James Thomas Rook Jr.

But what many fail to see nowadays is what the bible think, the ones who starve for the gospel itself, and believe me, there are some people who are paying attention, watching even.
Somewhat off topic,
An example I can give, as told by a JW I know who is of Dominican descent (has a heavy  Hispanic accent), is spreading the gospel on a farm to the workers, mind you, how these farms are and the work and the people present, is rather questionable, for the man who sees this for the first glance would think of and assume modern slavery (which can be agreed and disagreed upon by some), it may look it, but these people are getting paid, probably not as much as the average teenager working a part-time job at a Burger King or the like. These people have had only two groups that come to their farm, members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and you have the Temple of Christ Church members, they both have come into contact with each other on the farmland on several occasions, the only ones to interface with each other is those who are clearly not 100% American - bounded by culture has its perks. They both seek out people who are on their break and have free-time to spare, they both preach the gospel, but JWs have more people who speak the language of those on the farm, broken french/french, Spanish and English while the Temple of Christ folk only spoke English, and of course, spent most of their time shouting from a location they remain stationary. The people paid more attention to the message in regards of the bible that JWs are speaking and utilizing, for what the people notice is that not only JWs come in pairs, but they hold the bible in their hands and whatever they say is from the bible itself be it the message they are conveying or whatever publication they give to the person (in their language of course), while the Temple of Christ folk sends one person to an individual or a group of people or remain stationary and shout to the top of their lungs, they have a paper with bible verses on it, the JW stated it had questions more direct to how ToC deems Jesus as God as well as the Spirit, one question on that paper even states how to avoid burning in hell forever, something of the sort. As for the conclusion, the workers on the farm tend to stick to the message the JWs are preaching in regards of the gospel, for they learned that God is the Father of Jesus Christ while the Temple of Christ taught quite the confusing message of the Trinity, that God is the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, 3 Gods if you will, as you can see clearly a gospel that does not make sense or connects to scripture will not win the attention and hearts of those who strongly believe that God exist but lack a level of reading and or writing ability. That alone should tell you something. In addition, the owner of the farmland allowed both groups to hold meetings outside, the Temple of Christ got Sundays while JWs got Saturdays, and more people attended the Saturday meetings vs that of the Sunday ones, again, this should tell you something.
At this point, such people do not focus on religious leadership or the like, they are more in-tuned with the message itself, what is true to the very scriptures itself and nothing else. It is uncertain if said people attend the JW church since if the farmers move, they move also, but the message was still sent and received at this point. As far as I know, a lot of not 100% American JWs are present at these farms and relate to the workers there very quickly.
That being said, it is evident that people out there want the gospel that is true to scripture, even farmers who not the best at reading and writing at times, who believe God exist, want to hear the gospel and it seems they stuck to the JWs vs that of ToC.
As for the farmers and the workers, how it is today (this is not your typical ma and pa or ol' McDonald type of farms) these are farms that have quite the work conditions, as well as living conditions that are not the best at times, I believe a while back someone said they went to visit to take pictures and saw workers their cutting their own hair, like a mini-barbershop, as well as seeing a mother, a worker at the farm, who has her kids with her, things of that nature. These workers are usually hauled up in buses and relocated to other locations during the season, you an find people like this during this season and summer, but late summer these farms close up, it is also believed that few people who do not have a US citizenship tend to be working at these farms and are by themselves or accompanied by relatives, and or friends who take them under their wing. Such farms existed throughout the United States.
In my personal opinion, these farms are technically modern day slavery, to some degree, but ironically these farms are open for the public to go visit, which becomes a focus for religious figures since 100%of the workers tend to be God seeking people. The JW who spoke to me about this stated the young man he was preaching to, 19 of age at the time, he was able to help him get a better job, clearly these two have become friends.
At the end of the day, it should be in us to know there are people who not only want to know who God is, but what the gospel as well, nothing misleading or some outlandish doctrine that is nowhere in scripture, such ones should not be ignored, let alone those who clearly do not know who God is, who is Son is, or what of the Kingdom. Jesus was very clear and concise in what he said in John 17, in order to gain eternal life, we must come to know God and who the Son is.

"Positive Criticism"
Hmmmmmmm .....
Is that like "Giant Shrimp"?
or "Military Intelligence"?
or "Skinny Broad"?
or "ice water"?
or "acting natural"?
or "horror comics"?
 

