Posts by TonusOH

25

Are Jehovahs Witnesses a cult?

by GoverningBody in

this question has been presented many times throughout the years.

somewhat recently, there has been much talk surrounding the "bite method" :.

"bite” stands for behavior, information, thought, and emotional control.. some examples were thrown at me, such as the decisions of who we associate with, discouraging any worldy media, encouraging our brothers and sisters to report any of our misbehaviours to the elders, our rejection of criticism on the truth, shunning etc.. what do we think about this?.

TonusOH

I think they are. Or at least they want to be, based on the way they try to isolate and control the membership. It's always been difficult to do that, because they do not physically isolate people. So you are exposed to others in 'the world' all the time. Even if you do not consider 'worldly people' to be friends or spend any free time with them, you're expected to behave in a manner that gives a good impression to people. And that will draw them to you and make them take a genuine interest in you.

It's probably more difficult now, since the internet is a part of our lives to such an extent that the WT itself has a presence there (I can remember all of the old warnings about the internet, early on). It's very easy to find information about the WT, including information that would otherwise be extremely difficult to come by. So while they want to isolate and control people, it's become more difficult to do so. They do seem to want to be seen as a mainstream group in some ways (perhaps to ward off the label of 'cult').

15

Michael Jackson's mom on his disassociation

by neat blue dog in

from an interview with ebony magazine:.

in 1987, he left the jehovah's witnesses.

there was strong opposition to his "thriller" video on the part of some witnesses.

TonusOH

There was strong opposition to his "Thriller" video on the part of some Witnesses.

'Some witnesses'? As I recall, the GB itself warned us not to buy or listen to the album. Jackson put a statement at the beginning of the Thriller video to state that making the video did not imply that he believed in the occult. I think he was still trying to walk an impossible tightrope at the time. Looks like his mom had to work around a similar fine line-- she would not have wanted to get the GB upset, I guess.

8

Article: Judge: Jehovah’s Witness Parodies Are Fair Use. Watch Tower: So What?

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

https://torrentfreak.com/judge-jehovahs-witness-parodies-are-fair-use-watch-tower-so-what-220220/.

february 21, 2022 by andy maxwell.

in 2018, watch tower filed for a dmca subpoena that would've required youtube to hand over the identity of an animator who parodied the religious group in his videos.

TonusOH

I would assume the WT has lawyers on retainer, so the cost of filing this suit isn't as much as it might seem. And it will have at least some effect on people who are thinking of making videos, so they might consider it a worthwhile expense. On the other hand, if the effect is to encourage more videos, then... oops...

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Remember she had a witness. Producer Bob' was there too and heard his admission

Good point-- that's true. And she would be able to make a specific request for phone/text records, which would likely be granted. So even that would have been a bad idea.

33

An upcoming Watchtower article saying if people Pioneer Jehovah will provide!

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i saw the post on reddit and the thread got many responses..can anybody believe the religion is still saying this??

it has to be as plain as day that so many jws are poor and struggling today because they never got a career or decent job years ago.. sadly, there are still witnesses who believe money will fall from heaven if they are in the full-time ministry.

they expect some miracle to occur..but, we all know the truth: people in the congregation will be hit up for yet more money for another bunch of irresponsible people pursuing poverty.

TonusOH

I turned out very lucky. Didn't even think about college and got a job as a mail clerk, figuring that the end would come and life would be sorted out after that. Ended up taking advantage of an opportunity to get into IT (by building the department from the ground up at the same place where I was a mail clerk) and developed it into a career. Got a promotion to IT Manager just as I was beginning a long, slow fade out of the organization.

I think that made it easier to cope when I finally realized I wasn't a believer in god. I had my life in order emotionally and mentally, and as a bonus my finances were in good shape. I don't want to imagine what it would have been like, had I come to that realization while still earning poverty-level wages in my mid 40s.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

If Lloyd goes after anybody, I look forward to the lawyer's discovery.

