James Thomas Rook Jr.

TTH:
These are general principles that ALWAYS must be used to test interactions between humans.  If you don't ... like being on a muddy steep slope to the edge of a cliff, we may loose our footing and find ourselves having a wonderful ride down that slippery slope ... to the hard rocks at the bottom of the cliff.
It's one thing to have that wild ride by accident, or misadventure, and be broken up or killed by your own devices .... it is quite another to killed or broken up because someone speaking as a declared Watchman over your soul gives you bad advice, and it is because of that bad advice you slide, and fall to your peril.
The price of Liberty and Freedom depends on each individual maintaining eternal vigilance ... and ALWAYS test the credibility of any advice we are given by ANYBODY.
When I was a young man, I was floating down the James River and came downstream to Bosher's Dam, a few miles upstream of Richmond Virginia.  There were others already on the dam, which had about four inches of water overflowing the top, and beneath the water you could see the rust spots where steel rebar had once been across the top.  The others were jumping off the dam, and some were playing below at the base, among the water and large rocks, and some were jumping off to the water below.  I asked someone what was a safe space to jump off, and he said to count seven rebar spots from the side of the dam, and it was safe. 
I took him at his word, and counted seven rust spots, and jumped off to a pool below, surfaced, and continued my float trip.  Today I would have watched, to see who ELSE jumped at that spot before I did.
I have missed death and being mangled perhaps a hundred times in my life.... by pure, dumb accident.  Not a very smart philosophy. I "lucked out" ...so far.
That same summer I went to a pool party at the Presiding Overseers house, (I forget what we used to call them back then ...) and walked into the back yard to see all my friends in the pool, talking and laughing, with their arms hooked behind them on the edge of the pool. I asked my best friend, also named Tom, how deep the water was and he said "Nine Feet".
I proceeded to the diving board, made a high bounce, and went in head first.  At nine feet deep, my custom was to do an immediate flip under water so my feet hit the pool bottom first, and I would spring to the surface like a breaching submarine.  Unfortunately the pool was a uniform three feet deep, and I landed HARD flat on my back, which knocked out my air, and I surfaced far less dramatically.
Had it NOT have been my custom to flip underwater, I would have landed on my skull, and been maimed for life, or killed.  This was about 1965.  Because I was not hurt, everybody laughed, and I laughed too.
A few years later (sometimes I am quite slow...) I was thinking about that, and realized how CLOSE I came to being severely paralyzed or killed. I have an outrageous sense of humor, but that  ceased being funny.
I added the following line to my working philosophy "Never trust anyone at face value... but ESPECIALLY your best friends, and those that apparently have your best interests at heart." 
It took me about eight years or so to firm up that philosophy, which was consolidated when that same best friend ran off with my first wife ...they were married, and she died of Cystic Fibrosis while married to him.
The Congregations were "fine" with their marriage, which I found out about later ... until I wrote detailed letters, certified mail, return receipt requested ( the "green card") to every Congregation in the Richmond area, and to the then World HQ in Brooklyn. 
At some Congregations in the Richmond area, when they announced his disfellowshipping, because he had been a Bethelite, a Pioneer, and was "Brother Watchtower". and I was a known Barbarian, and because our names sound very similar phonetically ......
....... they announced from the platforms that it was I who had been disfellowshipped.
It was then I permanently lost all the friends I had grown up with in the "Truth", but I was working in California, and did not find out until I returned home, to Richmond, Virginia.
Sometimes ... you (meaning me) just have to consistently be a horse's ass to keep from being run over by happy, well-intentioned, flower bedecked rainbow ponies ... with sharp steel hooves.
 

I am a firm believer that Good will EVENTUALLY win out over evil .... always.
But it may take a forest of slaves, a mountain of corpses, and oceans of blood before that happens..
The ONLY thing necessary for evil to always win, is good men to accept the status quo ... and do nothing.
...and it usually takes a hundred years of tyranny for the sleeping giants to awaken.

