TrueTomHarley

1 minute ago, Anna said:

Come on now John, I am beginning to think you are losing your understanding of the definition of worship....

Isn’t there some verse somewhere about crazed animals who hurtled over the precipice?

27 minutes ago, 4Jah2me said:

But your GB live in luxury

They live in dorms. Nice dorms, to be sure, with common access to other areas, but still they are dorms.

56 minutes ago, 4Jah2me said:

And then Kingdom halls are sold off to other religions or to any one that will buy them, just to bring the $$$$ in. 

Isn’t anything sold for that reason?

52 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

Perhaps value of volunteer working hours and materials is also enormous. Any suggestion?

Yes. Make it illegal to volunteer for anything. Those volunteer ambulance departments? Make them illegal. Tell no one to budge unless someone puts a check in their hand.

41 minutes ago, 4Jah2me said:

BUT IT WASN'T. It was a wreck that needed millions spent on it, and should have been pulled down. 

Oh, very well, you idiot. Go buy your house for full price—even over price. Write letters to the editor to voice your outrage at those who buy fixer-uppers.

26 minutes ago, Witness said:

How many times as a JW have you read this scripture below? 

Recent discoveries in the dry desert have included the following lost verse: “If anyone says to you, ‘buy high and sell low’ tell him to take a hike.”

27 minutes ago, Witness said:

Do not love the world or the things in the world.

It so happens that the “thing of the world” under discussion is the building that they meet in. Prove your own disgust for “things of the world.” Burn your house down, and take up residency on the edge of town without that impediment to piety.

20 minutes ago, 4Jah2me said:

One building the GB and others at the top of the JW Org worship is this one.

You’re just upset because you practice “Buy high, sell low” and they don’t.

There was a certain amount of protest from the malcontents of the time about building ornate palaces. The brothers weren’t having any of it. They weren’t building anything, they pointed out—they were restoring what was already there. In so doing, they brought an architectural jewel brought to life and received considerable praise from the local community. It had fallen into neglect and disrepair. A few more years and the wrecking ball would have claimed it. 

‘Don’t witness to any visitors,’ the tour guides were told. ‘Let the building be the witness.’ They acquired a fine meeting place for a song and a bit of elbow grease. The brothers were happy. The community was happy. Everyone was happy except you and Witness.

6 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

Freddie Mercury, the lead singer and genius behind the rock star musical group "Queen" was a raging, flaming, uncontrolled homosexual who died of AIDS, the other members of the band were pretty normal people, also with incredible musical talent and dedication.

I find solace that Charlie Watts, the drummer for The Rolling Stones, is a pretty normal family guy who lays low when the others would carry on with women, partying and drugs.

Once upon a drunken time, Mick Jagger pounded on his hotel door at 2 AM, demanding to know: “Where’s my drummer?!” Charlie punched him in the nose. “Don’t you ever call me your drummer!” he said. “You’re my singer!”

9 minutes ago, the Sower of Seed said:

We live during a time of rebellion,

Yes. And always always always the point of attack for rebels will be the divine/human interface. It was true with Miriam as you pointed out. It was true with the early Christian congregation. It was even true regarding Judas. He and God were tight—they were no problems there! But that fellow who claimed to be the messiah was not at all what Judas had been expecting. Judas has scoped it out for 3 years and concluded that he did not fit the bill at all.

9 hours ago, JW Insider said:

It seems like you are seeing way too much importance in a little "backwater" forum where only about three dozen persons ever speak up about such issues, and where two dozen of them are probably you.

Yes. There is no better place to hide than in plain sight. Even the participants her e cannot keep up unless they absolutely have no life. Are we to imagine that everyone else is eagerly following every word?

On 1/15/2020 at 3:23 PM, Anna said:

Yes, I did actually understand what you were saying before, and why you were saying it, but I still don't think we can make comparisons in view of the general meaning of "salary".  As you said:

Victor Blackwell defended our brothers during WWII. He said if they were pioneers they might claim exemption from the military draft by reason of being a minister. This would almost always be denied by the local judge. Though their ministry might plainly be the most important thing in their lives, Blackwell writes that judges recognized only the type of ministers who:

1) “had a church” and

2) got paid.

