Anna

You could read between the lines that something like this was expected to occur from previous Watchtower articles, including the "rapture" discussion:
*** w15 7/15 pp. 18-19 pars. 14-17 “Your Deliverance Is Getting Near”! ***
It is the time when the remaining ones of the 144,000 will receive their heavenly reward. (1 Thess. 4:15-17; Rev. 14:1) This event will take place at some point after the beginning of the attack by Gog of Magog. (Ezek. 38:11) Then these words of Jesus will be fulfilled: “At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.”—Matt. 13:43.
15 Does this mean that there will be a “rapture” of the anointed ones? . . .  Therefore, while we do not use the term “rapture” here because of its wrong connotation, the remaining faithful anointed will be gathered together in an instant of time.
16 Once all the 144,000 are in heaven, the final preparations for the marriage of the Lamb can begin. (Rev. 19:9) But something else will happen before that joyous event. Remember, shortly before the remaining ones of the 144,000 are taken to heaven, Gog will attack God’s people. (Ezek. 38:16) What reaction does this provoke? On earth, God’s people will appear to be defenseless. They will obey the instructions given in the days of King Jehoshaphat: “You will not need to fight this battle. Take your position, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah in your behalf. O Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid or be terrified.” (2 Chron. 20:17) In heaven, however, there is a different reaction. Referring to the time when all the anointed are in heaven, Revelation 17:14 tells us this about the enemies of God’s people: “These will battle with the Lamb, but because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Also, those with him who are called and chosen and faithful will do so.” Together with his 144,000 corulers in heaven, Jesus will come to the rescue of God’s people here on earth.
17 The resulting war of Armageddon
*** w15 3/15 p. 29 par. 18 Loyally Supporting Christ’s Brothers ***
Before Armageddon breaks out, anointed ones will be taken to heaven. (Matt. 13:41-43
*** w13 11/15 p. 20 Seven Shepherds, Eight Dukes—What They Mean for Us Today ***
LESSONS FOR TODAY
16 The prophecy about seven shepherds and eight dukes has its major fulfillment in our day. The citizens of ancient Jerusalem were attacked by the Assyrians. In the near future, Jehovah’s apparently vulnerable people will come under attack from the modern-day “Assyrian,” whose intent will be to wipe them out. The Scriptures refer to that attack as well as the attack of ‘Gog of Magog,’ the attack of “the king of the north,” and the attack of “the kings of the earth.” (Ezek. 38:2, 10-13; Dan. 11:40, 44, 45; Rev. 17:14; 19:19) Do these represent separate attacks? Not necessarily. The Bible could be referring to the same attack under different names. What ‘secret weapon’ does Micah’s prophecy indicate Jehovah would raise up against that implacable foe—“the Assyrian”? A very unlikely one—“seven shepherds, yes, eight dukes”! (Mic. 5:5) The shepherds and dukes (or, “princes,” NEB) in this implausible army are the congregation elders. (1 Pet. 5:2) Today, Jehovah certainly has provided an abundance of spiritual men to shepherd his precious sheep, to strengthen his people for the future attack of the modern-day “Assyrian.” Micah’s prophecy states that they will “shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword.” (Mic. 5:6) Yes, among ‘the weapons of their warfare,’ you will find “the sword of the spirit,” God’s Word.—2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:17.
17 Elders who are reading this article can draw some useful conclusions from the account we have just considered: (1) The most practical step that we can take to prepare for the coming attack of “the Assyrian” is that of strengthening our faith in God and helping our brothers to do the same. (2) When “the Assyrian” attacks, the elders must be absolutely convinced that Jehovah will deliver us. (3) At that time, the life-saving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not. (4) Now is the time for any who may be putting their trust in secular education, material things, or human institutions to adjust their thinking. The elders must stand ready to help any who may now be wavering in their faith.
It's a similar point (in the 2013 article) about the fact that at this time it will be the congregation elders who take the lead. The elders take the lead in the absence of an anointed governing body. Of course, the point being spelled out here is the possibility that some of these elders will probably give direction at a wider level than just for a typical congregation. The possibility of each Branch continuing to operate for their own countries has been implied in statements at conventions, but this is the closest I have seen to implying an entirely new worldwide governing body.
But how much we can read into this would depend on things like communications capabilities in the latter days of the great tribulation, or through Armageddon itself if it is an ongoing battle that is not resolved as quickly as some might imagine. The typical scenario that has been dramatized for us is one in which we trust local brothers, elders who have our best interests at heart, to give us direction . 
 

