Anna

Very simple ... hold the Memorial in people's homes, limited in size to whatever is determined to be safe ..
I see no problem with 20 Memorials of 15 people, per Congregation.
It does not have to be one hour.
It can be one paragraph of commentary read, with a prayer at both ends.
15 minutes.
Tops!
My guess is that the original Memorial (reading from Luke), was SHORTER than 10 minutes.
...and only had 12 people present !

"Breaking news":
All spiritual events in the United States branch territory that are larger than a congregation meeting have been cancelled until further notice.
There goes our assembly....

"Breaking news":
All spiritual events in the United States branch territory that are larger than a congregation meeting have been cancelled until further notice.
There goes our assembly....

I'm pretty sure that the statistics we are seeing are just partial "indicators" and are not accurate enough to give a real picture. There are serious persons who believe that the virus has already been in the United States for some time, and that some of the deaths that had been attributed to the flu season were already actually based on this COVID-19. An interview between Congress and a CDC official (recorded by CNN) already admitted that at least some recent flu deaths in the U.S. have been retested and found to have been positive for COVID-19. 
Japan, is an ally of the United States, and its relationship with China is much like the US relationship with Russia. Yet, several reports from officials in Japan have now stated that they believe this virus came from the United States. This is based on a study of the chronology and genetic makeup for each of about 4 perhaps 5 family variations of the virus.
Opposing that view (and therefore against the view that this was an artificially developed virus) are the scientists who have looked at the genes of the virus and evidently have determined that it has more indicators of a natural virus, not one in which sequences have been artificially recombined.
Also, a bit suspicious, but typical, have been the racist attacks on the head of the WHO, who is Ethiopian. Pictures have emerged of him on social media with bigger than usual lips, and racist attacks, licking the feet of his "controllers" or being walked like a dog. This has only been recently however, after he praised China for how well they were able to handle this, and keep it under control so that the rest of the world would have a chance to prepare testing kits, hospitals, beds, breathing support apparatus for impaired lung function, etc. Unfortunately, the rest of the world used this window of opportunity to twiddle its thumbs, and in the case of the US, to delay the partial replacement of severe cuts to the CDC, etc. (The CDC by the way has been notoriously bad in the past when it came to tracking and caring for H1N1, etc.)
These racist attacks on China-praisers like Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, have also been traced to IP addresses in Hong Kong. Which has happened before, because Cantonese speaking HK citizens openly speak of Han Chinese (mainlanders) with words that are the near equivalent of the "N" word in America. Similarly, the Wikipedia page for Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has suddenly (only since this virus) been updated to include new information about potential controversy and problems. His praise of other nations that the US didn't like, but which have implemented excellent health reforms is the basis for the new controversies. And this about a man who has risked his own life on the front lines of outbreaks including ebola, etc. Even Reuters has openly acknowledged in reports that many politically-charged Wikipedia changes have been easily traced to CIA computers, and CIA IP addresses. And the close connection between the CIA and HK has been tracked and photographed.
Naturally, I don't claim to have followed up on all of these claims, but I did listen to the CDC interview about prior flu deaths in the US now being re-assigned to COVID-19. That one was correct. There is a place to watch the "watchdogs" who follow the sources of hotbeds of political bot attacks, political updates to Wikipedia, politically trending hashtags on Twitter, etc. There is a high turnover of cancelled accounts among this supposed watchdog group. These "whistleblowers" often complain that they can't get far-right, Nazi commentators banned from Twitter, yet they as a group suffer constant banning. I have seen some evidence of the truth of such claims, but can't say I've spent much time testing out these claims very deeply.
But it's enough to show that the nations still play dirty tricks and some of these tricks backfire. These "tricks" are played on fellow nations, "enemy" nations, or their own citizens.
Another example of such tricks that I just learned about: In a campaign promise, Trump said he would release some of the secret JFK files, and what did some show? That the CIA planned on sinking refugee ships from Cuba to the US, and bombing some Miami communities known for Cuban refugee populations --and blame it on Castro. This would scare refugees, send fear through Miami citizens, and increase support to pressure Castro, or even go to war with Cuba. Supposedly Kennedy's disagreement with some of these plans was why they were included in the files as potential reasons the CIA might have been suspected in the Kennedy assassination. Of course, it might also make us wonder which of the two countries was more totalitarian.

All our meetings and fs has been canceled until further notice. And were having the CO this week....

I am sure this is common knowledge already, but for "kicks and giggles" I entered into google earth the location of the Wuhan Institute Of Virology and of course it falls right where the outbreak was identified, in Hubei. I have not really been doing a lot of reading about the virus but the little that I did read seemed to pinpoint it, or blame it on, the outdoor animal markets. I don't know, to me it seems too much of a coincidence that this institute is right there. It sounds more like something got out where it shouldn't have. Why else all the panic?
An interesting short article from the institute here: http://english.whiov.cas.cn/Research/Research_Progress/201712/t20171201_186818.html
"By analyzing the new viruses’ complete genetic makeup, Shi and her colleagues retraced the steps that might have given rise to the original SARS virus. A few spots in the viruses’ DNA seem particularly prone to rearrangement, so remixing happens often. The study suggests that recombination between viruses has shaped the evolution of SARS, says Baric".
Perhaps they did a little re-mixing in a test tube and forgot to put the cork back.....
 

