James Thomas Rook Jr.

Don't forget that the apostle Paul also  did great work in "legally" establishing the good news (the right to call on others and share faith).  Also don't forget that most of the freedoms now established in USA were spearheaded by humble Jehovah's Witnesses, who took the cases to court, tested the cases in court, and won these cases, thereby establishing rights for all including themselves. This fact has been established and acknowledged by many scholars, historians and jurists.
 
Things were pretty wild in the USA at one time as well.  No wonder people are accustomed to having lots of guns even now. Let Rook and other USA brothers talk about this. I am from a small island that used to be British. Most human rights were recently established in the last 100 years or so.

I think that the wars of the first Israel were wars for the land, territory.
But let us recall on some important details i have found before some 20 years ago when faced with this historical reports in Bible. Abraham, a forefather of the future nation of Israel, was extremely wealthy and gained possession over large areas of land. But as time passed, there have been several things. That land that Abraham acquired or bought during his life, and legally left to his successors/heirs after his death, somehow was went to, passed on other individuals, families, people, tribes, and nations.
Please recall, for example, how he bought land for grave , for his wife. I can imagine how that was not some small piece of land, but huge territory. After long time, we saw how his tribe and grandsons moved to Egypt and left or sold territory. But we also must think about how many people in time of Great Famine sold possessions they have for food. Well, many people gave "money", sold animals, gold, silver, houses, sold land, territory and finally themselves to Pharaoh ( and Joseph) for food. Such sale was "legitimate" and many lost their property under these circumstances. 
I suppose how some part of the territory or perhaps all that land that once belonged to Abraham,  Israel slaves want back, in this way or that way, because they consider themselves as  "legitimate" heirs.  But, because that land has been in the possession of others for several hundred years already, question was: how to return land back to them? Only by war and conquest.
Issue of religion, worshiping and gods has been of second importance, or another good reason/motivation why to go to war. Fighting for "Freedom" and  for "Homeland" and for "Own People" was always powerful force that leads people. 

Here is another thought, many of those who post here are in the United States, not all, but many. 
How exactly did this country (the US) gain these freedoms? The freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc. There are plenty of countries who do not have these freedoms, and instead a national religion or party. So how did we get these? By means of the people fighting for these freedoms. Fighting in wars and fighting ourselves. The men and women (myself included) who dedicate a portion of their life, or all of it, have done this for the greater good of our country with the oath of "under God".  I'm sure not all of them took that portion of the oath seriously, but none the less. It is because of these people that the United States is what it is today. That being said, how can people take the benefit from those who gained these freedoms for us but yet then condemn the very thing that provided the means for our freedom. 
Reminds me of those returning from Vietnam and the reception they received. 

If you read the account carefully ( EEEEK! ) you will see that Jesus said to THEM (ALL the Apostles) to buy swords .... but TWO apostles already had their personal swords in the room with them, and called it to Jesus attention., and after reconsideration .. Jesus said "it is enough"
The Idea was to demonstrate to a bunch of bullies and mobsters that Jesus would not be "lynched' ... not to start a Jewish/Roman War.
By the way ... those who live by the sword often die by the sword ..., but although I have carried a gun all day, every day, almost all of my adult life, I was a Surveyor and Engineer, and did NOT live by the sword.
And I do not now.
I do know of four Sisters out in the Field Ministry who were hit by a car and all of them were killed.
..those who live by the car, often die by the car.

Au Contraire TTH .. I am not trying to portray myself as anything.   I just stated facts, and you can draw whatever conclusions you have to, based on your WDS.
I just thought it was incredibly rude, deceitful, and dishonest on their part, as I introduced myself, even though they had already been told my name, although we had never before met.  Also, I instantly determined that a Judge who will not divulge his name is one chain short of wearing a black hood, and carrying a headman's ax.
The reason I did not respond earlier is I do NOT assume motives for other people, where there are no clearly discernible facts in evidence ... or they TELL me what their motives are.
You have assumed quite a LOT about my motives ... without facts.
I feel I was grievously mistreated by their being anonymous, and therefore dishonest judges..
They had NOTHING to fear from me, based on 55 and more  years of hard facts .... unbroken by even a single instance of violence or threat of violence.  ( To be fair, about 1981 a rich and influential  Elder called me up on the phone and said he was going to DESTROY ME, and I replied he was welcome to try, and that I would be willing to meet him in the street outside my home, and we would shoot it out ... and he hung up and never bothered me again.).
The last time I was in a fight was as a teenager, at a school bus stop in Jr. High School.
Because i do not consider consequences once I decide what is right or wrong, I did not need their names to write in a book, and ambush them later. 
If I was a mind to (and I would like to EMPHASIZE that I was not then, and am not now...) I would have shot them to death in that room, at the time.
Basically, they were cowards, and bullys, pretending to be fair and impartial, and successfully deceiving themselves.
 
