Posts by TonusOH

19

it’s all in person and only fully vaxed can go

by Indoubtbigtime in

2023 will see a big push to get rank and file back to in person meetings and ministry.

they have opened a can of worms with zoom but what they really want is only in extreme illnesses cases can someone use zoom .

the only problem is they want everyone fully vaccinated which means if you didn’t go for your latest booster in the last several months then you are no longer fully vaccinated and just the same as someone who never accepted any shots right from the start.

TonusOH

punkofnice: I wonder why they're so zealous about the experimental, non proven vaccinations?

The WTS will bend if there is enough pressure, especially government pressure. Didn't they change the blood policy in Bulgaria when the government there threatened sanctions over it? And in CoC, Ray Franz explained how they claimed to be a 'cultural organization' instead of a religious one in Mexico until the early 90s, so that they wouldn't be forced to sell off their properties.

So, if they feel the government is serious enough about enforcing COVID vaccinations, they will go along. Even Jehovah knows not to cross government regulators!

42

Have you ever been on a congregation picnic?

by LostintheFog1999 in

were you ever on a congregation picnic?

i was on several occasions.. the arrangements were often announced from the platform after the closing song and prayer by the last elder up on the platform.. sometimes it was included in the service meeting announcements as "on saturday we're meeting at 10.00am at the kingdom hall for field service, and after field service for anyone who wishes, especially for the younger ones, we will be having a congregation picnic meeting at the beach carpark on seaview road.".

well, according to the new elders manual you won't be hearing those words again.

TonusOH

My experience was similar to TD's, where we would have a few informal Summer picnics on Sundays after the meeting or field service (some years our meetings were on Saturdays) along with a game of softball if enough people showed up ready to play. These weren't set up via messages on the congregation message board (a literal, physical message board-- this was the 80s and 90s!), just word of mouth. As long as you had that one person who worked tirelessly to get things organized, it worked just fine.

They felt like 'congregation picnics' because it was only JWs attending, with possibly an interested friend/family member or active study brought along to see how much gosh-darned fun it was to be with Jehovah's people (ie, the only people who would not be gruesomely massacred in the soon-to-happen battle of Armageddon)!

5

A Nearly Forgotten Hypothesis about YHWH

by peacefulpete in

as we know there have been many proposals as to the origins of the god and name yhwh.

the folk etymology of ex 3 aside, there have been a number of suggested roots, many of which seem to be well argued and not without possibility.

however, of particular interest to me are those proposals consistent with the fairly well agreed upon south-eastern origins of the cult.

TonusOH

I like it... God may be love, but life is a HWY!

9

JW.org missing the point of the last supper

by neat blue dog in

of course most christians partake in different ways at different intervals (the bible never says strictly annual) but obviously the main point is christ's flesh and blood.

for jws the main attraction is the organization's sales pitch and in the new 2023 memorial invitation they pretty much admit it, quote:.

the main feature of the memorial is a talk.

TonusOH

The main feature is a talk where they remind you not to partake if you're one of the unlucky many who won't get to be in Heaven with God.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Current exchange rates:

2,000 Thai Baht = $58.80 USD
5,000 = $147.04 ($73.52 per hour)
7,000 = $205.86 ($51.47)
9,000 = $264.76 ($26.48)
12,000 = $353.01 ($14.71)

That is one hell of a discount curve!

20

Hell, what is it

by Anony Mous in

so perhaps we all heard the jw story about jesus talking to gehenna and he was referring to a place outside the city where there was a dump burning refuse and everyone knew what it meant.. according to jw.org: tradition relates that the valley of hinnom thereafter became a place for the disposal of garbage.

and the bible provides confirmation for this.

at jeremiah 31:40, for example, the valley of hinnom is evidently called the “low plain of the carcasses and of the fatty ashes.” there was also the “gate of the ash-heaps,” a gate that seems to have opened out onto the eastern extremity of the valley of hinnom at its juncture with the kidron valley.—nehemiah 3:13, 14.. i think i heard that in the study of the greatest teacher book first.

TonusOH

I'm more curious to know how they would have kept such a fire burning continuously. Or perhaps more importantly, why they would. It sounds like a lot of work, and would produce quite a bit of smoke and awful smells. Was it far away from the city? Were the winds always favorable?

9

Does This Case Show The Value of the 2 Witness Rule ?

by BluesBrother in

i read this in the public area of jwtalk, about a canadian case concerning reena virk, over 20 years ago..

“manjit, her father, got arrested by the police due to reena's accusation of sexual abuse.

he lost his job, many of his friends and almost his family.

TonusOH

It's likely that there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, since the accusation was false. On the other hand, the story adds that he struggled with government agencies that had him listed as a sex offender. This can only happen when there is a conviction. So the story seems a bit sketchy, to say the least.

Trying to use it as a way to support the two-witness rule is ghastly. It's okay for thousands of children to suffer and their tormentors to get away with it, just so we can protect society from the rare child who makes a false accusation that is taken seriously? How many times does that actually happen? Almost none, would be my guess.

11

Can I block someone who messages me.

by LostintheFog1999 in

i keep getting this person who wants me to email them with information already freely available on this website.. i have told him that i have no intention of emailing a total stranger from my personal email address, but they keep sending me this demand.. from bola to lostinthefog1999.

can you tell me how to block this persistent messager?.

TonusOH

Well, this suddenly became interesting...

10

Will 2023 also be the year from Hell for Jehovah's Witnesses? “It’s going to take efforts from all states to fully peel it away.”

by was a new boy in

2023 will be year from hell – martin armstrong.

https://rumble.com/v1cvw9r-2023-will-be-year-from-hell-martin-armstrong.html.

co.. 'in the affidavit, one witness said swisher told them to not tell anyone about what he did.

TonusOH

One witness, who left the Kingdom Hall,

I wonder if this is what will finally force some useful -if not sufficient- changes in policy. Did that person leave the KH and move to another, or does "left the Kingdom Hall" refer to disassociating themselves or otherwise leaving the JW religion? The GB can protest until they are blue in the face, but nothing will make the cognitive dissonance go away when people are confronted with a clear problem and they get to witness how the organization fails them and their children.

15

burning another bridge

by enoughisenough in

i feel like i am burning another "friend" bridge.

i just can't seem to keep the lies the wt prints to myself!

i don't know how the pimo do it!

TonusOH

I long ago made a commitment to offering my friendship and help to anyone who stayed in, so as to make clear that anyone who decides to end our friendship or put the organization before family is the one putting an end to the relationship. When I was a JW, I would have acted as they do. As sad as it makes me to possibly lose valuable friends or family, my conscience is clear- if they ever need me, I am available.