The WHO/CDC statistics might already be making it possible to see some differences in health care quality among various nations around the world. Of course, there are still a lot of factors to account for that can't be seen in the public data. Still, I was looking at the statistics on the JHU site, now that over 121,000 infected persons have been reported. This is 81,000 from China and 40,000 from various countries around the world. Using this data as a "snapshot" in time we see the following:
If we temporarily ignore the Hubei province of China (Wuhan) where the infection evidently broke out before quarantining began to take place then the rest of China has 13,000 cases and has only 116 deaths, which is less than a 1% death rate. i.e., 80,967(China) minus 67773(Hubei) with 3046 deaths in Hubei, and a total of 3162 deaths in all of China. South Korea, similarly, reports 7755 cases and 54 deaths, which is also a death rate of less than 1%.. Italy, however, reports 10,149 infected with 631 deaths, which is a death rate of 6%. Iran reports 354 deaths out of 9,000 infected, which is a death rate of over 3.5% Spain is at 2% France is 2% Germany is at about 0.3%. Switzerland about 0.5% The United States is about 3% Of course, if it turns out that a lot of people with the virus who showed little or no symptoms never sought testing/treatment, then we'll never really know what the true rate was. Also, there is always going to be a mistrust of the numbers. When the W.H.O. gave out statistics from another recent virus that apparently started in China a couple of years ago, China claimed the W.H.O. was "owned by the West" and was skewing statistics. When this virus was first measured by the W.H.O. and the "West" thought that the statistics should look worse for China, some media outlets promoted claims that the W.H.O. was "owned by China."
Also, the virus has been in China long enough for China to have measured most of the original cases as "recovered." Currently the total reported as recovered is 66,000 and almost all of this number applies to the 81,000 cases from China, not the 40,000 generally newer cases outside China. Hubei itself has 49,000 recovered out of its 67750 cases. So that in all of China, there may be only 15,593 remaining cases of the 81,000 infected. There are therefore many more active cases outside of China, than inside China. Several large Chinese provinces currently have ALL their cases eradicated and there is currently NO virus in several provinces that once had the virus. (This can change as quarantines become less restrictive before a vaccine/treatment is developed.)

I was at a U.S. Open tennis match and someone asked if that was a bandage on Roger Federer's arm. He had just faulted, and I shouted back that it was probably an "Ace Inhibitor bandage." The crowd immediately went wild, but probably not because of my joke. (It seems to have had more to do with the fact that his very next serve was an ace.)

@Leander H. McNelly No. It had nothing to do with Watchtower in this case.
 

@TrueTomHarley Actually.... it was rogue lawyers looking to sue people who post other people's photos in this case.
In the past they only had to ask .... maybe file a DMCA request to the admin of the site......that was all that was necessary.
 
IP Lawyers in Europe and elsewhere have upped their game to skip the normal steps above straight to sending out threatening cease and desist letters with "penalties" they are asking for in the thousands per photo.
Needless to say for such low budget sites like this one..... you do the risk / reward calculation in your head.
 
Hence.... closed to new members..... and closed to the public and hopefully their snooping attorneys.
I am hoping the ad revenue from existing users will pay for itself / storage etc....
 
 

...about this, I have no idea ... it seemed to fall apart when Larry showed up.
UPDATE:
I just checked .. this IS what used to be called the open club.
The name of the Jehovah's Witnesses open club was changed to a closed club ..... and the former Jehovah's Witnesses closed club is still a closed club, but has been re-labeled JWs Only.
whew!
 

Did I miss something? Why is this (and many other posts) in the JW Closed Club? When I saw all the non-Witnesses participating, I expected to see that it was in the JW Open Club. I personally have no problem if the clubs were merged, but several people wanted a separate place to discuss certain things without some of the more common diversions.

