James Thomas Rook Jr.

This is interesting thought!
And also is interesting, significant, when in the magazine Awake interviewed highly educated individuals who have become JW. In our language edition of magazine, Croatian, during the interview, they are addressed with personal pronouns, You (plural). How come that brother interview other brother or sister with plural You. :))) for what reason?
-but this  introduction is just for little fun time :))))))
JW redefine education? No, they was redefine the purpose of life today, by telling people what to do and what not. They redefined the "normal" human needs in a way to speak to them, wait, you will be art painter, musician, scientist .... in the near future after Armagedon. Today you need to work some simple job just to have "bread and water", rest money give to Corporation for preaching work. You will be happy that way because bible teaching so.
I am "average" person. Average job. Working since my age of 17, worked various jobs; bookbinder, metal worker, all kind of house jobs that people need, gardener, and last 12 years am janitor in one high school. Last 2 years went to extra education, and last month successfully finished it. Now have diploma for "business secretary" and this last two years working half time as janitor and other half as school administrator. And i like it. Little in school administration with papers and peoples, other part some fixing works, going to town on delivery jobs. Communicate with all sort and age of people. Twice time i was helped and participate in school stage art, performance and went with drama group to few Croatian towns, to Italy, San Remo, take first place twice :)))).  
So called "worldly" education is for all people, not only for "worldly" :))))))))))))) 

Please note that on each of the Governing Body's passport applications it it crystal clear that it is an OATH OF ALLEGIANCE ... and that before Jehovah God they all swore to "bear true faith and allegiance" ... and WITHOUT ANY MENTAL RESERVATION, AND THAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AGAINST ALL ENEMIES,  FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC.
There is absolutely NO way a SANE person can get around what they did ... with fifty words or a million words.
The Malawi Party card was a national identity card that required NO OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, and was basically, a tax of 25 cents.
I spent time in the Congo  .... that was about a half day's pay at the time.
When my boys were growing up, they were members of the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol, which was basically the Boy Scouts, with airplanes ... and it did not require my sons to swear any oath of allegiance to ANYTHING, or pledge allegiance to any flag, which they also did not do.
I was there at EVERY meeting and exercise and watched, as the peer pressure on them by students and instructors was intense ... and they got to see FIRST HAND how the flag of the United States is literally worshiped in "color guard" ceremonies, and such.  My son, Yannick, was expelled from the classroom ( and me with him) for refusing to pledge allegiance to the Flag, and we went outside to see the most magnificent rainbow across the airfield I have EVER seen, in person or in ANY photographs.
It was close up, fully saturated colors, brilliantly lit  with sharply defined wide banded spectral  bows, went from left horizon to right horizon completely, and was against a background of dark rain clouds.
It is my strong personal opinion, and I am a natural skeptic about such things, that this was Jehovah God showing his pride in my son's actions.
I was so stunned, I ran back to the classroom, and burst in, and told everybody about the rainbow, and they abandoned their teacher to run outside to see it.
Later on, the teacher, a retired Marine aviation mechanic, came and apologized for his losing his temper and throwing Yannick out.
He did not know that I had previously cleared it with the Squadron Commander that my boys could be Cadets without any oath or pledge requirements whatsoever ... and apparently he got chewed out for his demands.
By the way, the Civil Air Patrol has NO weapons, and only does search and rescue of downed aircraft, with airplanes, etc. They would not even allow my boys to have knives, on camping trips ... so I bought them hatchets, and sharpened them.
 
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Oh, and by the way ... when EVERYBODY in a country buys a political party card... and by law ... there is ONLY ONE political party in the entire nation ... what REALITY is, is that the card is a National Identification Card. 
THAT IS WHY ... in Malawi, those who were NOT indigenous to Africa, were exempted.
Before you scroll down ... what would you think of a Brother, or a collection of Brothers,  who in order to get official government documents,  ACTUALLY SWORE ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ?   Pretty despicable, huh?  Especially... ESPECIALLY  in light of the Malawi rulings that got PEOPLE KILLED AND TORTURED !
Would you even want to associate with such people, claiming allegiance exclusively to God's Kingdom by Christ Jesus ... while committing TREASON against God, by giving their allegiance to a political nation?   And for what?
Now ..... after you have considered these despicable actions by Brothers for selfish, worldly reasons ..... scroll down
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It is the old classic "You are damned if you do... and damned if you don't."
If I take personal responsibility according to the dictates of my conscience and am wrong, Wrong WRONG ... I naturally have to pay the price, whatever that is.
I PERSONALLY HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE FOR RUINING MY LIFE.
If I follow the advice of ANYONE , oh...say... a Governing Body of some religious organization, and they are wrong Wrong WRONG ...  AGAIN, I naturally have to pay the price, whatever that is.
THEY PAY NO PRICE WHATSOEVER FOR RUINING MY LIFE !
.... and they NEVER, EVER .... even apologize.
 
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Wow... someone that understands my humor .... usually they gather sticks for firewood !

Nope ... I run a "tight ship".

There are some ...perhaps MANY of us, that without a
college education, would be COMPLETELY unemployable.
 

Thank you for clarifying this fact.
I did not share that report.  There is only the assertion it contains: "The man, who was a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses," that catches my eye.
I would look for some corroboration or clarity as to relevance of this statement. It seems to be as unconnected to the details of the report as the man's shoe or hat size as it stands.
However, as you have stated, this is a mis-posting of material so I will leave the discussion. Treat this response as a return of courtesy. 