I never said they were inspired!  I am pointing out that they claim they are NOT inspired!  YET, they expect obedience to every word that they “prophesy”.
Can’t you see the hypocrisy?   The GB are “Israel”.  God’s word is clear about prophets among His people, even those who “act like it”.  And, if someone is “acting” like a prophet of God, but gives wrong interpretations, they are false prophets inspired by demonic utterances.
For you, JWs!:
Reasoning Book:
 "False Prophets 
Individuals and organizations (1) proclaiming messages that they attribute to a superhuman source but that (2) do not originate with the true God and (3) are not in harmony with his revealed will." Reasoning from the Scriptures p.132
Please continue:
“At San Diego, California, there is a small piece of land, on which, in the year 1929 there was built a house, which is called and known as Beth Sarim. The Hebrew words Beth Sarim mean 'House of the Princes'; and the purpose of acquiring that property and building the house was that there are those on earth today who fully believe in God and Christ Jesus and in His Kingdom, and who believe that the faithful men of old will soon be resurrected by the Lord, be back on earth, and take charge of the visible affairs of earth. The title to Beth Sarim is vested in the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in trust, to be used by the president of the Society and his assistants for the present, and thereafter to be forever at the disposal of the aforementioned princes on the earth.... It stands there as a testimony to Jehovah's name; and when the princes do return, and some of them occupy the property, such will be a confirmation of the faith and hope that induced the building of Beth Sarim. (Salvation, 1939, p. 311)
What an embarrassment for the organization. 
“The prophecies of Almighty God, the fulfillment of which now clearly appears from the physical facts, show that the end of religion has come and with its end the complete downfall of Satan's entire organization." (Religion, J. F. Rutherford, p. 336, 1940)”
Please, SM, stop being so narrow-minded, and protecting a leadership that comes as wolves in sheep’s clothing.  False prophets demand obedience which the GB does.  False prophets have lead many down the road of darkness and death. 
JWfacts.com has a very good breakdown of Watchtower leaders "acting" as prophets.  Read especially, the 4/1/1972 Watchtower, “A Prophet Was Among Them”  , highlighted in red.
"The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests (non anointed elder body who have replaced God's anointed priesthood) RULE BY THEIR OWN POWER; And my people love to have it so.  But what will you do in the end?"  Jer 5:31
 
 
 

Before I was baptized I thought that you can always question every JW doctrine and that the Watchtower will always have scripturaly based answers for their doctrines. So I felt safe to be baptized. But I did not know that after you are baptized you have no more right to question the truthfulness of any doctine. And if you don't understand their explanation you have to comply anyway. 
If I had known that the WT-organization works like that, I doubt I had been baptized. 
To the contrary I heard the circuit overseer explain how honest and sincere the WT organization is. He claimed in a speech that if a person finds a fault in WT doctine and can show it from the Bible, then absolutely the WT organization will change the doctrine. 
It was with this mind I was baptized. But it became evident that that is not how the WT org works. When I had found scriptural evidence against some WT doctrines I wanted to show my elders. They came to my place, but they refused to look at my findings. They refused to look at the scriptures I wanted to show them. They were not going to examine the scriptures. I was amazed, what was going on? Now I understand that elders act according to WT procedures. They don't think about what is right or true. The only thing that matters to them is to obey the GB. The Bible and the truth comes always on the second place. 
That is the moment when the truth has ceased to be the truth. 
Actually the elders even openly at the meerings said that the unity is more important than the truth. They justify that with saying that Jehovah will anyway later correct everything.
But where will the elders and GB be when Jehovah corrects what it wrong? They might as well find themselves in trouble. 
As Bible-history shows, those who opposed truth tellers in the past got in trouble.

