very little basis and even less scripture. It really showed a lack of God's Holy Spirit. 

some suggestion:
Sunday = not working day
Monday = preparation for work day
Tuesday = light work day
Wednesday = work break day
Thursday = task finishing day
Friday = Celebrating the upcoming weekend day
Saturday = Celebration break day
.... about names for months go to Croatian calendar, normal meanings  :)) https://www.mojevrijeme.hr/magazin/2014/09/kako-su-mjeseci-dobili-imena-listopad-mjesec-kada-pada-lisce/
  
 

If we wanted to understand how voices, letters and words were created, and then how their meaning came about, we would have a difficult task.
On the other hand, it is very simplistic to accept the appearance of a fully developed and clear language appearing with Adam and Eve. But things get even more complicated when we read the report that God initiated many fully developed languages during the time of Nimrod. It means that God is the source of the meaning of every vocabulary.
The words and their origin, concept and meaning that have or have had to people before us or today sometimes changes.
Asking a question or doubt as to whether it is permissible to use a particular word is not completely justified. It's similar to some "vulgar" word. Is "vulgar" word vulgar in itself? I don't think so. The social community has begun to find the word shameful and wants to put it out of use. You know that some people in their curses send an interlocutor with whom they disagree "go to that * thing *". What is "that thing"? Male or female sex organ. What would be the difference if we used a medical or lexical official term for a particular part of the body instead of a vulgar word? Would that even be vulgar swearing then?
Does particular word  have any "magic" meaning? Is there a word of "pagan" origin? Words serve to distinguish between different persons, things or phenomena. The wrong purpose of a particular word is another question. If I start using the word "car" for every house I see in town, it means that others will not understand me or say that I'm a lunatic. But if I gain enough supporters then in that group that word will have exactly that meaning.
 

Although to B4ucuhear's point above.....
At one time JW's were developing our own calendar so as not to refer to pagan names of gods during the months and year and even week....
Monday = Moon god
Tuesday = Mars (Martes in Spanish)
Wednesday = 
Thursday = Day of Thor (norse god)  Spanish = Jueves or (Jupiter's day)
Friday = Viernes in Spanish or Venus' day
Saturday = Saturn
Sunday = Day of the Sun
you get the idea
 
And for the months....
January = God Janus
February
March = Mars 
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December 
I can't remember all their references.... but I'm sure it would be easy to look them up.
 

Be careful.  That is the door the devil uses....
He tempted Jesus with ..... make bread out of these stones..... (such a small thing no one would ever know about)......
Yet he was perfect!

 
 

Sometimes, I think we go overboard in insinuating the worst for words that have lost their original meaning in modern parlance and that have become just an expression for which there doesn't seem to be a better alternative. Years ago, (maybe even for some today) it was considered bad form to use the word "fortune" or "luck" - insinuating if we used those words we were invoking or crediting the "god of luck." Which to most people would seem absurd, but not to all - "unfortunately." I was reminded of how many people were on that bandwagon (along with other so-called deep insights people had dug up) when in our weekly Bible reading, I came across Genesis 30:11: "Then Leah said: "With good fortune!" So she name him Gad." Other translations use the word "luck." Was Leah a false worshipper who believed in the god of luck? Was she being disloyal, meriting capital punishment for worshipping/invoking false deities? Or could it be that sometimes a word-is a word-is a word. And everyone knows how it is used without reading all kinds of nefarious connotations to a word that simply doesn't have a better alternative? Nowadays, to most people it means that something happens by chance as in "time and unforeseen circumstance" - (which would be an unwieldy mouthful to use casually). Sometimes we just need to lighten up. 

WTJworg "persecution" and "final of final days" is described in publications, videos and interpretations with picture of human enemies who will try to put all JW's to be inactive in worshiping God, to force them for compromise about worship and finally to "destroy" JW's if they refuse to obey secular governments.
Of course we can put this corona virus events in that format too. But it seems how GB leaders don't think how secular commands about health issue have something with "persecution". Corona Virus is just "sign" for "final part of final part of last days". Perhaps some of them wondering will this be how devil will stop worldwide preaching service. And congregational meetings. This two things are big tools of how JW's is organized and how they operate. And this can put on test their loyalty and spiritual health. Because they are temporary cut off from normal and regular way of spiritual life and activity. Yes they using technology in this moment, but that is also "under devil influence" and situation can be changed in a second.
Issue of "flee" is not reserved only for some future events, but is everyday question. Because spiritual "flee" from wrong doctrines and interpretations, from organized religion and other things too, is always very actual
  

Enjoy your trip to queensland, australia. When you get there find a nice big rock to hide under with all the other apostate cockroaches like you and just be glad that I am not the Angel of Death that finds you there, becouse I would enjoy the end of you life too much. Bon voyage.