... and the hand, having writ, has moved on ... just another day in Margaritaville.
 

TTH is here trying to put the blame on JTR. TTH has learnt well from the GB and it's Org. 
Victims in the JW Org very often get told they are to blame. Especially in cases where a victim of mistreatment blames an Elder. Once again we see worship of the Org. 

FOXNEWSFLASH:

Dateline: May 30, 2019
Local Authorities find the severed head of famous cowboy desperado BillyTheKid46 in THREE SEPARATE PLACES around the county, next to businesses' 3-D printers, each next to a small jar of screws and a small jar of marbles.
Police suspect that this  was an attempt at recovery after the suspect's screws all came loose, and he lost his marbles.
Residents are asked to be on the lookout for a headless zombie dressed in a cowboy outfit, with a large red plastic funnel stuck in his neck.
He is considered to be heavily armed and moderately amusing..

Oh YEAH!?
Just for that I'm gonna carve your BTK photo on a Coconut, put a handlebar mustache on it,  and throw it in the Ocean!
YEAH!
Take THAT!

You should get out more, John.
Here in North Carolina .... first day of Deer Season, the KH's are empty of brothers, and the program has an echo.
By comparison, I am a gentle vegetarian.

Oh, I thought you were sending all my comment to a higher authority, the one that the bible mentions 'Superior Authorities' 

I have no idea. If he is, he certainly is not a typical one, that’s for sure.
I don’t think that he is mentally sound. That does not mean that he is stupid. But both oars are somehow not in the water. It is just too weird to be as outrageous as he consistently is, picking fights with everyone.
 

It depends upon what you mean by insult. Alas, you tend to take the slightest reproof (which I have given you) as an insult.
When Allan returned from one of his many banishments, I took the time to say (maybe someone with more patience than me can pull it from the pile) that he truly did bring much to the table, but he jeopardized his contribution by indulging his anger. ‘You cannot afford that luxury,” I told him.
He was somewhat of a prickly character—who can say what makes a person what he is?—but he seemed to take that counsel to heart. It was some time before he got into hot water again, and as stated, we got along well afterwards, even though our exchange was mostly through DM.
Had I ever rebuked him? No. Had I ever reproved him? Yes. 
Have I ever rebuked @JW Insider? Yes. Once, and he took it to heart. He said so, and I saw the difference that it made. It did not change his basic philosophy of telling whatever he has experienced. But once he stepped over the line to tell something (and no—it has nothing to do with CSA—don’t even go there, John) that would not be known otherwise—revealing a confidential matter that truly was confidential. 
And he has reproved me on different things, whether he knows it or not. Not quite a rebuke, but maybe that is coming someday.
Have I ever rebuked you? Nothing like I am going to. It is outlandish how you let yourself get carried away by your anger. To the extent people accept you as a genuine member of the faith, it makes for a terrible witness. I’m not sure that JTR does worse. In fact, I think he does better, for it is very clear that he is way way out there as a Witness. He does not pretend to be representative of them.

All the same, you are not he, and that was my sole point. 
He was very nice to me. You are mean to me. That clinches it from my point of view.

Well...I will lend you some support on something that seems to be important to you.
So many here seem to think that you are one of the Allans—he got all the way up to #30 something, advancing a number each time he got tossed out on his ear for getting too abusive (and he was right to object that others had been equally abusive and had not been disciplined, which @JW Insider pointed out even more than me, and on more occasions.)
I used to point out that Allan made a significant contribution here—he proved the resurrection.
I messaged him privately, or maybe he messaged me—I forget—and in the course of a very nice exchange, I gave him a copy of Tom Irregardless and Me, which he said nice things about, as well as nice things to me.
So I don’t think that he was you at all. Hear that, @Witness, @JW Insider, @James Thomas Rook Jr., @JOHN BUTLERand others? He’s not the same guy.
Billy is mean to me. Allan was not.