That is an EXTREMELY good example .... that fact rock solid hard evidence, not agenda based fluffery and fuzzy thinking!
I am as critical of all the crap going on as anybody here is ... and probably know as much or more than most well educated people about such things .... but I have learned through interactions with MANY kinds of "organizations", not to expect too much from people in groups.
The example I most often recall to mind is this:
If you understand the Mission of the United States Marines, and their necessity in the real world to defend what is honorable, true and righteous ( ... in a very limited absolute sense ...), then for some, that mission was what you were born to do .... be a "Sheepdog", with fangs and claws ... to be the "point of the spear", to protect your fellow sheep ... who are many times scared of you.
It entails willingness to die, or live the rest of your life mangled and broken.  That's what the job IS.
But as the "Peter Principle", a VERY famous business principle states (paraphrased) "Everyone rises in rank to their own level of incompetency".
You could be a very good Marine Sargent, and rise to be an incompetent Marine Lieutenant, etc., ad infinitum. 
A committee is a peculiar life form with at least six legs, and no brain.
This is ESPECIALLY true in fuzzy subjects such as Theology, where everyone is jousting for favor and position with God, and gets used to great piles of free money .... considering it their due.
The Governing Body is NOT the exception, and they have 16 legs.
This is ESPECIALLY true with anyone claiming to speak for God, whether it is kissing the Pope's ring, or admiring the Governing Body's Rolex watches and gold pinkie rings.
When you begin to live like Kings, that vow of poverty becomes irrelevant.
That  bears repeating, over and over ... as there is a VERY important core principle embedded in that innocuous  rock solid and true observation.
I personally fully understand that, and though I sigh and cry over all the unnecessary burdens and smelly crap we have to carry ... that I personally have been expected to carry over the years ... and silly irrelevant drivel we are expected to swallow, hook-line-and-sinker ... I still want to be a "Marine" .... just not an Officer.
The biggest problem we have ... is HAVING to recruit from deeply flawed but presumably well intentioned humans.
.... sigh.
... so does the United States Marines ... and THEY have rifles.

That is an EXTREMELY good example .... that fact rock solid hard evidence, not agenda based fluffery and fuzzy thinking!
I am as critical of all the crap going on as anybody here is ... and probably know as much or more than most well educated people about such things .... but I have learned through interactions with MANY kinds of "organizations", not to expect too much from people in groups.
The example I most often recall to mind is this:
If you understand the Mission of the United States Marines, and their necessity in the real world to defend what is honorable, true and righteous ( ... in a very limited absolute sense ...), then for some, that mission was what you were born to do .... be a "Sheepdog", with fangs and claws ... to be the "point of the spear", to protect your fellow sheep ... who are many times scared of you.
It entails willingness to die, or live the rest of your life mangled and broken.  That's what the job IS.
But as the "Peter Principle", a VERY famous business principle states (paraphrased) "Everyone rises in rank to their own level of incompetency".
You could be a very good Marine Sargent, and rise to be an incompetent Marine Lieutenant, etc., ad infinitum. 
A committee is a peculiar life form with at least six legs, and no brain.
This is ESPECIALLY true in fuzzy subjects such as Theology, where everyone is jousting for favor and position with God, and gets used to great piles of free money .... considering it their due.
The Governing Body is NOT the exception, and they have 16 legs.
This is ESPECIALLY true with anyone claiming to speak for God, whether it is kissing the Pope's ring, or admiring the Governing Body's Rolex watches and gold pinkie rings.
When you begin to live like Kings, that vow of poverty becomes irrelevant.
That  bears repeating, over and over ... as there is a VERY important core principle embedded in that innocuous  rock solid and true observation.
I personally fully understand that, and though I sigh and cry over all the unnecessary burdens and smelly crap we have to carry ... that I personally have been expected to carry over the years ... and silly irrelevant drivel we are expected to swallow, hook-line-and-sinker ... I still want to be a "Marine" .... just not an Officer.
The biggest problem we have ... is HAVING to recruit from deeply flawed but presumably well intentioned humans.
.... sigh.
... so does the United States Marines ... and THEY have rifles.

