James Thomas Rook Jr.

In considering the thread topic "The Watchtower and the Colored people", how do you define "colored people"?
I, am caucasian, but am kinda pinkish, tan color.
Are we talking about everybody except Albinos, who are as white as a marshmallow?
... and if we label everybody "green people" to avoid discriminatory language, do the light green people get to sit in the front of the bus?

One of three questions they asked me at my Reinstatement was (paraphrased) "What is your opinion of the Governing Body?"
I replied  (paraphrased) " I would have to agree with them in the February 2017 Watchtower, that they are neither inspired of God, or infallible.".
I believe that if I had phrased that differently, all other things being equal, I would NOT have been Reinstated.
By actual test, I would agree with you, Anna.

Ignoring reality.
A Nation, even ours, that does not learn from its history, is doomed to repeat it.
We cannot learn from our history, if we do not know it accurately, and in detail.
Covering it up, or it being a taboo subject .... is why all civilizations, even ours, fail.

I have carefully considered all of the above points, and concerning the willingness to die for one's beliefs, I have this to say about that:
Actor, comedian, and film producer, etc., Woody Allen said it best when asked about one of his latest movies, and the body of movies he had made in the past, either as star, producer, director, or all three ...
"Would you, through your movies, like to live forever in the hearts of your many fans?"
He replied "I would like to live forever, in my apartment in Manhattan."

Looking at today's scripture text, I see that there is a fairly good reference to the concept of "core doctrines" in the commentary. Some have questioned whether this concept of core doctrines is correct, with the alternative being that we should accept ALL doctrines, great and small, with equal vigor. In other words, we should be ready to die for the our current teaching concerning "whether people of Sodom would be resurrected" just as strongly as we should be ready to die for the doctrine of the Ransom.
The day's text is about the resurrection, and the commentary speaks of the importance of including this among our key doctrines, as if it might not have been "up there" with the rest.
*** Text for Tuesday, December 10, 2019 ***
What are the key teachings of your faith? Surely you would stress that Jehovah is the Creator and Life-Giver. You would likely mention your belief in Jesus Christ, who died as a ransom. And you would happily add that an earthly paradise is ahead, where God’s people will live forever. But would you mention the resurrection as one of your most cherished beliefs? We have good reasons to include the resurrection as a key teaching even if we personally hope to survive the great tribulation and live on earth forever. The resurrection is central to our faith. Had Christ not been resurrected, he would not be our ruling King, and our teaching about Christ’s rule would be in vain. (1 Cor. 15:12-19) However, we know that Jesus was resurrected, and we hold firm to our belief in the resurrection.
Note that the text reminds us a few things that the great crowd, perhaps, do not get reminded of enough: We might die. The great hope is that "You May Survive Armageddon into God's New World." But since the book of that title came out, most of us who studied that book as JWs are now dead. The key teachings mentioned above are therefore:
Jehovah is the Creator, Jesus' Ransom, Living Forever in an Earthly Paradise The Resurrection The Teaching about Christ's Kingdom I would agree that these are definitely the core teachings.
Of course that final one might be a nod to "1914" as a key teaching, but it is worded here in such a way that no one could dismiss Christ's Kingdom as a key teaching. This is true whether one focuses on the
Kingdom preaching beginning in 29 CE through 33 CE, or the Kingdom's beginning in 33 when Christ began to rule as king (1 Cor 15, Colossians 1, Acts 2, Revelation 1, etc.), or the historical outworking of the Kingdom with renewed emphasis on preaching since WWI, or the focus on what that Kingdom will bring to the new heavens and new earth. But the fact that 1 Cor 15 is quoted above as the context to the teaching about Christ's rule, and that Paul goes on in verse 25 to indicate that "sit at my right hand" is the equivalent of "rule as king" tells me that 1914 might have been left off on purpose. (Because Jesus sat at God's right hand in 33 CE., therefore he began ruling as king in 33 CE. --1 Cor 15:25)
That's an easy solution to all the current difficulties and contradictions in the 1914 teaching. But it's not the "difficult teaching" I had in mind.
If you look at the text through the Watchtower Library, you will also see that it is somewhat related to the material for the Midweek meeting (December 9-15), which starts out with a discussion of Revelation 11.
*** Text for Tuesday, December 10, 2019 ***
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD
• “‘Two Witnesses’ Are Killed and Brought Back to Life”: (10 min.)
Re 11:3—“Two witnesses” prophesy for 1,260 days (w14 11/15 30)
Re 11:7—They are killed by “the wild beast”
Re 11:11—The “two witnesses” are brought back to life after “the three and a half days”
I'll explain later today.