Another sage statement from JTR—he is firing hot lately, I can hardly believe it—is the above.
Yes. We want our people to be Rhodes Scholars who never misjudge, who easily hold their own among the brightest the university has to offer, and whose every utterance sweeps you away for its sheer brilliance.
What we get is a bunch of yahoos who make all the blunders that yahoos have always made. We should not run from this. We should embrace it. It is because Christians are derived from—the very ones taking the lead were—‘uneducated and ordinary.’ (Acts 4:13) They always remained so, by the standards of greater society.
We should embrace it because that is what God favors—“the uneducated and ordinary.” In the brilliant book ‘Tom Irregardless and Me’ (which, brilliant though it is, cannot touch ‘No Greater Love—How My Family Survived Genocide in Ryanda’) I wrote of how the great ideas of this world’s thinkers
“all sounded good – heaven knows one can spin college degrees from them. But when put to the test – when placed under stress – they don’t work.
One might suppose that the architect of ideas that don’t work would be discredited. Bizarrely, the ‘doesn’t work’ caveat doesn’t matter. It is just the fine print at document’s end which nobody reads....Surely it is the fault of the little people below and not the great idea!’....It is that way with the bedrock ideas upon which this world is constructed. Despite being lauded to high heaven, they don’t work. Those who have earned university degrees in them do not sacrifice any prestige on that account. Instead, they go on to master other ideas that don’t work.
God laughs at the wisdom of this world, and in the passage above we see why. He says: 
“There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, but has not been cleansed from its filth.” (Proverbs 30:12) Tell them: “Show us the just world that has resulted from your brilliance, and then maybe we can talk.”
So we ought not run from our ordinariness. We should embrace it. When Celsus ridicules 2nd century Christians for being “labourers, shoemakers, farmers, the most uninformed and clownish of men,” don’t run away from that quote. Don’t try to mitigate it (as do most Christian apologists). Instead, say: “You don’t know the half of it!”
A frequent trait of all my writing—which is not appreciated by all Witnesses—is to give away many a fault, particularly faults that make some look ridiculous, as when Tom Irregardless rattles on for ten minutes in that instruction talk about a woman’s ‘ministerial cycle’ because he has forgotten the word ‘menstrual.’ He recalls only cruder terms that he knows would not be suitable for the platform. (This really happened.) There is a joke about the sister who collected $6000 dollars by selling eggs every time her husband gave a bad talk—and brothers collapse upon themselves telling that joke—yet no one will tell it within 300 yards of Tom Irregardless because with him it is no joke—it is reality. You risk hurting his feelings, “Why would anybody ever take that risk? In all your days you will never find a more caring, generous person than Tom Irregardless. If you need help he is there. You can pop in at the Irregardless home anytime; they are delighted to see you. They don’t wonder why you didn’t call first. Tom is an excellent man through and through, but only in Jehovah’s organization would he be a public instructor.”
[Actually, this is not nearly so true as it once was, since in recent years there has been more emphasis on speaker quality and less opportunity for them to mess up]
The point is not to humiliate people. The point is to glorify God. When great things are accomplished and the workers themselves are great, you can say that was the reason. But when great things are accomplished and the workers are yo-yos, the glory goes to God. So not only do I not hide embarrassing things—I highlight and even exaggerate them—always with 2 Corinthians 12:9 in mind: 
“But he [God] said to me [Paul]: “My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I will boast about my weaknesses...”
I can now come to the main point of this comment, knowing that 4J will have stopped reading long ago and is now working up a retort about my being “long-winded yet saying nothing.” The brothers should have followed this strategy of admitting faults with regard to CSA as well. Rather than hope for the perception that CSA could never ever occur among a people devoted to God, they should have said: “Oh, yeah—tell us about it—we’ve had some of those slime balls, too, and let me tell you they are tough to deal with!” It would have all been good. We would not be having opposers who now carry on as though with the mission statement:
“CSA among JWs is very very serious and must be exposed! CSA among the 99.9% that is everywhere else? Stuff happens—what do we care?”
It would have been better if no one had ever thought it necessary to write that May 2019 article pointing out that the reproach of CSA falls on the abuser and not on the congregation. It’s a great article, and timely, but it would have been better if nobody had ever thought it necessesary.
When I used to be a bad boy and interacted with the malcontents, I would point out that the CSA is not prolific among JWs. They (the more reasonable ones) would respond with: “Oh, so now you are saying that you have the same problems as everyone else!” They accepted my premise, that we do abhor it and it is not prolific—it was the perception of self-righteousness that got them incensed. It would have been better to have given no cause for that perception, and it would be nice if it is a lesson internalized for future guidance.
It is very very difficult to be the required “no part of the world” and not be perceived as self-righteous, because the world automatically takes offense at non-participation. “If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own,” says Jesus. “Now because you are no part of the world, the world hates you.” Still, I think we do unnecessarily bring trouble upon ourselves sometimes, and the above is a prime example.
 

