TrueTomHarley

ONE OF MY BIBLE STUDIES YESTERDAY CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ARE THE TRUE RELIGION BECAUSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RUSSIA. HE NOTICED THAT ONLY THE WITNESSES AND NO OTHER RELIGION IS TARGETED TO BE BANNED ON APRIL 5. HE SAID "THERE ARE OVER 2,000 RELIGIONS IN RUSSIA AND THEY ARE PICKING ON A SMALL PEACEFUL RELIGION THAT CANNOT FIGHT BACK AS MOST WOULD DO. WHY ONLY THE WITNESSES?" HE SAID IT IS NOW OBVIOUS THAT THEY HAVE THE TRUTH. MANY RELIGIONS ARE BEING RESTRICTED IN RUSSIA BUT ONLY ONE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE SUPREME COURT TO BE ABOLISHED !!!

There was a report (does anyone have it?) that our brothers in Russia have withdrawn all appeals and have instead requested the largest possible courtroom for the April 5th hearing, the 'overflow' courtroom. Though I haven't confirmed it (you may know all about it) it is exactly what they would do - play this out before the largest possible audience. 
It is just how Jehovah is having it play out on the world wide today. The GB invites us to write, to bring our gift to the altar. Our people respond to such an enthusiastic degree that national Post Offices are getting crushed.  Of course, this leads to publicity everywhere as to just why that is, and the reason is astounding to non-Witnesses. I'd be surprised if every Witness in the world does not write to Putin or one of his chums. Surely, the world takes notice of a faith where each member takes such an interest in each other - especially since they risk getting run over in the parking lot of their own church once services are over. Putin may just load the letters on supertankers and sink them at sea - just how do you cope with millions of unexpected letters - but he cannot fail to be know that they exist.
Those who hate Jehovah's Witnesses join in the fray, writing letters in support of the ban, like the Edomites of Psalm 137 who screamed "lay it bare!' This almost makes it better, for it adds to the tonnage. But more importantly, everyone takes their place on the world stage. Let the people firmly and publicly divide themselves into the sheep or goats category. Perhaps the GB is luring them all, as with hooks in their jaws.
Meanwhile, note how our people conduct themselves. Note how extraordinarily respectful they are (as is seen in our videos) toward  Russian authorities. Note the Sept 2016 Study Wt article on Defending the Good News before courts, which is being used today as a template. Note how our respectful response is so contrary to what the world would expect that it only adds to the witness.
Let every person in the world become aware of and take a stand on this issue. If it is to be, let Russian officials look themselves in the mirror and publicly declare: "I believe, what with all the villains and scoundrels on the loose today in our country, that taking out Jehovah's Witnesses is the most important thing we can do."
The campaign may fail in its goal of swaying the minds of Russian officials. But it will not fall short in its goal of giving a massive witness. it will not fall short in stepping up the preaching work worldwide, as it presents fresh evidence that 'the time left is reduced.' It will not fall short in giving our Russian brothers tremendous reinforcement. For the rest of their lives, persons will approach them and say: "You crushed our Post Office. Just what kind of people are you, anyway?"
After all, if any of the hard or soft apostates here suffered the same hardships our Russian brothers are suffering, does anyone think their fellow apostates would come to their aid? Or would they just be roadkill?

