TrueTomHarley

People think the Lennon/McCarney song Revolution advocates revolution. Does it? You say you want a revolution, Well, you know, We all want to change the world... But when you talk about destruction, Don't you know that you can count me out, Don't you know it's gonna be , All right.... You say you got a real solution, Well, you know, We'd all love to see the plan... You say you'll change the constitution, Well, you know, We all want to change your head You tell me it's the institution, Well, you know, You better free you mind instead But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Ray, You ain't going to make it with anyone anyway, Don't you know it's gonna be , All right, all right, all right Got a real solution? Show the plan. But if someone brings his plan to the altar and it is not acted on, what then? Does one become of those who pushes ahead? Or does one free his mind instead and not make a grab for the wheel of the bus? As to getting myself a free copy... I did. I emailed him. Unfortunately, every malcontent in the world probably did, too—some to laud him and some to express dismay that their own pet peeve has been ignored. He may not want to hear from any of them—since he says that the core doctrines are all true, words that most of them will choke on—most of them want “destruction.” Therefore, I despair of breaking through the pack and securing a free copy. I may write a lot, have a way with words, and craft them uniquely, but it would be a stretch to call myself a scholar, so I do not do so. “One scholar to another—I’ll drink to that,” said George Patton. Maybe some other scholar can get me in good with him. Or maybe I’ll have to pay up, which doesn’t seem right. Or maybe I’ll just wait to referee the brouhaha that results as others devour it. What will be the upshot? Much has changed since the time of Chairman Ray, which was a bit early for me and I’ve never read his book—I barely have to since so many have told me what’s in it. As mentioned before, what is the tone of this book? Is it a call for “revolution” or does he say to those opposers who want destruction, “count me out.”? Arauna says everything has to be judged in its own historical context, and much has changed in forty years. He wouldn’t appear on that smug webhost’s site because he was an apostate—surely that’s a good sign—just as I would not appear on Lloyd’s podcast, though he all but begged me to and was nice as pie until he realized I had no intention of doing so, after which he was horrible. Note how this fellow Norwegian self-described apostate oozes contempt that CO’s usually start as “window cleaners”—the same way that Celsus ridiculed the first and second century Christians for being “shoemakers, laborers, and the most clownish of men,” completely forgetting how God is partial toward those people and doesn’t look down upon them at all. I think there is a scene in Superman in which a battle of titans looms and one of the regular citizen-mortals says, “This is going to be good!” (JTR would know—what a time for him to leave!) That’s what they’re saying at Reddit, now.

Grumble grumble grumble

Usually you have to read a book before you comment on what it proves

This is not a promising sign. How does he know they refuse to do it? I wrote to them once, too, about my work—which does not by any stretch of the imagination take shots at them. I’ve not heard back. That doesn’t mean they ‘refuse.’ The verb reeks too much of adversarial intent. Perhaps at this very moment, the Bethel brothers have dropped all other considerations to write me a nice little letter. Shultz and de Vienne submitted their work to Bethel. They write that it was received ‘without comment.’ That is not the same as ‘refuse’ and they only speculated as to why their book met with silence.

I would like to. Had I contact information, I would. It is even possible I did communicate with him once through some sort of channel, but I forget. I am curious as to how things will be worded. Is it a ‘call to arms’ which is how the Reddit people will certain see it? Or is it more a personal ‘wish list’? Is it a call to ‘abandon ship’? It doesn’t appear to be, especially since there is no other ship to take its place and even an imperfect ship beats treading water. He is a scholar. Is he a scholar AND a doer, or has he just become a scholar? That will surely have a bearing. The physical ministry grounds a person—leave it at your own spiritual peril. The people of higher education generally assume ‘takeover rights.’ Does he? It will make a difference. To my mind, Christianity emerged as a ‘working class’ religion, and it always remained so. You know the verses: ‘uneducated and ordinary’, ‘not many wise in a fleshly way, powerful, of noble birth’, ‘hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones’ so as to ‘reveal them to babes’. If the tone of his book recognizes these verses, my guess is that he is fine. If the tone is, ‘Time to let the smart people take over’, there could be a problem. It is when the ‘smart people took over‘ in the first century that Christianity strayed so far from its roots as to be unrecognizable. Reddit, always eager for a blowup, will frame it as ‘Battle of the Titans’ with sure dire consequences to one or the other. That doesn’t mean that he does. Granted, as to higher education, the trouble with not having too much of it is that one finds it difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, and is thus tempted to dismiss it all as chaff. But there is a difference between saying that this or that policy has a downside, which the present brothers will probably agree with, and saying that we ought to have someone’s head on a platter, which they will not. What side does he come down on?