I thought that might be what you meant, but it sounded funny to use the term "anointed" as if it were the equivalent of saying "those who take the lead." That's because so few of the thousands of anointed are known to be taking the lead. But now I see why you included the question with Song 25, because the Governing Body will be among those who will disappear from the earth at some point prior to Armageddon.
Perhaps this is preparation for us to begin thinking of accepting capable brothers from among the other sheep to begin taking the lead at higher levels, such as among the Governing Body in the very near future. For example, in 15 years if Armageddon has not arrived, and several members of the current Governing Body do not live that long, there may already be very few qualified anointed persons to choose from. Can we imagine a scenario where there are only two, and then only ONE member of the Governing Body? I believe that very few of the current GB Helpers claim to be anointed.
I would agree that the actual, literal point of this article is to prepare us for the idea that there may be a sudden change to a kind of Governing Body made up of only members of the other sheep.

I only see "two groups" of anointed here:
1. Those who are sleeping in death at the time the parousia arrives.
2. Those who are still alive when the time for the parousia arrives.

We do rely on the Scriptures.

A few years ago I was in Pittsburgh visiting one of my husband's relatives and since we were right there, at the "nucleus" of where it all "began" we went to see Russell's grave, saw the Pyramid (which actually is not his tombstone as some think) and we also went to the Allegheny congregation. The brothers there regularly do unofficial tours of Russell sites if any visitor asks about it. I mentioned to the brother about pyramidology, he laughed, a little uncomfortably, and said "we don't talk about that". I understand it's a little bit of an embarrassment, but if you know the facts about it, it is nothing bad, and I would say it's quite understandable for men of God at that time who were searching for truth to have looked into all kinds of things along the route. It becomes a problem when opposers twist or embellish facts and make it look like Russell was into the occult and freemasonry etc. So in my opinion it would be better to explain where Russell was coming from, rather than trying to bury or ignore it. But, and this is the sad thing, perhaps the brother in question really didn't know the facts, and this is where the cult thinking comes in. You are a follower despite some unexplained beliefs. But perhap's I am doing the brother an injustice, perhaps he knew all about  Russell's "theories", but just couldn't be bothered to go into it....

A few years ago I was in Pittsburgh visiting one of my husband's relatives and since we were right there, at the "nucleus" of where it all "began" we went to see Russell's grave, saw the Pyramid (which actually is not his tombstone as some think) and we also went to the Allegheny congregation. The brothers there regularly do unofficial tours of Russell sites if any visitor asks about it. I mentioned to the brother about pyramidology, he laughed, a little uncomfortably, and said "we don't talk about that". I understand it's a little bit of an embarrassment, but if you know the facts about it, it is nothing bad, and I would say it's quite understandable for men of God at that time who were searching for truth to have looked into all kinds of things along the route. It becomes a problem when opposers twist or embellish facts and make it look like Russell was into the occult and freemasonry etc. So in my opinion it would be better to explain where Russell was coming from, rather than trying to bury or ignore it. But, and this is the sad thing, perhaps the brother in question really didn't know the facts, and this is where the cult thinking comes in. You are a follower despite some unexplained beliefs. But perhap's I am doing the brother an injustice, perhaps he knew all about  Russell's "theories", but just couldn't be bothered to go into it....

Really? Everything possible must be tried in order to make a cult out of the U.S.Marines in as short a time as possible. It includes the idea that they can claim authority from Almighty God, Jehovah. And notice the "Ezekiel" video playing, too.
 

I have a little more respect for the ones who are not participating.

Those are not good things by most people's standards. However, I do agree with the last two. Thinking is always a good idea, and everyone should make sure their beliefs are not based on false ideas.

Come on James, you don't have to put yourself in that dark place. Think positive thoughts.

I know them about as well as you know them. Doesn't mean I agree with their conclusions. If someone is serious about their research, I'll take it seriously, too. I called the WTS with questions on several occasions when working through the claims being made by outsiders about the JW era in Hitler's Germany, and both Brother H.Peloyan and Brother J.Pellechia said they didn't know the answers, exactly, but pointed me to a book by M.James Penton, with a reminder that although he answers the questions I had, that this doesn't mean we need to subscribe to all of his conclusions. I agree with them, and appreciated their honesty. I bought Penton's book about Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich specifically on the recommendation of Brother Pellechia.
I think you are at least 100 times more "devoted" to everything I say than Anna.
I agree with the Watchtower which also has said many times that we should challenge the Watchtower teachings to see if they speak the truth. If you disagree, then you are simply disagreeing with the Watchtower. That should not be a problem to anyone, if you have good Biblical reasons, but in this case the Watchtower agrees with the Bible.
If that were true, you should have been able to show me at least one case where I did that. So far, you've shown no evidence of any misrepresentation.
Remember, however, that this is about what the Watchtower publications have had to say. I have noticed, for example, that the Watchtower, for a time, confused the end of the Gentile Times with October 1914, then posited dates as late as October 1915, then August 1914, then back to October 1914, and then in the 1920's the Watchtower began presenting material that claimed Russell had made an announcement at Bethel on October 1st, then October 4th, then October 2nd. However, I had never noticed one of the Watchtower quotations that was pictured (in context) in the material that @Noble Berean presented. Where I can learn something, I'm always happy to learn.
That's because I recognized instantly that you were flat out wrong about @Matthew9969 being the same as @Noble Berean. There was absolutely no evidence for it and a lot of evidence against it. However, I think I know exactly why you made the mistake in thinking so yourself. If you're interested, I can help you understand.
I insinuated exactly the opposite. That this cultish behavior was already generally cleaned up way back in Rutherford's time, with lingering influences from some who never seemed to completely cleanse themselves from the ideologies of that period.
All you have to do is point out one of these falsehoods or dishonesties and I will immediately change my mind about it and apologize. As I said, you've had four years of opportunities. I'm sure I've made several mistakes in that time period.
(Proverbs 10:19) 19 In the abundance of words there does not fail to be transgression,. . .  