That is an EXTREMELY good example .... that fact rock solid hard evidence, not agenda based fluffery and fuzzy thinking!
I am as critical of all the crap going on as anybody here is ... and probably know as much or more than most well educated people about such things .... but I have learned through interactions with MANY kinds of "organizations", not to expect too much from people in groups.
The example I most often recall to mind is this:
If you understand the Mission of the United States Marines, and their necessity in the real world to defend what is honorable, true and righteous ( ... in a very limited absolute sense ...), then for some, that mission was what you were born to do .... be a "Sheepdog", with fangs and claws ... to be the "point of the spear", to protect your fellow sheep ... who are many times scared of you.
It entails willingness to die, or live the rest of your life mangled and broken.  That's what the job IS.
But as the "Peter Principle", a VERY famous business principle states (paraphrased) "Everyone rises in rank to their own level of incompetency".
You could be a very good Marine Sargent, and rise to be an incompetent Marine Lieutenant, etc., ad infinitum. 
A committee is a peculiar life form with at least six legs, and no brain.
This is ESPECIALLY true in fuzzy subjects such as Theology, where everyone is jousting for favor and position with God, and gets used to great piles of free money .... considering it their due.
The Governing Body is NOT the exception, and they have 16 legs.
This is ESPECIALLY true with anyone claiming to speak for God, whether it is kissing the Pope's ring, or admiring the Governing Body's Rolex watches and gold pinkie rings.
When you begin to live like Kings, that vow of poverty becomes irrelevant.
That  bears repeating, over and over ... as there is a VERY important core principle embedded in that innocuous  rock solid and true observation.
I personally fully understand that, and though I sigh and cry over all the unnecessary burdens and smelly crap we have to carry ... that I personally have been expected to carry over the years ... and silly irrelevant drivel we are expected to swallow, hook-line-and-sinker ... I still want to be a "Marine" .... just not an Officer.
The biggest problem we have ... is HAVING to recruit from deeply flawed but presumably well intentioned humans.
.... sigh.
... so does the United States Marines ... and THEY have rifles.

... and AllenSmith .....
since you think of yourself as a man of unparalleled courage, perhaps you can take on the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper article at this link.   You may want to copy and past the entire article into a WORD document, as I did, as after awhile they are replaced with more current news.
Hmmmm... the thought just occurred to me ... you may want to copy, then paste the entire article here, then in a different color perhaps, refute it point by point.
This will show everybody how smart you are, and what a fool I am.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sexual-abuse-children-beliefs-rules.html

I will take the fact that you once again avoided a simple YES or NO question, as solid proof of your malicious nature and intent ... defending the indefensible for fear of losing your "position", whatever that might be.

Over the years, I have noticed a reoccurring pattern among human communications with each other.
The more words they use... the less likely they are to be valid, pertinent, or true..
This is not always true ... but that is what a thinking person should look out for, 'lest he also be hypnotized by many words, in soothing dulcet tones, as well as the more obvious animated rants.
 

... that's what I used to fill in my never used swimming pool.

Yeah ....
My allegiance is only to God ... but I will fight with anyone who believes as I do about Freedom and Justice.
It is quite obvious that for the time being, we are on our own .... and we have to do the best we know how.
The only thing necessary for evil to prevail, is Good Men to do nothing.
At least if I screw up, and make a mistake ... it will not cost the Brotherhood 56 MILLION dollars.
 

ARE  WE  NOW  ALLOWED  TO  VOTE ?
The WTB&TS is involved in all kinds of political activity ... most recently having the Brotherhood of 8 million people and more (?) sent letters trying to persuade the Russian Federation to change its political policies towards Freedom of Religion, and non-interference with Jehovah's Witnesses. 
An estimated 64 MILLION of Jehovah's Witnesses letters flooded the country's leaders to try and get them to change their policies.
Unintended consequences of that gave the Russians approximately 11 boxcar loads of paper to dispose of  (firewood?), and through the Universal Postal Union's terminal duty contracts with all nations, 70% of the face value of the stamps, which amounted to 56 MILLION DOLLARS, CASH, of the Brotherhood's hard earned money. 
This does not count the time of about ( 64m x 20 minutes per letter  = 21,333 hours, or 10.3 "man years" ) of Jehovah's Witnesses time and productivity .... TO POLITICAL ACTIVITY.
My wife just told me that now ... the Society's policy is that voting is a matter of personal conscience .... where "before", it was strictly forbidden under pain of disfellowshipping.
I apparently have not kept up if this is true.
So my question is ... is this true ?
.... and if so ... why did the corporation policy change?
Are we now allowed to vote ?
 