‘T.A. Form Application’—the T. A. Is for ‘true anointed.’ It’s the best I can do under the circumstances. 4Jah floats the idea that maybe they are all to emerge from the present JW community. You might even apply yourself if you and I both didn’t know that you would insist upon taking your chickens with you.
The very idea is so preposterous—a true anointed to appear out of who-knows-where at the final moments of this system of things, with just enough time for the true sheep of the earth to recognize, grab hold of them, and thereby save themselves at the final day. It’s just too ridiculous. 
And you emerge from it with some of the sagest remarks I have ever heard you make. This one, for example: “Those who expect perfection of others in all things, I strongly suspect will be judged by God, using those same standards... and their punishment now is having to live in a cartoon world of their ownconstruct, and being oblivious to reality.”
A “cartoon world,” “oblivious to reality,” and all due to expecting perfection in others—it could not be better said.
These extreme critics remind me of ones stuck in Phase 1 of ‘The Six Phases of a Project’
Phase 1:  Enthusiasm
Phase 2:  Disillusionment
Phase 3:  Panic
Phase 4:  Search for the Guilty
Phase 5:  Punishment of the Innocent
Phase 6:; Praise and Honors for the non-participants
And why are they yet in Phase 1? Because they haven’t done anything. Their role is 100% limited to pointing to the faults of others. The moment their plans result in any action, Phase 2 will immediately kick in—at least if history is any guide. (and there certainly is no reason to think it should not be)
What they should do is meditate on the book JWI cites: ‘No Love Greater Than This—How My Family Survived the Genocide of Rwanda.’ They should reflect on the study quoted within: “All the churches active in Rwanda, with the exception of the Jehovah’s Witnesses” were involved in the genocide. Let them state how their imaginary ‘true anointed’ is going to improve upon that!
 
And do not let any of these whiners pull a “who needs organization?” question on you. It is as you say, they haven’t a clue as to how “hominoids behave in groups.” Without strong support from a god-fearing organization, there is no way that the individual will stand before the steamroller with the devil at the wheel.
I have reflected upon your words ever since you first wrote them. You could not have said it better. They have judged without mercy. They will have their judgment without mercy. It may be true with other people as well, but it is certainly true with them. And in the meantime they become absurd caricatures of people.
 

Your questions would require a rehashing of things already identified many, many times on this forum, so I will respond instead with an observation:
Jehovah's Witnesses are a Nation, without territory.
Like any nation, they have to fight the good fight with the Army they have ... not the Army they WISH they had.
The Polish had to fight the Nazi Tanks, with horse drawn carriages of various sorts.
Until I could afford specialized tools, I had to use general tools for specific applications.
Those who expect perfection of others in all things, I strongly suspect will be judged by God, using those same standards... and their punishment now is having to live in a cartoon world of their own construct, and being oblivious to reality.
 
 

The only item in Paul's list of fruits of the spirit that comes anywhere near "doctrine" is faith. True religion is about love, joy, peace, and other good qualities that make us the sort of persons we ought to be at all times. Our motivation should be the spirit of Christ, which is basically love of God and love of neighbor, motivated by our faith. And therefore these good fruits come out of a clean heart, not motivated by the fleshly qualities of the world (or spirit of this world).
This is why I think that James 1:27 is saying exactly the same thing when it says that true religion could be defined as looking after orphans and widows in their tribulation - but doing this out of a proper heart motivation (faith and love) and therefore keeping ourselves without spot from worldly motivations. The following verses in James discuss the worldly motivations that interfere with true religion (true Christianity) and then falls back upon Jesus' "golden rule" and love to clinch the definition of true religion.
In fact, James summarizes much of what was said in Matthew 7 and Luke 6 and Galatians 5:
(James 3:10-18) . . .Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, it is not right for things to happen this way. 11 A spring does not cause the fresh water and the bitter water to bubble out of the same opening, does it? 12 My brothers, a fig tree cannot produce olives, or a grapevine figs, can it? Neither can salt water produce fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him by his fine conduct demonstrate works performed with a mildness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above; it is earthly, animalistic, demonic. 16 For wherever there are jealousy and contentiousness, there will also be disorder and every vile thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical. 18 Moreover, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peaceful conditions for those who are making peace.
Notice that there is very little talk of doctrine, except for how good conduct relates to doctrine. (Also note that James' list of "fruits of the spirit" includes "ready to obey" which L.H.McNelly already included previously.)

