JOHN BUTLER

I am trying to find out what was really said about animals, but it seems I will have to wait, if it is really on the programme. So far what was hinted at or rumoured according to Witness does not sound plausible.   But  I know many people, especially women, seem to love animals better than people.  God made man/people in his image, not animals. People will live forever, if they are loyal to Jehovah and pass the final test (which would entail true love for Jehovah) but animals were never promised everlasting life, and Jesus did not die for them. Animals are captivating and truly beautiful but humans are really lovable, that's why Jesus was fond of them even before he came to earth.   (Proverbs 8: 31)  The other angels find them to be lovable and interesting too, they are intrigued by the things men are doing connected to God's will.
(1 Peter 1:12) 12 It was revealed to them that they were ministering, not to themselves, but to you, regarding what has now been announced to you by those who declared the good news to you with holy spirit sent from heaven. Into these very things, angels are desiring to peer.
But Jesus wants us to imitate him and practise the real love that Anna is talking about.  Principled, unselfish love, Agape.  
Sentiment can cause people (even high officials) to make wrong decisions. All the other forms of love are basically selfish, even of they are enjoyable like Eros, but Agape is the force that puts everything back onto the right track. Agape is first, then other forms fall into place.
 

Of course there is nothing wrong with that kind of sentimental love. Since I came to America I  have noticed people are more apt at showing this kind of emotion, as opposed to the stiff upper lipped Brits. I had never seen brothers cry while giving a talk on the platform until I came here (usa).  There is a lot of sentimental love at assemblies for sure as well. People are dewy eyed during the videos, songs, and when saying good bye to the brothers and sisters they've met. Honestly John, you are poking holes where you don't need to as it is a non issue. JW's for the most part are an emotional bunch, that is why there is no need to give talks on how to show "sentimental" love!
However, the love we all need to learn is the principled kind. This is the love spoken about in Corinthians 13, and this is the love that is the theme of the convention. "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.  It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.
Notice it says it never fails. Well romantic love can fail, so can sentimental love. You do not still "love" your ex wives do you, I didn't think so. Hovever, would you help one of them if they were in dire need and you were able to? That is principled love, AGAPE, the love described in Corinthians that doesn't always come easy to everyone and needs to be worked on. Hence the convention on that theme. If the whole world practiced that kind of love, there would be peace on earth. 

@Anna. you comment is soooooooooooooo funny. 
First point. And this is funny.  Quote "who all err and make mistakes." 
So you are agreeing with me that to 'err' is not a mistake but a deliberate wrongdoing. Because you say, err AND make mistakes. 
 Surely complete trust/confidence only belongs to God.
I would include Jesus Christ as he has been given the power and authority, and he will be doing the judging.. 
The GB cannot ensure our salvation, 
No, but didn't the Watchtower used to say that a person had to be part of the JW / W/t org/soc to gain salvation ?
The Insight book says this in part regarding true and false prophets:  “The true prophet would speak in Jehovah’s name; the things foretold would come to pass....
Well that knocks the Bible Students and JW Org / GB / W/t on the head then doesn't it.  
Rather, he was an advocate of righteousness, and his message dealt primarily with moral standards and their application. He expressed God’s mind on matters.
This didn't work with CSA in the JW Org did it ? MORAL STANDARDS. I don't think so. 
 If his message contradicted God’s revealed will and standards, he was false".
Well we have both of those in JW Org. The standards are low and predictions are false. The GB falsely call themselves the F&DS. 
Now this bit is almost clever, Quote Anna Starts with 'The true prophet', then she moves on to  'the prophet/spokesperson/GB' but finally she moves on to ' the prophet/GB/FDS. 
How sly is that. A perfect JW way to twist things. Start with a true prophet and end with the GB/F&DS. 
Personally, I find nothing wrong with speculation, as long as it is not presented as fact.
Yes the speculation about 1975 was wonderful wasn't it. And the speculation that one has to be a baptised JW to be 'saved'. And the speculation that Armageddon is 'so close now'..........
Since no one can interpret scripture without the possibility of making an error, 
That is because they are not inspired Anointed. Why would God give us His word if He would not give inspiration of holy spirit to Anointed ones to interpret it properly. Do you think God wants people to misuse scripture ?
Going beyond what is written.
Calling themselves the F&DS...............
 I think completely distrusting the GB is as unreasonable as completely trusting them.
BUT the GB say they are the F&DS and requite complete obedience. Didn't someone put up a Watchtower quote where the GB said that God and Jesus Christ trust them (the GB), so everyone else should trust them. 
Your whole comment reminds me of Mark Antony "I come to bury Caesar not to praise him". BUT your comment is very sly, almost clever, and sooo funny. 

