ComfortMyPeople

Good idea. Please note that I have begun to split off some of the posts from several recent threads (like this one) that have been attracting a lot of discussion about whether questioning a teaching of the Governing Body is disloyal. Some apparently see testing/questioning/proving as a sign LOYALTY, because in areas where we may be concerned that current teachings might differ from the Bible, we are primarily concerned with truth, honesty, reasonableness, and showing primary loyalty to Jehovah and Jesus and the teachings found in the Bible. Some apparently see ANY questioning of the Governing Body as DISLOYATY and the equivalent of returning to the teachings of Christendom.
If you have made posts HERE in this topic, but they were primarily about this Loyalty/Disloyalty issue, or discussing Christendom's teachings in general, or if they discussed the propriety of questioning the Governing Body, then your post is probably going to be found in this NEW TOPIC linked here. J.R.Ewing was not the originator of the topic or the person who came up with the title for the topic, it's just that in creating a new topic, the first post you take is the top post in that new topic:
https://www.theworldnewsmedia.org/topic/43613-governing-body-does-it-show-loyalty-or-disloyalty-to-question-the-gb/
 

I don't quite understand what you mean by this
I agree with you
I don't really see that when Jesus told people to drink his blood and eat his flesh is an example of something that wasn't true but later was. This is just a case of interpretation. The people interpreted that to be taken literally (false premise), but Jesus meant it symbolically (correct understanding). Using your example of drinking Jesus' blood and eating his flesh, it's like if we had taught that this was literal, but later, we correctly discerned it was symbolic. According to your argument Jesus would be guiding this thinking when we thought it literal?
The thing is, these bumps in the road are our own making. We create the bumps.They are nothing to do with Jesus. The changes made by the Chariot are because WE had got thing wrong. If we had got them right the Chariot wouldn't need to change at all. It shows Jesus' and Jehovah's purpose does not change but sometimes has to take a detour to go around a wrong teaching (the bump) and get back on the correct path (when we finally get it right). Who knows, the chariot might be taking a big detour right now around 1914. It had to take that detour several times because of a wrong date. It took one around the 1925 teaching until 1925 passed, and the Chariot could get back on track....

It wasn't the 70 who filled the shoes of Moses, it was Jesus. This is why the example of Korah is so important. It is a lesson about how men want their own authority over others, when it was only Jesus Christ who we should accept as Head of the congregations. There are no others who should be treated as leaders.
(Acts 3:20-22) . . .and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus. 21 Heaven must hold this one within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old. 22 In fact, Moses said: ‘Jehovah your God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. (Acts 7:37) 37 “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel: ‘God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet like me.’ (1 Corinthians 10:2-4) 2 and all got baptized into Moses by means of the cloud and of the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they used to drink from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock meant the Christ. (Hebrews 3:1, 2) . . .Jesus. 2 He was faithful to the One who appointed him, just as Moses also was in all the house of that One. And of course:
(Matthew 23:10) 10 Neither be called leaders, for your Leader is one, the Christ. So clearly Hebrews 13 means that we follow the lead of elders in their examples of faith and the lead they take in encouraging fine works.
(Hebrews 10:24, 25) 24 And let us consider one another so as to incite to love and fine works, 25 not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 13:7) 7 Remember those who are taking the lead among you, who have spoken the word of God to you, and as you contemplate how their conduct turns out, imitate their faith.
 