https://religionnews.com/2020/02/26/genocide-survivor-tells-of-risk-rescue-and-religion-in-rwanda/
Rwanda’s descent into terror in April 1994 took an estimated one million lives in a mere 100 days. The Genocide against the Tutsi in this overwhelmingly Christian country was horrifying for its intimacy: Killers and victims were neighbors, friends, fellow churchgoers, workmates, even spouses. Murderers carried crude implements—machetes, hoes, nail-studded clubs—and lists of those doomed to die.
Gatineau, Quebec—Tharcisse Seminega was marked for slaughter. With all escape routes seemingly cut off, he, his wife, and their five young children sat helplessly awaiting death.
Seminega, a Tutsi and former Catholic seminarian, taught at the National University in Butare. Extremist Hutu faculty orchestrated the murder of Tutsi professors and students. But just minutes before a Hutu professor arrived with soldiers at Seminega’s house, Hutu friends helped the family flee.
The new memoir No Greater Love—How My Family Survived the Genocide in Rwanda relates how, during the next 75 days, Seminega and his family evaded the machetes with the help of about 20 Hutu rescuers who took unthinkable risks to hide and sustain them. These rescuers knew that if the génocidaires caught them, they faced an agonizing death as traitors to the Hutu cause.
Most of the rescuers belonged to the Jehovah’s Witness community, of which Seminega was a part. His wife, a former nun, feared to join him, knowing that the Witnesses had long been oppressed for refusing to take up weapons or participate in politics.
Because of this apolitical teaching, writes genocide scholar Rhoda Howard-Hassmann, “Hutu Witnesses were impervious to calls for patriotic Hutu to take part in mass killings”; and yet “to do nothing was also against their Christian principles.”
Professor Seminega says that his family’s rescuers and other Witnesses followed Jesus’ “new commandment”—To love one another just as he loved them, even to the death. They sheltered not only fellow believers but others who knew that Witnesses would not harm or betray them.
Of 2,500 Witnesses in Rwanda in 1994, about 400 were murdered, Tutsi as well as Hutu who tried to rescue Tutsi or who refused to kill.
After the genocide, researchers documented widespread complicity among church leaders and members. States one study: “All the churches active in Rwanda, with the exception of the Jehovah’s Witnesses” were involved in the genocide.
Now, Professor Seminega speaks with classes via Skype about his family’s story. In paying tribute to his rescuers, Seminega says: “Their selfless acts move me every day to ask, how far will my love reach?”

True, and this is why it can be said that those who leave the Christian congregation, or those who become Christians in name only, generally stop producing the fruitage of the spirit because Jehovah no longer gives it to them.....they "receive" a rebelious spirit instead. I see this plainly whenever I visit the ex-JW website and read their banter with each other. For the most part there is no mildness, patience, faith or self control. More like selfishness, sarcasm, haughtiness, and of course no faith....

True, and this is why it can be said that those who leave the Christian congregation, or those who become Christians in name only, generally stop producing the fruitage of the spirit because Jehovah no longer gives it to them.....they "receive" a rebelious spirit instead. I see this plainly whenever I visit the ex-JW website and read their banter with each other. For the most part there is no mildness, patience, faith or self control. More like selfishness, sarcasm, haughtiness, and of course no faith....

I thought I was pointing out something that was obvious. The spirit may very well reveal a specific assignment in heaven or on earth. But it's the same spirit. Regarding Galatians 5:22, have you ever heard anyone say that the fruitage of the spirit (love, joy, peace . . . kindness, goodness, faith, etc.) is only for those who are anointed? No one ever says that. Except that the entire book of Galatians was sent to those addressed like this:
(Galatians 4:6, 7) . . .Now because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, and it cries out: “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, then you are also an heir through God.
To the Romans, Paul said the same things he says in Galatians 4&5:
(Romans 8:14-17) 14 For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” 16 The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 If, then, we are children, we are also heirs—heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ—provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together.
The statements are about how there are only two choices, the spirit or the flesh. So I'm not saying anything about the specific anointing for the heavenly hope. That's a separate issue. Whether we believe we are appointed to a heavenly hope or appointed to an earthly hope, it's still the same "one hope, one faith, one baptism" for the creation which is currently sighing and groaning to eagerly await the revealing of the sons of God. If Adam was a son of God, although appointed to an earthly hope, then surely there will come a time when those who pass through the millennium, at least, although of the earthly hope, will also be considered "sons of God." I also believe that this same spirit will reveal a desire for a heavenly hope for some, although I don't really believe that we humans are really capable of knowing exactly where Jehovah may wish to assign our part in the new system.
(1 Corinthians 12:22-26) . . .On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary, 23 and the parts of the body that we think to be less honorable we surround with greater honor, so our unseemly parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 whereas our attractive parts do not need anything. Nevertheless, God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that had a lack, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but its members should have mutual concern for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all the other members suffer with it; or if a member is glorified, all the other members rejoice with it.
Remember that the first will be last, and the last first, etc. Those who seat themselves at the front can be sent to the back and vice versa. There are vessels of all kinds, and we are "glorified" whether we end up taking a seat at God's footstool or a place at the right hand of Jesus.
(Romans 8:18-25) . . .For I consider that the sufferings of the present time do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. 19 For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves also who have the firstfruits, namely, the spirit, yes, we ourselves groan within ourselves while we are earnestly waiting for adoption as sons, the release from our bodies by ransom. 24 For we were saved in this hope; but hope that is seen is not hope, for when a man sees a thing, does he hope for it? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we keep eagerly waiting for it with endurance.
So maybe Paul is giving ALL of us this idea about accepting the spirit into our hearts, the same spirit that makes Christians adopted as sons. The same spirit that makes all of "brothers." Do you think only the anointed should pray, "Our Father in heaven, let your name be sanctified?" If Jehovah is our Father then we are his children, his sons. We would therefore call him "Abba" in Aramaic. This is not an intimate expression special to the anointed. It does not mean "papa" or "daddy" in some childish sense. It's the word that adults also used in Aramaic to refer to their father respectfully. This is also made clear by what Jesus is recorded as saying in Matthew:
(Matthew 23:8, 9) . . .and all of you are brothers. 9 Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father [Aramaic, "Abba"], the heavenly One.
It has nothing to do with what the governing body is supposedly saying. Also, the governing body has never said, and will never likely ever say, that the elders are part of the 144,000. The elders will never be considered a part of Christ's body except to the small extent that they represent and help deliver the spiritual food provided by the faithful slave.

