Posts by TonusOH

36

“Hanging the earth upon nothing”

by FFGhost in

for those of you not up to speed on the latest jw trends, one of the key scriptures the jws are using in field serve-us lately is job 26:7, wherein the writer describes the earth as “hanging upon nothing”.. this text is used to indicate the bible’s “reliability”.

the reasoning goes something like this:.

“see, centuries ago, people thought the world was flat, or was resting on elephants or turtles, or some such nonsense.

TonusOH

If they were being guided by a being who literally knew everything, it would have been useful for the book to offer some of this knowledge clearly and directly. Imagine telling us that the Earth was a sphere that rotated around the sun, part of a galaxy of planets that were in orbits around a star. No interpretation required, just information that would make it clear that these men had access to a source of knowledge that transcended us.

The vagueness of these passages only becomes evident as humanity learns more and realizes that the initial impressions were wrong. No firmament. No corners. No foundation. I've seen Islamic believers explaining how a modern interpretation of the Quran shows it to bear scientific knowledge that could only have come from God (apparently, they believe that the Quran explains the motion of the deep ocean currents, something men of the time could not possibly know about). Does the Christian accept these verses and the new interpretation?

25

Sexual abuse and Jehovah's witnesses- the gift that keep on giving

by wannaexit in

there seems to be no end to the many jw's who sexually abused minors.

here is another story:.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pa-jehovahs-witnesses-sex-assault-attorney-general-shapiro-20221027.html.

TonusOH

Lost in the fog: The abused children are confronted by a 3 man tribunal (always males) who have no training in counseling or how to talk to a trauma sufferer

I think this is the worst part of it, which often adds suffering and pain to an already traumatic experience. Victims are frequently forced to face their attacker without any concern for their own mental and emotional wellbeing, and possibly even without any supporters to help them through it. The questions can be very invasive and personal, being asked by a group of men with no training or understanding of how to deal with such situations. How will the victim feel when they are in a room with their tormentor, plus three men who seem unsympathetic or even hostile?

And these men sleep easy, believing that they are doing the Lord's work.

10

Apostate Hunter?

by Lost in the fog in

has anyone heard of this jw guy?.

apparently he writes a weekly (weakly?

) blog as well as having written this book where he claims he disses the claims of "apostates".. to know what apostates are saying he has to be engaging with them or tuning into websites like this one, contravening the gb's direction not to do so.

TonusOH

If it's just a book about apostasy and how it affects small religious groups like the JWs, I doubt anyone will care much. That is just more of the usual WTS propaganda. If it is an attempt to engage with anti-JW or anti-WTS claims or accusations, it could end up working against the WTS. The last thing they want is JWs hearing those arguments, since it could lead them to search for more info outside of the organization, and that could lead them right out of the organization.

Either way, I doubt the GB is happy about it. They consider themselves the only legitimate conduit for information and teaching, and they really do not like it when anyone (especially a JW) tries to 'add any spiritual food' to the JW table. If they let this guy do it, then any JW can write a book to "help" other JWs out. If anyone is likely to stop this guy from ever publishing again, it's the WTS. How long before a trio of elders visits him to 'provide necessary guidance' and save his eternal soul?

10

JW apologist

by jhine in

jehovah’s witnesses and sexual abuse: 3. some common misunderstandings.

a chap called terrill hamons who l am taking to be a jw apologist on quora sent me this link along with many others .

the sites are all about how misunderstood and unfairly treated the wt is .

TonusOH

One could say that the reason they are misunderstood is because they don't make sense.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

We should keep in mind that there are issues of jurisdiction that apply to many of the possible actions being considered. Evans's criminal complaint will almost certainly be dismissed because the law doesn't apply to the seven, since they did not do anything (much less anything illegal) on Croatian soil, and the crime of insult is not a crime in most/all of the countries they actually live in.

Unlike, say... paying prostitutes for sex every couple of months for three or four years.

The letter threatening legal action unless a hefty sum was paid could be considered an extortion attempt. Interesting how the only actionable crimes have been committed by Evans.

As for what he is accusing Kim --or any of the seven-- of doing, no one knows for sure. He refuses to state what it is they did. For all we know, he has not provided the necessary details to the court, which would require an actual crime to have been committed in order to decide if they will prosecute anyone. There is reason to think that he is hoping people forget about the whole case.

23

"The Truth"

by Ding in

we all know that jws consider the wt religion to be "the truth" and refer to it as such.. granted, that phrase is used repeatedly in the literature and from the platform.. but it's obvious that much of what the organization used to require jws to teach house-to-house as important truths--even within our own lifetimes--has been abandoned.

it's been replaced by "new light" and "refined understanding.

what's meant by "the 1914 generation" is a prime example.. in fact, i think it would be hard to find another religion that has changed so many of its teachings, especially in such a short period of time.. so why do jws still believe their religion to be "the truth"?.

TonusOH

I like the idea that the JWs call God by a nickname.

In any case, "The Truth" is a broad and context-dependent term. When we refer to the truth of a matter, we are likely referring to known facts. But we can also use the word to refer to how we interpret a situation, such as the classic "you know it's the truth," used to try to convince someone to see things a different way.

JWs are claiming that they have the correct facts about God- who He is, what He wants, Why he wants it, How he intends to act, and so on. In this, they're like any other religion. They do seem to really harp on it, though. I think it is another of those mantras that they want the rank-and-file to keep repeating, so that it sinks in ever deeper. It's another way to isolate people- if you are convinced that the JWs have the truth, then you have nowhere else to go.

6

Worldwide headline from the Org!!!!!!!!!

by BoogerMan in

unbelievable news: they've actually built a kingdom hall, and it was thanks to jehovah!!!!.

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/canada/kingdom-hall-completed-in-canadas-place-of-many-fish/.

“from the logistics of getting the construction materials to the far north, to navigating how to solve unexpected supply problems, nothing could stand in jehovah’s way.

TonusOH

Don't worry, it'll get drearier with each meeting.

I love how they always make sure to tell you that unpaid volunteers worked to build it. As if the WTS was planning to pay a crew to build it until the locals insisted on doing it for free. And now that they chipped in and built it, they need to start donating so that they can pay for the materials, too.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Who selected that thumbnail for the video? It's pretty funny, it looks like he's crying out and she's cringing.

13

Request!----Atlantis Do You Have The V.D.M. Questionnaire?

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

atlantis, do you have the v.d.m.

questionnaire?.

hi betty:.

TonusOH

Atlantis: Mr. Magoo! ( Well, that is what Petra calls me sometimes! )

Well, in that spirit, I must say... Magoo, you've done it again!

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

ForeverAlone: If she took it down after finding out about him, I'm going to have to say guys that is funny as hell!!!

I agree. I was wondering what might happen if she learned more about him and had to make a statement or remove the video. Well, I was not really wondering, as I am sure that Evans, after his effusive gratitude, will now go scorched earth and attack her for empowering his bullies, etc.