Come now, John, what do you expect? Of course I am here to get ammo.
You have logged hundreds of comments here during the past year. I can’t recall that you have budged even the tiniest degree on the tiniest point.
When someone answers one of your complaints, you shake it off like a dog shakes off water, and lodge the complaint again. When someone attempts to “meet you halfway,” you take their end and beat them over the head with it. So, do you think that I am here to converse with you?
I don’t even think that it is proper to do so. After your congregation elders were totally unable to reason with you on your strident points, you cut all ties with the Christian congregation. And now you think that you will come online and do what you could not do with then in person? Not with me, you’re not. I trust those guys.
Furthermore, I don’t think that I am the only one who keeps endless conversations going for the sake of gaining feedback from arguments. 
With me, it is a variation of “Run it up the flagpost, and see who salutes it.” It is “Run it up the flagpost and see if John succeeds in shooting any holes in it.” I know very well that the air will be acrid with gunpowder. But that is not the same thing as hitting it. Once in a while you do graze it a little and then I rethink matters and reconsider presentation.

I will always laugh when anyone on here compares the idea of serving God properly with some sort of worldly 'dealings'. 
The only way of comparing serving God properly is with what God has had written as instruction in His written word the Bible. (I presume that God guided not only the writings but also the gathering of the 66 books). 
The reason God commanded us to be in subjection to the "Superior Authorities" is NOT because they are even right most of the time .... but because even the VERY WORST are better than anarchy.
That is obvious, but not so obvious to the Soc /Org, that they couldn't leave that scripture alone. They even had to deliberately change the meaning of it to gain power for themselves. 
Quote "The TRUTH sets us free." Yes true truth would. Or are you caught up in that trick of the Soc/Org's, that using the word truth means they speak truth or teach truth ?  Can you not see the con in that ? The deliberate deception. It is done to work on the emotions / sub conscious or what ever gives people that 'good' feeling. By calling it the 'truth', 'being in the truth', people let down their guard, they start to believe ALL of it. They do not question anything that comes from the Watchtower mags or from the platform.  Add to that, that congregants are told not to have their own opinion and/or not to discuss anything that may differ from 'instructions'. 
HOW MUCH FREEDOM DOES THAT GIVE PEOPLE, BEING DICTATED TO BY THE GB RIGHT DOWN TO THE ELDERS. Being frightened of being d/fed for the slightest thing. Is that the freedom you get from the JW Org ? 
Quote : "Humans are just nasty, selfish and no-good".  You must mix with the wrong crowd James. Oh yes you mix with JW's. 
I get involved in automobilia auctions, I go to classic car shows, I go to vintage motor scooter shows, I spend too much time viewing all sorts of auctions, and the people are great. Very friendly and sociable. In fact I tend to meet up with the same people regularly at auctions and there is no bitterness if I win lots or if they do. 
Your view of humans being nasty, selfish and no good, is just a JW viewpoint to try to frighten people from mixing with 'outsiders'.  But haven't we seen where the trouble really lies ? Inside that JW org. That's where many of the nasty, selfish, no goods are. Including the GB in my opinion. 
Oh by the way, do you honestly think God wants a GB or an Org that is only 50% obedient, or only gets 50% right ? 
 
