TonusOH

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Posts by TonusOH

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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  To clarify my earlier post on whether Evans can change: I believe anyone can change. In most scenarios, it is very difficult because so much of who we are is locked within our subconscious mind. We make excuses for that part of ourselves, and we rationalize that part of ourselves, and we cover for it as much as we can, because we are convinced that we are in full control of who we are. Our brains are quite messy things, sadly.

  For most people, change on this level requires an epiphany, an event/realization that is so jarring that it forces changes on those parts of the mind that we normally can't reach. I've made reference to his need to 'hit rock bottom.' Most people who effect drastic changes do so only when they've fallen as far as they can, and the only way out is by taking an honest stock of themselves. That can be almost impossible, unless everything else has been stripped away and the only thing left is the self. No one else to blame.

  Evans is, IMO, very far from rock bottom. As long as he can stay afloat on the financial and emotional support of a handful of loyal people, he needn't take a deep look at himself. That support may run out in time (and it seems inevitable that it will), but the longer it takes, the tougher it becomes to make an honest self-appraisal. Sometimes, instead of self-realization, bitterness takes over. If his reaction to losing it all is to keep blaming everyone else, then there is no hope for him.

  Hence, he is his own biggest obstacle.
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  It makes sense, he does come across as someone who is convinced of his own importance/relevance. We are all the center of our own little universe, but life regularly reminds us that we're not as important as we think, and every now-and-again we get put in our place. Some people do become quite important, and others reinforce that understanding by how they treat them.

  Evans has experienced some of the celebrity worship that comes from working to build a presence, but he overestimated his influence and importance. I think that's the cause of the missteps that led him to this point, and it's also why he is having trouble recognizing how bad his situation has become. It can be tough to let go, once you've had even such a small taste of power.
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  349

  Who really is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?

  by Godlyman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if anyone were to come up to you claiming that they are the faithful and discreet slave, how would you go about proving them to be false, based upon scripture?.

  estephan.

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  TonusOH

  Making it a symbolic number could end up working for the WTS, seeing as the 1914 date is becoming something of an albatross. And based on their concept of "new light" (which involves them getting things wrong --by god's design!-- before getting them right... for now) they could claim that they were mislead into providing a critical date to show that they have Jehovah's favor (what? It could happen!), and now they have the requisite divine clarification to demonstrate that they're ready to lead the faithful into the next phase of God's Great and Convoluted Plan.
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  Meh, he could have invested in a headset, then he could listen to voicemails while his hands were free to, you know... "write books."

  But Kim's post shows why he has an uphill battle now, unless he can find others who will do the behind-the-scenes work that is beneath him, and do it for free. I'm curious as to whether he paid Tibor anything close to a market rate for his work.
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  35

  Tony & JW made it to Norweigian media - even a pic of "dat broadcast"

  by Festus in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  well well am3 made it to norweigian media with hsi rant about religouse persecution.. hereis the link.. share your thoughts.. ble nektet statstøtte: jehovas vitner vurderer juridiske skritt – vårt land (vl.no) .

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  TonusOH

  joey jojo: So, not receiving your yearly handout of a million USD per year from the Wild Beast is now considered 'persecution'?

  Indeed, you would think they would prefer to be treated like that. After all, they stress that they are 'not part of this world.' Wouldn't they want to be treated differently? Not when it comes to free money, I guess.
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  Missed opportunity: he should've called the $50 tier the "Happy Ending."
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  42

  WT Ruining Members' Futures

  by HiddlesWife in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what i mean by the title of this thread is what has happened to a relative of mine, one who is really upset about this factor:.

  this relative is a distant cousin on my mother's side of the family.

  she studied as a child and got baptized at 14 1/2 years old.

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  TonusOH

  True believer JWs probably are not concerned about their children's futures, because the New System is around the corner and they won't ever get old enough to worry about it. They feel this way, even when they are surrounded by JWs who are facing financial hardship because they though they would not need to save for retirement.

  My mother is like that, she did not prepare for old age because she was certain she would be living in the paradise Earth by now (heck, she expected it to arrive before the 1980s did). She is fortunate that her children took care of ourselves so that she gets to enjoy a much better life than she planned for. But she is not grateful. That is what the JW poison does to people.
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  16

  Can you answer my questions, please?

  by Sandie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have three questions.

  i would be most grateful if someone could respond for me, please.

  thank you.. 1. can jehovah's witnesses practice faith with the bible as a guide, or is it crucial to include the teachings of the watchtower society?

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  TonusOH

  Hi Sandie,

  1. It is my understanding that obedience to the organization leadership remains paramount for JWs. To stray from anything they teach is apostasy. As for why: they claim that their governing body is the spirit-directed faithful and discreet slave from Jesus's parable, and that Jehovah has given them the authority and guidance to provide 'meat in due season.' In other words, without them you cannot properly use the Bible as a guide.

  2. The fact that people have used the same book to promote two distinct ideas on such an important point for centuries makes me think that the book wasn't written very clearly. But I will leave it to others to make the actual case for either side.

  3. The JW belief is that you must be a member of the organization in good standing in order to be saved when Jehovah begins the war of Armageddon. There is no way to guarantee salvation aside from that. If you were a loyal JW for a long time and served faithfully, but lost your faith just before the end, you will die with the rest of the non-JWs.
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  TonusOH

  I think his biggest obstacle is himself. He can recover from this, but it would require for him to stop being so aggressive and even hostile towards anyone who offers advice or criticism, as well as learning to cope with people who oppose him. He would also need to be more cooperative with others and even be willing to help others without any direct or immediate gain to himself.

  I don't think he can do that. His original approach, which involved using and abusing others and always looking to come out with a net gain, worked for so long that he would have to deal with an overwhelming cognitive dissonance if he took a long-term approach that required him to make short-term sacrifices and to elevate others instead of pushing them down. He may never reach a point where he realizes that his need to be important and recognized is hurting his efforts (and ironically, is working against his desire).

  But, sure. Add a higher tier to your Patreon, that should fix things.
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  349

  Who really is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?

  by Godlyman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if anyone were to come up to you claiming that they are the faithful and discreet slave, how would you go about proving them to be false, based upon scripture?.

  estephan.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  TonusOH

  Maybe Jackson is admitting that the GB are quite presumptuous. His appearance at that inquiry was fortuitous; you could have made a drinking game- take a shot every time he didn't give a straight answer. Tony Morris would have run out of liquor very quickly!