All in all, what was said and ideas/thoughts expressed in comment, giving very nice way of how to have advanced, "inspired" thinking and reasoning. You put word "inspired" on another level of meaning, for JW members to take in consideration. This is in harmony with another verse, how everything what is "good" is from God. And by that it is "inspired", in very wide meaning of the word.
This concept "confirms" G. Jackson testimony at ARC how "GB is not the only spokesperson for God" :))

A very good question. Love believes all things. Of course this doesn't mean we shouldn't also question all things. Believe everything as possibly right, and question everything as possibly wrong. But questioning everything would require every one of us to become scholars. But relying on most scholars can be dangerous too. Most modern scholars these days are not faithful to the Bible as God's word. One excuse is to question the canon itself, and what scholars do accept as canonical for the early Christians is still not considered "inspired."
But some common sense that all of us should have will lead us in the right direction. A major concern of yours has been that only a modern-day anointing by holy spirit will explain everything to us, and you always tend to push this off into the future, although you recognize that it is needed now. The person you know as BTK and whom many old-timers here recognize as A.S. has already hit upon one of the keys to recognizing where this "holy spirit" can be found.
The "Word of God" is not an expression in the Bible that refers to a specific set of 66 books. When we say the Word of God, we often mean "the Bible" but that's not the use of the expression in the Bible itself. Also, the expression "the spirit" does not always refer to God's active force acting like a separate entity to inspire perfect knowledge. In fact, if one reads Romans and Galatians for example, you can see that Christians have a choice of accepting the spirit or not, and that even those of us who do not consider ourselves "anointed" must strive for the same measure of this holy spirit as those who consider themselves "anointed." (It's quite probable that Allen Smith/Billy the Kid actually does consider himself to be anointed based on several things he has said concerning this topic, but that doesn't change the primary point.)
In Galatians, Paul speaks with the same terms he uses in Romans about the "anointing" of holy spirit. He speaks in both Romans and Galatians about the purpose and effect of this anointing. But in Galatians it's clear that the holy spirit must have the same effect in the lives of all Christians. To this extent, all of us must be implanted with the seed of holy spirit. And what grows from that seed of holy spirit counteracts the works of "the flesh." The holy spirit makes certain fruits grow in all of us. Note:
(Galatians 3:29-5:26) . . .Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s [seed] offspring, heirs with reference to a promise. .. . . 3 Likewise, we too, when we were children, were enslaved by the elementary things of the world. 4 But when the full limit of the time arrived, God sent his Son, who was born of a woman and who was under law, 5 that he might release by purchase those under law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Now because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, . . . 22 For example, it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant girl and one by the free woman; 23 but the one by the servant girl was actually born through natural descent and the other by the free woman through a promise. 24 These things may be taken as a symbolic drama; for these women mean two covenants, the one from Mount Siʹnai, which bears children for slavery and which is Haʹgar. 25 Now Haʹgar means Siʹnai, a mountain in Arabia, and she corresponds with the Jerusalem today, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. . . . 31 So, brothers, we are children, not of a servant girl, but of the free woman. [Chap 5] For such freedom Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm, and do not let yourselves be confined again in a yoke of slavery. . . . 5 For our part, we are by spirit eagerly waiting for the hoped-for righteousness resulting from faith. . . . 13 You were called to freedom, brothers; only do not use this freedom as an opportunity to pursue fleshly desires, but through love slave for one another. 14 For the entire Law has been fulfilled in one commandment, namely: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” . . . 16 But I say, Keep walking by spirit and you will carry out no fleshly desire at all. 17 For the flesh is against the spirit in its desire, and the spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you do not do the very things you want to do. 18 Furthermore, if you are being led by spirit, you are not under law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, . . . 22 On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. . . . 25 If we are living by spirit, let us also go on walking orderly by spirit. 26 Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.
So the primary purpose of God sending the spirit into the hearts of Christians, a kind of anointing by holy spirit, is so that we will produce the fruitage that grows from that spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self-control. LHM highlighted love and faith and added obedience. This is appropriate too, as obedience to one another is a way of walking orderly by spirit. Paul used the expression, "slave for one another" which is also a recognition that we should always be prepared to accept orders from one another, as long as they are in line with love and faith.
My point is that by thinking about what this "spirit" produces, we can use common sense to know what we should accept as "inspired." We can see how all of it fits the core teachings that fit the spirit of Christ Jesus.
Identifying books to be included in the inspired canon seems to be simpler process that others might be overthinking. It's based on some expected principles and a little common sense. To keep from going on too long, I'll pick up on that point in the next post.

