TrueTomHarley

“not sure what you read as a typo”

Maybe the penman had a close relationship with Jesus.

7 hours ago, JW Insider said:

My dad often told the story of how many students would see it and wonder what the job number referred to.

Now I see where that Mission Impossible line came from.

13 hours ago, Thinking said:

Did Jehovah think it just a little loss of temper..or Aaron’s failure to be strong in his faith . Jehovah was goi g to strike him dead except for Moses begging for his life.

 

Hadn’t thought of that. Even if Aaron had caught Moses’ flash of temper, he might have thought, ‘I owe him one.’

On 11/9/2023 at 2:14 PM, Many Miles said:

I completely understand what you write here, and don't necessarily disagree. The sole reason I brought up the questions you responded to was only to show there is a limit to any obedience or loyalty we may owe any human or group of humans, regardless of whatever authority they might hold.

It seems like if we are going to do overstepping headship, we should criticize Aaron for not going all the way and saying to God, ‘Oh, come on! After all he’s done? It was just a little loss of temper, and goodness knows, they had it coming!’

That is the sentiment most of us have to come to grips with upon reading the account. Aaron was human. Would he not have had to come to grips with it too?

The trouble with overstepping headship is that people don’t have the judgment to know when to do it. For every ‘proper’ time they do it, there are 5 improper times.

On 10/31/2023 at 11:29 AM, George88 said:

If I were granted the extraordinary ability to travel through time, my first endeavor would be to valiantly stand by Jesus' side. Although I harbor doubts as to whether my efforts would have yielded success, given that Christ was destined to become humanity's savior, the mere notion of trying fills me with indescribable wonder.

I must be reading this wrong, but it seems to me the notion ought to fill you with dismay. Had you succeeded, you would have negated God’s means to save humanity. That’s a pretty steep price to pay just to get some licks in.

Oh. Wait. My bad. You’re probably not speaking of success in the sense of stopping Jesus arrest. You’re speaking of outdoing the twelve and not cutting loose and run in his moment of trial. Well, yes, that might be a good thing to aspire to. Not so sure the twelve could be outdone, though. 

Sort of like all this commentary on what Aaron should have done if he just had a little backbone.

7 minutes ago, Many Miles said:

Can't imagine Jobs or Musk driving one. But were we to find a photo of it, that would be worth sharing!

Click and Clack, auto mechanics who had a schtick on radio, used to say the grates on the back were for keeping your hands warm as you were pushing it. (I do like the price, though)

2 hours ago, Many Miles said:

We're not talking about Jobs or Musk

Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’re just using one of those crummy Android jobs and driving a Yugo.

On 10/31/2023 at 12:54 PM, Many Miles said:

Were I to ask whether Adam should have acted to check Eve's action in Eden to eat of the tree of knowledge, my guess is you'd have a ready answer

Good comparison. 

Yes in the first instance, no in the second. Yes in the first because of headship. Adam had it. No in the second because Aaron did not.

I admit there’s an appeal to the #2 guy correcting the faux pas of the one who has headship. Trouble is, once it begins it never ends. Then, you soon discover that the #2 guy is overall less qualified than the #1–which partly accounts for why the #1 was appointed 1 to begin with.

Since you’ve presented an imperfect comparison, not so imperfect as to be sophistry, but imperfect nonetheless, I will too:

Do you think Steve Jobs’ or Elon Musk’s #2 person should have corrected Steve or Elon every time they impulsively fired someone? (Both of them fired many, often on a whim, often unjustly)

Bear in mind that Jobs gave you that iPad you’re writing on and Musk that Tesla you covet. 

On 10/31/2023 at 7:57 AM, Many Miles said:

Scoring points is infantile and I'll have no part in it. But relevant questions deserve answering, particularly when they are as simple as 2 + 2.

Ooh. That being the case, can you send any unwanted points my way?

On 10/31/2023 at 8:24 AM, Many Miles said:

when a question can be answered with a single word it gets confusing when an avalanche is offered in response.…. "Do you think Aaron should have acted to check Moses actions at that incident,

No.

On 10/31/2023 at 8:24 AM, Many Miles said:

Aaron could have acted to check Moses without instilling a rebellion. All he had to do was say aloud something to the effect of "You mean Jehovah, not us." But he didn't do that.

Still no. Each one will carry his own load. Have you ever sat in on a meeting where one participant feels obliged to correct every slip of the tongue of another?

On 10/30/2023 at 3:49 PM, Many Miles said:

Do you think Aaron should have stood is passive support of Moses at the incident of Meribah, just because Moses was anointed by God as His spokesman?

Or, do you think Aaron should have acted to check Moses actions at that incident, despite Moses being anointed by God as His spokesman?

“Whoa, big fella! Whatcha doing here?!”

I can’t picture it. It’s not as though Moses wasn’t being severely tested. Probably Aaron felt the pressure of the same test. He was probably just as upset with the people and only sensed vaguely what Moses was doing wrong, or even if he was.