In 2015 the Russian Federation passed a law that said if the ECHR made any judgements that the Russian Federation did not like ... they could legally be ignored.
We are not talking about red dot Indians laying down in front of British Tanks, and the tanks stop.
If the India Indians had laid down in front of Nazi Tanks, they would have been ground into bloody meat scraps.
" ... Last hour
Strasbourg court request a order for Russia to return ownership of Jehovah's Witnesses ...".
The Strasbourg court has its nicey-nicey request ... and the Russkies have bayonets and machine guns !
... and millions and millions of dollars of valuable former WTB&TS Real Estate.
The WTB&TS confiscated all the Kingdom Halls on Earth from the local congregations who built and paid for them several years ago.
...... everything that goes around .... comes around.
Philosophical "Karma" is quite real.
...... everything that goes around .... comes around.
 
 

@enrique
Time will tell how far requests can be made. All eyes on court and Russia.
 Thank you 

We  are  the  paragons  for  our  children !  A  loving  Dad  we  can  see
I  read  a lot  for  my  son  -  and  he  was  able  reading  alone  before  school,
with  ca. 5 years  -  today  he  is  a  Brother  too
Thank  you  Jehovah
 ? .•*¨`*•..¸???¸.•*¨`*•. ?

I have given you the key to the "Rosetta Stone" already.
You have the key.
In order to understand my perspective fully, * which you do NOT, at the present time .... you have merely projected how YOU see it onto me ... you MUST see the movie "Hacksaw Ridge, at least twice.  It was easier for me to understand myself after I saw it ... because during the Vietnam War I was ALSO a Conscientious Objector.
As you watch the movie ... ask yourself ... why would this man suffer so much, never ending malicious abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to be his "Brothers in Arms", and from the military "Governing Bodies" ... and while watching ...... visualize me in the protagonist's role.
Before I  saw the movie, I did what I did, and do what I do, without an understanding ... only a palpable resolution that my perspective was correct.
Now I know WHY!
....make sure you see the movie looking for MOTIVE.
Mel Gibson is a HELLUVA Director .... same with his movie PATRIOT.
You have to use the key you were given.
...sometimes they are found in the most unlikely of places.
 

All of what you say is WHY I follow at a safe distance.
I EXPECT nothing from anybody, and am seldom disappointed.

What?  Me Worry?

Shiwii:
I agree with everything you said in the immediately preceding post .... but I have a different perspective.
Let's say you are a United States Marine, and see the need to protect the Nation, and Civilization by being the "point of the spear".
When spears are thrown, they often miss, and are thereby wasted.
The word "sin", I understand, means literally missing your target.
In warfare you know about how many bullets it takes to kill ONE enemy soldier?
About 14,000 bullets ... as most are used providing suppressive fire.
In the Marines, as in every organization of men ... people rise until they reach their own level of incompetence ... and then they keep getting promoted.  Soldiers in the field ... the ones actually doing the fighting ... with very few exceptions ... have their allegiance to their "Brothers in Arms", and not to their leaders, who as they rise, become more and more like file clerks.
I was the focus of a disfellowshipping trial, and I was trying to explain my philosophy to the head guy, and he cut me off .... saying "I don't want to hear anything about the Marines".   And, he did not allow me to continue.
There are people that understand the NEED for Marines ... in spite of their sometimes and often incompetent and clueless leadership, and there are those that do NOT understand this.
To understand my viewpoint on a practical level .... you need to see the movie "Hacksaw Ridge" at least twice. AT LEAST TWICE.
All civilizations grow and evolve, and the casualties are ENORMOUS.   The United States of America has committed innumerable sins and evils in it's pursuit of righteousness, equity and Justice ... and is continuing to do so.
So has the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society .... and you are right ...
The difference is that I personally am NOT a social person ... I am only an IDEA person, and I know what is going on as well, AND MORE than you do .... and I try to serve Jehovah and Christ ... sometimes .... and at 71 years old, I DO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
When you are the "point of the spear", you get covered with figurative blood and gore. That is the main ingredient of growth and progress ... and it always takes TIME.  Sometimes several lifetimes.
Oh ... and any rational adult conversation, such as we are now having, please NEVER consider that I take insult.  I don't do that even when I am deliberately insulted.
I hope that before I die, I see the JW Organization grow and mature where everything we do is open, transparent, and that we can be proud of what we say, think and do.
I will KNOW when this happens ..... instead of wasting billions of hours knocking on other people's doors ..... THEY will be knocking on OURS.
Below is a rare example from today's news of the principles that are supposed to guide the United States.
I hope to see the Society mature that much in my own lifetime ... it is being pursued by hemorrhaging money in that direction, and by Mr. Google, who never sleeps.
Until then ... I will follow the circus clown car .... but at a long, safe distance.
Nobody in my lifetime has ever accused me of being "Brother Watchtower".
 