I haven't watched it yet. Did he really say that, because that's what I've always said. Some people didn't like that though, unfortunately proving that they were kind of "worshipful" of the GB, and believed the GB were ultra special and more than anyoe else. 

I tell you what all of us MIGHT do to get the straight scoop ... the low down .. the bird's eye view, and the real nitty- gritty on this caper.
I have done what I am recommending to you, here and now ... several times in my life, on different issues of serious and pressing concern.
EACH of us should write a letter to "The Collective Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses," in Warwick, New York, at World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, with a print out of this entire thread, and in the cover letter ask these specific questions, in such a manner that they can be answered in a simple "YES", or "NO"., as well as in narrative form.
They should have no legal objections to telling the complete and honest, and absolute truth in any reply letter, as the principals are dead, and legally, the dead cannot be slandered, libeled,  or caused any harm.  Besides, there is a clear and present and over- riding reason to tell you the complete truth, and  that is:
1.)    As men of integrity, their oath to Jehovah God demands that they tell the truth, when asked, and
2.)    it will inspire confidence in any fact that the Governing Body DOES tell the truth, which currently, and for many years now, has been in legitimate and serious question.
And there are certainly many other reasons  that the average ten JWs could list, if they cared about the real history of how we got to be where we are today, and just basically want to know TRUTH for the sake of truth.
After the letter is composed, written, and assembled with reference material, three complete copies should be made,
1. A copy to be kept at home as a permanent record, and
2.) The original sent by certified mail, return receipt requested to the Collective Governing Body at Watchtower Headquarters, and
3.)    A copy sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the Collective Body of Elders at your Kingdom Hall, if you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, or if not, to the Religion Editor of the local newspaper, and
4.)   A copy to be kept unopened, sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to yourself.
Enclose, whether you are a JW or not, a personal check for $25.00 as a donation.
Now, sit back and wait , for in about three months, you will have all your questions answered.
Over the years, I have actually done this several times for various issues that concerned me, ( before the Society relocated to Warlick, New York) .
Results may vary, but at least you will know, that the GB are honest men of integrity, and devoted to TRUTH.
..... or not.
Total cost ....  a full day of your time, and about $45 ... as they WILL cash the check.

 
 

Are you any relation to the James Rookus of history who wrote to the older men in late first-century Jerusalem demanding, as they were MEN of HONOR, that they answer:
1 WHY they did not address the INJUSTICES highlighted by the WHISTLEBLOWERS that Jude wrote about?
2 HOW did they account for their NEGLIGENT track record so that John could “rejoice” that SOME of the children are walking in the truth. Why did they not shepherd better so that ALL of them would do so?
3. WHY did The PROMOTE the guy who KNUCKLED UNDER when Jews showed up and disapproved of him hanging out with Gentile Christians and who had a TRACK RECORD of knuckling under—even THREE TIMES on a certain evening?
And that’s just for starters.
Nah. If it is not the answer their enemies expect, they will just assume that they are lying.
 

Jude did not write about whistleblowers. Jude WAS the whistleblower!

I tell you what all of us MIGHT do to get the straight scoop ... the low down .. the bird's eye view, and the real nitty- gritty on this caper.
I have done what I am recommending to you, here and now ... several times in my life, on different issues of serious and pressing concern.
EACH of us should write a letter to "The Collective Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses," in Warwick, New York, at World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, with a print out of this entire thread, and in the cover letter ask these specific questions, in such a manner that they can be answered in a simple "YES", or "NO"., as well as in narrative form.
They should have no legal objections to telling the complete and honest, and absolute truth in any reply letter, as the principals are dead, and legally, the dead cannot be slandered, libeled,  or caused any harm.  Besides, there is a clear and present and over- riding reason to tell you the complete truth, and  that is:
1.)    As men of integrity, their oath to Jehovah God demands that they tell the truth, when asked, and
2.)    it will inspire confidence in any fact that the Governing Body DOES tell the truth, which currently, and for many years now, has been in legitimate and serious question.
And there are certainly many other reasons  that the average ten JWs could list, if they cared about the real history of how we got to be where we are today, and just basically want to know TRUTH for the sake of truth.
After the letter is composed, written, and assembled with reference material, three complete copies should be made,
1. A copy to be kept at home as a permanent record, and
2.) The original sent by certified mail, return receipt requested to the Collective Governing Body at Watchtower Headquarters, and
3.)    A copy sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the Collective Body of Elders at your Kingdom Hall, if you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, or if not, to the Religion Editor of the local newspaper, and
4.)   A copy to be kept unopened, sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to yourself.
Enclose, whether you are a JW or not, a personal check for $25.00 as a donation.
Now, sit back and wait , for in about three months, you will have all your questions answered.
Over the years, I have actually done this several times for various issues that concerned me, ( before the Society relocated to Warlick, New York) .
Results may vary, but at least you will know, that the GB are honest men of integrity, and devoted to TRUTH.
..... or not.
Total cost ....  a full day of your time, and about $45 ... as they WILL cash the check.