Truth means "the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Not whitewashed, partial truth, and not just the "spin" that tickles our ears.
That's everyone's own business whether they would rather know the whole truth, or ignore the truth, or assume that others can and should prioritize for them what they need to know as "the truth."
But, for me, I think we would be hypocrites to sing songs like we just did this last week. (Make the Truth Your Own), the comments on Colossians 2:8, etc., etc. Most of our meetings contain small reminders that we need to "love" truth. It shouldn't matter where it takes us. Actually, it should matter. And it should matter, even more, that some people don't want us to go where it takes us. 
It's difficult for most of us to admit that the "Watchtower religion" has been a cult in the past. (In the more pejorative sense of the word.) The Watchtower publicly admits that this is true, claiming that many of the Bible Students were cult worshipers of Charles Taze Russell. We know that Rutherford said he determined to rid the Watchtower of the personality cult that worshiped Russell. He called this "creature worship" because they were worshiping a man. But we also know that, for many years, Rutherford himself was part of the same cult, and even bragged in 1916 that Russell's enemies would soon have to come and "worship at his feet."
But, in general, I think Rutherford finally did a pretty good job replacing the cult members with persons who were looking for practical Bible truth, and not just for a man to do their thinking for them. But many persons, even Watchtower writers, have confused God and the earthly organization. And, this idea might surprise many, but I think that F.W.Franz gave evidence that he remained as a "cult" member until he died. He loved being seen as the the primary Rabbi --The ORACLE, they called him-- and it went to his head as he tried for his entire career to revive interest in dates, chronology, numerology, Jubilees, new truths (prophetic interpretations), parallel dispensations, the pre-eminence of the truly anointed, etc. I think his influence created cult members out of several ordinary Witnesses. I believe that my great-grandfather (from even before F.Franz was at Bethel) was a "cult" member in the organization until the 1960's when he died, even though my other relatives were (and are) regular JWs, and not cult members. I'm pretty sure that C.Woodworth was a cult member until the 1950's when he died. I know that when they searched out documentation and photos for the Proclaimer's book, they were astounded at the "cult" material still available in Witnesses' archives, including F.Franz himself.
And many Witnesses, today, are tempted to look at 8 men exactly the way that Bible Students looked at Russell. The way we defend or dismiss the material from our past history can be an indicator as to whether we too have succumbed to cult thinking. Even the way we defend current material that came out of long-standing traditions of the past can also be an indicator. I can talk to Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists for hours and recognize almost immediately which ones are in a "cult" and which ones aren't by the manner in which they defend Ellen G White or Joseph Smith when glaring problems are pointed out.
(Job 31:26-28) 26 If I saw the sun shining Or the moon moving in its splendor; 27 And my heart was secretly enticed, And my mouth kissed my hand in worship of them; 28 Then that would be an error deserving punishment by the judges, For I would have denied the true God above.

I scan these posts quickly to make sure that I am not on the current list of villains. If I am not, then I’m good.