There was a report (does anyone have it?) that our brothers in Russia have withdrawn all appeals and have instead requested the largest possible courtroom for the April 5th hearing, the 'overflow' courtroom. Though I haven't confirmed it (you may know all about it) it is exactly what they would do - play this out before the largest possible audience. 
It is just how Jehovah is having it play out on the world wide today. The GB invites us to write, to bring our gift to the altar. Our people respond to such an enthusiastic degree that national Post Offices are getting crushed.  Of course, this leads to publicity everywhere as to just why that is, and the reason is astounding to non-Witnesses. I'd be surprised if every Witness in the world does not write to Putin or one of his chums. Surely, the world takes notice of a faith where each member takes such an interest in each other - especially since they risk getting run over in the parking lot of their own church once services are over. Putin may just load the letters on supertankers and sink them at sea - just how do you cope with millions of unexpected letters - but he cannot fail to be know that they exist.
Those who hate Jehovah's Witnesses join in the fray, writing letters in support of the ban, like the Edomites of Psalm 137 who screamed "lay it bare!' This almost makes it better, for it adds to the tonnage. But more importantly, everyone takes their place on the world stage. Let the people firmly and publicly divide themselves into the sheep or goats category. Perhaps the GB is luring them all, as with hooks in their jaws.
Meanwhile, note how our people conduct themselves. Note how extraordinarily respectful they are (as is seen in our videos) toward  Russian authorities. Note the Sept 2016 Study Wt article on Defending the Good News before courts, which is being used today as a template. Note how our respectful response is so contrary to what the world would expect that it only adds to the witness.
Let every person in the world become aware of and take a stand on this issue. If it is to be, let Russian officials look themselves in the mirror and publicly declare: "I believe, what with all the villains and scoundrels on the loose today in our country, that taking out Jehovah's Witnesses is the most important thing we can do."
The campaign may fail in its goal of swaying the minds of Russian officials. But it will not fall short in its goal of giving a massive witness. it will not fall short in stepping up the preaching work worldwide, as it presents fresh evidence that 'the time left is reduced.' It will not fall short in giving our Russian brothers tremendous reinforcement. For the rest of their lives, persons will approach them and say: "You crushed our Post Office. Just what kind of people are you, anyway?"
After all, if any of the hard or soft apostates here suffered the same hardships our Russian brothers are suffering, does anyone think their fellow apostates would come to their aid? Or would they just be roadkill?

Here, Putin is routinely reviled by politicians and media. Respectful letters from ones who have every reason to gripe may make more impression than we realize.

When you are writing to the Russians about their proposal to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, there may be a temptation to speak of legal and constitutional issues, for their recent conduct flies in the face of many of them. There may be temptation to observe that, surely, ISIS provides the template of what extremism is. But I suspect leaders there are aware of these things and, for whatever reason, have chosen to ignore them.
Tell them something they don’t know. Tell them about eight million people, from every nation, who don’t know their Russian brothers personally, but care about them anyway. Let them ponder the significance of what if the whole world was like that. When they look to the outside world of international relations, all they see is bickering, bitching and bellyaching. Let them see another world.
Convey that we are ordinary, decent people, the sort who appreciates government’s role to preserve social order and improve the moral fabric of persons within its borders, and that we everywhere cooperate with governments as they pursue such goals. I like the suggestion at jw.org to relate some practical way in which the truth has helped us personally.
Imagine! An invitation from Bethel to write to high Russian officials about the proposed ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a fine way for individual Christians, most of whom feel quite helpless, to ‘bring their gift to the altar.’

Better to compare it to more recent letter writing campaigns, imo, and not Hitler. Hitler was doing unspeakable things to our people and many others. Russian officials, however, are probably only yielding to pressure from opposers in the house church.
It's hardly a slam-dunk, but neither should it be thought of as a lost cause.

Our people are loyal. They are beautiful. They are thrilled to be bringing their gift to the altar. But sometimes they are too flippant about what is really a very serious topic 

There was never a time when they were not allowed. Who's going to 'not allow' them?

It may be that I owe Queen Esther an apology, for she posts much fine content.
If you see someone accosted by an apostate and the reaction is far afield from what you would expect it would be, it can be hard to get your head around why that would be. It is my bad, perhaps. I'll just have to work harder to get my head around it.

Okay. Well, she knows one or two languages more than me, and that is a good thing. She may not realize that there are certain - how can they not be apostates? - who jump upon some of her posts and undercut / ridicule them. She would not like that if she knew, for she works so hard to provide upbuilding content.

It may be that I owe Queen Esther an apology, for she posts much fine content.
If you see someone accosted by an apostate and the reaction is far afield from what you would expect it would be, it can be hard to get your head around why that would be. It is my bad, perhaps. I'll just have to work harder to get my head around it.

Though our letter-writing campaign will surely catch their attention, we should not 'laugh' at the spectacle of these guys not being able to move because we have flooded their mail. If anything, we should apologize for it, with the caveat that the situation is desperate for us, we didn't know what else to do, and we felt we had to get their attention somehow.
Fear the king. Do not treat him with disrespect.
I am glad to read Mr. Pshelintsev's statement.
 

Here, Putin is routinely reviled by politicians and media. Respectful letters from ones who have every reason to gripe may make more impression than we realize.

They will know there is a nation in which every citizen cares deeply about every other citizen. They have never seen this before. They will not forget it, regardless of the outcome. Not to mention the encouragement it will bring our Russian brothers.

