James Thomas Rook Jr.

No. I do not think your take is correct. 
There is no way proscecuting authorities are not going to know what religion you came from, and this will make "problems" for them regardless of what you say. That is especially true when young men of that religion routinely refuse military service as they come of age. It won't matter what they say - the fact that they come from a certain religion will cause problems for that religion in the eyes of YU government.
He was probably giving you your highest chance of success, for the Bible is more respected in the country than is the JW religion. Attach your refusal to the highest cause possible if you want to maximize chances of success.
 

These excerpted quotes are from JW.ORG
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102000121
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" A Terrible Efficiency
These statistics, although shocking, are just cold numbers. They cannot convey the loneliness of life without a cherished mate, the frustration of lost independence, the despair of a lingering disease, the emptiness of chronic depression, the hopelessness of a fatal illness. The sad truth is that while young people may attempt suicide as a reckless reaction to temporary problems, older people are usually faced with problems that seem to be permanent and unsolvable. As a result, they often approach suicide more determinedly than the young and carry it out with a terrible efficiency.
“Not only is suicide significantly more prevalent among older persons, but the suicidal act itself reflects important differences between old and young,” notes Dr. Hendin, in his book Suicide in America. “In particular, the ratio of attempted to actual suicides shifts quite markedly among older persons. Among the population as a whole, the ratio of attempted suicides to actual suicides has been estimated to be 10 to 1; among the young (15-24), it has been estimated to be 100 to 1; and among those over 55, it has been estimated to be 1 to 1.”
What sobering statistics! How depressing to grow old, lose physical strength, and suffer pain and sickness! Little wonder so many commit suicide. Yet, there is powerful reason to treasure life—even under very difficult circumstances. Consider what happened to Mary, who was mentioned in the introduction."
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The mental illness and  suicide rate among older Jehovah's witnesses is 5 to 10 times that of the general population .. be a sport ... look it up.
It is my considered opinion ...  that the CHIEF REASON for this is FINANCIAL DESPERATION, which also in my opinion,   CAUSES almost all of the symptoms and effects mentioned in the  Society's incomplete analysis  of this problem.
Elderly people did not get to be elderly by being naturally suicidal.
They are driven to it by problems that in most cases education and money would solve.


Now the older people, and I mean Brothers and Sisters,  are unemployable ... at ANYTHING ... and are poor and desperate ... and for many ignorant and destitute Brothers and Sisters, suicide appears to be their only reality based option.
TWENTY EIGHT YEARS AGO ... the Society gave the following advice, as pervasive and chilling as a pouring rain ...

I still think  Jehovah's Witnesses are "the only game in town"  as far as the 15% core theology goes ... but the 85% complete drivel and artificial tyranny has a very high cost in the loss of innocent lives of those who recognize the difference, and cannot stand it.
I probably endure injustice and tyranny better than most ... BUT I DON'T LIKE IT.  
Not so much for me, but for the innocents who can't handle it, and are CHASED AWAY!
With BILLIONS of hours witnessing globally, the "churn", or turnover rate of we who are blessed with true basic core theology is here in the United States about 77%.
It SHOULD be very close to ZERO.
It currently takes about 25 MAN YEARS of witnessing to get ONE convert, who stays.
It's more effective to get married, have three children, and raise them correctly to ignore the tyranny, to about age 30.

Thank You so VERY much Sereko Sostar:
I have been looking for a rational explanation for this for many years, and was not able to discern it.
The concept of NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL conscience, with the evidence, which I have also seen, was the key to understanding.
I only knew from my observations that "something" was polluting the system, as REAL Justice, reasonableness and common sense  does not exist, anymore, within our ranks ... and with the clear Bible trained conscience ... I did NOT see the painfully obvious with the clarity you just now provided.
THIS ALONE has made the years I have been bashing my head against the JW-Archive wall worth while, and I appreciate it.
Your experiences and insight  answer that all important question ...
... WHY?
JTR
 
 
 

