TrueTomHarley

You know, I begin to think that I would like JTR in person now that I have learned he is part of a congregation. True, he is a hothead, but he is our hothead. I can work with that. Though I have a great many faults, an inability to get along with people is not one of them. Everybody likes me in the circuit. True, there are some who think I am too much 'out there,' but that does not translate into dislike. Everybody agrees that I am neither judgmental nor harsh, nor do I take offense. Everybody agrees that I do what I can to build up. (((Yeah, that's what you think, Truetom. We just don't tell you that you are a jerk!)))
In the congregation, I think I would like JTR, for he is a straight-shooter, and that is a good thing. Like everyone else, I would run for cover when he explodes, but I would return when the coast is clear. If he has remained faithful despite ill treatment by ones in position of authority, that is a good thing and it earns my respect. Does he go in service? Possibly, maybe probably, for he does not forget his vow. I'd like to work with him. We would get along fine.
However, if he conducts himself outrageously online, I will blast him out of the water to the full extent of my limited power. Imagine - slapping before me a cartoon specifically designed to malign God's organization - how could anyone not conclude he hates God's people, if not God himself? When the Orlando shooter is blowing them away at the gay nightclub, you don't rush in with balm for his spiritual pain. When JTR goes in service, he does not say "Good morning! I'm here to tell you what SOBs some of our elders have been." No. He starts a discussion. He shows a video. He places literature. He starts a Bible study. But when he returns he finds the householder has had a change of heart, because he has discovered JTR's words online.
He is right when he is primarily concerned with what Jehovah (and his wife) thinks of him. He is right when he recognizes a moral obligation to tell the truth. But there is a time and a place. And abundant Bible counsel that some things ought to be covered over and, if possible, forgiven. He is wrong when he says that, since he learned the hard way over his lifetime, they can learn the hard way over their lifetime. Part of him knows he is wrong on this. If your old man treated you horribly, do you get back by treating your kids the same way? Unfortunately, some people do, and a family cycle of abuse never ends.
As CMP pointed out, the current crop of elders benefits from ever more intensive courses on how to treat the flock. When the high-ranking brothers design these courses, they put themselves through it first, for the saying "half of those at Bethel are there to test the other half" is not lost on them. They don't just design the courses for the peons. They put themselves through it first. The poor elders of JTR's congregation don't know what to make of him, perhaps. He so plainly carries volatile anger, and they, being of a different generation and just trying to do the best they can, don't know where it comes from from
I'm not aghast at giving away a fault. As I get older, i get to indulge some wants and I have written two books about the only thing I know - theocracy. There, I give away many faults. Especially in the second book, where one (real) character (a fellow like Diotrophes) is a "dirty rotten lowlife." Believe me when I tell you that he was. But the two books are both playful in overall tone and they have the greater context of the good guys winning. Some comments here would suggest that the good guys don't have a prayer, or even that there are no good guys.
Maybe I don't understand this forum and don't belong here. Maybe I should retire to my own blog. All the players here were entrenched long before I came along, and maybe I don't understand how things work. Maybe this forum is more private than I imagine and not freely viewable by anyone in the whole wide world that knows how to do an internet search. Although we are advised from Jesus to forgive whenever possible, sometimes there is occasion to tell something dark and nasty. Is it here? Maybe it is, though I will still blast away at whatever seems designed to tear down until someone shows me the door. If they don't 'play fair' with Jehovah's reputation, I see no obligation to play fair with them.
Melinda has her letters that she doesn't send. I have my books. We're all encouraged to have our say in our heart to Jehovah and leave it at that, wherever possible. Reveal stuff in the context of where it may help, and there are such times, but don't put it on the clothesline in the front yard where the whole world sees the shit on your underwear.
 
 

This is strong counsel we are speaking of from a source we all respect and accept as part of Jehovah’s teaching – we’re foolish to blow it off. But it is not rules. Detailed scenarios are described because we’re being helped to develop our conscience and use our thinking ability. Every Christian in this truly horrible situation must decide how they will conduct themselves. Surely, no two situations are exactly alike. If they are hard and fast rules, then you get into all the absurd situations, and more, that CMP describes.