I tend to agree with you there. What I find curious though is that China went into overdrive about this virus as if there is something more to it.....every year there are new flu strains and yet no one makes a fuss about them although these flu strains also kill. Not sure about the percentage compared to the Covid-19. I suppose it's difficult to get accurate morbidity statistics because you would have to compare apples to apples, i.e. all patients being of similar health and age, and receiving the same treatment.....

Covid-19 NOT being life threatening is a challenge?
To do what, count legs still standing up, and divide by two?
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t's NOT a pandemic because (  .... so far .... ) the Corona virus,  Covid-19, or Wuflu, by whatever name it is called daily, has affected about 80,000 people as of today's date, and "only" killed about 2700 people.
This means the death rate is about 3% ... even including the worst countries where treatment to keep you alive is minimal, while your body mounts a defense ... and the very old and infirm  are included in those statistics
It has symptoms like the common cold, or at worst, the flu .... part of the Corona family of "common cold" viruses, this one being labeled No. 19.. 
It's a respiratory disease in humans.
So far, that number of deaths .... is "reportedly" less than the "regular" variants of the flu.
Please feel free to check what I think I know, as my sources may have a hidden agenda.
The WHO (World Health Organization) has stated that as of today it does NOT meet the criteria for a pandemic.
To put this in perspective, Malaria, caused by mosquitos, KILLS ABOUT 100,000 PEOPLE A MONTH, continuously, worldwide. And has ... for a very long time.
My guess is that if you treat Wuflu with a CONSTANT barrage of treatments as you would for someone with severe asthma, who also has the "normal" flu, it is VERY survivable.
Statistics are made up of mostly those who do NOT have these resources, and by lack of resources, and education, are relatively doomed in advance.
THis whole thing reminds me of when William Randolph Hearst, once the owner of the nation's largest newspaper chain, artificially created news to sell newspapers, and eventually convinced the American people to demand Congress to declare war against Spain, who owned Cuba at the time.
He telegraphed his reporters in Havana, who had nothing to write about the supposed atrocities of Spain against the Cubans, to provide photographs, and he would make up the atrocities,
His telegram stated " "...you supply the pictures, I will supply the war".
In the newspaper business " If it bleeds, it leads!" ... and headlines sell papers.
... same thing.
 
 