The problem arises when people who choose  themselves to be "the foolish things of the world" became really foolish in generating doctrines and instructions that have no connection to god. But they convinced themselves how they are wise in the presence of, before God.
So, who can help them? Man? God? No one.  Because why would they listen to "wise man in a flesh"? An with god, god decide to live them in their security of false wisdom to show to others how look the end of human wisdom, again. With or without prefix - "wise" or "foolish"  

Jehovah has NEVER changed ... although he has changed his mind many times when entreated to do so, and he DOES "learn as he goes along".
He was genuinely surprised when children were offered to the fires of the god Moloch as human sacrifices, and before that there was of course ... the dinosaurs ... which did not end well, for them.
And the name "Jehovah" is in ENGLISH, a standard convention since about AD 1600 when the letter "J" was invented, and the name is different in different languages, the same as Jesus' name is different in different languages.
I under understand in Spanish my name James is pronounced HIGH-ME, or Santiago ....
Who knew?
 

Wow Julie!  This is excellent. The four horses are riding. All brothers and sisters! Listen the that Awake, Pack that GO bag!  I have a friend in a Florida congregation and they advise that have a bag that you can grab is five minutes!  I am also buying flood insurance. Only 20% of America has it as it is NOT offered unless you are on a flood plane.  I realize if it may not be cashable at the end, but look at Houston?  Not many houses have it in the USA. Email your insurance agent. It is really inexpensive to get if you are not on a flood plane.  I love this thread. Thank you my dear brothers and sisters.  

Don't let fear and anger, grief, worry, stress take over your body....they destroy the body! - We have a resting place with Jehovah! - The wicked will be shown up! -
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We need to Pray for deliverance and put it in Jehovah's hands....He says: "They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” Jehovah has said. This is what Jehovah has said: “The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool."
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(1 Peter 3:10-18) . . .For, “he that would love life and see good days, let him restrain his tongue from what is bad and [his] lips from speaking deception, 11 but let him turn away from what is bad and do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For [the] eyes of Jehovah are upon the righteous ones, and his ears are toward their supplication; but [the] face of Jehovah is against those doing bad things.” 13 Indeed, who is the man that will harm YOU if YOU become zealous for what is good? 14 But even if YOU should suffer for the sake of righteousness, YOU are happy."
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(Isaiah 65:24-66:2) . . .And it will actually occur that before they call out I myself shall answer; while they are yet speaking, I myself shall hear. 25 “The wolf and the lamb themselves will feed as one, and the lion will eat straw just like the bull; and as for the serpent, his food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” Jehovah has said. 66 This is what Jehovah has said: “The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where, then, is the house that YOU people can build for me, and where, then, is the place as a resting-place for me?” 2 “Now all these things my own hand has made, so that all these came to be,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “To this one, then, I shall look, to the one afflicted and contrite in spirit and trembling at my word." 
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jw.org

Your feelings are your feelings, but I'm not about to sit here and read a cut and paste from WT. If what they say is exactly what you feel/believe, ok fine but I'm not reading pages from them. I'd much rather read what you feel and believe from your own words. I understand and will take your position into thought the next time we discuss. I doubt we will because I cannot fathom a person who stands convicted by what the WT says but cannot put it into their own words for meaningful discussion. 
 
Good day.

This answers NOTHING of what your position is. If I wanted to hear from the WT, I'd look it up myself. I want to know how YOU fit the two. If it is the same, then by all means put it into your own words and support it with scripture and I'll be happy to discuss, but If all you are going to do is point to a website, then forget it. This is a discussion board to bounce our ideas, thoughts and understandings off of each other in order to grow more in depth of our understanding about this world we live in and the people that exist here. 

I forgot JHVH. He  changing roles and jobs but still hold same name JHVH.  

like your previous comment.
What was first job of The Word? Create! What was the first job of Michael? To fight! What was the first job of Jesus? To dye!
So Jesus get back to previous job position - to fight,again. After he will finish fighting, then he will get back to first job of creating, again? Or to some other future job change with name change?  

Ehm? How about...

IT WAS COMMON PRACTICE IN JEWISH SOCIETY TO HAVE NAME CHANGES WHEN A PERSON'S  LIFE HAD DRAMATIC CHANGES.
and plenty of examples of that in the Bible, too.
Sometimes they were interchangeable, sometimes not.
In our cultural background , Superman is REALLY Superman, but his birth name was Kal-El, and he also goes by Clark Kent.
Bruce Wayne is...uh ... Bruce Wayne and he goes by the name Batman, but is also called The Dark Knight.
If you had two cows named, and  described in great detail ... as Michael the Archangel, and Jesus both were ... BY WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO ...and it was the same description ... AND the farm could only have one cow ... the most reasonable explanation would be it was the same cow.
Problems arise when you try to milk a squirrel to make butter.
 

I think the angel whose job it was to teach Adam and Ever correct theology was originally named "Lucifer" which I understand means "Bearer of Light" ... but when he committed treason and rebelled against God, and lied to them ... his name changed to "Satan" which I understand means "Slanderer" ... but I am going from 50 year old memory.
So... angelic creatures can change names also ... and be reclassified WITH that name change ...from angels of God, to demons.
The principle of "job change --> name change"  has plenty of examples.
 

I think the angel whose job it was to teach Adam and Ever correct theology was originally named "Lucifer" which I understand means "Bearer of Light" ... but when he committed treason and rebelled against God, and lied to them ... his name changed to "Satan" which I understand means "Slanderer" ... but I am going from 50 year old memory.
So... angelic creatures can change names also ... and be reclassified WITH that name change ...from angels of God, to demons.
The principle of "job change --> name change"  has plenty of examples.
 

I thought John 3:16 was completely self explanatory!
John 3:16New International Version (NIV)   " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Would you want to get on an airplane designed by the average very theocratic Pioneer?
NOT ME!

I am very sad because all kids in the world who died because of various reasons.   

Booby.....    What  a  silly  comment,   TrueTomHarley !!!!

Paint it.