 


 

Of course, there is a resident Doctor on hand at every Bethel .... or at least a Nurse Practitioner .... and I am sure that any "problems" in these regards could be properly diagnosed.

I can appreciate and understand COMPLETELY your position. It is also the reason why I decided to cancel my subscription to participate in the armed forces. Your point is very valid and your perspective is a correct one. I too have a different view of that exact structure and what it fosters. 
I fully acknowledge that the leadership of military organizations is chocked full of folks who have no business being in the positions they are in. It was my personal experiences that led me to reject that form of employment. I worked in many of the places that the "brass" did because of my abilities and training, I was secure comm and was slotted to become one of the elite. What I could not handle and agree with were the very things you mention. I could not continue to support an organization that deliberately went against morality to save face for a few, all the while putting those under them in harms way because of it. So I left. It really is no difference in the corporate world, except your are not there to protect anything but the higher ups bonus and no one is in harms way. 
When this philosophy is attached my eternal destiny, and not just my paycheck, things take a very different course of action. I do not throw my hat in ANY ring! Do I have fellowship? yes. Do I have those whom I seek for help on Spiritual matters? yes. Are they the end all be all and no questions when it comes to their interpretation? no. I cannot allow someone else to take the rudder out of my hands on something so important as this. Am I perfect and have all of the answers? no, but who is the one to answer to God when that day comes? Me and only me. So when I see organizations, such as the wt, make such high demands upon their members without the ability for them to question or disagree, I have to speak up about it. 
I am no prophet nor fortuneteller, but I strongly believe you will never see this happen, no one will. The reason why is the mistakes being made are far to serious and underhanded to be forgotten or dismissed to the educated mind. As our world progresses so does common knowledge (we hope), and it is only a matter of time before the truth about the "truth" comes out in such a way that the society/wt goes the way of the dodo. People are only as stupid as they allow themselves to be. If people choose to hide their head in the sand and ignore what is really going on, they will be ignorant and accept whatever is being fed to them. The history of this org and their claims and practices  should be enough, but at this point it isn't. One must now look into the past and compare the current teachings, if the material isn't lost or changed, and truly see if God is backing their actions. I have researched these things and cannot believe that God has anything to do with this org. Just like you said "All civilizations grow and evolve, and the casualties are ENORMOUS.   The United States of America has committed innumerable sins and evils in it's pursuit of righteousness, equity and Justice ... and is continuing to do so." , but none of the civilizations were the answer to our eternal destiny. It is a growth process, but you can only grow so very far by tyranny. Tyranny like those of the Pharaohs and Pharisees is what we are looking at within the wt from my view.  
 
 

Go JTR. Maybe they will get it. I understand you fully and am also aware in the same vein of thoughts. Being the same age as you I also was a CO during the Vietnam War, going to college, instead. Not to Bethel. I left home to grow up and live as an adult. I learn much wisdom and discernment over many decades, but also made various mistakes. Along the way, I saw this organization grow, making growing pain mistakes, as society changed, so did technology and we were either to catch up or get swallowed up by it. I feel like most we are still catching up, trying to clean up a mess made decades ago by judicious men now dead though done in good intentions. Our not being part of this world thing, does not make us invisible or invernerable to what is happening around and to us. 
Samuel, the prophet, while young at the tabernacle, saw the wrongs going on but did not jump ship for he knew who was the head Master overseeing all things. Christ, knew the errors occurring at the temple of his day, called the leaders hypocrites, right? Yet he did not come to right the wrong did he? Jehovah destroyed the temple as Jesus so foretold. If this organization is so off base as Bible history has shown, Jehovah will clean house. No one was ever told to leave. Under wicked king's, those who followed Jehovah served him still, they did not leave. Jehovah removed the king. If the entire nation was wicked, he punished the entire nation, correct? Isn't that what the scriptures show us what Jehovah has done? What makes now any different with those who have the lead over us today? 

Not only THAT!
.. during his autopsy, someone stole his prosthetic nose !

Give it a dust rag and ask it to clean the top of the shelf while it's up there.

