James Thomas Rook Jr.

It depends on each individual person ... that's why in the Christian Congregation ... we are encouraged to develop a TRAINED conscience, depending on insight and rationality.
The tattoos mentioned in the Bible refer to markings that would identify one as a member of a band of barbarians, soldiers, religious groups, clan, tribe, or cultural background. ... anything that would show fealty, association or legionship with elements of human or spiritual association CONTRARY to the principles and concepts of that approved by Jehovah God.
It is embodied in the FIRST of the Ten Commandmenta ... which in principle covers the entire subject of tattoos.
You have to use some common sense ... which in perusing and perusing a religious agenda ... is NOT all that common.
Under the Christian "rules", we no longer have to sacrifice animals on an alter ... we can eat Bar-B-Que and pork chops, and a LARGE list of other things forbidden by COMMON SENSE to benefit mankind in its collective infancy years when thinking about societal safeguards was almost completely unknown, collectively.  
There is a difference between knowing a "rule" or regulation .. and knowing or NOT knowing the mind of God, and WHY he decided to restrict this, that or the other thing.
Now, since Jesus has expounded on the underlying PRINCIPLES of the Law ... we should slowly, more and more each day, understand WHY Jehovah wants, or wanted ... or even CARED about what we do, or used to do.
That's why we HAVE a conscience.
I think tattoos  are ugly, and inappropriate, and don't have any, although I am sometimes fascinated by "possibilities", and I am curious and ask about other people's INK when I see them. They usually appreciate the interest.
They think it looks good, and it certainly attracts attention.   Sometimes people are so terribly starved for human attention that they will do all kinds of stuff to try and get some .... necessary to many people as food, water and air is.
The uglier a person is, the probability is that they NEED permanent makeup.
Or some really serious plastic surgery.
 
 
 
 

TTH was in LlOYD's  HOUSE.
The "homeowner" sets the rules about what speech is permitted.
That is also true at the Kingdom Hall, and at my house.
It is also true with The Librarian, and admin, here.

It depends on each individual person ... that's why in the Christian Congregation ... we are encouraged to develop a TRAINED conscience, depending on insight and rationality.
The tattoos mentioned in the Bible refer to markings that would identify one as a member of a band of barbarians, soldiers, religious groups, clan, tribe, or cultural background. ... anything that would show fealty, association or legionship with elements of human or spiritual association CONTRARY to the principles and concepts of that approved by Jehovah God.
It is embodied in the FIRST of the Ten Commandmenta ... which in principle covers the entire subject of tattoos.
You have to use some common sense ... which in perusing and perusing a religious agenda ... is NOT all that common.
Under the Christian "rules", we no longer have to sacrifice animals on an alter ... we can eat Bar-B-Que and pork chops, and a LARGE list of other things forbidden by COMMON SENSE to benefit mankind in its collective infancy years when thinking about societal safeguards was almost completely unknown, collectively.  
There is a difference between knowing a "rule" or regulation .. and knowing or NOT knowing the mind of God, and WHY he decided to restrict this, that or the other thing.
Now, since Jesus has expounded on the underlying PRINCIPLES of the Law ... we should slowly, more and more each day, understand WHY Jehovah wants, or wanted ... or even CARED about what we do, or used to do.
That's why we HAVE a conscience.
I think tattoos  are ugly, and inappropriate, and don't have any, although I am sometimes fascinated by "possibilities", and I am curious and ask about other people's INK when I see them. They usually appreciate the interest.
They think it looks good, and it certainly attracts attention.   Sometimes people are so terribly starved for human attention that they will do all kinds of stuff to try and get some .... necessary to many people as food, water and air is.
The uglier a person is, the probability is that they NEED permanent makeup.
Or some really serious plastic surgery.
 
 
 
 

It depends on each individual person ... that's why in the Christian Congregation ... we are encouraged to develop a TRAINED conscience, depending on insight and rationality.
The tattoos mentioned in the Bible refer to markings that would identify one as a member of a band of barbarians, soldiers, religious groups, clan, tribe, or cultural background. ... anything that would show fealty, association or legionship with elements of human or spiritual association CONTRARY to the principles and concepts of that approved by Jehovah God.
It is embodied in the FIRST of the Ten Commandmenta ... which in principle covers the entire subject of tattoos.
You have to use some common sense ... which in perusing and perusing a religious agenda ... is NOT all that common.
Under the Christian "rules", we no longer have to sacrifice animals on an alter ... we can eat Bar-B-Que and pork chops, and a LARGE list of other things forbidden by COMMON SENSE to benefit mankind in its collective infancy years when thinking about societal safeguards was almost completely unknown, collectively.  
There is a difference between knowing a "rule" or regulation .. and knowing or NOT knowing the mind of God, and WHY he decided to restrict this, that or the other thing.
Now, since Jesus has expounded on the underlying PRINCIPLES of the Law ... we should slowly, more and more each day, understand WHY Jehovah wants, or wanted ... or even CARED about what we do, or used to do.
That's why we HAVE a conscience.
I think tattoos  are ugly, and inappropriate, and don't have any, although I am sometimes fascinated by "possibilities", and I am curious and ask about other people's INK when I see them. They usually appreciate the interest.
They think it looks good, and it certainly attracts attention.   Sometimes people are so terribly starved for human attention that they will do all kinds of stuff to try and get some .... necessary to many people as food, water and air is.
The uglier a person is, the probability is that they NEED permanent makeup.
Or some really serious plastic surgery.
 
