Posts by TonusOH

30

Opinions on the Divine name in the New Testament? + an interesting question

by Blotty in

i am genuinely curious and mainly posting this for research purposes, i do not have enough knowledge on either of these subjects to debate them in any useful manner.. (this information is as far as i am aware and may be incorrect in places)as most know the nwt is known for placing a form of the divine name in the nt (new testament) - while i agree the evidence is significantly weak for it too appear in the nt, a few things must be considered - (from my limited research)rev references the name twice (3:12, 14:1)early copies of the lxx contain the divine name (likely the versions that the nt writers copied?

stafford has a couple of videos on this subject)it was emphasized over and over the name [divine name, which ever form you prefer] would be "known" (other words used aswell) forever - if this is true, why then go against your own message in some cases and replace it with a surrogate?some also claim the nwt is dishonest for not translating some occurrences of "lord" as the divine name - common ones i notice are: phil 2:10-11, 1pe 3:14-15, heb 1:10yet these all use "lord" as a title not a proper noun, seems to be staunch trinitarians who make this claim most oftenscholar qualifications:why does a scholars qualification's matter?

sounds dumb i know.

TonusOH

Blotty: It was emphasized over and over the name [divine name, which ever form you prefer] would be "known" (other words used aswell) Forever

If this is the case, then there is no cause for concern: God would make sure that the divine name would be known. And if it was that important to Him, He would make certain that it was pronounced as He intended. (And if it's not the right God, then the whole thing is moot.)

Otherwise, I am not sure if there are any manuscripts that are considered as a source that is used above all others to determine such matters? If we lack the original writings, then we are going by copies (and in many cases, copies of copies etc). Without some sort of rules for how to organize them, I guess one could go with the model that is most prevalent. But even that has issues, since many manuscripts are incomplete and some are just fragments.

146

Science News article: ‘Case closed’: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans

by Disillusioned JW in

a news article has the headline of " ‘case closed’: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans"; see https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/19/case-closed-999-of-scientists-agree-climate-emergency-caused-by-humans .

the article says in part the following.. 'the scientific consensus that humans are altering the climate has passed 99.9%, according to research that strengthens the case for global action at the cop26 summit in glasgow.. the degree of scientific certainty about the impact of greenhouse gases is now similar to the level of agreement on evolution and plate tectonics, the authors say, based on a survey of nearly 90,000 climate-related studies.

this means there is practically no doubt among experts that burning fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, coal, peat and trees, is heating the planet and causing more extreme weather.. a previous survey in 2013 showed 97% of studies published between 1991 and 2012 supported the idea that human activities are altering earth’s climate.. this has been updated and expanded by the study by cornell university that shows the tiny minority of sceptical voices has diminished to almost nothing as evidence mounts of the link between fossil-fuel burning and climate disruption.. the latest survey of peer-reviewed literature published from 2012 to november 2020 was conducted in two stages.

TonusOH

The headline: ‘Case closed’: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans
The article: The scientific consensus that humans are altering the climate has passed 99.9%
The article: The degree of scientific certainty about the impact of greenhouse gases is now similar to the level of agreement on evolution and plate tectonics, the authors say

Am I the only one who sees a difference between 'human activity affects the climate' and 'there is a climate emergency'? The article writers add a blurb at the end stating that "global heating is supercharging extreme weather at an astonishing speed." But this isn't demonstrated in the article, which seems to be explaining that there is a consensus among scientists that human activity is warming the planet. What is the scientific consensus on whether there is a 'climate emergency' and what is the nature of that emergency?

The governments of the world took sudden, drastic, and continuing action to deal with COVID-19, which makes it seem as if they take that threat very seriously. Why is it that those same governments seem utterly unconcerned with a "climate emergency"? They have willingly and unhesitatingly ruined lives and set economies back to deal with COVID. But after decades of hysteria, they still don't think that climate change is an issue. I think those governments can see the difference between "we affect the climate" and "the climate catastrophe is coming!!!"

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

The airport in Croatia (or wherever he would have landed) is probably quite a drive from his home.

Toblerone5: Back then they were both JW.

In his book, he talks about sexting with girls (his word) while he was still an MS or elder. Being a JW didn't really present a problem for him. Having his wife find some of his text messages was an inconvenience, though.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

KIMSILVIO: I don’t know whether Lloyd doesn’t understand or chooses not to see.

I think it's a bit of both. It is clear that he does not think that his use of sex workers disqualifies him from being involved in efforts to confront organizations that have tried to suppress evidence of CSA in their ranks. I think he is also trying to make prostitution seem like a victimless crime, at least where his own activity is involved.

Neither of those views makes me think that he is qualified to take part in efforts to get justice for those who have been victims of sexual abuse. But he may not care, at least until such time as he is forced to confront his actions and his attitudes.

20

How do Jehovah's Witnesses differ from first century Christians?

by Vanderhoven7 in

let me start with a couple of distinctions.. first century christians:.

1. baptized military personnel.. 2. baptized men with political authority.

.

TonusOH

I think the biggest difference would be a reliance on a personal relationship with God versus getting everything filtered through a governing body of men who acted as gatekeepers to salvation.

Also, they probably didn't believe in 'Bible chronology.'

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Hmmm... is he sure he wants to give up control of that URL?

10

Favorite Xmas movie?

by peacefulpete in

jw
friends

elf...simply a great movie imo.

funny, heartwarming and well acted..

TonusOH

Die Hard, of course!

26

How many preaching hours are real

by Hellothere in

how much of the preaching hours in yearly report you think are real?

they always have high numbers preaching hours.

probably increase every decade.

TonusOH

It's been 25 years or so, but I can recall that many of us weren't the most enthusiastic about going door-to-door. If you left with the group at 10am and got back home at 12pm, you reported two hours. How much of that was spent knocking on doors and trying to talk to people? not as much as you might think. We would frequently walk to the building or block we were assigned to, and that itself could take 5 minutes or 20. And we weren't moving at a brisk pace, I can tell you!

35

Christmas, yes or no ?

by jhine in

i have just started to steep the mincemeat for my mince pies in dark rum .

christmas is a big deal in my family and circle of friends.

however among ex jws it's a bit different or so l understand.

TonusOH

DesirousOfChange: I think too many families go way overboard on it and go into debt and it becomes a source of financial (and maybe relationship) trouble.

That is how I always saw it when I was a JW. And I know some people who dreaded Christmas because of that. But the friends I exchange gifts with usually find some small knickknack or other small but cool/funny item that makes the exchange relaxed and fun. Thanks to them, I got to experience it as an enjoyable get-together. I look forward to this time of year for more than just the handful of days off.

And again, I'm struck by how I never got to enjoy Christmas until I wasn't a "Christian" anymore. When I was a JW, I would rationalize why the people celebrating Christmas weren't as happy or excited as they seemed, why they were actually bitter and miserable. I think I was looking into a mirror and didn't realize it. I feel bad for people who are still like that, and am glad I got away from it.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

As for Evans's technical know-how... think back to his livestream, and how flustered he was by something as simple as keeping his camera and microphone working properly, and how he seemed to think that it was Producer Bob sabotaging him. It would not surprise me if he is barely conversant with web hosting and video editing.