Actually, you already conceded that this does not necessarily mean it is more likely, only that you would accept it as what you would be required to believe, whether it was true or not. Under another topic you just recently claimed that if you were in a first century congregation that you would have gone along with the body of elders if they told you the resurrection had already occurred. Had you been in a congregation between 1919 and 1925 you are admitting that you would have gone along with 1925 and promoted it even if you knew it was wrong. Your position of removing all responsibility for carrying your own load is sad when you compare it with the counsel we get in the Bible. This completely ignores the counsel that Paul gave to the Galatians:
(Galatians 1:6-9) 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you with ChristÂ’s undeserved kindness to another sort of good news. 7 Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed. Paul said it didn't matter how highly regarded the men were that were preaching another sort of good news, they could be men of high regard, they could even be pillars in the congregation. In fact, they could even be "angels." But we should not accept any good news beyond what Christ Jesus tells us to follow. And who were these men that might have even been considered by some to be on par with "angels"? Let's see.
Who is it that Paul makes a point of saying that he did NOT see when he went to Jerusalem?
(Galatians 1:16, 17) . . .I did not immediately consult with any human; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before I was, but I went to Arabia, and then I returned to Damascus. Why do you think it was important for Paul to make it so clear that he did NOT go to Jerusalem where the apostles were?
(Galatians 1:18-20) 18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to visit Ce?phas, and I stayed with him for 15 days. 19 But I did not see any of the other apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. 20 Now regarding the things I am writing you, I assure you before God that I am not lying. Why make it a point that it was three years before he saw Peter or James, and even then for only 2 weeks, and that he did NOT see any of the other apostles?
(Galatians 2:1-5) . . .Then after 14 years I again went up to Jerusalem with Bar?na·bas, also taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up as a result of a revelation, and I presented to them the good news that I am preaching among the nations. This was done privately, however, before the men who were highly regarded, to make sure that I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 Nevertheless, not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 4 But that matter came up because of the false brothers brought in quietly, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we enjoy in union with Christ Jesus, so that they might completely enslave us; 5 we did not yield in submission to them, no, not for a moment, so that the truth of the good news might continue with you. Why do you think Paul considers it so important to say it wasn't until 14 whole years later that he visited Jerusalem again, and this time it wasn't because they called him, it was because he had a revelation to tell them? Obviously these men who were highly regarded were the apostles, especially. But he again makes a point that they weren't able to compel his traveling companion to be circumcised. He says the whole matter wouldn't have even come up if false brothers hadn't been brought in to spy on them. But he didn't yield in submission to them. What is so important about not yielding to the apostles and older men of Jerusalem. Again, who likely sent these false brothers who were brought in?
(Galatians 2:12) 12 For before certain men from James arrived,. . . So who were these ones who "seemed to be important"? Who were these ones who "seemed to be pillars"?
(Galatians 2:6-9) 6 But regarding those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me, for God does not go by a man’s outward appearance—those highly regarded men imparted nothing new to me. 7 On the contrary, . . .  9 and when they recognized the undeserved kindness that was given me, James and Ce?phas and John, the ones who seemed to be pillars. . . Today, we would call these ones the "Governing Body," right?
So why does Paul go to so much trouble to tell the Galatians that they must be senseless for having listened to them, and been influenced by them? Why does he say they are accursed if they accepted teachings from the Governing Body that were not in line with what Jesus taught them? Do you think that Paul said this only to brag? Or was he making a point about following God instead of a Governing Body when it comes to doctrine? I'm sure you know the answer, but Paul gives it, too:
(Galatians 1:10) 10 . . . .Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be ChristÂ’s slave. Jesus goes through the same issues to John in Revelation when he gives counsel about the various congregations. The representative of each congregation is called an "angel" here too.
(Revelation 2:1, 2) 2 “To the angel of the congregation in Eph?e·sus write: . . . ‘I know your deeds,. . . and that you put to the test those who say they are apostles, . . . This does not mean that we expect the leadership of the congregations or the Governing Body to mislead us. They surely would never do such a thing on purpose. But the verses show that it is right for us to put to the test those who seem to be important, those who seem to be pillars, those who are highly regarded, even the very ones we would now call the "Governing Body." Even we expect 99.9% of what is taught to be correct, it is still our own responsibility to put to the test those who teach doctrinal matters, because it is much more important to follow Christ wherever he goes.
(Galatians 6:5) 5 For each one will carry his own load.  

Of course it is quite possible for spirit creatures and God himself to be present but not visible. I notice that two of the most distinct and appropriate verses to this discussion were left out:
(Matthew 18:19, 20) . . .. 20 For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst.” (Matthew 28:20) . . .And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” Here Jesus says he will be present with us wherever two or three are gathered in his name. And after he received "all authority in heaven and on earth" he says he is present with us until the Synteleia [final conclusion].
Of course, these verses must be studiously avoided if we are trying to make a case that Jesus is not present until his Parousia in 1914. Also because we probably don't wish to remind people that this would mean that Jesus is only present UNTIL 1914 when he for some reason receives MORE authority, after he already received ALL authority. So what is the need for a "presence" after 1914 is there if he is already present up until 1914? All this makes more sense of course, when we realize that Parousia did not mean a simple presence when used with reference to a king or ruler. It referred to a special visitation event that could include a display of power and glory, and could also include displays of judgment. If Jesus was already present in 1913 according to the two verses quoted above, then what is the more likely meaning of the Parousia? Presence or Visitation/Advent?
 

What is most interesting is that Jesus refers to coming in great power and glory after his disciples ask for a sign. Jesus is more likely saying that they won't get a sign because he is coming to perform this judgment event in power and great glory. There is no need for a sign because it will be sudden and without warning as to the time. The coming is the same as the parousia. Remember:
(2 Thessalonians 2:8) . . .whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. (1 Thessalonians 4:15, 16) 15 For this is what we tell you by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death; 16 because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet. . .
 
