Posts by TonusOH

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

"I wouldn't want my kids to watch a YouTube video where I tell a small lie in order to record my judicial committee meeting. But I guess it's okay if they read about how I sexted 'girls' or watch a video where I admit that I cheated on their mother with sex workers. I just want them to understand that I value honesty above everything else..."

And LOL at his action-movie setup, where he warns the evil elders that if they mess with his family, he will declare all out war on them and drive the watchtower right out of Croatia. The Society of Shameless Self-Promoters considers him their role model.

23

Cost of living crisis

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

during the height of the pandemic all elders had to report to the co anyone who was struggling with bills or who couldn’t pay the rent.

the co reported it to the branch.. i don’t know what happens next.

do the branch help at all?

TonusOH

The site basically collects data and presents it in a simple form. They don't bother checking it. That's how you get a line that reads:

Job Title: Dietary Aide Per Diem Salary: $76,156

It's not the only per diem that is listed as a title and runs into the tens of thousands. Even if it were referring to an annual allowance, how much would a dietary aide or housekeeping worker be making if their per diem was $50-77k?

They're probably being trolled.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

It looks like he really didn't have any information that would have scared them. He just thinks so highly of himself that he figured they would be intimidated to be in a room with him. That's a bit disappointing.

Besides that, his claim that he would not record the session because he had nothing to hide makes no sense. And his explanation that he wanted to be scrupulously honest certainly doesn't match the person he had been until then, both as a JW and after. Quite a convenient (and temporary) change of heart...

49

Some thoughts on the message of doom

by JeffT in

jw
friends

one of the recent threads on the talk about the hailstone message got me to thinking.

the problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens.

i have to think that somebody will be asking that question.

TonusOH

I did get the impression that the gospels were written to appeal to the Romans. Pilate's wife is the one who admonishes him to leave Jesus alone, as she has been tormented by dreams. Pilate himself literally washes his hands of the ordeal (I assume this is the origin of the phrase). And, just to hammer the point home, the Jewish priests demand the death of Christ and insist on assuming all of the guilt for it. It is a Roman general who, at the moment of Christ's death, recognizes the signs and declares him the son of God. It is --again-- the Jewish priests who lie about the empty tomb. It is a Roman soldier (general? I don't remember) who prays for guidance, and to whom a chastised Peter delivers the good news of the kingdom. And so on.

They were not being subtle, I'll say that.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

TonusOH

JW_Researcher: You knew exactly what I was asking but you chose to try to divert. Why?’

It sounds like she has thought about that before, maybe even been challenged on it. Otherwise, she would have had no issue saying that she was raised by JW parents, but did her own research like a good JW should (although this isn't quite what the WTS actually tells them to do). So you may have hit on a sore subject for her. That was interesting.

If it was me, I would probably have assumed that you were an apostate trying to stumble me, and taken a defensive approach to any questions or discussion. We were taught that the world was in Satan's thrall, and he would use anyone he could to cause us to question the 'truth.' A non-JW who knew that much about the organization? I would have been very suspicious.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Simon: The claim he himself made that he included details in his book to prevent someone from blackmailing him?

I think this is where his lack of self-awareness always bites him. Same as with the livestream video, he doesn't seem to realize just how bad the abridged version of his events looks. If we make the safe assumption that he embellished it so the situation would not look as bad, then we come to the conclusion that having chat sex with "girls" on two occasions is the very least that he did. With all of the other things he revealed, it is not a stretch to believe that he did this regularly and often. Or that she caught him more than two times.

When he relates this part in the book, he mentions how Dijana must have felt belittled by his actions, as if she wasn't fulfilling her duties as a wife. And then, in his livestream, he confirms her fears by basically claiming that she wasn't enough to sexually satisfy him. After writing about how it traumatized her just to suspect it! That she hasn't told him to shove off and never talk to her again shows just how beaten down she is. At some point, you have to put a price on your dignity and get the toxic people out of your life.

35

New blood card

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

all elders just got letters about this new blood card system .

“language-coordinating congregations will receive separate parcel(s) containing the revised durable power of attorney for health care (dpa-e) for all congregation(s) in their literature group.“.

my questions are - why the revision and what has been revised?.

TonusOH

stan livedeath: Are there any check ups carried out ?

I must have had one for 20 years or so. I never recall being asked about it, or asked to show it.

18

Confirmation Bias

by allelsefails in

i've read a lot of crap in my life (not just wts) and i have finally found the phrase to describe almost every religious wrting i've read.

"confirmation bias" affects how jws look at historical facts, how dems and repubs look at economic facts, or how all people look at information presented to them.

i still go to meetings every once in a while to make my wife and my boss feel better about me, but sometimes i can't believe how idiotic some things are.

TonusOH

ihadnoidea: I think to a degree we all are affected by confirmation bias.

More than just to a degree. Confirmation bias is just one of the ways our brain works, in order to minimize the amount of time and energy devoted to anything aside from being aware of our surroundings. Those who could compartmentalize and quickly process decision-making info were less likely to be caught unawares by a predator.

Our brains process a lot of information automatically and manage our vitals with minimal or no input. Even when we're aware of behavior like confirmation bias, we're still subject to it because it's how our brains work. A good pair of books that review research on how our brains work would be the ones by David McRaney: You Are Not So Smart and You Are Now Less Dumb. Some of the research is limited and probably out-of-date, but it's fascinating to see just how little control we have over who we are.

49

Some thoughts on the message of doom

by JeffT in

jw
friends

one of the recent threads on the talk about the hailstone message got me to thinking.

the problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens.

i have to think that somebody will be asking that question.

TonusOH

Fisherman: When Jesus restored the ear that Peter cut off, nobody noticed.

I wondered about that. A group of priests and soldiers witnessed this, and none of them were moved by it. Aside from possibly the most stupid or fanatical, such an action should've stopped them in their tracks and forced them to reevaluate their approach. Were they so driven that they dismissed something so incredible? Or was magic so common that reattaching a man's ear wasn't enough to prevent them from arresting, torturing, and murdering a literal miracle worker?

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

slimboyfat: His livestream was the hugest own goal of his whole grifting career.

I agree. Maybe the biggest reason the livestream has hurt him is that it made the other information unnecessary. Not irrelevant, mind you: If he has indeed made a career out of targeting young girls, that is a serious issue and I really wish we could know for sure either way. But if he'd just brushed aside all accusations and demanded that everyone respect his privacy, a lot of people would have left it at that. I agree that the cost to him would have been minimal.

Between his book and his actions over the past ~10 years (and especially over the past twelve months), there's reason to take the uncorroborated accusations seriously. I don't like to go on evidence that cannot be confirmed (and that, in this day and age, can be easily faked), but he has made it impossible to just dismiss it. If he really does have a history of what is effectively statutory rape, then losing some patrons is not punishment enough. Not by a long shot.