I had a Brother show me his list of survival equipment and food he was stockpiling for the Great Tribulation.  ( I do not stockpile food, myself...)
I suggested he stock up on Trail Mix Granola Bars, ( My Favorite !) after I noticed his list was short on defensive weaponry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*coff*
 

Here in the USA, or at least in the South, we JWs consider three places Holy.
The Kingdom Halls, The Public Libraries, and the Gun Stores.
Here in the USA you have probably posted a GREAT recruiting tome FOR considering Jehovah's Witnesses !
Not so much, methinks in England, which had to be rescued from the Germans by the Americans TWICE, the second time courtesy of Neville Chamberlain and his limp-wristed ilk, and all the pansy-faced Snowflakes that thought like him.
If you post a link to your Facebook blog, I will consider sharing it !
 

Well it's quite funny to read this comment right now as I've just posted, on my FB / Ex JW page, about JW's that have a stockpile of weapons in their own homes. And how they love to talk about war and about men being run over by vehicles and having their heads blown off. Very Christian attitude, not. 
And how it seems fine with the GB for 'brothers' in the USA to stockpile guns, and how those 'brothers' seem to have a love for weapons of war..
I'm sure my readers will find it interesting. 
I got the idea of copy and paste from the Kid, so I copied and pasted from this blog to my FB. 

Thanks. 
So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until allthese things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
Many people would agree how those things Jesus was told to his disciples and described in chapter 24 was happened in 1 century.
Problem arise if we want to see another fulfillment, again, ..... second .... or third or fourth? I haven't "light" that would be able to explain yours or other people expectations about some second fulfillment. I am not inspired, guided or motivated. I can err in explanations :))  
Thing that i can do is to ask questions, to examine ideas and doctrines about issue, and to reevaluate results. The changes that are about this topic arose and disappeared in WTJWORG indicates that JW scholars wander in the fog. In fact, they adapt the interpretations of the "generation" to other insecure, questionable theses.

Jesus Saves .... But Moses INVESTS!
 
And remember what God told the Pioneer Brother in Ohio who lost his job, and his wife lost hers, and she became pregnant, and the Brother prayed incessantly, day and night, to win the Lottery, to support his family ....
( ... imagine a voice like rolling thunder ...)
IT WOULD HELP IF YOU BOUGHT A TICKET !
 

Because it creates a whole different set of problems when,  at the computer monitor, you throw vegetables !
 

Because it creates a whole different set of problems when,  at the computer monitor, you throw vegetables !
 

Okay, time’s up. I am not rescinding that part of how judicial committees are superior to the world’s system of justice, even if you give me 100 likes.
I mean, you must really really really give them a run for their money, if you are even the slightest bit there as you are here. Yes, maybe they should exert superhuman effort to discover that beneath your incendiary manner, there lies a loveable fuzz ball. However, I have exerted such effort and even i could not swear that it is the case.
I mean, with me........
”A better adjudicator.you never will find.
If I was a griper
who’d seen it all,
being hailed by opposers
both great and small,
would I start weeping like a cesspool overflowing?
or carry on as if my home were in a tree?
Would I run off at the mouth, not knowing where I’m going?
WELL, WHY CAN’T JTR...
be like ME?”
 

Because it creates a whole different set of problems when,  at the computer monitor, you throw vegetables !
 

Jesus Saves .... But Moses INVESTS!
 
And remember what God told the Pioneer Brother in Ohio who lost his job, and his wife lost hers, and she became pregnant, and the Brother prayed incessantly, day and night, to win the Lottery, to support his family ....
( ... imagine a voice like rolling thunder ...)
IT WOULD HELP IF YOU BOUGHT A TICKET !
 

February 2017 Watchtower:
Page 26, Paragraph 12
"The Governing Body is neither inspired, nor infallible.
Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction."
 
DUH!