Even today, it’s hard not to excuse Moses. I liken it to, when a brother gives a good talk and ones approach him to say, ‘Good talk!’ he will, likely as not, murmur something to the effect that it is not he, but Jehovah. He says this even though it is perfectly possible for ones to speak persuasively without any help at all from Jehovah. So what are we to make of someone who takes full credit for doing something that no human in a thousand years would be able to do?

But it’s not immediately obvious. Most fail to make the point stand out as to how outrageous Moses’ response really is.

40 minutes ago, Many Miles said:

Nothing like saying it like you mean it!

In fairness, there is a 66 year difference in the quotes. Most things modify within a 66-year period, even when it means backing off a little. It’s a far cry from, ‘To each his own gods, o Israel!’ They still think it’s a good idea to pay attention to them, if not simply on the basis of headship and respect for love shown. As do I. I appreciate the modification, since I know I ought not feel disloyal if I don’t embrace every little thing.

I mean, really. Think back to 1957, when people readily complied with all things without complaint. Back when my dad would shear my hair like the barnyard animals he grew up with, leaving just a little tuft in the front like a hood ornament. He blew his stack when the Beatles came along and I tried to grow my hair one millimeter longer.

14 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

To love the country. What is a country if not a political creation. If JW love "political creation" in land where he/she lives

Sometimes when coming to grips with a calamity, people do not speak with a thesaurus in hand. He meant ‘land of his birth, same as that 89 Wt.

4 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

He, Joshua David, says that JWs love the country they live in. He says; "We love India". This is the first time I have heard such a thing from the mouth of a JW. Saying it publicly like this speaks about a new twist

“Those who claim that their own nation is superior to all others, even to the point of worshiping the State, have been manipulated by rulers and regimented in order to carry out their policies, whether good or bad. As a result, the Goliath class has arisen to test the loyalty of God’s people, who love the land of their birth but decline to worship the State and its symbols.”  [italics mine]. (Wt 1/1/89, pg 22)

“Why do people here go to such extreme lengths to falsify their theories by overriding a locked post?”

I have often wondered about this.

9 hours ago, xero said:

dropping a deuce in a public stall, not flushing it, and crawling out from under the locked stall?

I must admit that’s a simile I’ve never heard before.

There are quite a few Gospel accounts, and in general, the more removed they are from the dates of actual events, the more ‘far out’ they are. The four in the the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). though there is squabbling over details, even to the point of who wrote them, are universally considered as closest to the actual events they depict.

There appear to be some apocryphal passages that have been inserted into the original four—the ending of Mark, for example, about handling snakes and drinking poison. Though included in the King James Version, almost all modern transactions have either removed them or footnoted them as found in only much-later manuscripts.

Another such passage, believe it or not, is the in which Jesus says, ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’ in the Gospel of John. It isn’t there in the oldest versions.

Not to be outdone with all these newly discovered gospels, I went down to the dessert and presently discovered my own, ‘The Gospel of Howard:’

https://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2006/05/the_gospel_of_j.html

9 hours ago, Fausto Hoover said:

The undeniable truth is that Jehovah's Witnesses are witnessing a steady decline in the conditions of our world with each passing day. I firmly believe that Christ made reference to that fact. Hence, it is not rocket science, but apostates have a tendency to distort this reality.

It is true that if you are using 2Timothy 3:1-5 in the ministry to show that people are worse than ever before and your audience doesn’t agree, there’s not much you can do about it. It is subjective.

That’s why one should compare bookends—the Titanic and the Costa Concordia. Doing so instantly makes the point:

https://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2012/01/costa-concordia-titanic-and-the-last-days.html

FWIW: I was in service recently. My companion made a return visit on a young man, 20s I would say, who said he was atheist. She read 2 Timothy 3:1-5. He did not know of the verses and emphatically agreed they were especially applicable now (somewhat to my surprise—I figured he would pull a dismissive Pudgy).

“Why do you Jehovah’s Witnesses always have to say that conditions are getting worse? What does that belief do for you?”

It helps me to explain why the Doomsday Clock is set at 90 seconds to midnight and not 10:30 AM.

On 9/19/2023 at 8:49 PM, The Librarian said:

I actually wouldn't be surprised if Bethel is starting to allocate some holdings in Bitcoin

Lawyers would have a very hard time tracking assets they don't even know exist

I dunno. The trick would be to persuade them they really are assets and not just the next UN NGO bright idea.

The commentator may also be attempting to obscure the fact that if you want the same proportional ‘catch’ among Jehovah’s Witnesses that exists among the leaders of some faiths, you must widen the net to include everybody in the faith. Imagine if NCR decided to report on the abuse reported among any Catholics.

I suspect its days are numbered. They have a tech geek on that Hall upon whom it does not dawn that not everyone scheduled wants to be advertised before the whole wide world, all but encouraging doxxing.

17 hours ago, Mic Drop said:

 

A lot of yachts in jeopardy if what this fellow is saying comes to pass.

12 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

None of us know if WTJWORG or any of its entities have signed anything with the OSCE.

None of us know if they have landed on Saturn, either.

12 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

Clear enough?