James Thomas Rook Jr.

It seems to me that all real Men will recognize the responsibility they have to their Families .... physical and spiritual, to take care of them.
That includes, food, clothing, shelter, education and many other things... including defending them from harm, and even death.
The only question remains is this ....
CAN YOU ACTUALLY PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILIES' DEFENSE, WITHOUT THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO PROVIDE FOR A COMPETENT DEFENSE?
For those in Rio Linda ... the answer is NO.
Standing in harms way with good intentions, and becoming the first victim ... is no defense at all.
THERE ARE SO many MALES ...SO VERY FEW men.
MEN have MANY self evident moral obligations ... otherwise we are just drones with male plumbing.
... an incompetent defense ...is NO DEFENSE AT ALL!
IN ORDER TO BE A THEOCRATIC MAN ... FIRST YOU HAVE TO BE A MAN!
 

AMEN to THAT!
Test Question 1.) What in life is NOT a gamble?
Test Question 2.) What scripture in the Bible Prohibits taking known risks ?
... all else is drivel, and irrelevancy ...
Be a sport. (hahahahaha...) actually write down the questions, and under them .. WRITE DOWN the REAL answers!
 
 

Bible Speaks:
So far you have not shown me ANYTHING from the Bible that is wrong with taking calculated risks and gambling.
By the way .. EVERYTIME YOU GET IN YOUR CAR TO GO ANYWHERE ... you are gambling your life, health, and fortune. ... and the lives of those riding with you.
EVERYTHING in life is a gamble ... Oh, and by the way, the Society has perhaps a HALF BILLION dollars in Stock Market Investments and invested trust funds ... and have a whole DEPARTMENT to TRY and manage those ...(oh, what's the word I am lookng for ... oh yeah! ...) GAMBLE.
And in a Lottery, EVERY participant is there by his OWN FREE will .... in any enterprise entered upon with free will, there are no losers ... only those who did not win the pool.
And yes, YOU will be disfellowshipped for buying a one dollar Lottery ticket ... while the Society gambles with millions of dollars of OUR contributions... EVERY ... DAY!
What's wrong with THAT picture?
 
 
 

Here is the REAL TEST!
...and all else is drivel, and irrelevancy ...
Test Question 1.) What in life is NOT a gamble?
Test Question 2.) What scripture in the Bible Prohibits taking known risks ?
NONE of the above scriptures I saw  HAVE ANYTHING WHATSOEVER to do with ANYONE willing to take a calculated risk on a voluntary basis, and in the case of, say, a Lottery, participate with others who WILLINGLY pool their money at odds of 1 in 295,000,000.
NOTHING WHATSOEVER !
zero, zip, nada, goose eggs!
If we prohibit taking known risks, among many other things, the human race will stagnate into the pit of starvation, death, and slavery, as Farmers will be PROHIBITED from doing their jobs and we will starve, there are a million ways to die,  and when enslaved, we will accept with resignation the status quo, and not risk getting free.
Oh, and by the way ... who today worships any God of Luck?
Nobody I have ever met.
I cannot even think of a name to associate with one.
Test Question 1.) What in life is NOT a gamble?
Test Question 2.) What scripture in the Bible Prohibits taking known risks ?
... all else is drivel, and irrelevancy ...
.
 

OF COURSE IT MAKES SENSE !
I just need  a Fifth of Scotch to kill the pain!
 

I admire her courage ... a LOT ... but that would still creep me out.
I am sure she realizes this ... and it is THAT ... that gives her a backbone of steel.
John the Baptist, who slept under a rock or something, wore rags, and who ate locusts MILLENIA before toothbrushes ... was highly favored by God.

The parents do that SPECIFICALLY so that "Santa Clause" gets the credit for the presents, and because of cultural peer pressure,  not the rightful originators.
In like manner the Governing Body gets credit for the "presents" ... and not the Brother or Sister that called something to your attention "early".
Remember the basic rule ...... EVERYTHING not specifically permitted ... is forbidden.
If you remember this, you will be approved for disparaging the "little brother", and learn more to love "Big Brother".
Winston Smith had to learn that the hard way ... in "Room 101".