 

If Jesus was visible and they could see that he was raised into heaven on a visible cloud until he was gone and they could not see him any more, then this is not proof that when he returns, his Parousia will not also be visible again. If I am watching an airplane leave the airport and watch it until a cloud finally takes it from my view, and I am told that the airplane will return in the same manner, I would merely expect it to be visible again when it comes back out of the clouds on the way back down. Besides, even the Reasoning book also admits that the manifestation of his power will have to be visible when the judgment event of the Parousia takes effect, at least in terms of the effects of destruction. We even have the new understanding that a time may come when all the remaining anointed persons might be "raptured" into heaven at the same time. We avoid the use of the term "rapture" because it carries some unnecessary religious baggage with it, but we now believe that the effect will be the same as it is understood in Christendom.
*** w15 7/15 pp. 18-19 pars. 14-15 “Your Deliverance Is Getting Near”! ***
14 What will happen after Gog of Magog starts the attack on God’s people? Both Matthew and Mark record the same event: “[The Son of man] will send out the angels and will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from earth’s extremity to heaven’s extremity.” (Mark 13:27; Matt. 24:31) T. . .  So, what is this gathering work that Jesus mentions? It is the time when the remaining ones of the 144,000 will receive their heavenly reward. (1 Thess. 4:15-17; Rev. 14:1) This event will take place at some point after the beginning of the attack by Gog of Magog. (Ezek. 38:11) Then these words of Jesus will be fulfilled: “At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.”—Matt. 13:43. 15 Does this mean that there will be a “rapture” of the anointed ones? . . . So those who will be taken to heaven will first need to be “changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet.” (Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-53.)

Thanks again for using scripture. By the way, although many people have implied it, I don't see the scriptures saying that Jesus will be visible as a human, or even as a spirit. What Jesus says is that the Parousia will be like lighting that shines from one horizon all the way over to the other horizon. (Discussed under the "Lightning" section of this topic.) If the Lord descends in glory and the angels with him, this still does not necessarily mean that every eye will see Jesus himself in a literal sense. We know that the resurrected Jesus materialized a human body before since he as a spirit, cannot be seen, and this can be true of the angels too. But this is not an argument that he will necessarily do that.
(2 Thessalonians 2:8) . . .whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. This can be translated "brightness" of his presence, but it is not necessary. The word refers to visibility, but not necessarily of Jesus himself in any kind of bodily form. It's the "Parousia" that gets manifested .
(Matthew 13:39-43) . . .The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. . . 41 The Son of man will send his angels, . . .  43 At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Let the one who has ears listen.  

Thanks for using scripture to make your point.
Yes, it is possible to see something in this verse that could imply that the parousia might be over a period of several years. But there are two periods of time mentioned here.
First, is the period of years in which the people of Noah's day were eating and drinking and going on with their lives, without any concern about an impending judgment event. Second, is the "day that Noah entered into the ark." So the question is whether it can be applied to the period of years before that day, or it can be applied to that day, or it can be applied to both. It's a legitimate question which is why we should refer to other references to Christ's parousia to see if this view of several years creates any contradictions with those other places. Previously, in this thread, that was already done. And the evidence tells us that "parousia" refers to a royal visitation or judgment event that comes at a time when it is too late to prepare. So it would be very applicable to say that it comes as a surprise during a time or a generation that is not prepared for it. If it is a judgment event, we would also see how it applied during the days of Lot and Sodom or the days of the Christians waiting for the judgment event upon Jerusalem in 70 CE. But the verses that apply most directly to the question would be those that apply to the final judgment event upon the world.
There are a lot of Scriptures to that effect, I think one of them that wasn't dealt with 100% is one that you brought up earlier:
(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) . . .that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death; 16 because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. 17 Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. Paul addressed the concern that some Christians had already fallen asleep in death and there was a concern that these ones might have to wait for some length of time or would miss out on the glory of that parousia when Jesus descends from heaven with a commanding call and God's trumpet. So Paul says that it should be "comforting" to those who are concerned that they will all be caught up together at the very same time. (as indicated in the Greek) In other words they would all share together at the time of the Parousia, whether some died before or some survived right up to Parousia. This does not speak about another set of people who live and die after the Parousia is in progress. If the Parousia really happened that way, then the comforting message would not mean as much because whoever was born and died after the Parousia would have missed that glorious event when Jesus descends and calls all the dead in Christ to be raised, so that the survivors can all witness this at the same time.
If you notice this is exactly what Paul is saying when he says that we will ALL be changed at the same time, in the blink of an eye, both the dead and those who survive to the time when that happens.
(1 Corinthians 15:51, 52) . . .We will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we will be changed. Notice again that all are changed at the same time, in a moment, in the blink of any eye. Paul goes on to say that this is the time when Death is swallowed up forever. That would contradict the idea that those in union with Christ would be born after this Parousia begins and then die during that Parousia. In Greek, the expression is more likely "at the last trumpet" not "during the last trumpet". As in 1 Thess 4, it "a commanding call...with God's trumpet." Not a series of calls for each person who dies over a period of 100+ years. 