My wife and i sat and watched this Special Talk on Sunday 5th April 2020
In honesty I thought it was a bit weak, but I suppose it was for 'people of the world', or was it to convince the congregants ?
However the stupidity of starting the talk with the idea of comparing to other religions and their morality. 
Come on, even some of you have said CSA is everywhere, in all religions. And divorce, and fornication. 
The CCJW is not seen as the clean religion standing out above other religions anymore. It is rather naive to think that the public find the CCJW cleaner or with higher moral standards. Or was it aimed at JWs ? Who really was he trying to convince? 
And the second failure was the 'picture of the GB etc'. The speaker makes the point that Jesus is the leader, which of course is good. But then he shows this picture of the GB and others as if the picture is from God. He was using scripture, great, but then this picture, as if it came from the same source. 
Anyone that was convinced by it must be very naive or lack intelligence. And the excuse cannot be that God and Christ use the less intellectual, because the Bible tells us to make sure of all things. The speaker did not use any scripture in relation to the picture, but tried to convince people that just because it was in that picture it must be true. How totally uninspired is that ?  A picture of Christ above the GB, above others in the CCJW. with no scriptural backing. 
And then he went on to ask 'How would you show how you accept Christ's leadership ? ' He follows this by quoting Matthew 16 v 24, to disown oneself and follow Christ. 
But that in no way proves that the CCJW are the way to go. It says to follow Jesus Christ. 
One last point, he mentions the Great Crowd 'described in Revelation' but once again NO scripture. 
A very poor talk with very little basis and even less scripture. It really showed a lack of God's Holy Spirit. 

My wife and i sat and watched this Special Talk on Sunday 5th April 2020
In honesty I thought it was a bit weak, but I suppose it was for 'people of the world', or was it to convince the congregants ?
However the stupidity of starting the talk with the idea of comparing to other religions and their morality. 
Come on, even some of you have said CSA is everywhere, in all religions. And divorce, and fornication. 
The CCJW is not seen as the clean religion standing out above other religions anymore. It is rather naive to think that the public find the CCJW cleaner or with higher moral standards. Or was it aimed at JWs ? Who really was he trying to convince? 
And the second failure was the 'picture of the GB etc'. The speaker makes the point that Jesus is the leader, which of course is good. But then he shows this picture of the GB and others as if the picture is from God. He was using scripture, great, but then this picture, as if it came from the same source. 
Anyone that was convinced by it must be very naive or lack intelligence. And the excuse cannot be that God and Christ use the less intellectual, because the Bible tells us to make sure of all things. The speaker did not use any scripture in relation to the picture, but tried to convince people that just because it was in that picture it must be true. How totally uninspired is that ?  A picture of Christ above the GB, above others in the CCJW. with no scriptural backing. 
And then he went on to ask 'How would you show how you accept Christ's leadership ? ' He follows this by quoting Matthew 16 v 24, to disown oneself and follow Christ. 
But that in no way proves that the CCJW are the way to go. It says to follow Jesus Christ. 
One last point, he mentions the Great Crowd 'described in Revelation' but once again NO scripture. 
A very poor talk with very little basis and even less scripture. It really showed a lack of God's Holy Spirit. 

Are you saying that God didn't approve of the way His Son set up the commemoration of the last supper that he ate with the foundation members of God's Temple and Bride, that both God and Christ chose?  Luke 22:19; John 15:16
Are you saying that with the advent of the organization, it is now time to ADD to the Bible through the addition of men's ideas of what is acceptable to God?
Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.  Deut 12:32
 