 

"Anything that does not kill you will make you stronger". 
Tell it to the victims of Child Sexual Abuse. Tell it to the people who have been shunned by their families.  Tell it to the people that have lost loved ones because the loved ones would not have blood. Tell it to everyone that has been misled and hurt by the W/t / JW / GB et al. 
Things don't make a person stronger, they may show the person their own strength, but many have no strength. If you have strength then be happy with it, but don't take it for granted. Many of us don't have that strength.  

Problem with that is, that so many things have been changed in the last 40 years or so that basically if it was in the world it would be breaking the contract. Even words in the NWT have been changed. It's all been discussed on here Anna. Words changed, meanings changed,  rules changed, ah but they call it 'new light'.   'This Generation' anyone ? 

If you divorce a woman, you should not be overly shocked if she stops speaking to you.

And this is how it was and probably still is possible to HIDE Pedophiles in the JW Org. 
Why ? Because it seems people like Anna and others in that Org think YOU MUST OBEY like robots. 
Hence the Elders HAVE obeyed like robots, and we have seen the terrible results. And don't try to tell me the Two Witness Rule wasn't used, because there is enough evidence Earthwide to prove it was. And the Elders, it seems, didn't even question their obedience to the GB, as opposed to the love and kindness they should have shown to victims. 
Why Oh Why do you people worship those 8 men ? They even say they are not inspired and that they err. 
And what is the point of actually having a Bible ? And what is the point of actually being able to pray in person to God and to ask for spiritual guidance ?  Only to be told by your GB and Elders, not to think for yourselves. 
Remember Life of Brian "You're all individuals"  And one guy says "I'm not".  Well it seems you lot are not individuals either.
What did J.T.R. Jr say, something about not being a 'monolinth' well some such word. James said all JW's are different and do things for different reasons. It doesn't seem so here. It seems that you all want to be robots. 
Quote from above comment  " *** w04 10/1 p. 7 “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth”—How? ***
One who is meek humbly accepts God’s standards in all aspects of his personal life.... " 
Well that is not happening in the JW Org that is for sure.  And when I've mentioned judgingthe JW Org by God's standards I've been criticised for it. If the Society / GB had been meek and humble then the Org would not be in such a mess, and it wouldn't need to be making massive payouts either.  I'll just repeat that line from above comment :-
One who is meek humbly accepts God’s standards in all aspects of his personal life...
 

I do spend a lot of time thinking about what is right and what is wrong, and I do think that God wants each of us to use our own conscience to make our own decisions.
Yes of course our conscience should be based on God's word, using Bible principles and examples given by Jesus Christ. But it should be our conscience that we rely on, not the dictatorship of MEN. 
The JW Org's leaders have made so many rules that a baptised JW person cannot use their own conscience. JW's are programmed to accept all the rules dictated by the GB.  Programmed in such a way that every JW knows that if they deliberately use their own conscience and it takes them on a different course to GB 'laws' then that JW is liable to be disfellowshipped. 
A JW is not always disfellowshipped for breaking God's 'laws', but on occasions a JW is disfellowshipped for breaking the 'laws' of the GB. Hence a JW could have a good conscience and use Bible principles, but still get disfellowshipped. 
So, are the GB going beyond the things written by taking away a person's conscience and replacing it by too many rules or laws ? 

There seems to be myth being addressed in this discussion hence the erroneous and void conclusions.
Fact: Rape by definition takes place when force or the threat of force is used to gain sexual penetration, of any kind whatsoever, against a person's will. It is the rapist's use of force against an unwilling victim that makes him a rapist. Thus, a rape victim is not guilty of fornication. Like an incest victim, they may be forced to submit to an act they doesn't want because of the perceived power held over them by another person. In some cases this coercion could be very subtle, but nevertheless, coercion it is. When a person is forced to submit to a rapist out of terror or disorientation, it does not mean that they consent to the act. Consent is based on choice without threat and is active, not passive. 

... and we all know historically how the Germans love to pay back, when you give them an opportunity ...
Sounds like they are selling the debt so when it defaults, 1.) plausible deniability, and 2.) the phone can be disconnected, so to speak.
...same thing with the publications you mentioned..
Blame it on the Germans!
 

