TrueTomHarley

Here, Putin is routinely reviled by politicians and media. Respectful letters from ones who have every reason to gripe may make more impression than we realize.

When you are writing to the Russians about their proposal to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, there may be a temptation to speak of legal and constitutional issues, for their recent conduct flies in the face of many of them. There may be temptation to observe that, surely, ISIS provides the template of what extremism is. But I suspect leaders there are aware of these things and, for whatever reason, have chosen to ignore them.
Tell them something they don’t know. Tell them about eight million people, from every nation, who don’t know their Russian brothers personally, but care about them anyway. Let them ponder the significance of what if the whole world was like that. When they look to the outside world of international relations, all they see is bickering, bitching and bellyaching. Let them see another world.
Convey that we are ordinary, decent people, the sort who appreciates government’s role to preserve social order and improve the moral fabric of persons within its borders, and that we everywhere cooperate with governments as they pursue such goals. I like the suggestion at jw.org to relate some practical way in which the truth has helped us personally.
Imagine! An invitation from Bethel to write to high Russian officials about the proposed ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a fine way for individual Christians, most of whom feel quite helpless, to ‘bring their gift to the altar.’

Better to compare it to more recent letter writing campaigns, imo, and not Hitler. Hitler was doing unspeakable things to our people and many others. Russian officials, however, are probably only yielding to pressure from opposers in the house church.
It's hardly a slam-dunk, but neither should it be thought of as a lost cause.

Our people are loyal. They are beautiful. They are thrilled to be bringing their gift to the altar. But sometimes they are too flippant about what is really a very serious topic 

There was never a time when they were not allowed. Who's going to 'not allow' them?

It may be that I owe Queen Esther an apology, for she posts much fine content.
If you see someone accosted by an apostate and the reaction is far afield from what you would expect it would be, it can be hard to get your head around why that would be. It is my bad, perhaps. I'll just have to work harder to get my head around it.

Okay. Well, she knows one or two languages more than me, and that is a good thing. She may not realize that there are certain - how can they not be apostates? - who jump upon some of her posts and undercut / ridicule them. She would not like that if she knew, for she works so hard to provide upbuilding content.

It may be that I owe Queen Esther an apology, for she posts much fine content.
If you see someone accosted by an apostate and the reaction is far afield from what you would expect it would be, it can be hard to get your head around why that would be. It is my bad, perhaps. I'll just have to work harder to get my head around it.

Though our letter-writing campaign will surely catch their attention, we should not 'laugh' at the spectacle of these guys not being able to move because we have flooded their mail. If anything, we should apologize for it, with the caveat that the situation is desperate for us, we didn't know what else to do, and we felt we had to get their attention somehow.
Fear the king. Do not treat him with disrespect.
I am glad to read Mr. Pshelintsev's statement.
 

Here, Putin is routinely reviled by politicians and media. Respectful letters from ones who have every reason to gripe may make more impression than we realize.

They will know there is a nation in which every citizen cares deeply about every other citizen. They have never seen this before. They will not forget it, regardless of the outcome. Not to mention the encouragement it will bring our Russian brothers.

They will know there is a nation in which every citizen cares deeply about every other citizen. They have never seen this before. They will not forget it, regardless of the outcome. Not to mention the encouragement it will bring our Russian brothers.

Yes, of course he is our brother. But he is still putting on the Christlike personalty. I tried to counsel him about martial arts and he beat me up. Ouch.

I disagree. In most countries, if you taunt the king too much you risk your neck. But if you make it your aim to live quietly, as Christians do, won't they leave you alone?
It is a different form of government, that's all. "What, you think we're so righteous here?" Trump said. If they tolerate interference less than is done here, there is yet no reason to think they are not genuine in their desire to provide stability and good government. At the drop of a pin, Western media and politicians will describe them in the most insulting terms. We need not play that game. Our perception of the king there need not be formed by the king here.
Having said that, I've not been there. But most of those saying vile things have not been there, either.

This reminds me of the fellow who went to the doctor: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
Doc: "Don't do that"
You don't even have to embrace everything, necessarily. You can simply acquiece that this is the understanding of such and such at present. Maybe it will change some day. It has before. Just stop your dissenting, bitching, whining, bellyaching, trolling, and let yourself be molded by the means God is using.
You're willing to suffer divisions in your family? Just how far are you willing to go to 
prove
yourself
RIGHT!!!?
The time you have to interact with loved ones is short. Don't fritter it all away in a pissing contest as to whose right.
Perhaps I am not exactly on the same page as Allen, but I am close. In military terms, I believe the expression is "Loose Lips Sink Ships."
If I disagreed with something the Governing Body was doing, I would not say it here. I probably would not say it anywhere. At the very least, I would not say it to anyone without the ability to address it, and I would be slow about doing that uninvited. Surely Sunday's study material on modesty has taught us how to behave.
It is too easy to follow the example of the Western media: Expose and tear things down. It's the dream come true of a ten year old. They have no interest in rebuilding or replacing. That's someone else's job. Meanwhile, they'll look for more things to expose and tear down. It's good not to be that way.