 
 
 

@BillyTheKid46 Which proves my point for these past view years. Bystanders will succumb to vigilante justice and will go about violence of people, even the abusers themselves. Such actions is looked down upon for those who are truly fighting against child abuse without bloodying the water. Aside from that, these same people who do not out to go about combating child abuse are promoting child abuse indirectly, saying an institution is a hive, a paradise, or open to pedophilia, they are only giving word to ear to abusers to go to those institutions, and it plays into corrupt justice whereas those who people cry to in regards to child abuse are some how in it themselves; the whole double standard thing.

Anna makes a very good point:
If it IS an idol representing something ... what SPECIFICALLY is it?
Does it have a name?
Does it have a description?
Does it have a history of any religious significance?
Anybody now leaving bags of Potato Chips at the base?
I remember seeing your (?) original picture posting.
It is an impressive piece of abstract massive art as far as i can tell. (?)
Reminds me of the old story of a psychiatrist showing Rorschach  ink blot cards to a sexually criminally insane prisoner, and to every ink blot card he was shown, he gave a vile, sexual, and ugly description of what he supposedly saw.
Finally, the shrink lost his temper and called him several unprofessional names befitting the prisoner's warped mind.
The prisoner replied:
"Why are you angry with ME?
... YOUR the one with the dirty pictures!"
Or, as the Eagles once sang about standing on the corner, in Winslow Arizona ..
" Don't let the sound of your own wheels ... make you Craaaaaa-zeee !"
 
 
 

Inukshuk - among the oldest and most important objects placed by humans upon the vast Arctic landscape - are a sacred symbol. The figure is the Inuit symbol of their homeland and these people tradition forbids the destruction of these objects.
If it wasn't a symbol of veneration, it wouldn't be forbidden to remove it.  
I doubt the Canadian Bethel would go so far as to adopt the northern territory flag of Canada with an Inuksuk already on it, because it is a FLAG representing another nation; and JWs don’t “venerate” flags of other nations.    However, the organization does have its own flag that symbolizes a homeland, so why not put the Inuksuk on the jw dot org flag to symbolize the preaching work of a nation?
 


 

There you go again. No, the organization is there to get one from A to B and to preach the Kingdom. That's why it's an organization.
or·gan·i·za·tion
1. an organized body of people with a particular purpose, especially a business, society, association, etc.
2. the action of organizing something.

... and to GIVE THEM OUT ... if you perceive YOURSELF as a "celebrity" !

That cracked me up ...  with snarky criticism of alluding to recent (past few days) national news that Trump signed Bibles for various clergymen (which was heavily criticized in the "fake media" by those with severe TDS )  ... and then seeing the posting of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses signing Bibles for politicians.
I had seen that before, but I had completely forgotten about it.
Thanks TTH .... always good for  some  "reducto ad absurdum" humor at the oddest times.

Because their Real Estate holdings were not in jeopardy in those other countries.

He grinned, but said "Well.... they have their place ..."
I rolled my eyes, but did not say anything more.

Because the Buddha, gilded wooden cross, and statues of saints were made specifically for the purpose of veneration.
It seems that the primary and original purpose of the inuksuk was navigational aids and not objects of veneration.  But as with everything, humans who do not know the truth about Jehovah attach spiritual significance to just about anything they want. In India the cow becomes holy,  for Christendom salt becomes holy (blessed salt), For Muslims a natural spring of water (the Zamzam well) becomes holy...etc. etc. The point is a cow is a cow, salt is salt, a spring is a spring. Just because people decide to turn something that originally had no such significance into something different, that’s their problem. The inuksuk has no such significance at the Canadian Bethel. It would be like saying we can’t use salt because some religion blesses it and makes it holy. Now it would be totally different if this item was made to have spiritual significance from its creation, like your aforementioned examples. But it is clear that the inuksuk originally had no such significance.
 

