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'm curious to see if he skips any Patreon rewards in September. Once you lose the passion for something, it gets tougher and tougher to do it, and at some point you can't even do the minimum needed without feeling heavy stress. If he really skipped all of the activities that he promised his paying supporters in August -while posting pictures of his vacation, no less- that's not a minor thing. It could be a sign that he is struggling to stay interested in what he is doing.

And part of that could be that he does not have the staff around to do some/most of the work. Having to do it himself requires more time and energy. And he must feel some loss of prestige, that instead of having his 'team' he now has to do a lot of the 'grunt work' himself. Once you start down that slope, it can be extremely difficult to avoid a crash.

47

Retirement savings

by TxNVSue2023 in

what's the current jw stance on retirement savings?

i know it changed.

pre1975 it was an attitude of "don't worry about retirement, this system is ending soon".

TonusOH

It would benefit the organization to encourage frugality and responsible money management, since that would leave most people with some disposable income that could be donated to the cause. I think they have long since learned not to specifically promote the idea of assuming that their futures are assured by the closeness of Armageddon.

I guess it's a bit of a conundrum- if you advise the rank and file to prepare for a future in the present system of things, they may lose the urgency that comes from the "sooner than you think" message. But a following that places little value on financial success and long-term planning will find itself unprepared when they are of retirement age. And then they have less to put in the coffers.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

He dropped to 380 or 390 before he did the begging video. I'm not sure what he'll do if (when?) he drops under 450 a second time. But don't underestimate him- I'm sure he'll find one or two more ways to gaslight and manipulate his audience into funding his next ~~series of anti-JW videos~~ two-week family getaway on the coast.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

I think that might be one reason why he seems to be losing enthusiasm for it. He could be doing fine by just making very basic YT videos- they would not take a lot of time or effort and would generate decent (and growing) revenue (without the current overhead). But once you've upped the quality and promised more varied content, it can seem like a real step backwards to return to that basic approach. He doesn't want to be just another exJW channel, he was reaching well beyond that and climbing out of that small niche. Going back is like starting over and the loss of prestige must be more painful than the loss of excess money.

That confession video haunts him. It will always haunt him.

28

Could this be the end of JWs? What are the consequences if it is?

by Teddnzo in

multiple very serious allegations against tony and then huge efforts to remove him from all pictures and videos, have to admit it doesn’t look good.. once the pennsylvania investigation becomes public knowledge and front page news it will be very very hard for 8 million pimis.. is it possible that this could be the largest problem the branch has ever faced?

larger than 1975, the overlapping generations or any other ‘test of faith’.

many will feel heartbroken and betrayed.

TonusOH

It also depends on the scope of the allegations. What exactly is the WTS being accused of? What did Tony do (or not do), that led to his removal? There have been inquiries into issues involving CSA (in the UK and Australia, for example), and neither has ended the WTS, or led to any notable sanction against GB members.

35

Are Elders prepared to take the fall for WT/GB misdemeanor's / crime ??

by smiddy3 in

i have been thinking about this in relation to the directive given to elders to destroy any incriminating evidence they may have either on their pc`s ,e-mails , private notes in their possession, or notes in their witnessing bags ,etc.

to do with child sexual abuse they may still have in their possession.. isn`t that encouraging the elders to interfere with the justice system ?.

to break the law?.

TonusOH

It's the danger of running a high-control group. When you have a lot of influence and power, you might be tempted to see how far people are willing to follow you. And so you get things like overlapping generations and announcements about how pleased you are that you are publishing fewer new magazines. You run the risk of drifting too far from the rank and file, and not noticing how things are being received until it's too late.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Toblerone5: And what will he do when he turn 50 ? Film is colonoscopy ?

The doctor will complain that they cannot get the small camera in place, because his head is in the way.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Journeyman: He really does think they are all a bunch of walking, talking cash machines for his personal use.

His upcoming Patreon numbers will tell us if he is right or not. Even if you aren't aware of his scandals over the past two years, a post like the one he made is effectively a slap in the face. And, as the cherry on top, he throws the "mental health" card at them. Look, if you are comfortable paying someone to lie to you and gaslight you, I'm not sure what to tell you. Spend some of that money on a Tony Robbins course, maybe?

35

Are Elders prepared to take the fall for WT/GB misdemeanor's / crime ??

by smiddy3 in

i have been thinking about this in relation to the directive given to elders to destroy any incriminating evidence they may have either on their pc`s ,e-mails , private notes in their possession, or notes in their witnessing bags ,etc.

to do with child sexual abuse they may still have in their possession.. isn`t that encouraging the elders to interfere with the justice system ?.

to break the law?.

TonusOH

I think it depends, in part, on two factors:

1. Is there a policy regarding the disposition of communications (email/letters/etc)?

2. Is there an active investigation or legal action which may be impacted by the destruction of such communications?

There may be other factors. If there is a policy on how to handle such correspondence (that was not suddenly implemented in response to potential inquiries), that can be a protection against any sanctions. Those policies are overridden by legal actions, like a subpoena, which may demand that any documents or evidence related to a case or investigation must not be destroyed.

Edit: As no-zombie pointed out below, destroying evidence of a crime would supersede any of the above considerations.

21

Aftermath of being Reinstated

by TxNVSue2023 in

i'm in the process of being reinstated ( my df'ing story is on here).

because i've never been in this position before, i don't know how i will be treated once i'm reinstated.

i moved to a new city/state and i don't know a single person here or in my new congregation i am attending.

TonusOH

NotFormer: Is that kind of record keeping legal under the various data protection acts?

It probably is. I don't know if the JWs are unique among religions in keeping a file on each member, so I don't know if the rank and file should feel any concern. It didn't bug me while I was in, and I never even thought about it after I left.