They will know there is a nation in which every citizen cares deeply about every other citizen. They have never seen this before. They will not forget it, regardless of the outcome. Not to mention the encouragement it will bring our Russian brothers.

Yes, of course he is our brother. But he is still putting on the Christlike personalty. I tried to counsel him about martial arts and he beat me up. Ouch.

I disagree. In most countries, if you taunt the king too much you risk your neck. But if you make it your aim to live quietly, as Christians do, won't they leave you alone?
It is a different form of government, that's all. "What, you think we're so righteous here?" Trump said. If they tolerate interference less than is done here, there is yet no reason to think they are not genuine in their desire to provide stability and good government. At the drop of a pin, Western media and politicians will describe them in the most insulting terms. We need not play that game. Our perception of the king there need not be formed by the king here.
Having said that, I've not been there. But most of those saying vile things have not been there, either.

This reminds me of the fellow who went to the doctor: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
Doc: "Don't do that"
You don't even have to embrace everything, necessarily. You can simply acquiece that this is the understanding of such and such at present. Maybe it will change some day. It has before. Just stop your dissenting, bitching, whining, bellyaching, trolling, and let yourself be molded by the means God is using.
You're willing to suffer divisions in your family? Just how far are you willing to go to 
prove
yourself
RIGHT!!!?
The time you have to interact with loved ones is short. Don't fritter it all away in a pissing contest as to whose right.
Perhaps I am not exactly on the same page as Allen, but I am close. In military terms, I believe the expression is "Loose Lips Sink Ships."
If I disagreed with something the Governing Body was doing, I would not say it here. I probably would not say it anywhere. At the very least, I would not say it to anyone without the ability to address it, and I would be slow about doing that uninvited. Surely Sunday's study material on modesty has taught us how to behave.
It is too easy to follow the example of the Western media: Expose and tear things down. It's the dream come true of a ten year old. They have no interest in rebuilding or replacing. That's someone else's job. Meanwhile, they'll look for more things to expose and tear down. It's good not to be that way.

I knew Seth Sheepngoats would pull something like this, I knew it! The tip-off should have been when I saw him go into that costume shop.
He arrived at the Kingdom Hall just like anyone else yesterday. But halfway through the Watchtower Study, he reached into his bag and tied something behind his neck.
When he emerged, it was with a huge, magnificent Santa Claus beard!
He is such an idiot!

Interesting tidbit I came across today.

Did you know that this guy, "Vladimir Lukin" who was for many years the Ombusdman for the Russian Federation and has spoken out many times on behalf of Jehovah's Witnesses (and others) that are being railroaded in the country...
will be at GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY - tomorrow March 24th!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conference-25-years-of-us-russia-relations-tickets-32660588700
Read a little about him (Search his name on the page / some references maybe for some letter writing?):
http://russiancouncil.ru/en/author_profile/index.php?author_id_4=156 https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eur/136054.htm http://eng.yabloko.ru/People/Luk/lukin1.html#4 https://wwrn.org/articles/33853/ http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1415 http://tinyurl.com/l6wdu45 http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/160309a.html Interesting, don't you think?

I disagree. In most countries, if you taunt the king too much you risk your neck. But if you make it your aim to live quietly, as Christians do, won't they leave you alone?
It is a different form of government, that's all. "What, you think we're so righteous here?" Trump said. If they tolerate interference less than is done here, there is yet no reason to think they are not genuine in their desire to provide stability and good government. At the drop of a pin, Western media and politicians will describe them in the most insulting terms. We need not play that game. Our perception of the king there need not be formed by the king here.
Having said that, I've not been there. But most of those saying vile things have not been there, either.

When you are writing to the Russians about their proposal to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, there may be a temptation to speak of legal and constitutional issues, for their recent conduct flies in the face of many of them. There may be temptation to observe that, surely, ISIS provides the template of what extremism is. But I suspect leaders there are aware of these things and, for whatever reason, have chosen to ignore them.
Tell them something they don’t know. Tell them about eight million people, from every nation, who don’t know their Russian brothers personally, but care about them anyway. Let them ponder the significance of what if the whole world was like that. When they look to the outside world of international relations, all they see is bickering, bitching and bellyaching. Let them see another world.
Convey that we are ordinary, decent people, the sort who appreciates government’s role to preserve social order and improve the moral fabric of persons within its borders, and that we everywhere cooperate with governments as they pursue such goals. I like the suggestion at jw.org to relate some practical way in which the truth has helped us personally.
Imagine! An invitation from Bethel to write to high Russian officials about the proposed ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a fine way for individual Christians, most of whom feel quite helpless, to ‘bring their gift to the altar.’