Every Christian must apply these sometimes contradictory thoughts as best they can. Keep it to yourself if you know what you do will get some people going. Don’t advertise. Make the onlookers few. Accept that it is possible to lose some privileges if your stand doesn’t square with what others think is right. If that happens, don’t bitch about it. Take that, too, as discipline. “Maybe I should do it differently,” say to yourself. But if the answer, upon prayerful thought, is no, then suck it up and carry on. Don’t go saying the elders are wrong. Just suck it up.


 

@Maron should realize that some here are JWs being serious. Some are JWs making jokes. Some are non-JWs heaping ridicule. This is not the congregation where you personally know people

@Maron should realize that some here are JWs being serious. Some are JWs making jokes. Some are non-JWs heaping ridicule. This is not the congregation where you personally know people

The thousands of highly specialized and talented people you keep referring to are all outside, where their combined efforts don't amount to squat because they don't know how to cooperate.
Cooperation, love, humility, coupled with reasonable intelligence, will trump your qualities every time. Remember: the organization has 8,000,000 people to draw on. Just because they don't strut around and boast of their talent and highly specialized knowledge doesn't mean they don't exist. When the organization needs someone with truly stellar ability, they just reach into the ranks and get one. Or train one. Our people are generous with their knowledge. They don't hoard it.
Peruse JWBroadcasting and you will learn of schools to circumvent the translation problems you speak of. You will find it if you search. Frankly, given the JW track record and accomplishments, outside translators should come to us for pointers, not the reverse.
 
Where did they get the THOUSANDS of highly specialized and talented people to do all this?

“But as for you, come closer,You sons of a sorceress,You children of an adulterer and a prostitute: Whom are you making fun of?Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue?Are you not the children of transgression,The children of deceit, - Isaiah 57:3-4

Put your things away when you are done with them! Someone could trip. My mother told me this countless times. Why didn’t @AAFO4ever’s mother tell him the same?

He landed his plane on the runway. Well, okay. Then he put it on the taxiway. Well, I can’t fault him for that. But then he just LEFT IT THERE!

Harrison Ford could have been killed! He tried to land on the taxiway and almost hit the plane that stupid @AAFO4ever hadn’t put away! Now do you see why putting your things away is so important, @AAFO4ever?

Look, we must all act together to protect our celebrity national treasures, because when they are gone they are gone. “A scary moment for Harrison Ford, CBSThisMorning said. They didn’t mention you or your 130 passengers. Who cares about them? Passengers can be replaced, @AAFO4ever, as can you. Boeing can even build you another airplane, but if our celebrities die – well, I don’t know what to say.

Every day I rail at people who should know better to put their things away!  I talk until I’m blue in the face! I don’t know what more I can do.

************************

Tom Irregardless and Me         No Fake News but Plenty of Hogwash

Will the day come, or has it already arrived, when the number of lives saved through bloodless medicine will exceed those lost by fearless members of a relatively tiny religion who refused to compromise in matters relating to God's law? 

We're all a bunch of screwballs but somehow Jehovah makes it all work.
Or, as someone said, 'it's amazing what Jehovah does with what he's got to work with.
But Melinda Mills is not a screwball because she could have taken offense when I chose a wrong word and did not.

I sucked it up and carried on.

According to today’s (2/12/2017) Watchtower study, "trying different types of wine, decorating the home, finding new clothing styles, making investments, planning vacation trips, and the like" are works of the flesh. They are not wrong in themselves. Some are even necessary to a degree, but "setting the mind on the flesh means death." (Romans 8:6)
They are like kids in the car – fine to have along as passengers. They belong. You have to turn around and yell at them once in a while, but that’s unavoidable – an accepted cost of having them along. They are just fine as passengers.
But you don’t put them in the driver’s seat, for they will run you into a tree or off a precipice every time.
***************
Tom Irregardless and Me   No Fake News But Plenty of Hogwash 

Tiny  or  nice  little  beards  are  always  welcome...  I  saw  in  different  Congregations !  Never  forbidden  in  our  current  time.  All Countries  are  different,  thats  true,  but  little  beards  are  okay,  I  saw  that    