No sooner had I posted this: than Witness posted this: It is a very helpful link explaining the program. Now, Witness never ever posts things just to be helpful. In every case, she posts to denigrate her rivals the GB and to assure all that she can do things better. So why does she post this helpful link here? Everyone knows her m.o. She is in a panic that God’s organization might get credit for this generosity and she wants to make sure that they don’t. She wants to make clear that this is a GOVERNMENT program, NOT a JehovahsWitness program, and that people SHOULD NOT credit her rivals with generosity. Chill, you old battle axe, don’t worry about it. I plainly said that it was a USDA program for which I was grateful. USDA is government. Relax. I wasn’t giving your rivals the credit. I even said it represented a “Go to Donald” and I lament that JTR was no longer around, for I suspected that might get him going. The only credit I gave to the elders was for distributing the items. But does this prompt distribution not show the value of organization, organization that she says ‘Who needs it?’ Why does the USDA do it this way—distribute to non-profits? Because they have a ton of aid to distribute and if they do it all at government facilities the lines will be two miles long. They also face the challenge of letting potential recipients know. So they distribute to non-profits, taking advantage of the communication and distribution channels that they know will exist there. Will everyone agree here that NOBODY will do this more effectively than Jehovah’s Witnesses? There may be some to do it AS effectively, but nobody will beat them at it. Organizations where all members are known and readily found and where there exist messengers to deliver foodstuffs to each and every one of them cannot be an everyday thing. My wife and I received a package Saturday around 2PM, after hearing reports of such a program that morning. I can well imagine that there were churches whose members learned of it Sunday morning at services, assuming that they happened to be there, and if they weren’t—too bad. It is not my aim to put them down—frankly I think we do far too much of putting church people down—It is only to point out that the attention of the JW organization to each member is not replicated everywhere. Even where the will exists, the means may not—you have to have volunteers to quickly distribute. There will be some outfits, I have no doubt, that are attentive to those in need and will connect promptly to bring aid. But it will not be universal, and in some cases It will break down completely since it was never built up. It’s produce. It can’t sit around for days. It has to be handed out to each individual promptly. Members of the Witness community are broken down into service meeting groups, each under the oversight of one or more shepherds, who will know of any among them who is especially needy, and can therefore be prioritized. Apparently, there was plenty for all this time, but that may not always be so, and the elders will know how to best apportion. They are prepared to organize internal relief as was done in the 2nd chapter of Acts—coordinate members sharing with members—so that nobody is overlooked. In this case, the aid came from outside—a provision of Caesar (probably not replicated in too many countries)—and all there was to do was to distribute it promptly. I am very grateful to the government that is attentive to physical needs. Nonetheless, much of it would fall flat without proper expedition. And Witness says ‘Who needs organization?’ Is she nuts? This is why you need it. This is where, not only it is needed, but you draw yourself as close to it as possible so there will be no question that you are a part of it. You become one of the embers that knows enough to pull toward the main fire so as to remain embers. You don’t pull away from the fire so that, in time, nobody, including yourself, really knows it you are an ember or not. “Be sure to tune in to the WomanfromtheHills broadcast at 2 PM on Facebook for a discussion which will be the same as last week’s discussion—how my rivals are doing it all wrong and I can do better. Oh—and are you physically hungry? I think there is a government center somewhere in your area where they are handing out food. Get in queue. The line is only two hours in the sun. It may be that you will get some produce before it wilts and you can still be back in time to hear my address on how the Great Eight are good for nothing.”