How so? It may be an extreme example, but the point remains that these Kings were appointed by God, yet God punished those who followed the King into false worship. So, this idea that we should follow no matter what seems to conflict with the example of ancient Israel. Apparently God does expect us to exercise our own independent conscience at times and not just be unified, unified, unified.
Sorry I am a newbie here.

Hi @bruceq with the greatest respect...is the attitude of always accepting everything the organization says in harmony with the Bible? Didn't the leaders of God's chosen nation of Israel do bad things? Were the Israelites given a free pass when their leaders gave incorrect direction? Or were they punished along with the leaders? Isn't there evidence that God expects individuals to discern what's right/wrong on their own and not just follow along with the group?

I never claimed to get any special interpretations. In fact, I was talking about YOUR special interpretations. I'll assume you didn't understand this. I was referring to the ridiculous kinds of special interpretations that YOU defend when you pick the most unlikely meaning of each word to fit an interpretation. You claimed that we should defend the most unlikely meanings, because our interpretation SHOULD be the most unlikley, while Christendom accepts the most likely meaning. That's why I said "SUPPOSE" that I used  the same ridiculous logic in order to MISunderstand what you were saying.
For anyone who might think that this really was a question about claiming that I had a "special interpretation" then it should be obvious that I don't. The particular interpretations mentioned in this thread are very common in many of the commentaries that Jehovah's Witnesses have quoted in support of other doctrines. In fact we, as Jehovah's Witnesses, agree with probably 95% of all that is written in many or even most of the major commentaries, such as Barnes Notes or Matthew Henry etc. And many people of Christendom also agree with Jehovah's Witnesses that Matthew 24 is about how we will all see worsening signs that tell us that the great tribulation is near. Earlier I explained that this particular interpretation was something I learned from many other Jehovah's Witnesses. I don't think I would have ever come up with it on my own. Those persons who brought it up to me were well respected persons with high levels of responsibility, and several of them are still at Bethel in levels of high responsibility. Two of them are actually on the video that bruceq pointed out in a recent post in another thread:
https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/VODOrgMovies/pub-kyc_1_VIDEO

You did not include the context, and I can see why. This comes across as just as dishonest, although I'll assume you might not have realized this.
[edited to replace some earlier assumptions] I never claimed to get any special interpretations. In fact, I was talking about YOUR special interpretations. I'll assume you didn't understand this. I was referring to the ridiculous kinds of special interpretations that YOU defend when you pick the most unlikely meaning of each word to fit an interpretation. You claimed that we should defend the most unlikely meanings, because our interpretation SHOULD be the most unlikley, while Christendom accepts the most likely meaning. That's why I said "SUPPOSE" that I used  the same ridiculous logic in order to MISunderstand what you were saying.
So, back to the question you pretended to ask:
The context was how you @bruceq, could be misinterpreted if someone were to take your words and act as if some of the most unlikely meanings of your words
So, to recap, you made a statement: . . . And I said that if I took the words in it and forced unlikely meanings on them that this would force a misinterpretation. You had also argued that if Christendom doesn't agree with an interpretation that it must therefore be right, which is also ridiculous on its own. So I asked you to imagine (I used the word "suppose") that I found a way to make your words mean something ridiculous. So I was also saying that [if I were using bruceq's logic], I could even defend my special interpretation, because I'm sure I could find persons in Christendom who understood it correctly, therefore they must be wrong and this unlikely interpretation would be right, according to your way of thinking.
So I showed you what a ridiculous mistake I would be making if I used the methods you had just defended to defend this "special interpretation" of your meaning based on definitions of words were that were not only unlikely, they were ridiculous.
I apologize that my previous assumptions here, made it appear that you were purposefully dishonest. Even if they weren't purposeful, your assumptions, after taking those words out of context, still appear to be dishonest, so I'm just suggesting that you look at context more carefully.

I don't know who you have me confused with, but the reason I never said anything like that is because I do not receive special interpretation. When the Watchtower has made such a claim for itself I believe it is referring to the fact that prayerful and serious consideration of the meaning of the Scritpures is the basis for doctrine, not that they are claiming any kind of "inspiration." You might find that the Watchtower has made some less careful claims in the past, even claiming that it was angels or other spirit creatures that have produced these "flashes of light" in his Temple since 1918. It is indicated that these "flashes of light" have the exact same effect as "inspiration" but they are not called "inspiration." Rutherford, as you probably know, promoted the doctrines as coming directly through angels because he claimed that the holy spirit was no longer available as of 1918.