I knew Seth Sheepngoats would pull something like this, I knew it! The tip-off should have been when I saw him go into that costume shop.
He arrived at the Kingdom Hall just like anyone else yesterday. But halfway through the Watchtower Study, he reached into his bag and tied something behind his neck.
When he emerged, it was with a huge, magnificent Santa Claus beard!
He is such an idiot!

Interesting tidbit I came across today.

Did you know that this guy, "Vladimir Lukin" who was for many years the Ombusdman for the Russian Federation and has spoken out many times on behalf of Jehovah's Witnesses (and others) that are being railroaded in the country...
will be at GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY - tomorrow March 24th!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conference-25-years-of-us-russia-relations-tickets-32660588700
Read a little about him (Search his name on the page / some references maybe for some letter writing?):
http://russiancouncil.ru/en/author_profile/index.php?author_id_4=156 https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eur/136054.htm http://eng.yabloko.ru/People/Luk/lukin1.html#4 https://wwrn.org/articles/33853/ http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1415 http://tinyurl.com/l6wdu45 http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/160309a.html Interesting, don't you think?

I disagree. In most countries, if you taunt the king too much you risk your neck. But if you make it your aim to live quietly, as Christians do, won't they leave you alone?
It is a different form of government, that's all. "What, you think we're so righteous here?" Trump said. If they tolerate interference less than is done here, there is yet no reason to think they are not genuine in their desire to provide stability and good government. At the drop of a pin, Western media and politicians will describe them in the most insulting terms. We need not play that game. Our perception of the king there need not be formed by the king here.
Having said that, I've not been there. But most of those saying vile things have not been there, either.

When you are writing to the Russians about their proposal to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, there may be a temptation to speak of legal and constitutional issues, for their recent conduct flies in the face of many of them. There may be temptation to observe that, surely, ISIS provides the template of what extremism is. But I suspect leaders there are aware of these things and, for whatever reason, have chosen to ignore them.
Tell them something they don’t know. Tell them about eight million people, from every nation, who don’t know their Russian brothers personally, but care about them anyway. Let them ponder the significance of what if the whole world was like that. When they look to the outside world of international relations, all they see is bickering, bitching and bellyaching. Let them see another world.
Convey that we are ordinary, decent people, the sort who appreciates government’s role to preserve social order and improve the moral fabric of persons within its borders, and that we everywhere cooperate with governments as they pursue such goals. I like the suggestion at jw.org to relate some practical way in which the truth has helped us personally.
Imagine! An invitation from Bethel to write to high Russian officials about the proposed ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a fine way for individual Christians, most of whom feel quite helpless, to ‘bring their gift to the altar.’

When you are writing to the Russians about their proposal to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, there may be a temptation to speak of legal and constitutional issues, for their recent conduct flies in the face of many of them. There may be temptation to observe that, surely, ISIS provides the template of what extremism is. But I suspect leaders there are aware of these things and, for whatever reason, have chosen to ignore them.
Tell them something they don’t know. Tell them about eight million people, from every nation, who don’t know their Russian brothers personally, but care about them anyway. Let them ponder the significance of what if the whole world was like that. When they look to the outside world of international relations, all they see is bickering, bitching and bellyaching. Let them see another world.
Convey that we are ordinary, decent people, the sort who appreciates government’s role to preserve social order and improve the moral fabric of persons within its borders, and that we everywhere cooperate with governments as they pursue such goals. I like the suggestion at jw.org to relate some practical way in which the truth has helped us personally.
Imagine! An invitation from Bethel to write to high Russian officials about the proposed ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a fine way for individual Christians, most of whom feel quite helpless, to ‘bring their gift to the altar.’