That would put most clergy, including ours, completely out of business.

That would put most clergy, including ours, completely out of business.

That would put most clergy, including ours, completely out of business.

Risk assessment can be dramatically simplified with a 15 shot magazine, and two spares.

It seems that 1999 was the last time the WTB&TS gave it's corporate guidance on this matter.
Anybody know about any current updates ... either via publications, talks, or actual practice?
I am thinking about voting in the November Senatorial Elections, here in the United States, with a clear conscience ... but I of course do not want to run afoul of the Congregation's Elders current conceptions or mis-conceptions, and be "burned at the stake".
uh .... so to speak.

ARE  WE  NOW  ALLOWED  TO  VOTE ?
The WTB&TS is involved in all kinds of political activity ... most recently having the Brotherhood of 8 million people and more (?) sent letters trying to persuade the Russian Federation to change its political policies towards Freedom of Religion, and non-interference with Jehovah's Witnesses. 
An estimated 64 MILLION of Jehovah's Witnesses letters flooded the country's leaders to try and get them to change their policies.
Unintended consequences of that gave the Russians approximately 11 boxcar loads of paper to dispose of  (firewood?), and through the Universal Postal Union's terminal duty contracts with all nations, 70% of the face value of the stamps, which amounted to 56 MILLION DOLLARS, CASH, of the Brotherhood's hard earned money. 
This does not count the time of about ( 64m x 20 minutes per letter  = 21,333 hours, or 10.3 "man years" ) of Jehovah's Witnesses time and productivity .... TO POLITICAL ACTIVITY.
My wife just told me that now ... the Society's policy is that voting is a matter of personal conscience .... where "before", it was strictly forbidden under pain of disfellowshipping.
I apparently have not kept up if this is true.
So my question is ... is this true ?
.... and if so ... why did the corporation policy change?
Are we now allowed to vote ?
 

From the Notebook's of Lazarus Long:
"This sad little lizard told me that he was a brontosaurus on his mother’s side. I did not laugh; people who boast of ancestry often have little else to sustain them. Humoring them costs nothing and adds to happiness in a world in which happiness is always in short supply."
Same thing here, only about age.
If he self identifies as a Hippopotamus, that would be OK with me, as long as he gives up his driver's license.

It depends on the context of what is being discussed.
That is a philosophical aphorism which is true in a general case, for most things, most of the time.
ONLY
Feynman's statement should be taken in the context of what he was discussing at the time .... which was NOT Quantum Electrodynamics ( QED) ... but likely (?) the philosophy of how to think about Quantum Electrodynamics, and most other things ... most of the time.