According to today’s (2/12/2017) Watchtower study, "trying different types of wine, decorating the home, finding new clothing styles, making investments, planning vacation trips, and the like" are works of the flesh. They are not wrong in themselves. Some are even necessary to a degree, but "setting the mind on the flesh means death." (Romans 8:6)
They are like kids in the car – fine to have along as passengers. They belong. You have to turn around and yell at them once in a while, but that’s unavoidable – an accepted cost of having them along. They are just fine as passengers.
But you don’t put them in the driver’s seat, for they will run you into a tree or off a precipice every time.
***************
Tom Irregardless and Me   No Fake News But Plenty of Hogwash 

As Mel Brooks said in his 1981 film History of the World, Part I " ... "It's GOOD TO BE KING!

‘A pack of lies! I hate it!’ - Victor Vomidog

‘I knew you when you were small in your own eyes. Now you are small in everyone’s eyes.’ - Bill Ding

‘Thoroughly Tolerable!’ - Brittany Brexit

‘I loved it! All chapters, irregardless!’ - Tom Irregardless

‘I couldn’t put it down – he’d left some sort of ‘sticky tape’ or something on it.’ - Wayne Whitepebble

Download it here.

Dear Tom @ LoveLine:
There's this obnoxious brother at the Kingdom Hall making advances toward me. I want him to drop dead, but my parents are pushing him because he has a lot of dough.
I think he's sincere but I don't know. He has 60 wives and 80 concubines. They take up the entire 2nd auditorium. But he has said many endearing things to me, like: "Only one is my dove, my flawless one." 
This pulls at my heartstrings. What should I do?
[There may be 60 queens 
and 80 concubines 
And young women without number.
But only one is my dove,
my flawless one.....Ca 6:8-9]
......
Dear Person:
You forgot the "young women without number."
Tell the guy to take a hike. He's used that line on each of the 60 queens and 80 concubines.
photo: Vincent Brassinne

Thank you for this. I posted the following on FB two days ago: 
The E-book 'No Fake News But Plenty of Hogwash' is up but I recommend no one download it just yet. Anyone who already did has the Collectors Edition with Bloopers. Having purchased it once, or redeeming a free coupon, they are able to download fresh copies indefinitely.
Invariably there is more involved in editing than I foresee. This was true of Tom Irregardless and Me. I thought the present book would be a cake-walk, for I had side-stepped the traps that I plowed into headlong with the first book. But there was still a lot. I rushed it some, trying to meet self-imposed release dates of Groundhog Day and later Super Bowl Sunday (we must not keep Lady Gaga waiting) 
I'm not adding anything to No Fake News. But much of the writing is too clumsy. There are few paragraphs I don't tweek, and in a few cases, overhaul.
The revised book - I will announce it when ready - will also have pictures. It will be in the same vein as Tom Irregardless and Me - just as zany, just as biting to non-Theocratic targets, but more personal. If ever there is to be an auto-biography, this is it.
 
 
 
Sorry. I didn't think anyone knew of the book other than on FB. My bad. Download again in a week or so and it should be smooth.
 
Tom
 

In the midst of Sunday’s study article on how we might batten down the hatches yet further on wrong conduct, was this frank statement:  ‘We will not be able to do that perfectly.’
No. We will not. Too many beat themselves up trying to do things perfectly. They ought not. Dust yourself off and jump back in the fray anew.
Also from that same study article, considered February 5:
‘For instance, a man tells his boss or fellow workers that he cannot be at work the next day or that he must leave early because he has a “medical” appointment. In fact, his “medical” appointment is merely a brief stop at a pharmacy or a quick visit to the doctor’s office to pay a bill. His real reason for not being at work is so that he can get a head start on a trip or so that he can take his family to the beach. There may have been a grain of truth in his mentioning a “medical” appointment, but would you say that he was being honest? Or was he being deceptive?’
The friends were intrigued over this point and many discussed it at the special Bible study meetings held at individual homes that  night.  Some were distracted, however,  by a football game playing in the background.
Photo: Vic
Tom Irregardless and Me  ***   No Fake News but Plenty of Hogwash