5 years before the outbreak of World War I, the Watch Tower publications had already begun to change their tune about the original prediction. The original prediction, of course, was that a great time of violence, chaos and upheaval would begin happening well before 1914, and that 1914 would see an outbreak of PEACE!
Watch Tower (July 15, 1894, p.226) "But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. This is very different from dozens of statements being made in our publications for a 100 years after that prediction. For example:
*** g73 1/22 p. 8 Who Can Accurately Predict Man’s Future? *** Jehovah’s witnesses pointed to the year 1914, decades in advance, as marking the start of “the conclusion of the system of things.” You will also notice that not one of your quotations of these "predictions" actually comes from more than 5 years in advance. In fact, the claim that Jehovah's witnesses pointed to 1914 as the "start" of a time of trouble "decades in advance" is a false statement, and therefore a false teaching.
But what about these statements from up to 5 years in advance? At the risk of going well over 30 seconds, I'll start with the first sentence here:
So the "Gentile Times" were defined as the "Gentile lease of power" that would expire in 1914. In 1914 the nations, the gentiles, would have no more "lease of power." Only the nation of Israel would now have a lease of power because God's Kingdom would be set up in Israel. These powerless nations would fall into chaos, and a great time of trouble. It will be a "collapse" of nations. Obviously they would not have the power to fight wars on the scale of World War 1. No nations could emerge victorious from such a war, because the nations, the Gentiles, would have "collapsed." The violence was a violence of anarchy and chaos, because all human institutions will also have lost their power. The collapse would be quick and would effect every nation and every "neighbor" on earth.
This did not happen. There was no short, sharp, decisive calamity upon every man in that year. The nations did not all collapse into powerless beds of chaos in that year. Instead a huge 4 year war broke out with many nations coming out with even MORE power at the end of it. Oddly, the one thing Russell forgot to predict here was a war where nation would fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Instead, the kind of powerless chaos that his predicted collapse entailed would have been emperors against their own people, business owners against their own labor forces. These would be the only remaining bits of power conflict because nations and institutions would have all collapsed in 1914. 

I'll get to those references soon. The point I am making is that you can't say you predicted something for 1914 if 100% of the predictions for that year failed. Even the so-called prediction that it would see the end of the Gentile Times failed. The only way we could pretend that it worked was to redefine what the "Gentile Times" were.
It's as if we had predicted that the Oakland A's would beat the Boston Braves in the 1914 World Series (baseball). But then the Boston Braves swept the Oakland A's that year by beating them in four games (4 to 0). So, to still be right, we simply redefine what we meant by the term "beat."  Let's say that we choose to say that, by the word "beat," we really meant that in the long run the tide would start to change for the Boston Braves in that fateful year and that within a generation, no one would hear about the "Boston Braves" anymore but that the "Oakland A's" would go on to be a world-renowned name.
We may have changed the meaning of the terms, but at least we could not say that we correctly predicted that the Oakland A's would beat the Boston Braves in 1914. In fact, we could go to the history books and prove that the Boston Braves, after sweeping Oakland 4-0 in 1914, finally lost their lease of the "South End Grounds" in 1914 and started playing at the new "Braves Field" in Boston. Then, within a  generation, they became the Milwaukee Braves, and finally went to Atlanta. Yes, the Boston Braves were "beaten" in 1914, just like we predicted. How fantastic is that??!!??
With that in mind you will understand exactly why I made the point about 100% of the predictions for 1914 failing. To see what I mean, just start with your National Labor Tribune article, which carried a 1910 sermon by Russell  . . . [next post]

We are way off topic here (not your fault) but it's impossible to discuss a controversial topic without such subjects coming up. I think that what happened was fairly obvious only to those who watched the tension build up from about 1975 until 1979. The big blow-up actually happened internally in the late spring of 1979 but the repercussions didn't start happening until the spring of 1980, when heads first started to roll. (My work at Bethel started in 1976 and lasted until 1982.)  What really happened is much more complex, and I don't think it had much of anything to do with the popularity of group Bible reading. I think the crackdown on group Bible reading was just a knee-jerk response. If I had to simplify it, I'd say . . . . . we need another topic to discuss this, because it's just not that simple.