Bible Speaks:
So far you have not shown me ANYTHING from the Bible that is wrong with taking calculated risks and gambling.
By the way .. EVERYTIME YOU GET IN YOUR CAR TO GO ANYWHERE ... you are gambling your life, health, and fortune. ... and the lives of those riding with you.
EVERYTHING in life is a gamble ... Oh, and by the way, the Society has perhaps a HALF BILLION dollars in Stock Market Investments and invested trust funds ... and have a whole DEPARTMENT to TRY and manage those ...(oh, what's the word I am lookng for ... oh yeah! ...) GAMBLE.
And in a Lottery, EVERY participant is there by his OWN FREE will .... in any enterprise entered upon with free will, there are no losers ... only those who did not win the pool.
And yes, YOU will be disfellowshipped for buying a one dollar Lottery ticket ... while the Society gambles with millions of dollars of OUR contributions... EVERY ... DAY!
What's wrong with THAT picture?
 
 
 

AMEN to THAT!
Test Question 1.) What in life is NOT a gamble?
Test Question 2.) What scripture in the Bible Prohibits taking known risks ?
... all else is drivel, and irrelevancy ...
Be a sport. (hahahahaha...) actually write down the questions, and under them .. WRITE DOWN the REAL answers!
 
 

The great tragedy of 'group' drowning deaths is that good swimmers often get tired out and pulled down by trying to save the ones who cannot swim. Survivors are often haunted by the fact that the only reason they survived is that they decided to swim away and not help their drowning friends.

Were none of them able to swim even for a few minutes? I can understand dying by being pulled under by a huge ship sinking...but just falling off a boat? I've jumped off of more boats than I can think of for the sheer fun of swimming.

Life has ALWAYS been cheap ...
Sounds like new contestants for the 2017 "Darwin Awards" if they were over the age of 16.

Life has ALWAYS been cheap ...
Sounds like new contestants for the 2017 "Darwin Awards" if they were over the age of 16.

Knock knock knockin' on heaven's door........
It is aways interesting (for me) to look at the partakers graph against the average publishers graph as shown here. (They will be included in these figures).
I mean, why shouldn't this number increase? I know we have put date limiters on it in the past, but surely we have become less rigid about this in more recent years? (@Melinda Mills could substantiate this with numerous WT references!)
Anointed ones answer only to Jehovah as to the genuineness of their claim (1Cor 11:27-29).
We are rejoicing at the increase, if we show the same spirit that the angels do when sinners repent:
Luke 15:10:  "I tell you, joy arises among the angels of God over one sinner who repents"

What does Chess have to do with gambling???

Bible Speaks:
So far you have not shown me ANYTHING from the Bible that is wrong with taking calculated risks and gambling.
By the way .. EVERYTIME YOU GET IN YOUR CAR TO GO ANYWHERE ... you are gambling your life, health, and fortune. ... and the lives of those riding with you.
EVERYTHING in life is a gamble ... Oh, and by the way, the Society has perhaps a HALF BILLION dollars in Stock Market Investments and invested trust funds ... and have a whole DEPARTMENT to TRY and manage those ...(oh, what's the word I am lookng for ... oh yeah! ...) GAMBLE.
And in a Lottery, EVERY participant is there by his OWN FREE will .... in any enterprise entered upon with free will, there are no losers ... only those who did not win the pool.
And yes, YOU will be disfellowshipped for buying a one dollar Lottery ticket ... while the Society gambles with millions of dollars of OUR contributions... EVERY ... DAY!
What's wrong with THAT picture?
 
 
 

Although I am relying on a strong but fragmentary memory over 50 years old,  I remember studying that if a traveler or other person could not make it to Memorial for some very serious reason, that they could have a Memorial Celebration one Lunar Month later.
We studied that in the KM at the KH, if memory serves.
Does anybody remember this ... probably from the early 1960's?

Here is the REAL TEST!
...and all else is drivel, and irrelevancy ...
Test Question 1.) What in life is NOT a gamble?
Test Question 2.) What scripture in the Bible Prohibits taking known risks ?
NONE of the above scriptures I saw  HAVE ANYTHING WHATSOEVER to do with ANYONE willing to take a calculated risk on a voluntary basis, and in the case of, say, a Lottery, participate with others who WILLINGLY pool their money at odds of 1 in 295,000,000.
NOTHING WHATSOEVER !
zero, zip, nada, goose eggs!
If we prohibit taking known risks, among many other things, the human race will stagnate into the pit of starvation, death, and slavery, as Farmers will be PROHIBITED from doing their jobs and we will starve, there are a million ways to die,  and when enslaved, we will accept with resignation the status quo, and not risk getting free.
Oh, and by the way ... who today worships any God of Luck?
Nobody I have ever met.
I cannot even think of a name to associate with one.
Test Question 1.) What in life is NOT a gamble?
Test Question 2.) What scripture in the Bible Prohibits taking known risks ?
... all else is drivel, and irrelevancy ...
.
 