 
 

I don't think he fared "poorly", as after three days of fake comfort anything they had to say was so irrelevant that it was not recorded in Scripture.
They just had nothing to say to contribute to his dire circumstances in a positive way, even though that is supposedly why they were there.
.... a VERY common phenomenon.

All Jehovah's Witnesses are equal.
... but some are more equal than others.
They get the secret books.

I am personally glad the comments and replies are getting SHORTER!

.... and with that .... I rest my case.

Sometimes it was even WORSE !
In the haunted house would be  someone with no sense of humor!
Now THAT's scary!

From what I have seen in movies, many black people are smarter than many white people.
Back when I was about ten or eleven years old, they used to have a TV show on at Saturday midnight, called "Shock Theatre". They used to show "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein" the "Werewolf", "The Mummy", and lots of haunted house movies, and stories of Edgar Allen Poe.. 
I noticed that groups of white people for some reason would go to a haunted house for some reason, and it would be some seriously creepy castle surrounded by thick fog, with wolves howling in the background, with cobwebs, bats, and in the entrance foyer would be a column of ice cold air. and the furniture would skittish across the room, and fall over all by itself, and a moaning voice from somewhere around the ceiling would say " GEEEEEEET OUTTTTTTTT !.
Then, blood would start pouring down the large circular staircase, and some stupid white guy would say "Hey!, lookit the blood coming down the stairs .... let's go upstairs and INVESTIGATE!!"
...turns out , this was a very bad idea for everybody involved.
Meanwhile, a black person would have been three miles away, running as fast as he can!
 

The great thing about that, being Jesus, he  did not have to use a 2x4" timber upside the mule's head to get him to talk!

That's only about 17% of the Governing Body being homosexual or homosexual child molesters.
I remember a survey the Catholic Church did about 35 years ago, (about the same time period ...) and  among catholic clergy, 20%  were homosexuals (no age preference was stated), 20% were sexually active heterosexuals (no age preference was stated), and 60% were celibate.  My memory may be faulty, as my brain is made mostly of old fat, and I fear the sound of frying bacon.
This proves we are FAR superior to them, and can exult in our smugness.
Of course, that does not count any clergy (which we have repeatedly claimed to be in numerous court cases, demanding clergy-penitent privilege ...) that WE have, below the level of GB.
But then again, since we are all considered Ordained Ministers, that makes our pool over 8 million clergy, even the baptized six year olds.
See?
It all depends on, like President Bill Clinton said during the "Monica Lewinsky" years, "It all depends on what your definition of "is", is."

I expect NOTHING from anyone else, and I am never disappointed.
I disagree with your many unrealistic premises, 4Jah2me, as being a Barbarian myself, like the Shadow of old time radio fame ... I know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, and the thorns in their sides that never heal, and the fears and terrors of the ghosts that haunt them, and the cowardice that runs through all of our mortal bodies.
You think, in my considered opinion, like a child.

I believe it does, on an individual and as a group.
Nevertheless, being a Barbarian at heart, I appreciate MANY things I could not have learned elsewhere, even though it was accompanied by heavy unnecessary burdens based solely on the opinions of pontificators.
One of those MAJOR things is that I did not go to Vietnam, and kill people for a national political agenda.
I wanted to go there as a photojournalist, which was probably a bad idea, as I am so large that my nickname might have been "Bullet Catcher", as it was for 63 photojournalists that died there.

Witness:
I pay attention to what you write ... it being easier the shorter the epistle is, but I have an observation that in THIS case I consider to be quite true.
The fact that down at the bottom, below the Elder  level of organization, the crapola that sometimes comes out of JW leadership, in it's self serving, self aggrandizing pontification, is somehow (for the most part) subtracted out, and our lives are made much better in every way,
The only explanation I can deduce for this phenomena is "Holy Spirit", working in the minds and hearts of the JWs down at the bottom of the stack.
It's like watching Forest Gump wander through life, thinking he has invested in a start-up fruit company ... and it turns out to be Apple Computer.

I am personally glad the comments and replies are getting SHORTER!

All Jehovah's Witnesses are equal.
... but some are more equal than others.
They get the secret books.

.... and with that .... I rest my case.

Sometimes it was even WORSE !
In the haunted house would be  someone with no sense of humor!
Now THAT's scary!