I think that is the job that journalists should have, to uncover issues that need to be fixed. If it's not their job to fix it, then that should be left to someone else. Of course, I don't confuse CNN, MSNBC, FOX and nightly broadcast news with journalism, either.
Fuel for flamethrowers is always out there, whether some of it gets discussed here or not. But it's good for us to know what's true and what's exaggerated. When to duck and when to ignore. But we don't want to expose ourselves further by simply hiding our head in the sand. And we don't want to deny things that it is dishonest to deny.
I don't know about that. We all have defense mechanisms that just seem to rise up when we feel our comfort level threatened. Among each other, here, we may act one way, but we are better prepared for what we will see more and more of outside here. We are going to face more and more people who are info-savvy, even in our own congregations. (My own children found jwfacts before I did.) They will see direct evidence that something is true, ask us about it, and hear some of us deny that there is even a grain of truth to it. They might wonder what kind of "truth" this is. (My own mother will probably instinctively deny that Brother Jackson ever testified anywhere on "that" subject, for example.) Yet, if a transition toward more openness, realism, and truth is evident anywhere, even here, then it's a start toward healing ourselves of a pervasive pride of ignorance. When we truly make the truth our own, we will be better equipped to defend and emphasize the more important things, when someone brings up details about lesser things.
It's a better question that you might think. There was an "old guard" who were known to be very insular and clearly felt threatened by discussions. It's true that they literally thought that it was some kind of attack on them if groups of brothers and sisters were meeting together just to read and discuss the Bible reading without Society publications at their side at all times. I was there for the crackdown on such gatherings that had become popular from about 1975 to 1979 when the brothers handling morning worship were beginning to make statements that sounded paranoid. But most of these brothers had been life-long bureaucrats inside a Tower all their lives. But the "new crew" is mostly from circuit work, missionary work, with only a reasonable amount of branch level work. There are more married couples. We speak about how Jesus was taught by Jehovah and this includes the fact that he has lived as a natural human, has become "one of us." 
Compare: (Hebrews 5:1, 2) 5 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in their behalf over the things relating to God, so that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal compassionately with the ignorant and erring ones, since he too is confronted with his own weakness, Compare: (James 5:17) 17 E·liʹjah was a man with feelings like ours. . .

This is actually not the answer I expected. It's because Jesus is the Head of the congregation that I would think we'd know better. It's because we look to a spiritual Head of the congregation instead of physical men that we should know better.
(2 Timothy 2:16-19) 16 But reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·naeʹus and Phi·leʹtus are among them. 18 These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some. 19 Despite that, the solid foundation of God remains standing, having this seal, “Jehovah knows those who belong to him,” and, “Let everyone calling on the name of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness.” How are we obligated to believe something and we are obligated to reject it at the same time?
Today we also live in a time when the Governing Body has inherited a tradition that claimed that the resurrection has already occurred. You don't feel like as if you are required to test this doctrine and make sure before you begin believing it and promoting it yoursel?
 

I am so sorry @bruceq if you think such experiences would need turn someone sour and bitter. I am happy for all the experiences I've had in the organization, and a few eye-opening experiences can enhance our appreciation. A look at our history might cause some embarrassment now and then, but look what Jehovah has been able to accomplish. We look at the history of God's people in the Scriptures the same way. There is no reason for responding the way you describe. Such things are easily dismissed by those who focus on the more important things. There were legalistic men leading the Jewish religion in Jesus' day, and they bound heavy burdens on people, telling them that they must follow them. But Jesus said to go ahead and do whatever they tell you to do.
(Matthew 23:3-4) 3 Therefore, all the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but they do not practice what they say. 4 They bind up heavy loads and put them on the shoulders of men, . . . We don't "grouse" about such burdens but come to love and respect all our brothers, because none of us expect perfection from each other. Besides, such burdens are to be considered as "nothing" among the true Christian congregation. Activity properly motivated is a joy. Our load is light and we find daily refreshment in spiritual things.
Do you ever see someone read about David and Uriah, and say, "Oh No! Now I'm bitter and sour"? Instead it makes us all the more aware that Jehovah can allow grave imperfections and still love us, and all the injustice that goes on in this life is easily made up for in Jehovah's timetable. Anything happening to us now can be overcome with Jehovah's help. Everything that ever happened to us, happened to us in the past. We should not be so self-centered as to think that we need to carry issues from the past and pretend that we still need to carry them today.
(Matthew 6:34) . . .So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness. We can certainly LEARN from past problems, and we should. All things can be for our instruction and discipline. If we see lessons in these experiences, we can help others learn from those experiences and lessons.
On your points about doctrine, well that is just a philosophy that works for you. There are certain traditions that are strongly entrenched, and some of these can make the word of God invalid. If you lived in a congregation in the first century and the the body of elders taught that the resurrection had already occurred, you really think you would be obligated to believe it, just because the Bible said that you must be obedient to those taking the lead among you? Following the lead referred to imitating the faith of those whose examples strengthened faith. It meant following the instructions of those who took the lead in good works. When it comes to doctrine, we are required to use our powers of reason, we are required to test it, we are required to question, if we wish to be noble-minded. We have the Bible itself to speak in agreement about, not someone's specific or current interpretation. One of the reasons I bring up past issues with doctrines is so that we can remember the lessons learned. For example, you can replace the date 1914 with the date 1925, since the Governing Body taught that as an undeniable truth, even more sure than 1914. During those years are you really saying it was your obligation to believe and teach and promote 1925, or was it your obligation to "make sure of all things"?
I'm really interested in your answer to that question. Are you willing to respond to it?
 