I don't think you have to suspect:
 

Sigh ... this is getting tiresome, and I have to go put new headlights on my car this afternoon.
The stone Watchtower on the old magazine cover had WINDOWS in the side of the tower.
WINDOWS to let in light, and ventilation, but designed the way they were so that you could shoot ARROWS, spears, and pour flaming oil and push stones  on the ones seeking to scale the walls to break into your fortification.
The walls are several feet thick.
That means that, from the INSIDE,  by varying your angle from left to right, and top to bottom, you can shoot OUT of a VERY narrow slit, as the incoming projectiles have a good chance of being deflected by the wall and SIDES of the cross SHAPED window.
It's NOT a crucifex design .... its a weapons platform, that happens to be cross shaped.
There is a difference!
If your mind has an agenda driven motivation, EVERYTHING you see , hear and experience will be WRONG. 
This will appear normal, and wise to you.
It's not what we think we know ... or what we really do know ...... it's about not getting suckered into a mind set where everything we actually do know .... is WRONG.
There is a LOT out there.... and if you have WDS ( Watchtower Derangement Syndrome ), seeing things that are not really there,you will miss most of it, and die ignorant .... and wrong.
It's a sword that cuts BOTH ways.
 
 

Practically speaking, what would you like to see happen?
Practically speaking, what would you like to see happen?

I had that same idea ... but it is easier to explain when you use the "Hitler Card" as an illustration.
I agree with EVERY WORD you said ... but still .... because we are all ... you, me, and everyone, capable of great things and magnificent endeavors of integrity and courage and righteousness ... we are stuck in big ugly bags of mostly water, with brains made mostly of fat.
..and the people that try the most ... get tired and exhausted faster.
When you go to a buffet restaurant ... always check the plates, and knives , forks, and spoons for being having been washed.
... and every once and awhile,... in the kitchen.
"STUFF HAPPENS".
... and remember, wherever you go ... there you are!
Wah-d-do DAH!
(Translation of the above:  Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater  every time SOMETHING gets clean ... something ELSE gets dirty ...).
You cannot expect  a bar of aluminum to have the same strength of a bar of steel.
But steel corrodes ... and so do we.
 
 
 
 

I had that same idea ... but it is easier to explain when you use the "Hitler Card" as an illustration.
I agree with EVERY WORD you said ... but still .... because we are all ... you, me, and everyone, capable of great things and magnificent endeavors of integrity and courage and righteousness ... we are stuck in big ugly bags of mostly water, with brains made mostly of fat.
..and the people that try the most ... get tired and exhausted faster.
When you go to a buffet restaurant ... always check the plates, and knives , forks, and spoons for being having been washed.
... and every once and awhile,... in the kitchen.
"STUFF HAPPENS".
... and remember, wherever you go ... there you are!
Wah-d-do DAH!
(Translation of the above:  Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater  every time SOMETHING gets clean ... something ELSE gets dirty ...).
You cannot expect  a bar of aluminum to have the same strength of a bar of steel.
But steel corrodes ... and so do we.
 
 
 
 

You did not answer the second part of my question: 
How does anyone really know that these “brothers” of yours are really anointed, since all they must do is self-identify? Even (gulp) @James Thomas Rook Jr. could do that. (Not that he would)
 Because they believed then that Christ died on a cross. They no longer do. Is it that flabbergasting?

The Kid makes me think of an example.
A man is arrested for murder. The murder is proved beyond doubt. But, the man says,' IS have murdered many more people than I have'.
Then the man says ' Hitler was responsible for millions of murders'. 
'So on that account', the man says, 'I must be innocent, because no one is perfect, and I have done less harm than most' 'So I should be set free' the man says. 
This seems to be the Kid's way of thinking, and the way of many others too. 
I've said so many times before, did the priests of the Nation of Israel say' But we didn't offer as many children in the fire to Molech as the other nations did'. 
Unfortunately most of you are looking at the problem from 'mans' viewpoint. You are making excuses just as any sinner would. 
You are not looking at the whole situation from God's way of thinking.
God needs to have a CLEAN HONEST SINCERE LOVING ORGANISATION. 
JW ORG is NOT the Org it needs to be. It cannot serve God properly the way it is. 
Perhaps that's why Armageddon has been delayed, maybe no one is worth saving right now.
Remember that the Nation of Israel was supposed to enter the Promised Land much sooner than they did. 
They were not worthy so had to spend forty years in the wilderness.
I wonder how long God will keep people in the 'wilderness' this time. Until He is satisfied that some are serving Him properly that's for sure. 
This 'mini revolution' within the JW Org could be the turning point. It could wake up the sleeping Anointed ones. Then God could get on with His work.
Yes I know God could do it all on His own if He wanted to, but He wants people to serve Him willingly and honestly.  
 

