They are not prepared for someone who understands their beliefs and can challenge them. And the WTS has always known this, which is why JWs are advised to avoid engaging with anyone whom the feel is 'undermining their faith.' Ask the wrong questions and they will leave, and they will probably tell others not to knock on your door anymore.
TonusOH
JoinedPosts by TonusOH
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37
They Came To The Door!
by NotFormer ingoing door to door with their "memorial" invitation.
"so you can pass the emblems but nobody partakes?
them: "we can explain who is to partake".. me: "all jesus' followers".
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3073
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)
by Simon inuh 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.
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TonusOH
Come on, I'm sure Lloyd could find a few sponsors willing to help him stay afloat.
"Hello, dear viewers. Today's video is sponsored by OnlyFans..."
"Well hello there! Today's video is sponsored by Lovely Lady Asian Tours..."
"Today's video has a special sponsor, viewers! Welcome, Elise's Edibles!"
"Today's sponsor is the local chapter of the Church of Scientology. Now, hang on a second, I know what you're thinking. But hear me out..."
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10
Finding Neverland
by Freeorange inadd bookmark.
#1. i have to start off this post by saying i am not intending to insult or offend.
these are just our observations over our entire lives in the org.
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TonusOH
Magnum: He's been dead over 20 years, and the end still ain't nowhere in sight.
This. My mother began to study with the JWs in the mid-60s. Her mother and sister were JWs already, and I get the impression that they talked to her about 1975. And since her own life was not going as she had hoped, the thought of a brand new start in just a few years must have sounded perfect.
Today, some 55 years later, she is still convinced that the end is very close and that it could happen at any time. And she believes that "any time" means tomorrow or the day after, because "the world situation is too bad to continue like this" and whatever other stuff they tell one another.
I am certain of this much: if the WTS had said back in 1975 that the end would come sometime after 2023, and not before, she would have walked away right then and there. Saying that "soon" meant "more than 50 years" would have sounded so preposterous that she would have said 'no' and moved on with her life.
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JWs in Norway lost to the state - will not get state support back
by BelisemDeBelimakom intranslated with google translate:.
the trial went before oslo district court in january, and now the district court has concluded that the state is acquitted.
jehovah's witnesses are also ordered to pay court costs of just over nok 1.1 million.. https://www-vg-no.translate.goog/nyheter/innenriks/i/2bljxg/staten-frikjennes-etter-aa-ha-blitt-saksoekt-av-jehovas-vitner-melder-dagen?_x_tr_sl=ka&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp.
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TonusOH
Vidiot: Being cut off the public teat for failure to follow the rules is “persecution”?
I expect them to studiously avoid anything mentioning the loss of subsidies. They will focus on the recognition that is being withdrawn and the consequences of it. "Norway is slandering us and forcing us to pay their legal bills" will probably be the angle. It will play much better than "Norway won't let us feed at the trough alongside all of those false religions."
I wonder how much of the recent changes are due, in part, to the realization that it is getting much tougher to shield the rank and file from useful information. They cannot dismiss news reports as 'apostate literature' that is to be avoided at all costs. What happens when members read about this and learn the part that isn't being reported on the JW website or magazines?
This might be the first step in a complete revamp (if not outright rejection) of the shunning policy.
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Hailstone message AND everyone will be saved? Questions
by slimboyfat ini’ve not been paying close attention to watchtower developments, but talking to a jw yesterday it occurred to me the society (yes, still use that term - old school) have been sending out mixed messages in recent years.
from what i gather, a few years ago the gb announced that during the great tribulation jws would be required to preach a “hailstone message of judgement” which involved telling people it was too late for them to repent and they were definitely going to be destroyed.
there were hints that this could be very soon, “any day now” preaching could stop and the hailstone message come in, kind of thing.
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TonusOH
They are probably trying to leave it at least somewhat vague in order to give themselves room to adjust it as time goes on. If they feel that too many people are relaxing, or too many are feeling anxious over it, they can offer more 'clarification.'
The Bible is difficult enough to figure out even when you're just trying to read it and follow what it is saying. When you are also trying to get it to fit a particular doctrine, it gets even messier. And that's saying something. At some point "we just don't know" should become the basis of all of their teaching.
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For all JW's: Stop calling others "apostates."
by BoogerMan inif you don't want to be thrown into gehenna, read what your own faithful evil slave & christ say:.
cj chap.
3 p. 110 chapter 3 - "jesus christ said: “whoever says, ‘you despicable fool!’ (apostate) will be liable to the fiery gehenna.” (matt.
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TonusOH
The word serves its purpose for the WTS, since I can remember that the one label every JW took seriously was 'apostate.' "So-and-so is an apostate" would keep you on the alert for that person so you could avoid them at all cost, lest you get the most severe case of cooties ever.
Now? I don't care. I am an apostate in their eyes --or I will be, if they ever bother to ask-- but what meaning does that have, now? I can live with their judgment --I did the same myself, after all-- and I don't have to worry about the judgment of a nonexistent deity.
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3073
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)
by Simon inuh 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.
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TonusOH
Good to hear, Kim! And also, I believe the countdown is now at 39 years. Only 39 years before Lloyd gives up trying to bring you to justice. Hang in there!
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18
JWs in Norway lost to the state - will not get state support back
by BelisemDeBelimakom intranslated with google translate:.
the trial went before oslo district court in january, and now the district court has concluded that the state is acquitted.
jehovah's witnesses are also ordered to pay court costs of just over nok 1.1 million.. https://www-vg-no.translate.goog/nyheter/innenriks/i/2bljxg/staten-frikjennes-etter-aa-ha-blitt-saksoekt-av-jehovas-vitner-melder-dagen?_x_tr_sl=ka&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp.
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TonusOH
I think they are saying they are not a religion so that they are not eligible for certain benefits (such as the subsidy they no longer get). So it's probably a technical or legal term. In the practical sense, I'm sure they understand that it is a religion.
The WTS can simply spin it as religious persecution and lump Norway in with Russia. The big difference here is that they're losing out on a lot of money (wasn't it two or three million dollars a year?) and they have no real gripe, as they do with the treatment of JWs in Russia. In Norway, they are still free to practice their religion as they see fit, they simply are not getting rewarded for it with money and perks.
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My old KH is a house now
by Gordon inrossville, il, i heard it had disbanded about 15 years ago.
know, i see someone bought it and turned it into a home, but sadly for them , the bad kh karma did not help the resale value.
looking at the interior pictures it's hard to see the old kh.
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TonusOH
Nice job on the remodel. Where did people park when it was a KH?
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Again, More confusion about the direction of the Watchtower Society
by Truth and Justice inhi friends, i have not been on this board in awhile, and i would like to get some thoughts from some of you.
i have noticed a change within my 4 siblings in approximately the last year and a half to 2 years regarding their communication with my mother and i. they have either phoned us, texted, emailed, or written a letter or card to us.
the conversation has been good, and on any topic that comes to mind.
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TonusOH
Going mainstream may be their best option. It doesn't guarantee that they will not suffer a bad downturn, but there's something there that can be built on. The biggest potential issue is that going mainstream will alienate the hardcore base of true believers who held on for so long and are probably the only reliable source of donations. If they cannot replace them quickly, they could face a very difficult money crunch.