As I said before, Rohl and James both agree with the established neo-Babylonian time-line, which is the one relevant to the 1914 calculation: That means they agree with 605 BCE for the accession of Nebuchadnezzar II and 587 BCE for the destruction of Jerusalem.

How was it calculated that the beginning of the Olympiads correspond to 776 BCE?
Yes, the regnal years are part of the calculation. But their timelines are hanging mid-air, so-to-speak. So how does one nail down a particular regnal year to a particular BCE year? How is it confirmed Nabonidus' 17th regnal year corresponds to the year 539 BCE?
If only there was some kind of universal clock to be able to synchronize these different floating chronologies. Do you have any ideas on where such a 'clock' could be found and how these two loose ends can be fixed together?

Insider,  I agree with you that the GB seems more calm and kinder now and more mature BUT this does not mean that they will not fall foul of some other sinful quality!  And it is not always Satan - it is just the sinfulness and wrong desires (dominance/competitiveness/ ego) in each of us which leads to bad behavior. Satan will also use any flaw in a person if he sees a gap.
This is why I always caution that we must all of us watch ourselves when it comes to ambition (even in the truth); do not believe that you have the only way of doing something; and ANY form of control over others must be avoided.  If we do not cooperate - we are abusing our power.  A child can abuse the power he has over the family when he does not cooperate.  He can make his parents life difficult.  and.... where there is no peace.... then righteousness cannot grow.  One must keep peace at all costs ..... but many have not learnt that yet because we are all at different levels of development.  Some also learn some things faster than others.
I have been on field service with sisters that are so controlling that I actually want to avoid them the next time - but force myself to be impartial and overlook this DEADLY quality because it destroys unhypocrytical love..   They are usually older sisters and set in their ways - so I try to find the good in them.
I think the shouting match that Paulus had with Barnabas is a good reason for us to not expect people to be perfect and where ever people are - imperfection is sure to follow - and there is always that EGO to a stronger or lesser degree. The anointed man who slept with his own mother and then was later accepted back into the congregation just shows the level to which Jehovah can forgive and what we must be prepared to forgive..... I also believe to speak my mind openly but always try to do it in a loving way.  When in doubt - show love. Sort things immediately in a nice way.... and it has worked for me.  When I was younger I was afraid to speak out but as Paul said: the older sisters also have a role to play to inspire the younger ones and teach the young wives to love their husbands.
The new meeting materials that focus on Christian living - I was very happy when this new feature was brought in because I thought this was really a facet of our Christian living which was neglected before... yea - so we all have our little peeves....  but I honestly believe we must overlook this and get on with only focusing on Jehovah.
My brother - when he was in prison for the truth ( 3 years) told me that he saw some seriously nasty things amongst the brothers (people are just people and immature) and it caused divisions - while they were all trying to keep their integrity to Jehovah.... so yes... I do think that we may in future be thrown into prison together and then we will have to cope with each other..... this will not be a piece of cake.... but if we can do it we will get the crown of life!  Sometimes out tests come from within the congregation!

You and I have already shared photocopies on this forum showing how John A Brown pointed to the 1914 period as a potentially significant time.  What I said above is based on the Proclaimer's book:
*** jv chap. 10 p. 134 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth *** As early as 1823, John A. Brown, whose work was published in London, England, calculated the “seven times” of Daniel chapter 4 to be 2,520 years in length. But he did not clearly discern the date with which the prophetic time period began or when it would end. He did, however, connect these “seven times” with the Gentile Times of Luke 21:24. In 1844, E. B. Elliott, a British clergyman, drew attention to 1914 as a possible date for the end of the “seven times” of Daniel Those were the two sources from Christendom where Nelson Barbour would have picked up on 1914, at least indirectly for the first, and evidently directly for the second.
I think you already know that John A Brown said that the Mohammedan Imposture started in 622 and ends 1,260 "days" later in 1844. The 1,290 ending in 1873, and that the 1,335 days ending in 1917. Therefore the three-and-one-half Gentile Times of Luke 21:24. ended in 1844, per Brown. (For these he used "lunar" years.) But the 7 times of Daniel 4 (not the Gentile Times)  would run from 604 BC to 1917 AD. (Starting at approximately the beginning of the Babylonian empire, 18 years before Jerusalem was burned, and claiming that the "destruction or first captivity of the Jewish nation" started even before Nebuchadnezzar became king, back in 606, the same year that Russell mistakenly took for the destruction of the Temple.
Brown said:
"This second judgment synchronises with the war of Gog of Magog, at the close of the 1290 years, and extends until the close of the 1,335 years of Daniel. This attended by the general judgment . . . " (page xxxvii). In other words the prophecy for this war ran from 1873 until 1917, not only including 1914, but covering almost the exact time period of Nelson Barbour's harvest, in this case 1873-1917. × Page 130 and 131 mention that this is the time for the sitting in judgment of the beasts, especially "Rome," and the period of gradual decay and burial of Gog of Magog. 
As you must be aware, it was not Miller but E. B. Elliott in Horae Apocalypticae, who first in the 1844 edition, and also in the 1847 edition, included the following: (text version here: http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/contents/history/05 Horae Third Edition Chronology.htm )
And, 1st, on the seven times of Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and state of bestialism: {1} These calculated after the year-day system, on the hypothesis of the Babylonish king's insanity figuring that of the great empires which he then headed, in their state of heathen aberration from God, (an hypothesis on the truth of which I do not myself entertain much doubt,) terminate, -- if dated from the time, B.C. 727, . . . -about the year 1793; . . .  Of course if calculated from Nebuchadnezzar's own accession and invasion of Judah, B.C. 606, the end is much later, being A.D. 1914;  