I thought today’s WT study timely indeed, as it addressed:
 (1) How should anointed ones view themselves? (2) How should those who partake of the emblems at the Memorial be treated? (3) Should we be worried if the number of partakers increases? 
The really true anointed don't say: “Well, you can go to the elders if you want, but if you REALLY want to know what is going on, here I am. I am one of the anointed, after all. I mean, c’mon! You don’t think there are some unbalanced ones who will claim—and in most cases, truly convince themselves of it—the status exactly for that purpose? It is such a power-play to do it that way. It is so much like the greater world. 
To hear some here carry on about the ‘anointed being muzzled’ you would think it as though the GB was the media that had succeeded in separating Trump from ‘his base.’ On and on they rage about it. Will some lunatics on this forum rage about what they are going to do as the ‘true anointed’ in just a few short years? We’ll see. They are not too far along in the ‘to do’ list, the first item is to merely show up at all. For every 10,000 persons who can point to what they are going to do, there is only one who can point to what he has done—and so far, the GB are that one.
It doesn’t matter if the number has in rising in recent years. It has risen no more than ten thousand over—what? twenty years? In a congregation of 8.5 million, that is statistically nothing. The organization doesn’t even try to figure it out; it can easily be attributed to possible emotional duress and imbalance. Nobody would argue that there’s not plenty of that going around today in the world, and Jehovah’s servants are not unaffected. Or maybe it is real. Doesn’t matter. It is irrelevant to faithful life.
You don’t have to know it, is the point. You don’t have to figure out: ‘Is he (or she) really anointed or not?’ It is a designation of a heavenly assignment. Unless one is tapped for a GB assignment—and how likely is that?—it is irrelevant for the present life in this system. Should they come to feel they need one more member, surely it will be someone with a long-time record of faithful service and not just one ‘right off the boat.’
One brother commented on how there are VIP clubs today in the world and that it is a sign of status to belong to a VIP club. It is exactly what the really true anointed do not do. Such a club excludes everyone else. Anointed don’t do it.
As to any tendency to treat them as celebrities? Look they do not want that. Face it, why do we usually want to meet any well-known person? Because they have made it to the top! GB members don’t view themselves are making it to the top—it is part of their very aualitficatons that they do not think of themselves in that way.
 

Trying to make a case where there is none. Mischief by conjecture.... 

Thank Jehovah for that!

The question is, how many were invited to join Christ to "eat this Passover" with him?  Luke 22:15  Only the organization has put a new twist on how the anointed should observe this supper.  
ONLY the organization has done so.  

No- we think on those symbols and the life it presents for us. By the death of christ we receive opportunity to life everlasting - we think about the last hours of christ, his suffering and loyalty to jehovah. We do not believe as the Catholics do in transsubstatiation -  that the wine supernaturally turns into real blood. So we do not find it gory.......
The Israelites left slavery and were set free on passover when the passover lamb was slaughtered and blood put on doors.  We were set free from everlasting death when Jesus (the passover lamb) was slaughtered.

You do know that the wine and bread symbolize Jesus' blood and flesh, that they are not really his blood and flesh, right?
Yes, we are aware of that. The other sheep are merely grateful spectators, with only a very few partaking. Would you have the anointed and the great crowd segregated?
 
 

I had no doubts that we wouldn't be one of those who defied the authorities in this case. Defying the authorities because they forbid us to preach and meet because they don't agree with us is scriptural. But this of course is not the current situation, and we obey the superior authorities because they have ours and everyone else's health and  best interests at heart. I wonder if any of us ever foresaw that there would be a valid reason to stop gathering together, lol.  It also made me think that zoom and similar conference meetings may be used during the GT, and that those examples of meeting in the woods/attic/basement might be moot....
But I know there are ways in which such conference meetings can be potentially hijacked....so maybe it could be the woods after all...

I think you have stated the question very well and have already implied the answers.
Yes, some see it as a ritual. But it really is a ritual, just as baptism is a ritual that is not optional. Some religions also treat all wedding ceremonies and even funerals as rituals. Some have different or additional rites and rituals. For one who considers himself or herself anointed, it is like baptism: not an optional ritual.
As you (and the WT said) the important thing is not to see the ritual as something more than it is. It is not a necessary part of salvation, but an opportunity for a personal and public expression of faith, just like baptism. Although it seems appropriate that members of the other sheep should joyfully celebrate such expressions of faith by the anointed, it is too solemn to be considered a celebration. It is often more solemn than some Witness funerals. There is such quiet and seriousness, that no one even seems to notice if someone, somewhere in the Hall, had partaken. Sometimes, I only notice whether all the glasses, initially filled to exactly the same height, come back to the front table with one of them having less wine in it. And then I wonder if there was a partaker, or if some sister got some wine accidentally spilled on her dress.
For a time, the Watchtower made it clear that persons who were of the "other sheep" class, were not invited to the Memorial. Some time later, it was made clear that they would not partake of the emblems and they were invited to join.
Sometimes (rarely) we hear the objection that the other sheep only attend in order to show that they are refusing to follow Jesus command to "Take, Eat!" and "Take. Drink!"  Or even as if we are only there to physically reject the symbols of Jesus' ransom, I have answered that this is just as much a way for the other sheep to express their faith in an earthly paradise under the rule of Jesus and the 144,000 but separate from them.
I have seen Memorials where the scene is "over-the-top" ritualistic when the emblems are offered and refused by the speaker. It can seem even more so where the speaker partakes, and it looks like the changing of the guard at Buckingham when a specially choreographed arrangement is made on the stage for up to 4 servers and the speaker to pass the emblems among themselves, with the speaker in the middle and a table off to each side.
 