Surely you know Pro. 18:11 "The valuable things of the rich are his strong town, and they are like a protective wall in his imagination" ?
I mean, I'm sure these guys had pursued higher education and obtained a well-paying job: 
– On January 26, 2014, former Deutsche Bank executive, William Broeksmit, was found dead at his South Kensington home after police responded to reports of a man found hanging at a house. According to reports, Broeksmit had “close ties to co-chief executive Anshu Jain.” – Gabriel Magee, a 39-year-old senior manager at JP Morgan’s European headquarters, jumped 500ft from the top of the bank’s headquarters in central London on January 27, 2014, landing on an adjacent 9 story roof. – Mike Dueker, the chief economist at Russell Investments, fell down a 50 foot embankment in what police are describing as a suicide. He was reported missing on January 29, 2014 by friends, who said he had been “having problems at work.” – Richard Talley, 57, founder of American Title Services in Centennial, Colorado, was also found dead on 4 Feb 2014 after apparently shooting himself with a nail gun. – 37-year-old JP Morgan executive director Ryan Henry Crane died last week, 3 Feb, 2014. – Tim Dickenson, a U.K.-based communications director at Swiss Re AG, also died last month (Jan 2014), although the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown. Maybe it was just a bad month for bankers, but to be perfectly blunt, you need to sharpen up on your game in this particular area!!   

Under the subheading, "Iron Sharpens Iron" lies this amusingly-worded gem
"...one friend may succeed in sharpening the intellectual and spiritual state of another."
Thank you all for sharpening me... ;-)
 

With some creativity, I suppose some of the so-called "Top 40" Star Wars quotes might be worked into the imagined conversation:
“In time, the suffering of your people will persuade you to see our point of view.” — Nute Gunray “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” — Darth Vader “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith?” — Count Dooku “I’m one with the Force. The Force is with me.” — Chirrut Îmwe “Well, if droids could think, there’d be none of us here, would there?” — Obi-Wan Kenobi

Good Detectives perhaps see differently than poorer Detectives.
Occasionaly, the reverse is also true.

Hi Tom! I was born in Zagreb and living here. 
Prison is not hard, but prisoners :)))))
Counsel from late brother Miloš Knežević was because not to bring problems to society in YU, so from other perspective we can talk now how WTorg was/is ready, determined to instruct rank and file members in that way to protect corporation, and to put all responsibility on "personal decision"  which, whose are product, not primarily in members clear perception and understanding that came from his inside, from that person,  and by that  is his/her unique and only one possible choice made on foundation of conscience.
Such or similar decisions in JW world, are made on "bible trained conscience" as product of doctrines and instructions of society. Not because I or you or anyone else come to such conclusion by inspired revelation inside our mind in one crucial and inimitable moment  of life. I can agree on religious, pacifists, humanitarian or philosophic reasons to not to go to war. JW are not unique in refusing military service as they claim (preaching service too) Members of Adventist church and Nazarian church was with me in the same prison also. And they do that also from the same main reason as JW, because members doing that what they have to do as members. 
Religious people as JW, have two sort of conscience. One is Natural, God given sense, from birth. Second sort of conscience is "trained" by WT org, by bible, by society, by tribe, family, books .... So, as one person growing, he/she forming mix of rules what is acceptable and what is not. Sometimes first and main natural sense can not go on daylight because of learned, trained, instructed, artificial conscience. And that artificial conscience is on work when they do not want to say hello to ex members. How i know that? I looked into the face of such person and  see amalgam of pride, hidden shame, stubbornness, guilty, fear of men, fanaticism. 
 
 
 
 
 
        

*coff*

If I can find it, I will post the photos I have of the Watchtower Society Lawyers, after they failed to secure religious liberty for the Witnesses in Russia, despite $80 million dollars in international postage, and $3 million dollars in legal fees and expenses, at the Moscow Salt Water Aquarium having an "after case" party and dinner at a fine Russian restaurant, and swimming freely with the sharks ... both men and sharks having a GREAT time together!
Although they made MANY excellent rational arguments before the Russian Supreme Court, their arguments were not as pointed as the Russian bayonets
Sharks everywhere know about "points", but even in Russia, even THEY show the Society's Lawyers .... Professional Courtesy.