Get him to send me a free copy. He can have a free one of two of my works, ‘Dear Mr. Putin - Jehovah’s Witnesses Write Russia’ and ‘TrueTom vs the Apostates’ on Smashwords. In fact, everyone can. I should have one of his. Get on it, will you?

Maybe I have a thing for sappy endings, but I like to think it is one of those things where If you seek Jehovah, even if you have gone off track, seek righteousness, and seek meekness, then probably it will turn out just fine in the end. I trust it will work out that way and I count it a good thing, even if a temporary loss here.

Matt always did have an ingratiating way with words. At least Witness expressed some honest concern. Should he not be welcomed back into the community? His posts are only slightly less nasty than what forced his leave at the end of the year.

Of course. Obviously. What!—you think it is right that Christians should be followers of men? I think you mutter just for the sake of muttering. God’s laws and principles are to be found in the Bible. That is where the guidance and boundaries are. That is where members are to go so as to grow spiritually. The hope is that they should grow to maturity, make decisions per God’s laws and principles, and do not just say, “What do you think, Srecko, so I can think just like you?”

Well well well. A 22lbs produce pack from the USDA. Apparantly all non-profits received a large supply to distribute. I’m very grateful. Elders distributed to the congregation members. But will this become a—gasp!— ‘Go to Donald’ type of thing? Now I really miss JTR! I would love to hear his input here. But he is doing penance for “chattering about us with wicked words.” He’ll get that cleaned up, and be back soon, perhaps.

People want so badly to be followers of men. “I don’t care what reasoning has been done or what counsel has been given. I want to know what you think.” Elders resist this because they are not trying to make their very own disciples. “For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” but another says, “I to A·polʹlos,” are you not acting like mere men? 5 What, then, is A·polʹlos? Yes, what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord granted each one. 6 I planted, A·polʹlos watered, but God kept making it grow, 7 so that neither is the one who plants anything nor is the one who waters, but God who makes it grow.”

He made it all public previously. These are your words, not mine. I am not casting him anywhere. I am very glad to see he re-evaluating some choices he has made so that Nobody Else does. I do. He doesn’t buy into your claptrap that you can remain close to Jehovah while being at serious odds with his earthly organization. Thinking hit the nail on the head—he is REAL. If you are bringing your gift to the altar and you recall that your brother has something against you due to the outrageous things you have said, first make peace with your brother, and then offer up your gift. I imagine that this is what he is doing now.

This is always the case in any paper about anything. Everyone selects point of support. Nobody selects points that undermine their premise. I see no reason to spin it as though it were some sort of conspiracy. There is scarcely anyone who does not do it. ”And when they persecute you in one town, see if you can find out what you are doing wrong so as to get them so riled up.” I don’t think so. ”And when you see the sun and the moon and the stars acting up, say, ‘There’s probably nothing to it.’” No.

“Some scientists” may be working on it right now.

Well, he certainly was that. Offhand, I think you guys are nuts (not you specifically, Thinking) He lost all his kids—none will speak with him. And for what? So as to spread every opposition taunt and insult about the earthly organization that Witness and 4Jah and Srecko and Shiwiiiiiiiiiiiiiii and Matthew4 5784 are perfectly content and capable to spread? That is worth losing your family for? I, for one, am delighted if he is recalibrating, because by doing so he may reasonably hope to reconcile himself to his family again, not to mention the greater brotherhood. Fear not, there is no danger of his becoming “Brother Watchtower,” as he put it. And, to be sure, I would prefer it if he continued with a modified parousia here rather than vanishing completely, for I will miss the guy. But sometimes in changing course one must make a complete break. I say that I am going to cease interacting with any of the villains, but then I come across that GIF of Kirk and the Gorn and it is curtains for me. Sometimes you just have to turn things off. I both like and admire when someone is willing to call a spade a spade. But calling a heart, a diamond, and a club a spade as well is too much. Is he readjusting his life to become not so breathtakingly disrespectful of those struggling with their own imperfections to take the lead in the Christian work? Good. It is not such a horrible thing to allow oneself to be molded by discipline, particularly when it comes of his own accord, which it obviously did. ObiWan seemed to have disappeared. So did Gandalf. But they both came back much improved for their disappearance. Maybe the same here someday.