I appear to be behind the times here.
Mike & Kim I know of from a video I watched of them on YouTube, where they seemed a bit too silly and flippant (perhaps even tipsy?). But their information was lousy, and they were promoting this idea that elders were destroying necessary CSA evidence, when they were really misinterpreting "good practice" counsel from the WTS about record-keeping.  Maybe they have done their homework on other videos, but I won't waste my time because I don't trust them based on the random one I watched. P. Asare I have never heard of. John Redwood is related to John Cedars, who is somehow related to Lloyd Evans, as I saw these names on JW Survey. I downloaded that site to read later, but I did read all the headlines from the site, just never got back to it. Average Joe I have never heard of. Bill Bowen is the former elder who put his face behind "Silent Lambs" which intended to expose CSA crimes among JWs. I understand that Barbara Anderson worked with him to get it started and get it named but that Barbara Anderson didn't trust his motives or his personality and backed away from it. (I have read much of Anderson's site, and the name comes up often when I search Google on several different historical and CSA topics.) WiFiBandit sounds very familiar but I do not know from where. (I suspect this is a Jehovahs-Witness forum participant. I don't care much about the work of most ex-JWs for purposes of testing their claims, or defense against their claims, unless I'm convinced that they have done their homework, and are not prone to taking things out of context. For this reason, I have purchased 2 books from M.J.Penton, 1 from C.O.Jonnson, and 2 from E.C.Gruss. (I also have two books from R.Franz that I picked up online as free pdfs. I also picked up a book called Apostles of Denial from archive.org, which is also from E.C.Gruss.)
Otherwise, I pretty much ignore current online sources because I think they tend to get their info from other sources anyway, and misinterpret or misrepresent what they said. For this reason I won't bother with those who don't do their own work, when it comes to claims we should test for ourselves.
Compared to people who appear to have gone to original sources and documented their work, I'd guess that most of these online personalities are probably just repeating things. Any of them, including the authors I mentioned, might also have had bad motives. We should expect that this taints their own conclusions. But it's worth looking at their work, especially if a lot of it is true, regardless of their own motives or conclusions. Perhaps we'll look at the same evidence and come to a different conclusion.

I agree. The thing is, many would rather not know. At least that's how it appears to me. On the other hand, I wonder what actual good does it do to know? I mean of what practical benefit? (looking at it from the point of view of those who do not want to know, or would rather not know). The only thing I can think of is it equips you better to defend your faith and as you say prepare you for any possible question that might come up based on these issues. This is perhaps the only reason that I started reading these things, so if my son read something, and had questions, I would already know what he was talking about.

Well thank you Billy for giving us a list of activist ex-JWs for us to peruse. Know any more? (sarcasm)
 

Come on James, you don't have to put yourself in that dark place. Think positive thoughts.

Since I am a self-proclaimed Barbarian, Billy, I can only assume you are trying to flatter me for some romantic reason.  It will NOT work!

It helps to shake up a cat like a can of spray paint, and tape them into the box.

I agree. The thing is, many would rather not know. At least that's how it appears to me. On the other hand, I wonder what actual good does it do to know? I mean of what practical benefit? (looking at it from the point of view of those who do not want to know, or would rather not know). The only thing I can think of is it equips you better to defend your faith and as you say prepare you for any possible question that might come up based on these issues. This is perhaps the only reason that I started reading these things, so if my son read something, and had questions, I would already know what he was talking about.

At first I thought it was N.B., but I agree that this seems to be part of a much larger collection of anti-JW material. But you are right, it appears to be all JW material that is used in the 01.Read First; 02.Generation; and 03.LightBrighter files. I haven't seen the other files yet. The arguments may take things to an excessive conclusion, based on added marginal notes, but all this is still a REAL part of the history of the organization that should be understood correctly. We do take pride in the history of our organization, and an honest person would never leave out this information, even if our explanation for it is more generous than we might expect from ex-JWs.
For some, ignorance is bliss, or at least preferable to knowing these things. But a fully honest Witness will want to know what really happened and what others might think of these issues, and prepare for any possible question that might come up based on these issues. (1 Pet 3:15)
Some of these references are fairly recent, so it must be someone who was an active ex-JW recently. Perhaps N.B. knows, or it could be discovered through a search of the large JW discussion group. I make it a point not to visit there because there is too much real hatred of JWs, elders, GB. There is some of that here, but manageable in the sense that you can keep track of the few names who offer very little more than just repetitious hatred of everything related to the organization. It's easier to pick and choose over here, and know what to expect from each participant.
I'm interested in who this was, however, if anyone else already knows or wishes to search it out. Otherwise, I'll try to figure it out. (As of tomorrow, I'm out for over a week, again.)

I believe this was compiled by an ex-JW whose name I cannot remember. (I mean the first part that Noble posted, the bit about flip flops on rape etc.). He prided himself on only using WT publications to discredit the org.

Don't go to the rest room, you might miss it!

Exactly. Plus, it's not as if Sofia will never have any ice cream again @James Thomas Rook Jr.. You of all people should agree with that type of upbringing, in a world where the kids think the world owes them. Parents need to do society a favor and read the latest Awake: https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/awake-no2-2019-jul-aug/
 
 

Don't go to the rest room, you might miss it!

Looking forward to hear what is going to be said about animals/pets at the assembly.