He called this type “mercenary ministers.” It says a lot. The only model of a minister recognized was that of ones who had transformed Jesus model into a career path.

1 hour ago, César Chávez said:

But that's entertainment. In my neighborhood it's called the setup man. 

I sure made use of it, identifying the Big Apple with Apple the company with.a bite taken out of it as though smitten—also with Tim Cook thereby being one of the two witnesses and Jeff Bezos’ the other, for his company that  decimated the Big City by not investing there, running from local politicians like a Great Antitypical Scared Rabbit, fleeing to Virginia instead.

And I haven’t even gotten started yet about how Virginia must be the home of those who did not defile themselves with women—virgins. And Virginia abuts the American capital, the same way as does the Great Capital where ones who do not defile themselves with women hang out. (though, to be sure, in the literal capital, they defile themselves with plenty of women—other things, too) That means Washington is antitypical of the ruling city of Revelation! Doesn’t that Mormon temple there lit up at night—is that still there?—visible on the beltway prove it since it looks holy? 

Yes! It is all a drama that is foreshadowed by places and events of the United States! And what if you live anywhere else? Fuhgeddabuodit! 

To be sure, there are a few details that aren’t fully explained. I’ll have it all worked out by supper time. I am a prophet on fire, I am.

8 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

I'm not the one to try to punch more holes in this theory, because my own theory

I am reminded of a certain joker in our congregation who, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when I mentioned how the identity of the northern king was unclear and might again resurface somewhere else, said: “It’s Bolivia.”

20 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

I don't see any problem with the identification of Babylon the Great with false religion.

I don’t have any problem with the vast majority of ids in the Revelation book. Only a few of the early conventions in various locations are mis-identified as significant, They should have been ones all in Rochester, where I attend.

50 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

In case of people who believe in future resurrection, as in case of JW members

I am reminded of a Great Courses CD lecture from someone who teaches theology at Chapel Hill. He poses the question: ‘why would various Christian martyrs appear so eager to get out of this world when they seemingly had so much to offer it?’ ‘He’s forgotten everything,’ I said to myself, if he ever knew it. And he teaches it. At the university. Where the clergy goes to get their degrees that count so highly with you.

17 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

But we must be ready to square this with the fact

Valid points made on both counts.

Sigh......Maybe they will someday turn over a new leaf and I will see on the webpage:

”Watchtower—home of the polite lawyers, the reasonable lawyers, the Christian lawyers.......anybody representing anything can roll them.”

9 hours ago, Arauna said:

When the bible indicates that the merchants will cry

Well, it is where Wall Street is located. He does have that point.

7 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

This mantra,  platitudes - "live it to god", is not proper answer for many things we faced.

It is entirely a matter of “Is this life all there is”

If one thinks that it is—if one’s sole horizon in life is only for a few decades—the way one approaches many things will be completely different. 

@Annamentioned one victim in the suit who wanted no part of it. He or she wanted to ‘get on with life’ & was content that the perpetrator was punished & and did not feel the desire to blame parties that he thought were not at fault.

5 minutes ago, Kosonen said:

So I recommend you all to continue go to meetings and to associate with your congregation.

Okay,

6 minutes ago, Kosonen said:

I think it is a good thing, that my wife and my children go regularly to meetings.

I see them. They are still saving you a seat.

9 minutes ago, Kosonen said:

After all we are not so much better than Jesus' 12 apostles. 

We aren’t?

Come on!—is this for real?

On 1/11/2020 at 2:09 PM, Kosonen said:

What city is like the great city?’ 19 They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, and said: ‘Too bad, too bad, the great city, in which all those who had ships at sea became rich from her wealth, because in one hour she has been devastated!’

”Amazon is no more! The Greatest Merchant on Earth. Lord Bezos was going to come and then he said No! The two witnesses—Bezos and Cook—who would decimate the Great City! Oh the profits we would have made! Too bad, too bad! Say....what town did Amazon settle on, anyway?”

10 minutes ago, Anna said:

No No No! I've got it! Now that you've posted this image, it's become crystal clear. It is the bite that Adam took out of the fruit, which caused everything to go bottoms up, and is symbolized quite clearly by NYC, aka the big apple!

