TonusOH

Joined

• started 1 topics
• posted 3,312 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by TonusOH

• 
  36

  Did anyone really enjoy assemblies?

  by SydBarrett in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the twickenham post made me think of this.

  i have a few jw family members on facebook and being summertime, their pics of the convention have shown up in my fb feed.

  along with their comments about "i wished it would never end" or "what a glorious weekend".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  I was 100% in during much of that time, so they weren't all that bad. Yes, the bus trips could be rough and the afternoons could be something of a grind, knowing you had to slowly work your way through the crowds and sit on the bus for another long ride and then get ready for the next day. Four or five days of that, and you were glad when it was over.

  But there was a lot to enjoy, as well. In 1979, we moved from the South Bronx to an apartment further east (still in the Bronx) and started going to a different congregation that was in a different circuit but the same district. So the big conventions were a time to connect with people we knew but rarely saw anymore. The dramas were fun to watch. The announcements of new books/tracts were exciting. And you would occasionally get a speaker who was very good at keeping you listening (sadly, those were always too rare).

  It was just too long. Including travel, we were looking at 10-12 hour days sometimes. And four or five days of that was draining. Not as bad when I was in school, since we would just go right back to summer vacation. But once I was working, it got tougher to get through the week of work, the convention weekend, then another week of work.
• 
  12

  Should a person die for their religious BELIEFS?

  by Fisherman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in ancient israel many of the prophets were killed as a result of their religious assignments —from god.

  even soldiers were sent out to fight against idolatrous “uncircumcised” and logically some died for example jonathan, the son of king saul.

  these soldiers were said to be fighting the wars of jehovah and there was no miraculous salvation for everybody all of the time.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  If I am not mistaken, the Christian belief is that death in service/devotion to god would be rewarded with eternal life in heaven. In that case, it makes perfect sense to remain loyal to god, even if you are facing death.

  If you are wrong, then death in such a case would be unnecessary. So it really comes down to how certain you are that you picked the right god, or the right version of god.
• 
  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. 
• 

  TonusOH

  Hiding the subscriber count looks like a painful decision for him. I think he enjoys the validation from having the number there and showing how many people are supporting him, even when the number drops month-by-month. And I think it can help to draw more support-- when potential patrons see how many people already subscribe, that is a powerful recommendation by itself. It's a boost to his ego and his wallet.

  But it's also become a way to track his struggles and even make monthly bets on it. That has to be exasperating for him. If he does hide it, it's a sign that the anxiety from having it up is too much for him to bear. Either way, that's the bed he prepared for himself. He will have to lie in it now.
• 
  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. 
• 

  TonusOH

  LMsA: It’s like going to a county courthouse in Oklahoma or Saskatchewan and saying you have a defamation case to file against 7 people in 4 different countries, none of them your own, all based on things they said on the internet.

  ...and then making public statements warning the 'defendants' that they'd better lawyer up, and offering his followers updates on his 'legal case' against them. On the internet. Where erasing your mistakes can be extremely difficult...
• 
  13

  Only one weekly meeting?

  by mikeflood in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  new wt october 2023....first an article remembering 1923....they make changes, the had a "prayer, praise and testimony weekly meeting".. after an study article about obey, specially paragraph 18.. i have a wild guess, next year, just one weekly meeting for the borg..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  Could they really grow and survive if they met once a week via teleconference?

  On the other hand, a two-hour Sunday meeting as the only meeting of the week would probably be very welcome. Preach on Saturday, meet on Sunday, avoid the stress of mid-week meetings. That is not the worst way to spend your time as a JW.
• 
  13

  Hawaii- Victim Abused by JW Elder Awarded $40 Million

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://youtu.be/h0fwwtemmvi.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  Plaintiff's lawyer: "The case was initially against the Jehovah's Witnesses and that part of the case settled"

  The $40 million judgment is against the individual, not the WTS. Even if it's upheld, she probably won't see much. The settlement with the WTS would almost certainly include an NDA, so she cannot reveal the particulars, including any amounts paid.

  The settlement avoids the risk of a large award and (more important to the WTS) a precedent being set regarding their liability in such cases. The publicity hurts a lot, though. More victims may be encouraged to step forward and speak up, or file civil suits of their own.
• 
  15

  Jehovah’s Witnesses Open Historic Museum in Edo

  by Bangalore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jehovah’s witnesses open historic museum in edo .. https://punchng.com/jehovahs-witnesses-open-historic-museum-in-edo/.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  Atlantis: When did Jesus have a Museum?

  Maybe someone misread "mausoleum."
• 
  54

  Is AI going to change the world?

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had lunch with a friend, whose a lecturer in the accounting dept.

  of one of australia's best universities.

  he told me he expects to lose his job at some point in the next 5 years, as the accounting dept, will disappear, as all accounting will be done by ai programs, so why teach it.. if his fears are correct, that means that any profession that involves the mind, may one day face the same future.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  TD: Human writers, both male and female struggle to create believable characters of the opposite gender.

  Oh, I don't expect AI to completely replace human writers/actors for a while (or, possibly, ever). But there is a lot of derivative and awful work being produced by people today (sometimes at considerable expense). AI could be used to produce "filler" work- derivative crap designed mostly to earn a bit of cash with a relatively tiny expenditure. And all the while, it can be refined and upgraded and improved.

  I'm not sure that AI can ever replace human writers and actors from a standpoint of creative uniqueness, so to speak (see my comment previous to this one). But it can produce waves of canned content that might generate enough profit to keep production companies solvent, which will allow them to churn out even more content. I'd despair for our future, but a perusal of YouTube reminds me that unoriginal crap is not in short supply even now.
• 
  54

  Is AI going to change the world?

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had lunch with a friend, whose a lecturer in the accounting dept.

  of one of australia's best universities.

  he told me he expects to lose his job at some point in the next 5 years, as the accounting dept, will disappear, as all accounting will be done by ai programs, so why teach it.. if his fears are correct, that means that any profession that involves the mind, may one day face the same future.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TonusOH

  This could work out for certain creative people, in that there are plenty of options for building a support structure that is uniquely yours. If my art or animations or writing generate interest and I can build a following, that can provide an artist/writer with income even when their work appears to be drowned out by AI-generated spam. Even if your work gets incorporated into the algorithms somehow, you still have a way to monetize your work and grow your following.

  Meanwhile, the people and companies generating massive amounts of poor-quality content that all begins to look the same are only able to generate very small amounts of income, since the money is split so many ways and begins to dry up as potential buyers decide that it's not worth it to pay repeatedly for the same content. So perhaps this is a problem that will, for a short time anyway, fix itself.
• 
  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. 
• 

  TonusOH

  pr0ner: He is so delusional right now he thinks a big win is making some Hollywood style shots and slapping them on a banner.

  I agree with LMsA that it looks like he is rebuilding his brand, so it is less about JW-specific content and more about him and his interests. It is possible that he is realizing that a following largely made up of people who were/are religious fundamentalists is not going to accept his casual approach to marriage and promiscuous sex. It is also possible that he doesn't realize that any other group he might try to attract will see him in much the same way.

  If he thinks that he can build a following of atheists and that they'll be fine with the way he treats people, he is likely in for a rude surprise. It's not only exJWs who don't like to be around obnoxious, self-centered blowhards. Any new direction he takes will go the same way- he will mistreat people and burn bridges and cry persecution when they expose him. It's just a question of how many communities he can alienate before he's done.