As we can see here nothing in this small snippet says they claim to be inspired prophets, you merely upper-cased Prophet-like Organization, ironically enough you left in the last part just as he the days of the early Christian congregation, and to add on with the very fact that anyone who tries to follow the early church, the apostolic church considers that church as true, which is, quite damaging on your part with what the next part of that quote says, as it reads:
He designates these Christians as his “faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45-47) This “slave” group is strictly commanded: “Do not treat prophesyings with contempt.” (1 Thess. 5:20) This has proved true of Jehovah’s anointed witnesses on earth. They pay attention to prophecy with the greatest respectfulness. They have corrected themselves when prophecy revealed their own shortcomings. They have not held back when prophecy has condemned practices followed even in Christendom. (Isa. 58:1) Yes, they have proclaimed the prophecies written in God’s Word even though this has brought world hatred toward them.—Matt. 24:9.
So if they were inspired prophets, you'd have to explain that last part which makes your own quote a self-refutation. you can fool someone easily, perhaps Srecko, with just a quote cut in half, and like I had done with you last time, you quote the whole thing instead of part of it.
Therefore, I ask you this time, direct to you and you alone only because you seem to be the guy who can pull information also, show me anywhere where this Restorationist Christian group has claimed to be inspired prophets? In fact, show me a historical fact that any Non-Trinitarian who is putting into application of the early church to be inspired prophets? When the history of Restorationism, perhaps the early church - no, The Didache can be used against you at this point, Witness?
This I'd like to see and maybe it would put your History of Christianity to the test this time around.
The quote states they act as prophets of God and can prove it. Any of us can act as prophets and prove it, but none of us can make the claim of inspiration, so where in this quote does it say they are inspired prophets? So far I only see they are and can act as prophets of God, but inspired prophets - remains to be seen, granted that even in the history of non-Trinitarianism, such ones who adhere to the church would never claim to be an inquired prophet, not even Church Father Eusebius of Caesarea would make that move granted his history and knowledgeable influence and understanding of inspired Scriptures.
Furthermore, what kills it for you even more is the fact that parts of where this quot originated from, the following statement says that them, who were called Bible Students had been active in preaching the gospel, as is what the prophets have done in their time, even those of Pentecost, for the gospel contains not just the good news gospel, but also, the Messianic Age, all coupled with the Great Commission, of which you are on the fence about as per last discussion. The sole focus in that paragraph also is Matthew 24:14.
How are you so sure? Anyone who follows or tries to be like the early church should be carefully examined.
Like the church they adhere to the inspired Scriptures and they understand what the holy spirit is, but nowhere, anywhere have we seen them make claim to be an inspired prophet.
demonic inspiration you say? How when you haven't proven them to even make claim to inspiration? If anything we can discern such ones and apply 1 John 4:1, i.e. with discernment anyone can tell what is true and what is false, what is in accordance with the Scriptures and what is not. You have already proven yourself to which side of the spectrum you are on, many, many times when it came to Scripture, even going out on a limb to twist Greek Words in the process.
Perhaps next time you should cross-examine yourself and study the history of Christendom.
What I would be interested in is the claim of them being inspired prophets. Show me, Witness. Because like last time when I asked you showered me with many many verses that evade what is being asked.

semper fi. That Lamb's on a mission, but I seriously down that type of firepower he's carrying he can travel properly.

Thank you JW Insider, for providing absolute proof. 
BillyTheKid46  would deny the existence of a car if it ran over his foot, because all his friends don't believe cars were ever invented.
I was there .... and as you know, there are literally whole CHAPTERS on this subject that have been posted in the past seven or so years, here on the Archive.
Any idea if it is possible to download the whole archive, since the beginning, to a large USB 4 TB hard drive?
It might come in handy to have some off-site copies, since the format and such has changed so many times...
I am having trouble keeping track of my cartoon and meme collection.
Thanks for the "heavy lifting".

I only claim to be a Barbarian interested in Justice and Mercy ..... but the best way to get it is serving Jehovah God.
It's like when R2-D2, C3PO, Luke, and Obi-Wan Kanobe, stopped their speeder on a cliff overlooking Mos Isley Spaceport, and Obi-Wan said (paraphrased) "Never has there been a more wretched hive of scum, and villany"
Jehovah's Witnesses, warts and all, in reality ... are the ONLY game in town.
Drivel and incompetence and greed, no matter how you dress it up, is still drivel, and incompetence, and greed ... HOWEVER ... the Truth, no matter how you dishonor it by being a standard big ugly bag of mostly water, as we all are ... including EVERYBODY in the Governing Body, as well as you and me .. is still the TRUTH.
I was baptized before 1985,  before the oath of allegiance was changed to include the Corporation structure.
Whether or not I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses is a matter of debate.
I think I am.
I hope God agrees.
It depends on who you ask.