I'm not sure he'd have much to worry about, there. Discovery is not a fishing expedition. If he sued someone for defaming him, and their strategy was to use the discovery phase to get his phone/email/etc records, I think they'd be in for a very rude surprise, unless they had very specific requests for very specific records.

There aren't many people he could successfully sue for defamation, and I doubt he'd gain enough from legal action to make it worth the expense/time/effort. The one person that might have made sense to sue was Kim Silvio, but he blew that up by making a video where he corroborated her claims. And if he decided to do so anyway, she could probably put Evans' wife (among others) on the witness list. It would be an ugly mess.

I think he's making statements about legal action in the hopes of getting people to stop talking about his situation, both the parts that are known for sure and the parts that are speculation or not corroborated (yet?). He might be creating a version of the Streisand Effect, where your efforts to stop people from talking about something end up drawing even more attention to it.

17

Adam & Eve: Perfect but not everlasting life?

by pixel in

so i was watching annual meeting.

towards the end of jackson’s talk, he says: .

“perfection doesn’t automatically means someone will get everlasting life.

TonusOH

I find it odd, but many of the interpretations imply that the tree is so impossibly powerful that God couldn't reverse its effects. His only chance of foiling Adam and Eve was to prevent them from reaching it, as opposed to making the fruit poisonous. Or making the tree invisible. Or just destroying it with a snap of his fingers. Or just destroying Adam and Eve with a snap of his fingers. You know-- quietly murdering them and replacing them with replicas and threatening the angels so that no one would ever talk about it...

Then again, we're talking about a guy who struck a man dead for the sin of trying to keep the ark of the covenant from falling when the oxen carrying it stumbled while crossing a river. Insanely violent overreaction seems to be his modus operandi. Thoughtful and deliberate plans are a bit too boring for a book chronicling your exploits, I suppose.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

It's true, a police investigation may not go anywhere. I don't know how it works in the UK, but in the USA they would need to subpoena phone records, and to do that they will need to show cause (which is to say, they'll need to already have some basis for making the request). And even then, they'll may get some pushback (companies will suddenly decide that customer privacy is of paramount important at the oddest times). And all they might get is confirmation that texts or calls were made between two numbers-- no evidence at all of what was sent or said.

Then there is the effort of finding the people involved, finding anyone who might have seen or heard anything, and talking to as many of them as possible to see if a consistent/reliable narrative emerges. And, of course, getting the cooperation of those involved, especially the victim. If she decides she has 'moved on' or decides she does not want to go through the process, there isn't much the police can do. (And while it may seem sensible to expect the cops/DA to lean on the victim, you'd think differently if you've ever seen the effect it can have on a victim to try to relive the crime.)

Having pictures/copies of texts or recollections of calls/conversations is so flimsy from a legal standpoint that no DA worth his salt would even consider a case on those merits-- even if he feels that a crime was committed. Photos or video are much more compelling... but unless there is a clear smoking gun, you'd still need the victim's cooperation. Sometimes we need to remember that the court of public opinion has an extremely low bar for proving a case, which is why it's so unreliable (and sometimes so unfair).

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

I hope it's fake. Because it's pretty goddamned awful, even as fiction.

48

Marc O'Donell's statement: Lloyd and the conflict of Interest

by Diogenesister in

as expected from a man who prioritizes the most vulnerable members of our community, marc has made a sober statement that explains why there's a deep conflict of interest between lloyds recent behaviour and the work they do at jw watch.

you can read it here:.

public statement of mark o’donnell.

TonusOH

Why would he tell her to stop?

A desire not to be a horrible person? A smidgen of self-control? A determination to clear the lowest rung of human decency? A sense of self-preservation, at the very least?

A 14-year old girl who is that sexually promiscuous is likely dealing with some emotional and/or psychological issues and needs someone to help her develop self-esteem and a sense of her own value as a person. Being treated as a sex toy by an older man is child abuse.

We might also expect that a person who behaves in this manner -and who excuses it by insisting that he is unable to control himself- shouldn't then launch a website and video channel where he spends an inordinate amount of time playing the role of a moral scold. Because, one day, the whole rotten structure might come tumbling down on his head.