"Jack, it is always important to remember that the brothers are imperfect."
I love, love, love to hear that phrase. As soon as it's been tossed on the table, I play that trump card in every future conversation. "The brothers are imperfect." Say that to me once, and I'll repeat it back to you a thousand times."
Elder Drone: "Billy, don't you agree that Jehovah is directing his organization right here on
earth through his FDS, the governing body, and the elders?"
Billy: "Like you said, the elders and the GB are imperfect men. I've made a lot of decisions based on things they said back when I was a teenager and was sure that I'd never graduate high school. And I made decisions based on WT articles back in the 1980s that really haunt me. Decisions I would have made differently if I would have realized that they were imperfect men. But, I guess you're right. I was just too trusting. Thanks for taking the time to reason with me on the reality that these representatives of god are imperfect men. I suppose it helps me to be more understanding when the local elders do something less than perfect and to be more understanding when new articles come out that kick the armageddon can another 10 or 15 years down the road."
And I'll quote them to others.
"Like Br. Drone reminded me the other day, "the brothers are imperfect." So we shouldn't be surprised that this WT is different than what we used to believe. And the brothers will continue to be imperfect until we're all perfect, so we don't have to get too attached to what's in this article, because it will probably change again before armageddon. In fact, it may change several times."