Sometimes ... MANY times ... Justice requires going above and BEYOND the law, without breaking it.
Taking the MORAL high ground often requires losing everything you own, and all your money and assets, and sometimes even your life, in a miserable and degraded manner, in abject and total poverty, as Jesus was the exemplar, and many of his Apostles and disciples  learned.
Remember the Assembly theme "Follow Jesus"?
How'se dat workin' out fer us?

EXACTLY:
Anything ... anything at all ....  that the Elders become aware of that is an actual crime ... as defined by the Secular Authorities ... should be reported to the appropriate  Secular Authorities.
That is the Law of GOD !
In a similar manner, we ALSO should not do our own dental work, and heart surgery.
Deciding for ourselves whether or not it is REQUIRED ... puts Caesar holding the moral high ground, and makes cowards out of us.
FOR MONEY.
We have a greater responsibility to God, the Brotherhood,  and the community we live in, than trying to preserve accumulated piles of money, and magnificent and valuable Real Estate.
We have World Centers in NY, and Embassies all over the world (Branch Offices).
In Cairo, Egypt, the Egyptians tried that with the Pyramids ...
... as they and their civilization turned to ruin and dust.
King Tut .... gave his life for Tourism!
 
Jesus did not even have a rented single room to sleep in, or even one suitcase with a change of clothes. 
Remember the Assembly theme "Follow Jesus"?
How'se dat workin' out fer us?
 

JW WORLD HEADQUARTERS RELOCATION ..mp4  
 

Awhile back, I think we had LOOOong discussions about this, and as a retired Engineer who worked with risk assessment in the real world, and had to quantify it with numbers ( How MUCH, and to how many decimal places... ?), I agreed with I think it was TTH's comment and analysis that, yes we DO have the same problems as everyone else ... but it is less than 10% of ANYBODY else.
ANYBODY else.
That is why, I truly believe ... and THEREFORE .... Jehovah's Witnesses are "The Only Game in Town".
Sure, it's rigged ... and faulty ... but all the others are so much worse.
If you are careful, you can eat three day old meat that has been out in the sun ... if you have experience.
The alternative is to starve, or get poisoned.
 
 

Anna makes a very good point:
If it IS an idol representing something ... what SPECIFICALLY is it?
Does it have a name?
Does it have a description?
Does it have a history of any religious significance?
Anybody now leaving bags of Potato Chips at the base?
I remember seeing your (?) original picture posting.
It is an impressive piece of abstract massive art as far as i can tell. (?)
Reminds me of the old story of a psychiatrist showing Rorschach  ink blot cards to a sexually criminally insane prisoner, and to every ink blot card he was shown, he gave a vile, sexual, and ugly description of what he supposedly saw.
Finally, the shrink lost his temper and called him several unprofessional names befitting the prisoner's warped mind.
The prisoner replied:
"Why are you angry with ME?
... YOUR the one with the dirty pictures!"
Or, as the Eagles once sang about standing on the corner, in Winslow Arizona ..
" Don't let the sound of your own wheels ... make you Craaaaaa-zeee !"
 
 
 

All you said is true .. BUT ... all men are fallible, and even hardened combat soldiers  whose determination is to be steadfast, loyal, courageous, faithful and discreet  reach the limits of what they are ABLE to do ... and crumble and fall.
... been there ... done that.
Seen it many times in many places.
Not every conscientious soldier can be like the fictional John Rambo, and it is unrealistic to assume anything close to that.
That is why, while acknowledging all that has been talked about here in the last ten years, and more, is mostly true ... Justice requires OUR mercy and understanding when our "Drill Sergeants", and "Officer's Corps" get us and our friends killed because they were not as good at what they claimed to want to be.
Nobody is.  
Not You, Not me, not anybody.
My Uncle Bill was shot from behind in North Korea in the 1950's by his own men, and three 50 caliber machine gun bullets almost tore his left arm off, which was one massive scar.
Making weak, wimpy decisions based on fear of an endless list of things ... IS WHAT WE DO!
That is why I stick with Jehovah's Witnesses ... not because of the phony crap and self serving self aggrandizement of the leadership, that looks like a clown car that has run off the road and into a tree ... It's because the core Theology is TRUE ... and Jehovah really does have a Congregational Arrangement, and Jehovah's Witnesses , globally, "ARE THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN!"
FROM THE BOTTOM UP,  we have to show THEM mercy and understanding, even when they royally screw up.. (John 9:41).
Remember, Jehovah "tolerated" a whole dedicated nation of Jews, his "special possession", to get completely over run with pagan practices and dishonesty, before it finally reached a certain point, that "enough was enough!."
Justice must be tempered with mercy for blind guides who do not fight well when the enemy is engaged.
Everyone does what we know ... and nobody is good at everything.
A clumsy dentist is often better than no dentist., but ....
STUFF HAPPENS
(paraphrased)