.
With my usual lack of humor I present the Draft Copy of the December 2016 issue of the Watchtower which showed a Brother shaving on the cover ... it was changed before being distributed, because the Brothers responsible for the VERY GOOD and accurate article ... disappeared mysteriously.
Dec 2016 Watchtower draft article .pdf
.
 

Yeah .... if he is drooling, stabbing the seat cushions with a knife, and brings a lunch to the 2017 Convention with fingers sticking out, they may need to reconsider the microphone thingy.
There are PLENTY of examples of men in the Bible who slaughtered each other in wars, conflicts and assassinations ... AND THEY ALL HAD BEARDS!
 

The first Kingdom Hall I went to I had a tile floor sloped downward like a movie theater to the stage and podium.
I had a large bag of marbles I hid from my mother.
We arrived late and sat on the back row.
I dropped the bag and the marbles spilled out and rolled to the front, each making noise and hitting chair legs and shoes on the way down.
That's when I learned to pray.
.
 

The Five Fingers Rule
Sometimes I’ve tried to help others not using the Scriptures to proof any kind of idea or behavior one person could have. I’ve used what I’ve denominated “the five fingers rule”, from the weakest to the stronger evidence

 
Only one finger: the evidence is only in the same division of the Bible, Greek or Hebrew Scriptures.
This is the weakest evidence. The explanation about our verse under scrutiny is in the “other side” of the Bible. We’re trying to prove some idea based in the Hebrew Scriptures with another verse from Greek Scriptures, or vice versa. So, there are centuries of distance in the meaning, language, cultural environment and God’s dealings.
If we use this approach we should be very careful. Only if we have direct mention of some application in the Bible we should feel free to try the same, for example:
(Matthew 24:15) “…when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken about by Daniel the prophet…” In spite we have here one verse in the Greek against other in the Hebrew Scriptures, as we have the direct mention of Christ we can, with confidence apply the verses.
Conversely, when we read (Da 4:25) “seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that he grants it to whomever he wants”, and we try to apply the seven times to Jesus words in Lu 21:24 “…Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled” we only have a weak evidence. When we read in Daniel about “times”, we cannot think any mention in the Bible about “times” share the same or related meaning. And it seems a little bit farfetched to apply the Nebuchadnezzar happenings to Christ.
Two fingers: the writer is contemporary.
Either in the Greek or Hebrew period. Well, now our evidence has more weight.
(Isaiah 37:22) “…The virgin daughter of Zion despises you…” (Jeremiah 14:17) “…For the virgin daughter of my people has been completely crushed and broken…” No problem when applying the term virgin to the nation of Israel.
Three fingers: the verses share the same writer.
But, perhaps, not the same book.
(Romans 3:20) “…no one will be declared righteous before him by works of law…” (Galatians 2:16) “…not by works of law, but only through faith…” When we develop the idea about how obtain salvation, we have strong evidence, from the same Bible writer, clarifying the meaning.
Four fingers. The evidence is in the same Bible book.
Now, the evidence is still stronger.
 (Zechariah 1:8) “…I saw a vision in the night. There was a man riding on a red horse, and he stood still among the myrtle trees in the ravine; and behind him there were red, reddish-brown, and white horses...” (Zechariah 6:2, 3) “…The first chariot had red horses, and the second chariot, black horses. The third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot, speckled and dappled horses…” (Rev 6:4-7) “a fiery-colored horse… a black horse… a pale horse…” We have a good foundation If we think these horsemen represent angels. Both declaration in the same book of Zechariah share the same meaning: the horsemen meant spirits. And with Revelation, there is no other place in the Bible with this kind of visions.
Five fingers: the complete evidence.
Not only the same writer in the same book of the same period, but also in the immediate context.
(1 Corinthians 2:7-9) “…But we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom, … But just as it is written: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”
The application, based in the same context has to do with the secret, hidden purpose of God, only revealed by His spirit.
Applying the five fingers rule
(2 John 7-11) “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those not acknowledging Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist… The one who does remain in this teaching is the one who has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works. When we even refused to say hello to a disfellowshipped person, based in the previous word from John, are we aware than the apostle was writing about deceivers and antichrist? This is five fingers. But if we apply this radical behavior for the person being spoken in 1Cor. 5, we have only the two fingers evidence. The Corinthians received the instruction to avoid eating (fellowship).
One more example:
(Matthew 24:3) “...Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence…” (Matthew 24:30) “…Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief, …” The five fingers rule determine that the sign of the presence is the same as the sing of the Son of man. By the way, a sign completely visible, as the lightning.
Obviously they will be exceptions, but we should be cautious with these exceptions.