I have noticed many friends seem to be stressing about the acquisition of the memorial symbols during the coronavirus lockdown. There have been quite a few discussions on social media and in person.
These discussions were mainly regarding the necessity for memorial symbols if such became troublesome to purchase and if no one in the household was a partaker. The elders sent out information, one  of which was the 85 WT 2/1/ p. 31 "question from readers" ( https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1985128 )which says in part:
"On occasion, raging storms or floods have prevented a congregation, or some of its members, from meeting together as planned. In rare cases, martial law has been in effect with armed soldiers barring citizens from being out-of-doors after sunset. Other Christians have not been able to be at the congregation’s celebration because of being hospitalized or seriously ill. What can be done in such instances?
While it is fitting for the whole congregation to unite for this important event, circumstances such as noted above may make that impossible. When extreme weather, a natural disaster, or the like, absolutely prevents a family or a portion of a congregation from meeting with the congregation, the isolated ones can meet and discuss Scriptural accounts such as found in Luke 22:7-23, 28-30 and; 1 Corinthians 11:20-31, as well as discussing the meaning of the occasion. Similarly, if an enforced curfew makes it impossible for a congregation to gather on the appropriate night, meeting in Congregation Book Study groups or neighborhood groups might be the best alternative, the sum of those in attendance serving as the congregation’s attendance report. A brief talk may even be given if a capable, dedicated brother is in the group. There need not be concern that no suitable emblems are available as long as no one in this emergency situation previously partook of the bread and the wine as an anointed Christian".
It made me think about the whole topic a little bit more. To observe the memorial was a command by Jesus for the anointed, and as far as I am aware, there is nothing in the Bible commanding the great crowd to observe it, even as spectators. However, at the beginning, before the great crowd was identified, all were partakers. After that, the emblems kept being passed, and those who were anointed partook, and those who were not obviously didn't. Fast forward to today, in a congregation setting, even if we "know" that currently no one partakes, that can change. So while all the anointed are not sealed yet, we cannot assume, and stop passing along the emblems on the account that we think no one is anointed in our congregation. No one is asked beforehand if they are going to partake, that only becomes evident when the emblems reach them, and they eat the bread and drink the wine. That way, no one is put on the spot. Of course, on top of that, since we are one flock, and we support the anointed in everything, we observe the memorial with them, as spectators, and also to show appreciation for what Jesus did for us. But, under lockdown circumstances if we know for sure no one is going to partake in our family, then there is really no need for the emblems. That's how I see it anyway. But some prefer to have the emblems to help them visualize things better. Although we are supposed to be walking by faith, not by sight...😀
I like how our website puts it: "The purpose of the Lord’s Evening Meal is to remember Jesus, showing our gratitude for his sacrifice in our behalf. (Matthew 20:28; 1 Corinthians 11:24) The observance is not a sacrament, or a religious practice that imparts merit such as grace or the forgiveness of sins. * The Bible teaches that our sins can be forgiven, not by a religious rite, but only through faith in Jesus".—Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:1, 2. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/lords-supper/
Unfortunately, it seems like some are viewing the memorial as some kind of religious ritual, and are even going to pass the emblems among themselves as if touching them somehow makes all the difference....Because I come from a Catholic family, I find this kind of reasoning a little disappointing...
Also, I don't know if anyone has listened to the memorial talk, the brother says that Jehovah's Witnesses would risk their lives to be at the memorial. In view of all the above, isn't that statement a little far fetched?
Any thoughts?