I wrote a post long ago about how they had modified a certain phrase in a Revelation book update: “Some scientists believe that nuclear war might destroy all life on earth within 25 years.” The reason they had done that is because Vic Vomodog had marked off the time on his calendar and he was hoping, praying, pleading that there would be no worldwide nuclear war within 25 years so that he could crow over how they had been wrong again. (after 25 years was okay) I said then I thought taking the quote out was a mistake. Who would be left with egg on their faces if 25 years passed? “Some scientists.” What great debt to we owe to “some scientists” that we should cover for them? They urinate all over Genesis. Why should we bail them out?

No. But it probably is the same author. I distinctly remember it was one of three ‘Insight on the Scriptures’ items on a page in the Watchtower. JTR will attest to how I never ever EVER forget details. Unfortunately, he has taken a leave of absence and so his corroborating endorsement will have to be taken for granted.

Had my former prophesy been heeded that the end would come prior to January because we had reached the end of our current Bible reading schedule and it was too inconvenient to make everyone start again at Genesis, we wouldn’t be in this pickle.

that old hen

There was a feature in the Watchtower for a while that roughly paralleled ‘Watching the World.’ Does @JW Insider, who may have done the mock-up in a quoin, remember it? One page, and three items to the page. There was an item in the 1970s of some historian who pointed out that generation could be described as clustered around broad historical events, such as the generation of the Industrial Age. I well remember thinking that the organization might make use of that one day. If so, there might me one last hurrah even if 2034 came and went.

Am I on Candid Camera? Of course you do. Patch up with those kids first. Send them your above post as a letter of introduction, if you must. If you have all your children serving Jehovah, you have a better track record than me. You likened yourself to Mickey once. Based on my limited knowledge of both, I can easily see a likeness. “We made Miller Lite the #2 selling brand in the country, and everyone said ‘Nobody will drink that stuff.” Sometimes an actor switches roles.

This I don’t know about. I was referenced ‘anonymously?’ Well.....it’s a start. I followed RM on Twitter. After she died, BW became active on it. He expressly states that he steers clear of FB and IG for all the “idiots” on it, but he allows that Twitter is a nice distraction—it is like the background chatter in a coffee house. There was a time when I thought neither of them liked me very much, but I have since come to think it was just due to their being no-nonsense researchers who think that humor in research is an abomination, and note that I have no such aversion. He is steadily warming. In answer to my post about Woodstock and how it was held during a pandemic, he tweeted that he and his “antique wife” were pulling the leg of his nephew, giving the young man to believe that they had been there, apparently toking up with rest of them. He then threw in the unnecessary detail that he later fessed up and told the truth.

It is a light post that I wrote, but the part about Joseph taking interest in others even in the prison hole is a lesson for the ages. Same with how, even when he suffered serious reversals, Jehovah was always with him.

If it helps, Shiiiwiiiiii was not a specific target—I had someone else in mind. I am just enthralled with the GIF. I mean, C’mon! It’s perfect! Niggling little taunts from the lizard. Captain stared it down and then firmly shoves back. But that does not stop another pesky little poke from the lizard—who never gives up. Strictly speaking, adding the detail of the ‘tiny brain’ is not necessary. But it would fit for a lizard. It would also fit for a troll who makes it his career to continually show up on an ostensibly Witness site to launch incessant attacks. IMG_5900.MP4