Has anyone seen my Bible? I left it at a BNB in Mississippi last night.

Thank you for putting my thoughts into words

I can tell already that the point I was making is going to be mostly lost. But it doesn't matter that much because my point really was unnecessarily negative, and now wasn't the right time to bring it up.
But thanks for catching on to the basic point. I'll use your comments as an excuse to go ahead and explain my reaction to the CNN article. There were about half-a-dozen points that crossed my mind.
This news story was not included to create a topic for a specific set of religious beliefs. It's in a general news section. In my response, therefore, I didn't mention the other verses specifically because I thought they could be viewed negatively, but because they might have just as well been seen as more appropriate, and sometimes even more important to the circumstances. There was obviously nothing wrong with the other verses I pointed out, and a good, appropriate sermon could have been made on those verses, too. Every part of the open Bible could have been used to bring comfort in the storm, or a reminder of Jehovah's might. The verse chosen was perhaps the easiest one to work with.  The story also reminded me of the joke that goes something like: "A man went and said 'I'll open the bible to a random verse and use it to guide my life. He opened it and it said "and Judas went and hung himself" he opened it again and it said "go ye and do likewise." ' " It reminds me that the exact same type of story gains traction when steel beams fall, and create the shape of a cross as they did in famous photos taken from the World Trade Center disaster. It also reminded me of the fact that sometimes there are deadly storms or airplane crashes, and many other man-made or natural disasters where many people die, and often one person, perhaps an infant, or photogenic child, will survive. The news often picks up on these stories and highlights the angle (through comments and interviews) that there must have been something special about that particular survivor, and God must have something in mind for them. Perhaps these stories work very positively for 99% of listeners, but another 1% are made to wonder if there is a certain hypocrisy in focusing on the "value" of the life of the survivor that, in effect, dismisses the "value" of those whose lives were horribly and violently ripped away. For some sincere believers, it even creates a false dichotomy about Satan being allowed to do a lot of bad, while God was able to intervene to do some good. It's a faith-strengthener for some, but a problem for others, because it's built on a false premise: Jesus apparently dealt with the problem that disasters were often surrounded by superstitious beliefs even when the disaster was actually random: (Luke 13:4) . . .Or those 18 on whom the tower in Si·loʹam fell, killing them—do you think that they had greater guilt than all other men who live in Jerusalem?
Superstitious beliefs affected the view of every form of human suffering: (John 9:1-3) . . .As he was passing along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered: “Neither this man sinned nor his parents, . . .
Superstition is commonly utilized to explain coincidence, and if the subject is positive and upbuilding, we accept it as true and spiritual instead of superstition. The problem is that if the same superstition were used to explain negative coincidences, then the same type of thinking would be seen as "magical" or even "demonic." The existence of a very positive coincidence without superstition is actually difficult for us because we want to make sense of the world and believe that Jehovah is directly involved in all the good things of our material life, and this might require that we blame Satan for all the bad things of our material life. There is a depth of wisdom in Ecclesiastes that surpasses superstition, even though it does not discount the idea that Jehovah is still in full control of the universe:
(Ecclesiastes 9:11, 12) . . .I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. 12 For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly.
Many religions with holy or sacred writings often have members who treat the writings with a kind of superstitious "bibliolatry" where the sacred books like the Quran or Bible, for example, are treated like a kind of Ouija board. The person closes their eyes and opens the book to some random point, lets their finger drop to a verse, then they open their eyes and try to make sense of the verse, usually out of context. It's the basis for the joke in point #2, above. This doesn't mean that it will lead to anything bad (as in the joke above), but it might also mean that we are depending on a kind of magical rather than rational thought process, which is related to idolatry. (Romans 12:1, 2) . . .present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. 2 And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
P.S.
*** w81 1/1 p. 22 par. 19 “Engaging in the Holy Work of the Good News” ***
“I asked the householder what motivated her to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. She said that often she would open the Bible at random, point her finger at a verse and read it. But she seldom could understand what she read.
“One day she was very depressed over serious family problems. Again she opened her Bible and picked out a verse. She could not understand it, and in her depression and disappointment began to cry. She prayed to God to send her someone to help her understand his Word. Just as she said that, the doorbell rang. Answering it she found a Witness, who began, ‘Would you like to understand the Bible?’ The householder pulled her inside and quickly a regular study was begun.”