Yeah, the Bereans were colossal "pains in the butt", also
How about you personally post here what you thought was "New", and worthy of fresh examination?
That is what I am asking for.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN THAT WAS NEW AT THE 2019 "LOVE NEVER FAILS" REGIONAL CONVENTION ?

other than those things that TTH enumerated about you...I think you're OK
 

Years ago an introductory convention talk featured Matthew 13:52
“...every public instructor who is taught about the Kingdom of the heavens is like a man, the master of the house, who brings out of his treasure store things both new and old.”
It wouldn’t all be new. It would be also plenty of the old. 
At seventy years of age, most of it will be old. It will be reminders and exhortations, encouragement and the relating of experiences. It will be new ways of looking at old things—the gem turned so that it is examined through a new facet. Since you are so very much out of harmony with the ones putting on the program, you will kick back at most of it. I mean, you are not exactly easy to satisfy.
 

This is second hand information, and I can't say it is "new".  Perhaps it is new in the way it is presented, especially under a convention entitled "Love Never Fails".    I was hoping you may shed some truth to it, since you are taking notes.  
The "rumor" is, JWs are being told they shouldn't form an emotional attachment to their pets; that it is "foolish because they don't have feelings or emotions".  
If it is true that the leaders of the WT have stated this, why would anyone trust anything else these men say about love?  
 "So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. "  Gen 9:1,2

I would certainly be interested in seeing a copy of THAT Assembly Program Brochure !
The point I am TRYING to make ... is that all the things I mentioned were PART of the official agenda! They were PLANNED that way !

My best guess is that they went for religious instruction, establishing new trade contacts, keeping a deep-ended gene pool by people from widely disparate gene pools intermarrying, discussion of crops, national and local security issues,  showing and trading and selling livestock, preparing military strategy,  gossip and news, feasting, dancing, drinking, singing, playing music and feasting and giving and recieving open hospitality, demonstrating and learning shop craft and other trade and domestic skills, and making new friends, ... to give a partial list.
It was an Assembly TO FESTIVAL ... probably with a LOT of mutton and fried chicken, and wine.
They had to WALK where they went, with few exceptions, and were not inclined to go anywhere for frivolous reasons, or to waste ANY opportunity for ANY kind of advancement... or to have a wholesome party.
Life was too short ... and too hard!

I don't know if this is really new, but I learned it's very important to love, and show love to one another because we as heck are going to need it in the future. And I'm talking about true love, the principled kind, not the sentimental kind.
 

Who would pay me to watch Youtube Videos and take notes?
You interested in buying them?
I do have reasonably good handwriting!
( Hmmmmm.... I could scan them, and post them here ... photons are cheap! )

Susan and I are watching the whole thing now on YouTube, and we are taking notes.   I hope the information is worth the effort.
" ... Law of diminishing returns ... ", as you already understand.
Besides, my face and arms are covered with poison ivy from working on my chicken coop, and it's 93 degrees out there.

It is not only you, and the obtuseness is perhaps not deliberate.

Thanks for that, SM. I did know it. I just said what I did to answer someone who it seems to me is deliberately obtuse.