Naturally, if it's something that might be historical but isn't found in the Bible itself, the first place you'd look is in the writings of contemporaries of first century Christians like
Josephus, Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger You might also try persons who referenced famous persons from the first century in works that referenced say Philo or Gamaliel, etc., even though they died before the Temple was destroyed. The same would go for biographies of the Romans or their military exploits that might reference:
Herod Agrippa Cestius Gallus Gessius Florus Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. (the 5 Roman Emperors between 66 and 70) Then you might try to find references in or about the writings of any of the following historians who might have mentioned something by chance up to within a 100 years of the Jerusalem event:
Marcus Cluvius Rufus, (fl. 41–69), Roman history Quintus Curtius Rufus (c. 60–70), Greek history Flavius Josephus (37–100), Jewish history Dio Chrysostom (c. 40 – c. 115 AD), history of the Getae Thallus (early 2nd century AD), Roman history Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. 56–120), early Roman Empire Plutarch (c. 46–120), Parallel Lives of important Greeks and Romans Criton of Heraclea (fl. 100), history of the Getae and the Dacian Wars Suetonius (c. 69 – after 122), Roman emperors up to the Flavian dynasty Appian (c. 95 – c. 165), Roman history Arrian (c. 92–175), Greek history Granius Licinianus (2nd century), Roman history Criton of Pieria (2nd century), Greek history Lucius Ampelius (c. 2nd century AD), Roman history Dio Cassius (c. 160 – after 229), Roman history Marius Maximus (c. 160 – c. 230), biographer of Roman emperors Diogenes Laërtius (fl. c. 230), history of Greek philosophers Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240), early Christian The many Jewish and Jewish Christian writings to check during this period could include those with dates on them that fit the period, as seen on earlyjewishwritings.com and earlychristianwritings.com. Note that the dates are usually considered to be "scholarly" dates, not the dates that Christians assign to them when it comes to the actual NT writings. That requires a whole new discussion, but for now, those writings to check would include the following:
(Excuse the formatting issues below. I just copied them from a portion of the list at earlychristianwritings.com. It's a couple years worth of reading. I haven't completed more than a few of them, but have found nothing yet about the flight to Pella/Perea/Decapolis in any of them. The list of writings becomes much longer if you include Christian-related writings all the way up through the 300's when Eusebius and Epiphanius wrote.)
50-95 Signs Gospel 50-95 Book of Hebrews 50-120 Didache 50-140 Gospel of Thomas 50-140 Oxyrhynchus 1224 Gospel 50-150 Apocalypse of Adam 50-150 Eugnostos the Blessed 50-200 Sophia of Jesus Christ 65-80 Gospel of Mark 70-100 Epistle of James 70-120 Egerton Gospel 70-160 Gospel of Peter 70-160 Secret Mark 70-200 Fayyum Fragment 70-200 Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs 73-200 Mara Bar Serapion 80-100 2 Thessalonians 80-100 Ephesians 80-100 Gospel of Matthew 80-110 1 Peter 80-120 Epistle of Barnabas 80-130 Gospel of Luke 80-130 Acts of the Apostles 80-140 1 Clement 80-150 Gospel of the Egyptians 80-150 Gospel of the Hebrews 80-250 Christian Sibyllines 90-95 Revelation 90-120 Gospel of John 90-120 1 John 90-120 2 John 90-120 3 John 90-120 Epistle of Jude 93 Flavius Josephus 100-150 1 Timothy 100-150 2 Timothy 100-150 Titus 100-150 Apocalypse of Peter 100-150 Secret Book of James 100-150 Preaching of Peter 100-160 Gospel of the Ebionites 100-160 Gospel of the Nazoreans 100-160 Shepherd of Hermas 100-160 2 Peter 100-200 Odes of Solomon 100-200 Gospel of Eve 100-230 Thunder, Perfect Mind 101-220 Book of Elchasai 105-115 Ignatius of Antioch 110-140 Polycarp to the Philippians 110-140 Papias 110-160 Oxyrhynchus 840 Gospel 110-160 Traditions of Matthias 111-112 Pliny the Younger 115 Suetonius 115 Tacitus 120-130 Quadratus of Athens 120-130 Apology of Aristides 120-140 Basilides 120-140 Naassene Fragment 120-160 Valentinus 120-180 Apocryphon of John 120-180 Gospel of Mary 120-180 Dialogue of the Savior 120-180 Gospel of the Savior 120-180 2nd Apocalypse of James 120-180 Trimorphic Protennoia 120-180 Gospel of Perfection 120-200 Genna Marias 130-140 Marcion 130-150 Aristo of Pella 130-160 Epiphanes On Righteousness 130-160 Ophite Diagrams 130-160 2 Clement 130-170 Gospel of Judas 130-200 Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus 140-150 Epistula Apostolorum   140-160 Ptolemy 140-160 Isidore 140-170 Fronto 140-170 Infancy Gospel of James 140-170 Infancy Gospel of Thomas 140-180 Gospel of Truth 150-160 Martyrdom of Polycarp 150-160 Justin Martyr 150-180 Excerpts of Theodotus 150-180 Heracleon 150-200 Ascension of Isaiah 150-200 Interpretation of Knowledge 150-200 Testimony of Truth 150-200 Acts of Peter 150-200 Acts of John 150-200 Acts of Paul 150-200 Acts of Andrew 150-225 Acts of Peter and the Twelve 150-225 Book of Thomas the Contender 150-250 Paraphrase of Shem 150-250 Fifth and Sixth Books of Esra 150-300 Authoritative Teaching 150-300 Coptic Apocalypse of Paul 150-300 Prayer of the Apostle Paul 150-300 Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth 150-300 Melchizedek 150-350 Preaching of Paul 150-350 Epistle to the Laodiceans 150-350 Questions of Mary 150-350 Allogenes, the Stranger 150-350 Hypsiphrone 150-350 Valentinian Exposition 150-350 Act of Peter 150-360 Concept of Our Great Power 150-400 Acts of Pilate 150-400 Anti-Marcionite Prologues 150-400 Dialogue Between John and Jesus 160-170 Tatian's Address to the Greeks 160-180 Claudius Apollinaris 160-180 Apelles 160-180 Julius Cassianus 160-250 Octavius of Minucius Felix 161-180 Acts of Carpus 165-175 Melito of Sardis 165-175 Hegesippus 165-175 Dionysius of Corinth 165-175 Lucian of Samosata 167 Marcus Aurelius 170-175 Diatessaron 170-200 Dura-Europos Gospel Harmony 170-200 Muratorian Canon 170-200 Treatise on the Resurrection 170-220 Letter of Peter to Philip 170-230 Thought of Norea 175-180 Athenagoras of Athens 175-185 Irenaeus of Lyons 175-185 Rhodon 175-185 Theophilus of Caesarea 175-190 Galen 178 Celsus 178 Letter from Vienna and Lyons 180 Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs 180-185 Theophilus of Antioch 180-185 Acts of Apollonius