When you are writing to the Russians about their proposal to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, there may be a temptation to speak of legal and constitutional issues, for their recent conduct flies in the face of many of them. There may be temptation to observe that, surely, ISIS provides the template of what extremism is. But I suspect leaders there are aware of these things and, for whatever reason, have chosen to ignore them.
Tell them something they don’t know. Tell them about eight million people, from every nation, who don’t know their Russian brothers personally, but care about them anyway. Let them ponder the significance of what if the whole world was like that. When they look to the outside world of international relations, all they see is bickering, bitching and bellyaching. Let them see another world.
Convey that we are ordinary, decent people, the sort who appreciates government’s role to preserve social order and improve the moral fabric of persons within its borders, and that we everywhere cooperate with governments as they pursue such goals. I like the suggestion at jw.org to relate some practical way in which the truth has helped us personally.
Imagine! An invitation from Bethel to write to high Russian officials about the proposed ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a fine way for individual Christians, most of whom feel quite helpless, to ‘bring their gift to the altar.’

“I was just a boy when Stalin exiled my family to Siberia merely because we were Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is sad and reprehensible that my children and grandchildren should be facing a similar fate. Never did I expect that we would again face the threat of religious persecution in modern Russia,” says Vasiliy Kalin, as Russia petitions the Supreme Court to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Of course, it’s all going to go against us eventually in this system of things. When Jesus said his followers would be hailed before courts, it wasn’t so that they could receive ‘good citizenship’ plaques. When Jesus himself was dragged before Pilate, he didn’t sweet-talk his way out of it, did he?
It’s all the doings of the ‘house’ church. Many countries have house churches, who agree to be strictly subservient to the state. Russia, once officially atheist, found they could not stamp out the urge to worship, so they settled on the house church, which they seek to harness as a force for national unity. “What can we do for you?” they ask the house church. “Take out the competition,” is the reply.
Putin doesn’t care, most likely. It’s not his thing. “Give the house church what it wants,” he reasons. “That way I keep them out of my hair.” After all, he has a country to run. It was just that way with Pilate, who tried to get Jesus off, but in the end, gave in to fanatics.
‘What are they saying about me, here?’ said Paul to the Jewish leaders in Rome. ‘Are they digging up any dirt on me?’ But there was no internet in the first century, and snail mail was snail mail. “We have not received letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the brothers who came from there reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we think it proper to hear from you what your thought are, for truly as regards this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere,” they told him. (Acts 28:21-22)
It is a mark of true religion today. Depend upon it to be “spoken against everywhere.”
Surely, the house church make Russia look like utter fools on the world stage. You cannot view jw.org, banned in Russia and Russia alone, and think for one moment that it is extremist. One would think that ISIS would have taught the Russians what extremism is. Still, while we hate persecution and we pray for our Russian brothers under trial, persecution does often turn out for advancement of the good news. “Why are they making trouble for the Jehovahs?” some people ask. “They’re nice people.”
"In their literature, there are some very harsh statements and very insulting statements about other faiths," says Alexander Dvorkin, a former Russian Orthodox priest who now teaches the history of religion and cult studies at St. Tikhon University in Moscow. "Of course, every religion has the right to criticize other faiths, but that should be done in a non-insulting manner, especially if you are talking about [my faith] the faith of the majority." (brackets mine)
The reason you can and should criticize other faiths is that, as any non-religious person knows, religion has historically served as chief cheerleader of war and killing. That’s why a growing number of persons would like to ban it.
“Dvorkin says that the Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian because they don't believe in the divinity of Christ.” (from NPR) Got it? It’s also violence at the hands of Trinitarians. A more intolerant bunch you will never see.

That's maybe because they don't view our GB as they do the Pope, which I'm glad about! The Pope has celebrity status, I hope our GB are not viewed that way. (I just has a visual of him answering questions in his skull cap and and white cape...the Pope I mean) And also the Pope is just one, whereas we have 7 representatives and one of them was already a part of the hearing in 2015. They obviously thought it wouldn't be any trouble for him to repeat the gesture. 
So in other words you are saying that it's understandable that WT might be trying to safeguard assets. Which is what I said.