“I was just a boy when Stalin exiled my family to Siberia merely because we were Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is sad and reprehensible that my children and grandchildren should be facing a similar fate. Never did I expect that we would again face the threat of religious persecution in modern Russia,” says Vasiliy Kalin, as Russia petitions the Supreme Court to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Of course, it’s all going to go against us eventually in this system of things. When Jesus said his followers would be hailed before courts, it wasn’t so that they could receive ‘good citizenship’ plaques. When Jesus himself was dragged before Pilate, he didn’t sweet-talk his way out of it, did he?
It’s all the doings of the ‘house’ church. Many countries have house churches, who agree to be strictly subservient to the state. Russia, once officially atheist, found they could not stamp out the urge to worship, so they settled on the house church, which they seek to harness as a force for national unity. “What can we do for you?” they ask the house church. “Take out the competition,” is the reply.
Putin doesn’t care, most likely. It’s not his thing. “Give the house church what it wants,” he reasons. “That way I keep them out of my hair.” After all, he has a country to run. It was just that way with Pilate, who tried to get Jesus off, but in the end, gave in to fanatics.
‘What are they saying about me, here?’ said Paul to the Jewish leaders in Rome. ‘Are they digging up any dirt on me?’ But there was no internet in the first century, and snail mail was snail mail. “We have not received letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the brothers who came from there reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we think it proper to hear from you what your thought are, for truly as regards this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere,” they told him. (Acts 28:21-22)
It is a mark of true religion today. Depend upon it to be “spoken against everywhere.”
Surely, the house church make Russia look like utter fools on the world stage. You cannot view jw.org, banned in Russia and Russia alone, and think for one moment that it is extremist. One would think that ISIS would have taught the Russians what extremism is. Still, while we hate persecution and we pray for our Russian brothers under trial, persecution does often turn out for advancement of the good news. “Why are they making trouble for the Jehovahs?” some people ask. “They’re nice people.”
"In their literature, there are some very harsh statements and very insulting statements about other faiths," says Alexander Dvorkin, a former Russian Orthodox priest who now teaches the history of religion and cult studies at St. Tikhon University in Moscow. "Of course, every religion has the right to criticize other faiths, but that should be done in a non-insulting manner, especially if you are talking about [my faith] the faith of the majority." (brackets mine)
The reason you can and should criticize other faiths is that, as any non-religious person knows, religion has historically served as chief cheerleader of war and killing. That’s why a growing number of persons would like to ban it.
“Dvorkin says that the Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian because they don't believe in the divinity of Christ.” (from NPR) Got it? It’s also violence at the hands of Trinitarians. A more intolerant bunch you will never see.

That's maybe because they don't view our GB as they do the Pope, which I'm glad about! The Pope has celebrity status, I hope our GB are not viewed that way. (I just has a visual of him answering questions in his skull cap and and white cape...the Pope I mean) And also the Pope is just one, whereas we have 7 representatives and one of them was already a part of the hearing in 2015. They obviously thought it wouldn't be any trouble for him to repeat the gesture. 
So in other words you are saying that it's understandable that WT might be trying to safeguard assets. Which is what I said.

Much as I hesitate to offer observation to Allen because he knows more than I do on most things: on the internet, you assume up front that everyone is a liar. It's icing on the cake if it turns out otherwise, and you never know for sure, because they are digital bits. Through participation in one thread and reading this one, I get an idea of who is who. But I don't know any of it. Nor does anyone know if that guy in the blue shirt and goofy hat is really me. Nor do I assume the overlords here are Witnesses; if they are, they certainly are avant-garde Witnesses. They're all liars, or potential liars, on the internet. It's only those you personally know that you can be sure of.
I have an entire circuit full of people that like me, and I them. I know who they are, or can readily find out. If I want association, I go there. If I want to brawl, I come here. I'll keep coming here, because sometimes I like to brawl. (or share something light somewhere else) But it's hardly fine association as can be had among real people. And I don't offer suggestions to God's organization as to how to conduct itself because no one has asked me. Anyone here who asks me doesn't count.

Much as I hesitate to offer observation to Allen because he knows more than I do on most things: on the internet, you assume up front that everyone is a liar. It's icing on the cake if it turns out otherwise, and you never know for sure, because they are digital bits. Through participation in one thread and reading this one, I get an idea of who is who. But I don't know any of it. Nor does anyone know if that guy in the blue shirt and goofy hat is really me. Nor do I assume the overlords here are Witnesses; if they are, they certainly are avant-garde Witnesses. They're all liars, or potential liars, on the internet. It's only those you personally know that you can be sure of.
I have an entire circuit full of people that like me, and I them. I know who they are, or can readily find out. If I want association, I go there. If I want to brawl, I come here. I'll keep coming here, because sometimes I like to brawl. (or share something light somewhere else) But it's hardly fine association as can be had among real people. And I don't offer suggestions to God's organization as to how to conduct itself because no one has asked me. Anyone here who asks me doesn't count.

No. I don't believe that. I don't believe one can have meaningful discussions with apostates (and I'm not saying that you do). 
You can reason with the surly neighbor. You can reason with the person who hates Jehovah's Witnesses' guts. You can reason with one who has left the faith, for sometimes they reassess. You cannot reason with apostates. They're easily smart enough, but they have no interest in reasoning. They have only interest in persuading. How many apostates have you seen budge one iota here? Imagine yourself a one-time Mormon. For whatever reason, you left the church 10 years ago. And yet you spend huge amounts of your time trolling the comments of your one-time fellow Mormons, trying to shake them from the religion. Are you one who can be reasoned with?
I say, blow them out of the water, until the overlords say you cannot, and if they should say that - well, that also tells you something. Expose their motives. Expose their bizarre obsession with ruining the faith of others without offering any substitute. I mean, as World War III breaks out, can't you imagine Ann (has she been on this thread or just the other one?) upset that the Australian commission has to desist from questioning our people?
Of course, your indignation must be controlled. For one brief moment, Allen gave reign to wrath, and it's back to Bible 101 for him! But he will gain a refresher certificate (I know, because I have a few of them) and then he will be back for more battles. Or maybe he will move on to other things. Either way, he will be fine, and I am glad to know he is around.