As the whole-wide-world international version of Newsweek ran the cover of religious persecution in Russia, the American cover was of Bernie Sanders.
I mean, Bernie Sanders is so 'been there done that.' This country is insane over politics.
I thought I had taken the following out of 'No Fake News but Plenty of Hogwash' when I revised it to remove much of what was political, but instead I recalled that I had merely modified it, liking it for the family reference:
"It is steering the supertanker for four-to-eight years through rough seas and around treacherous shoals that will not matter in the long run. It polarized families. I saw it in my own extended family. One cousin I hadn’t seen in years began to extol the virtues of Trump. “Well, let me tell you about your Mr. Trump,” another cousin whom I also hadnÂ’t seen in years cranked up. Everyone else cleared the room. The exodus was considerable, for I come from a dairy farm family where the kitchen table might easily be twelve feet in length, and it will figure into this book in later pages. Years after everyone left their agrarian roots, we would still refer to such reunions as ‘going down to the farm.Â’"
The insanity over politics only intensifies and it peaks in the routine reports that 'Trump falsely stated" or "Trump charged without evidence." Now, there have been (and are) countless liars, villains, scoundrels, and neer-do-wells throughout history, but I have never heard a, for example, "Putin falsely stated," "Kim falsely stated," "Benedict Arnold falsely stated," or even "Hitler falsely stated." No matter what sort of drivel or poppycock anyone serves up, media just repeats it without pre-screening. I get it, already. They hate him.
It is almost like inviting guests into your home and they proceed to hash out their battles right in your living room. It gets so old.

I STRONGLY suspect that If I had a JW ORG license plate, and drove at high speed down a crowded sidewalk, it would cause less actual reproach on Jehovah's name and perceived reputation, than the "Pillowgate" fiasco. which has become the fodder of high profile comedians in their shticks, and an embarrassment to the average JW when they ( if they) find out about it .... as the absolute creepiest thing ever uttered by the Governing Body, through it's "helpers".
We are getting ... correction ... we ALREADY HAVE .... a firmly established public reputation for family cruelty in HOW disfellowshipping is done ... and a firmly established reputation for perverting Justice with child sexual abuse cases through reprehensible legal machinations, and thanks to "Pillowgate", we now as an organization have a well established  reputation for being bat crap creepy, and borderline (?) insane.
In the grand scheme of things, a JW ORG license plate  being reproachable .... is completely irrelevant.
 

2 CHAIR pORNEA .mp4

Could be Worse ..... could be an Oscar Meyer Wiener-mobile.

As an aside ... this always confused me .... what are 2,000 pigs doing in Israel, eating up all the forage?
2,000 pigs is a LOT of pigs!

It seems very simple.
Perfect creations rebellion is never forgiven by God.
This is not Darth Vader's Star Wars scenario where you can destroy whole worlds, then have a "facepalm" moment when you die, and come back smiling and made whole.
There is only ONE valid excuse for anyone's rebellion against one's legal Sovereign ...
IF YOU WIN.
And they won't.

As an aside ... this always confused me .... what are 2,000 pigs doing in Israel, eating up all the forage?
2,000 pigs is a LOT of pigs!

Move to where there IS clean water.
Or, learn how to purify water at home ... with a box, gravel, sand and some household bleach.
If you stare at trees ... it does not provide clean water.
Adapt and improvise YOURSELF!!

It is both terminally sad, and actually funny, to see the Society's Lawyers speaking as one ... trying to explain that the obvious Elephant they are trying to hide under the beach towel is not really there.
Who knew that the Russians were AT LEAST as smart as the average amoeba?
 I mean .... who knew?

Even the U.S. Battleship "Missouri" has a name, and even an affectionate nickname "The Mighty Mo", but is referred to as a "she".
She sat in Tokyo Bay in 1945 and accepted the surrender of the Japanese Empire.
The above single sentence is so complex, yet in common usage as stated, that it disproves your last post in every way possible.

I read  a book by one of Saddam Hussein's Christian advisors (he survived Saddam by always speaking the truth and giving frank advice) and he says they did have chemical weapons. Georges Sada wrote a book.  Read on this page what he said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMD_conjecture_in_the_aftermath_of_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq - also read his biography on Wikipedia.
I had a bible study whose family was hit by the chemical bombs. Saddam used chemical weapons against the Kurds - on one occasion something like 23,000 died.  Sada says that they were expecting the Iraq invasion (I remember at the time the media was preparing the people for invasion - I was living in UK - it took about 6 months of talk before they went in)   They took so long to invade that Saddam had time to smuggle the weapons into Syria in emergency aid vehicles (fake red cross/moon) and planes. England's population were against the invasion but Blair went in despite their opposition and this eventually cost him his premiership - he had to step down.
I often wonder where those weapons are in Syria and who has control of them now - because these "unknown"  owners can be using them. Apparently one only needs a small caravan (small space) to make these weapons.