Really? The last time you were refuted on logic, you threw a fit regarding, on 2 occasions called me a patriot and confused yourself on what judging others is all about... You were better of in within the infancy of our original discussion, willfulness to do the right thing, and open to suggestion to actually help people instead of being a KBW.
There are many churches with denominations out there but there is but a few that follow things according to what Jesus' church entails, the very church that he himself has built and those he positioned by means of instruction, to which passes on to us, to us to later persons until the Christ returns.
The person needs to be in and put application of what Jesus instructed. True Christians are but a few in small number in the face of mainstream Christendom, some of them are lone ones, pockets, even small groups who are joined as one in union with the Christ in regards to his church and serving his God.
My only issue is slander - and for good reason, even culturally (something that someone evaded when I posed a question regarding a specific letter in the alphabet), I uphold my position to speak of slander and those who slander by means of kicking a man when he is down. For us, slander is like someone committing murder, coupled with the fact I am a Truther, when someone speaks slander and profess it as a truth, they will be refuted. As for the second bit, God's Word is spoken through the one who was once a man, Jesus, and now has ascended. True Christians take what is instructed seriously and we do not shy away from the very Covenant we are under. We need to, no, we must observe and apply what Jesus has taught and pass on this knowledge and to teach others, even getting on their level if need be. When met with doctrines that is alien to the church of the Christ and or slander, we have to give a bold statement. Although there are ignorant persons who are unaware, we must teach them too but despite this we mustn't lie or slander even their own upbringing, hence the lessons learned in John 4 is to be taken seriously.
Plus, being a truther, it allows us to take research in such matters very seriously. At times we tend to jump to conclusions, however, the end result is the same concerning issues in today's society, what is going on in the US, even overseas and the like.
That person must seek guidance by means of Jesus' church. Group or not (granted I have given evidence to that even video evidence of such, as well as persons I support, Soulja of God, Anthony, Kel, Lauren, Prophet K, Hashim, Warrior of the Christ,  Jason A, Pool, Barone, etc.), for I recall giving you said lecture in regards to this before.
A True Christian is either a lone person or part of a group, granted when Jesus church was founded there were examples, of those in the church of the Christ. The problem lies when there are those who go about their own interpretation that doesn't line up with anything that Jesus taught let alone what his sacrifice even means. Examples would be, people fighting over the Tetragrammaton, people fighting over homosexuality thinking Jesus is okay with it or as Srecko agreement with God being okay with a person physically changing their sex organs.
Christians are in union with the Christ. Such ones are usually solo or in a group, be it in a church of their own, their house/home, a field for meetup, etc. The church, she is support by her people, and the people adhere to her teachings, in this sense, the teachings of the Christ itself, unedited, unfiltered despite the fact even some of what was entrusted seems to offend people as well as those who take up and exploit what it means to forgive.
You either do things right in the light or remain to what you adhere to in the dark, for in darkness, the Son of God cannot see you. In the end, both sides in the light and the dark are imperfect.
It would be nice even though I made it clear several times before, several times and some of which had been answered, especially in our first interaction and our first discussion that resulted in a bite sized debate -  the only time you were open to reason and displayed sympathy and mildness, minus the fact that a so called chosen one committed slander by promoting something I am strongly against. More so, I repeated several points time and time again, and ironically you somehow missed that. Although such is said to you now, it has already been displayed that even though you were told you'll ask again, for as the saying goes, it goes into one ear and out the other, or as we say it, Lecture un homme quelque chose de bien, il va l'ignorer. sermonner un homme sur une verite, il ne la notera pas et continuera a demander comme celle d'un enfant.

This is indeed true concerning you because you skip straight to judge or await someone to rescue you out of a situation and or discussion like that of a damsel in distress. Before you spoke about Spiritual Wisdom and since then you've yet to put in the application.
That being said, should I direct several questions to you, dare I ask and such I will evidently take,  that even Bible wise intertwined with today's world, it will strongly offend and or cause frustration in you, which allows 1 John 4:1 to be used in application in this regard, but evidently, they will be directed and asked of you.
Granted that some points were addressed before, hopefully this time you understand. Granted where you are now, never go to Hyde Park with that type of understanding you will be swiftly refuted from the north, from the south, from both the east and from the west.
In this regard, outside of this, I suggest you take your own advice regarding spiritual wisdom.
 

I think that people were noticing some language issues, and he mentioned dyslexia, hardly in a category of "mental illness."
But there is good reason for concern, not the least of which is the evidence that not just the three names, but literally more than 30 different names have been used by him. The "projection" and "blame-shifting" and something I'll call "grudge echolalia" seem to come too natural to be faked. And I think several here have suspected certain obsessions and pathological tendencies.
That said, I think his defense of the WTS is actually sincere.