In the midst of Sunday’s study article on how we might batten down the hatches yet further on wrong conduct, was this frank statement:  ‘We will not be able to do that perfectly.’
No. We will not. Too many beat themselves up trying to do things perfectly. They ought not. Dust yourself off and jump back in the fray anew.
Also from that same study article, considered February 5:
‘For instance, a man tells his boss or fellow workers that he cannot be at work the next day or that he must leave early because he has a “medical” appointment. In fact, his “medical” appointment is merely a brief stop at a pharmacy or a quick visit to the doctor’s office to pay a bill. His real reason for not being at work is so that he can get a head start on a trip or so that he can take his family to the beach. There may have been a grain of truth in his mentioning a “medical” appointment, but would you say that he was being honest? Or was he being deceptive?’
The friends were intrigued over this point and many discussed it at the special Bible study meetings held at individual homes that  night.  Some were distracted, however,  by a football game playing in the background.
Photo: Vic
Tom Irregardless and Me  ***   No Fake News but Plenty of Hogwash

I know it is probably my bad, but I don't care about these things. What's the present understanding? I'll spin it that way out of loyalty. Should the understanding change someday, I'll spin it the new way. It doesn't affect my basic relationship with Jehovah or his Son.
I don't recommend that attitude, or hold it out as some example. But I just can't get too worked up over such things. They are 'cool' but not essential.

Russia's a nation of laws, just like here, and there's no legal barrier now for those who hate us to shut down the Branch. The brothers lost a critical legal appeal at Moscow City Court.
Putin may not even know about it. He's had a lot on his plate lately.
Places like Russia favor the 'house' church. They don't necessarily believe it, they likely don't, but they favor it because it's a force for national unity. 'What can we do for you?' they ask. 'Take out the competition,' is the reply from the Church.
How could any brother in Russia not think it a remarkable coincidence? The enemies of Jehovah's Witnesses are fully empowered to close Bethel. And at Witness meetings worldwide this week was played the movie about how the Assyrian army was poised to destroy Jerusalem, and in one night a single angel destroyed them all. Yet the movie was made two years ago, and the Bible reading schedule that determines when to play it is many years old!
 Hezekiah, the Israelite King, wasn't overconfident. He didn't assume God was going to bail him out - for maybe he wouldn't. He just knew that he was to trust fully in God and remain faithful. But I hate to see the brothers go through more harassment, if not total shut-down. They've been through so much already.
'Hey, remember that angel we dispatched to Jerusalem? I'm impressed with his portfolio. Check on his availability, won't you?' Is there that sort of discussion somewhere?
Will it work that way? Or will world opinion prevail upon leaders there to carry on as every other nation does, Russia being the only nation on earth to ban JW.org. It's laughable. The house church makes them look like utter fools before the world. (not to mention it kills us) Nobody can watch JW.org and think it is, even to the tiniest degree, extremist.
Our brothers bear up under persecution when they must, and it often brings honest-hearted (and courageous) people into the fold. People say 'why are they making trouble for the Jehovah's? They're nice people.'
............
Tom Irregardless and Me.

Note the 'Russia Legal Update' at JW.org. Note the restraint and respect our people show toward government, even when treated abominably. No one is called a thug. A good example to imitate in lands where people are routinely abusive over less provocation.
Note the resolve of our people to be poured out in full, if need be, as first-century Christians were, as Paul was, as Jesus was. Pray for them and for us, that we may be so firm should our time come.
Some, hearing of Russian #persecution, are exuberant, others supportive. It's a good example of dividing into sheep or goats, foretold at Matthew 25.
 
 
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I never could get my head around our previous take on the Babylonian exile. Or care. I mean, a one-year period representing such an event?
But the new package revealed Sunday makes so much more sense.
'That new point the Governing Body wrote about?' said Mike Tussen's years ago. 'You may have already noticed that point in your studying. And if this were Christendom, you'd run out and start your own religion over it.'
The uppity people take no interest in that new religion of Jesus because it is carpenters, fishermen and shoemakers. But then they figure out how to monetize it. All the highbrow people jump in, bringing all the highbrow ideas they love so, ideas from Aristotle and Plato.
photo: Carla216
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