Thanks for showing such true concern. It's deeply appreciated. Those old posts are still in this thread. The ones that were moved to a separate thread (so far) made up 6 or 7 of the 20 pages of this thread. So those posts are still here, and in the same order, but by moving so many near-adjacent posts, they fall on different pages now. 
Regarding Bethel experiences, I look back on all of it overall with fond and happy memories. I know there was an initial shock, not so much at the existence of cursing and abusive behavior, but at the pervasiveness and acceptance of it among those with high levels of responsibility. I just typed up two cases that I thought were informative to your point but removed them to avoid raising new topics. The point was that I sometimes mistook mildness and meekness for humility, when it could also be paired with the height of egotism. And in another case where a brother ranted loudly and even slammed a newly published book across the room, I came to appreciate that he really thought he was protecting the worldwide congregation from error. As a young person, I didn't have the tools to understand people very well, and for many years still we continue to learn from new experiences that shed light on old ones.
But when we realize and accept that some negative type of behavior is widespread, we also tend to accept it ourselves too easily, I think. And I'm sure the level of privilege has something to do with that. I had excellent and wonderful assignments, and I wouldn't have risked them to give any kind of feedback to someone who could control my assignments. I would expect an argument here and there in the bindery or pressroom, and yet I heard they were rare. I wondered if they were worse among persons of greater responsibility. These weren't daily occurrences, of course, because we always tend to remember and highlight the exceptions. Even if those exceptions are negative.
Obviously, when it comes to doctrinal questions, I do the same thing here on the forum. I could go on and on about why our stance on war, hell and Trinity, for example, is such a good thing in that doesn't just set us apart, but also produces a much healthier Christianity than we could expect from those who see things differently. But instead, I assume we all know that alrady and try to share something that I think we probably do wrong, and which I believe can hurt our Christianity and spirituality unless we look into it.
(By the way, I mostly push the idea that we look into something even if my reasons appear too strongly promoted. I don't usually have a specific solution about exactly what we must do to resolve the issues that arise. I think that's what a Governing Body is for. I might have ideas but don't think it's my place to push a specific solution when there are multiple choices of solutions. However, I always think that discussions can help prepare us for change, and will promote less dogmatism, and therefore more humility in the meantime. This helps us empathize with those we meet in field service and other interested persons.)
On the issue of false rumors starting from nothing, I know it doesn't make much sense. We'd rather believe there was a kernel of truth to them. But in this case, I think I was there to watch the germination of a different kind of  phenomenon. I saw brothers and sisters change from being loving to almost literally "spitting" in a split second when they heard about the "apostasy" charges that several persons received. It was the incongruent variety of extra charges that were heaped upon some of the brothers and sisters that got to me. Within days, these might have coalesced into only one or two charges that were finally settled upon, but even these were clearly far-fetched and sometimes contradictory. I think it's more of a matter of our own minds not being able to manage the "justice" of casting out brothers and sisters that were so loving and kind and would do anything for you yesterday, but were called a disgusting cancer today. I think the mind just needs to create a story to solve the dissonance.
Your point about looking forward instead of back is so apt. I have three children, and in raising them, we often made the mistake of trying to draw out every detail of a conflict between any two of them. We wanted the whole story each time. Each person's version, and then as parents we know doubt imposed on our own compromised versions on top of it to make it coherent. What a waste of time! Your counsel to look forward, and focus on what we'll all do in the future to help each other avoid conflict creates on-going trust and therefore misconceptions and imputed bad motives don't have so much "breeding" room.
I have a feeling that the current GB get along many times better than the 17 at once during my tour of duty. I hear from a friend that these kinds of issues are more likely only from the more competitive among the "helpers." I visited Patterson early last year (and Brooklyn Bethel, too, but it doesn't tell you as much any more) and I see a much more professional group who appear less likely to let education levels, class differences, and various insecurities get in the way.