Posts by TonusOH

124

JWLITE

by Teddnzo in

jw
friends

even elders can be part of the new jw lite brigade these days.

they don’t need to go on door to door anymore and there is no requirement for anything really.. taking meeting parts is all dead easy you could turn up on the day with zero preparation because it’s all in the meeting workbook.. quarterly elders meetings are just old men having a good old natter just like old men do down the pub.. congregations could be likened to pubs or bars these days just without the drinks, those come at other times.. no need for territory maps, these almost went away with covid letter writing now they are extremely slow getting finished as those who still go door to door only do ten mins.. you could even voice your questions these days about things the gb say and then just say “we can’t be dogmatic we just don’t know”.

i predict they will say this about 1914 soon..

TonusOH

Just to clarify: Pascal was saying that if you did not believe in god, it was better to fake it. Because if god does exist, there was a chance he would not punish you in the afterlife. It is less about hope and more about cynicism, since it relies on a god who is either easy to fool or quite apathetic.

The problem is that the god of the Bible does not come across as either foolish or uninterested. Nor does he seem to appreciate people trying to slip past him. Pascal might be roasting in one of the hottest pits of all at this moment, joined by all of the people who thought god was okay with a half-effort.

42

New meeting format

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

just watched november broadcast very different order to the leaked agm .

be good if someone did a deep dive on the difference and why the changes?

i didn’t time the items but it should be easy to see if edited?.

TonusOH

Notice what they say in that book/pamphlet:

Jehovah's people do not beg for money. They do not pass collection plates or send out letters of solicitation. Neither do they use bingo, bazaars, or raffles to raise money.

They are very specific about what they mean by 'beg.' They are not referring to any other approaches, such as videos about how they are facing shortfalls. Or instructions to congregations to send money each month. Or instructions to congregations to ask members to dedicate a specific amount each month as a donation.

In other words, there is a lot they can do to pressure the membership to donate more while still claiming that they do not "beg" or "solicit funds."

19

Who is the who of WHO we ARE? And when we die......where does the "who" go?

by Terry in

if and when you deposit the check from me in your own bank--what happens to my actual personal wealth?.

2.what happens to my ability to use my entire personal wealth?

so, how do we answer the question of what happens to you when you die?.

TonusOH

That is an interesting thought experiment, Pete. Say it was possible to clone your body with your mind intact at some earlier point in your life. And your original body has a mind that is dealing with changes due to time and injury. Which of the two would be more "you"?

42

New meeting format

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

just watched november broadcast very different order to the leaked agm .

be good if someone did a deep dive on the difference and why the changes?

i didn’t time the items but it should be easy to see if edited?.

TonusOH

They are in a tricky position when it comes to requesting donations. They have frequently distinguished themselves from other Christian churches by pointing out that they do not require donations and are not pushy about it. Many KHs used to have the "no collections taken" text at the bottom of the meeting schedules that were posted outside.

They have had some videos over the past few years where they have put an emphasis on the need for the rank and file to be more generous, and that already gets them close to a line that it seemed they would never cross. If they are making suggestions around the practice of tithing, I have to wonder how long before they just come out and beg for money or even demand it. I think it would be a disaster, but if they are desperate enough that might be their only option.

It's too late to go back and encourage the membership to earn a decent living, after years of advising them to scrape by and build treasures in heaven.

68

Lloyd Evans Patreoff Pool - December 2023

by DerekMoors in

put in your bets as to where you think lard i mean lloyd evans will land after december's drop in his patrons.

in september he started at 457 patrons, did his whiny begging fest and peaked at 478, but then dropped down to 439 at the beginning of october.

as of this moment (nov. 6), he's at 427 paid members.. so, where do you think he'll be on december 2nd?

TonusOH

There are many ways he could do that. But that would require self-reflection, humility, a willingness to admit his faults, accepting that his critics were correct, and so on. He doesn't want to humble himself and rebuild, he wants to conquer and crush those who are not completely subservient to him.

It would probably also require him to roll up his sleeves and do some hard work on his own, instead of building a brand off of the unpaid efforts of others. I'm not sure he can do that, even if he somehow gained enough self-awareness to realize what a lousy person he is.

124

JWLITE

by Teddnzo in

jw
friends

even elders can be part of the new jw lite brigade these days.

they don’t need to go on door to door anymore and there is no requirement for anything really.. taking meeting parts is all dead easy you could turn up on the day with zero preparation because it’s all in the meeting workbook.. quarterly elders meetings are just old men having a good old natter just like old men do down the pub.. congregations could be likened to pubs or bars these days just without the drinks, those come at other times.. no need for territory maps, these almost went away with covid letter writing now they are extremely slow getting finished as those who still go door to door only do ten mins.. you could even voice your questions these days about things the gb say and then just say “we can’t be dogmatic we just don’t know”.

i predict they will say this about 1914 soon..

TonusOH

Hi Leathercrop. I am referring to a god who wants for everyone to be saved, yet creates an environment where most will not achieve salvation. While it is true that such a being could exist, I find that possibility frightening. A being of unlimited power who wants good things for everyone, yet who undermines his own desires and condemns large numbers of people to eternal suffering? What else is he capable of?

27

Pornography in the Marriage

by LostintheFog1999 in

the magazine that they are studying in the congregation this month has an article at the back about how pornography in a marriage could damage the relationship.. there's one piece of advice that sounds rather scary, the wt suggests that the couple should "consider asking an elder with whom you are both comfortable to sit in and guide your discussions for a time.".

how many of you would want an elder present in your home while you and your partner discussed your personal sexual cravings and the type of porn videos being watched?.

TonusOH

Disney probably wanted to buy Pornhub, when they realized how much Disney-related porn there was on the site.

Diogenesister: only to bring them home to watch & give away to family & friends for their collections

So... what did you think about Cannibal Holocaust?

3144

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

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

TonusOH

As far as I know, he is still married to Dijana.

I wonder if that is one of the reasons that a threat of divorce rattled him so much, though.

30

CIVILIAN SERVICE

by blondie in

how many remember when the wts changed their policy on alternative service; changed it to alternative civilian service so jw men could choose it because it was not supervised by the military.

shows how the wts quibbles with words to advance a "new teaching.

" flag salute, voting, civilian service p. 212. civilian service.

TonusOH

I believe that In the USA, a prior felony conviction must be reported if a prospective employer requests such information. Needless to say, that can be a red flag for any company looking to hire. Best case scenario, they will ask for details and give you the benefit of the doubt. But it gets the process off to a bad start.

Edit to add: and some employment opportunities may automatically reject any applicant with a prior felony conviction.

68

Lloyd Evans Patreoff Pool - December 2023

by DerekMoors in

put in your bets as to where you think lard i mean lloyd evans will land after december's drop in his patrons.

in september he started at 457 patrons, did his whiny begging fest and peaked at 478, but then dropped down to 439 at the beginning of october.

as of this moment (nov. 6), he's at 427 paid members.. so, where do you think he'll be on december 2nd?

TonusOH

I'm gonna YOLO this one and predict 398.