You are a false prophetess! It is Bezos and Cook. Next to them, Adam is ....um....naked! Go, woman! Go far from here! Mislead not the fine folk at the World News Media Forum any longer!

18 hours ago, JW Insider said:

Revelation was written in symbols because the very intent was to fire our imaginations. I think that the symbols are so obvious in most cases that even a non-Christian would understand much of what Revelation's imagery would convey 

You know, I’m starting to get into this.

Is not New York called the Big Apple? And if it truly was the same as Babylon the Great—the Great City, could it not be said that God’s wrath will take a substantial bite out of it?

Hmm.....Tim Cook is the anti-Christ!!!!!

1 hour ago, b4ucuhear said:

GB doesn’t agree with you, elders in your congraton don’t agree with you, JWs in general don't agree with you; people on this website don't agree with you (and with good reasoning points); and even that other anti-JW posters have a different interpretation than you, you may want to humblyconsider the possibility that you may need to rethink the direction you have taken over the last little while - and that you may be wrong. 

Not so fast. I’m starting to come around

1 hour ago, b4ucuhear said:

to go where?

To Buffalo, of course!

On 1/11/2020 at 2:09 PM, Kosonen said:

Nice that you are ready to reexamine what really Babylon the Great represent.

I am ready. Teach me.

For crying out loud, Where’s the modesty? (a HUGE tell, in my book)

11 minutes ago, b4ucuhear said:

Kosonen: Babylon the Great is New York

No. I don’t think so on account of the prophet Frank: 

“If I can’t make it, there, I can’t make it anywhere! I’m stuck with you, New York, New York!”

(New York State registered a decline of population last year and the governor famously said that it was on account of the weather. This led to loud guffaws from those who pointed out that the weather has always been the weather in New York. However, I agreed with him and tweeted that New York has some of the highest weather in the country—income weather, sales weather, and property weather.)

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

Perhaps it was a problem in Buffalo, NY 

The old hen will rightly get mad at me for this one, but:

what in the world could be the problem with Buffalo NY? It has the largest summer garden show in the country. Call that a problem?

https://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2010/08/redeeming-americas-armpit.html

6 minutes ago, Anna said:

“The average Clergy salary in the United States is $96,800 as of December 26, 2019, but the range typically falls between $79,600 and $109,800".

Wow-whee! Say, did you hear the one about the clergyman who started to sing the Beatles’ tune and got hung up on the first line?

You never give me your money

You never give me you mo-huh-huh-ney

You never give me you mo-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-ney

5 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

Requires a master's degree.

Acquired at Divinity schools generally by professors who don’t believe it.

3 minutes ago, Anna said:

Yes, and if they do have a masters degree, it's most likely not a degree in theology

If they do, it makes them even worse qualified...see above

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

Everyone should be happy that the GB are thinking about support structures to try to help all of us get through hard times that are expected. 

Were it not for their concern my Go Kit would be a bag of pretzels.

1 hour ago, Arauna said:

You really know how to pump things up in total unreality.

Overreaction (over the top accusation) is not one of the fruit ages of Jehovah's spirit

I am not sure just how it happens—have they been goaded into it? I don’t know. But several of these characters have broken out recently into absolute either lunacy or hatred.

1 hour ago, Srecko Sostar said:

Oh ,no i can't expect she would tell me anything, because she are not allowed to talk with me about congregational, spiritual things.

I saw that she was about to and clapped a hand over her mouth.

31 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

If every JW knows this why they in preaching service respond with: "NO, we have Elders"????

They just get a kick out of messing with you.

41 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

Majority of  JW  members don't know nothing about such "designation" for their congregational elders

Everybody knows it. It’s nothing more than common sense. Regardless of what elders are called, they come closest to fitting the role lawmakers have in mind for ‘clergy.’

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

Yet Jehovah sees the "sparrow" fall to the ground.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t fall. Maybe he has a point.

Did you notice how Bro Losch ran down all those end-time predictions from about the year 400? There was a avalanche of them. When he got to ‘our brothers have made some, too’, he didn’t take cover in numbers. He doubled-down and went into detail of how they missed. He didn’t even use the perfect outs that he might have used—verses like Acts 1:6 to show that they were in good company.

So when they had assembled, they asked him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”  

No budging on 1914, though.