The Chinese are very adept traders .... all the war materials the USA sent them to fight Japan with, they repaid with hamsters and canaries.
...which naturally make more hamsters and canaries.
The reason the Chinese are "inscrutable", is ...  if their faces crack, they go into uncontrollable laughter.

Perhaps Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween is because
they don't like people coming to their door unsolicited?

Back when they used to charge the Publishers for books, I remember it was 20 cents at the book counter.

One thing all trinitarians have in common ... when it comes time to war ... they all meet on the battlefield and slaughter each other.
This was particularly true during WWI when most of the people assembled on the French/German border were trinitarian Catholics, and in a year long battle, killed A MILLION OF EACH OTHER.
that alone DISPROVES THE TRINITY,  ( If you have any common sense at all ) ... and shoots the "horse" it rode in on .... that God's Holy Spirit is supposedly PART of that triune "godhead", and also proves invalid, as ACTUAL Christianity, everything else that they dreamed up, circa 320 A.D. .
And a million word analysis of a million more words will not change that.

I ever think the key fact is that the Trinity violates common sense. Everyone knows that, but not always the implication.
It means that the burden of proof will always be upon them, not us - as it is with anyone trying to sell someone any bill of goods that flies in the face of reason. Sometimes a thing that goes against common sense turns out to be true. But the threshold of proof required is always high.
At most, they can come up with a handful of verses which, in any other context but the Bible, would be instantly dismissed as 'figure of speech.' They read 'crocodile tears' in a book or magazine, and instantly catch the meaning. They read it in the Bible, and it is proof we are talking crocodiles.
They are firmly convinced but it is not from Scripture. Therefore, it must be from something else - who can say what? But it is not Scripture.
In my experience, if you don't make headway with them in ten minutes, you will make none in ten years.

One thing all trinitarians have in common ... when it comes time to war ... they all meet on the battlefield and slaughter each other.
This was particularly true during WWI when most of the people assembled on the French/German border were trinitarian Catholics, and in a year long battle, killed A MILLION OF EACH OTHER.
that alone DISPROVES THE TRINITY,  ( If you have any common sense at all ) ... and shoots the "horse" it rode in on .... that God's Holy Spirit is supposedly PART of that triune "godhead", and also proves invalid, as ACTUAL Christianity, everything else that they dreamed up, circa 320 A.D. .
And a million word analysis of a million more words will not change that.

Perhaps Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween is because
they don't like people coming to their door unsolicited?

Perhaps Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween is because
they don't like people coming to their door unsolicited?

Perhaps Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween is because
they don't like people coming to their door unsolicited?

One thing I have learned in my 70 years of paying attention to details, and missing many ... to the extent that it drives normal people nuts, or away ... is that if you want to be happy ... don't sweat the small stuff. 
Ask yourself ... is THIS the "hill I want to die on"?
Probably not.
But the key to an integrated personality I have found to be this.
Expect NOTHING ... and you will never be disappointed.
..all your surprises will all be pleasant!
What is NOT the case becomes evident upon analysis.
What IS the case about many, many things ... only Jehovah knows.
"WHAT, ME WORRY?" - Alfred E. Neuman

Perhaps Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween is because
they don't like people coming to their door unsolicited?

All sorts of hedge funds, money and stock funds. Trust entities. Building, buying and selling real estates. That all produce money for spending.
Money from members, from kid who "sold chicken" and gave half money to society or from kid who change her mind and not going to "ice-cream after Sunday morning KH meeting" :((((.
Choose whatever source. All come to Money Department where managers and bookkeeping stuff take orders from "above" and share and spend somebody else's money.
Nothing is free in "Spiritual Paradise", not even a free of charge magazine. You pay all that. With money, with emotions, with intellect, with freedom, with soul, with psyche, with free labour. With life. 

Hahaha, yes, you could call it disaster relief. But I'm being serious. Anyone?

Great. Another attempt by man to end warfare. Nice try. Will not work as mankind does not possess the tools necessary to root out all the causes of armed conflict between nations. Sometimes the causes are superficial such as the perceived need for territory or free trade. Mankind can address such things. But when the causes go much deeper such as hatred between nations then the only way to end war is to change the minds and hearts of the individuals and only God's Kingdom with Christ as the king can do this.