It sounds like they're trying to separate some sins from others, and allowing for the less-severe ones (in their eyes) to be dealt with more mildly. Apostasy will always be the big no-no for them, because for the WTS, apostasy is when you oppose the organization. And that is a hard line for them.
TonusOH
JoinedPosts by TonusOH
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s-395 Adjustments-to-handling-serious-wrongdoing-in-the-congregation
by gavindlt inthis was posted on jw leaks.. my truth's | dad seeking truth.
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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
Another thing that I noticed when prepping the transcript of his livestream (which is availale at lloydevans.info): He claimed that his JC was for apostasy. But, in the livestream, he says this:
I write about all of this in The Reluctant Apostate. Not because I had to. I didn't write about all my sex life in The Reluctant Apostate because I had to. I did it because I knew that some Jehovah's Witnesses --namely the judicial committee and members of my family, etc-- knew stuff about me and I didn't want there to be any skeletons in my closet. Any skeletons at all. I didn't want there to be anything anyone could hit me with or weaponize against me at some future date.
He says this when he is preparing his livestream audience for his explanation that, yes, he cheated on his wife and visited sex workers for years, and also reminds them about the time that his wife found out that he was sexting with
girlswomen. So it really seems as if he is saying that he wanted to be up front about his sexual misconduct so that it could not be used against him at a later date. And he specifically refers to his JC and "members of [his] family." That doesn't sound like apostasy to me... -
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Who really is the Faithful and Discreet Slave? The recent changes and the Governing Body's 10 year plan
by redsetter2 ini am sure we were all shocked at the governing body update #2 with the unusual and impulsive changes set forth.. i am an insider at whq, and when i was on reddit and in communication with avoidjw i explained to the best of my ability that the approach on disfellowshipping was going to change based on the new light at the 2023 agm, that the jubilee rumor was false, and there were going to be changes on how jws approached disfellowshipping in response to the norway situation if it didn't turn out in watchtower's favor.
the decision came because of a legal blow to watchtower, not because "holy spirit" wad directing a faithful slave, who is going to become the "evil slave", more explanation on this soon.. everything i stated came true.
i left reddit exjw community due to the immature and mentally unstable nature there, and yet as has been the case my words came true.
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TonusOH
It's the internet. I take most people at face value. After all, I don't have anything invested, and time will tell if this person was right or not. Heck, I'm getting old. In a couple of weeks I'll forget he was even here.
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What Makes You an Apostate?
by Aletheia1914 ini was really excited about all the wonderful news related to these changes.
i disassociated back in 2019 and my parents have not spoken with me since then.
my brother who never got baptized kind of serves as a liaison between me and my parents as they will not contact me directly.
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TonusOH
As I always understood it, an apostate was someone who opposed the organization. Hence why they were referred to as 'opposers' by the WTS. If you went against the direction of the GB, you were an apostate. This could be as simple as disagreeing with an interpretation of Bible texts or differing on doctrines and policies. As joey jojo said, they feel that the GB stands between Jehovah and the rank-and-file. To disagree with the GB is to oppose Jehovah.
And let's be clear on CSA- they only treat it so seriously because they have been forced to, both by cultural and legal pressures. Before, they may have claimed to take it seriously, but their actions didn't show that at all. They've been shamed by 'the worldly' into doing something they should have been doing from the beginning, if they were indeed 'spirit-guided.'
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GB Update #2, March 2024: Women allowed to wear pants, no ties/coats required if not giving a talk, & now able to greet DF ones in the KH!
by WingCommander inyou heard me correct, this is not a joke, and it is not april fools day!
the asl portion of the governing body updated #2 (march 2024) has been released a bit early and someone caught it.
summary: .
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TonusOH
The men who will ogle pants-wearing women are the same ones who ogle them now. Or who creepily complement young sisters on their appearance all the time, seemingly unaware that everyone realizes he's a pervert.
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consequences for going against the direction.
by jehovaxx inthere are no serious consequences for doubting the gb.
there are no consequences for going against the direction.
we can now celebrate anything.. what will happen if you take blood, celebrate xmas and birthdays ect?.
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TonusOH
FFGhost: They appear to trying to make it so that being disfellowshipped almost never occurs.
That sounds right. By finding ways to make DF'ing less onerous, they might be starting on the path to only doing it in the most extreme circumstances, and instead offering 'counsel' to those who commit wrongdoing. Based on what they kept repeating, it looks like apostasy, child abuse, and scheming to end a marriage (that still cracks me up) are the sins that will still end in DF.
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Will recent dress-code changes affect the WTS negatively?
by Wonderment inin a span of a few months time, we have had many unexpected changes announced by the jw organization.
some here have expressed the belief that a great number of witnesses will leave the religion.
in fact, there is a great probability the opposite will be true.. yeah, ancient hardliners will have a hard time assimilating these changes, but the younger generation will likely welcome these changes.
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TonusOH
I think it might be a case of 'the more things change, the more they stay the same.'
I can remember so many summer conventions where young sisters would wear dresses that looked painted on. Humorously, they always made sure that the dresses covered their knees, at least when standing up. There was no end to the warnings and admonitions from the stage and from indignant older brothers and sisters, but it did not seem to have any effect. I suppose that the stares and extra attention from young brothers made the hassle worth it.
I imagine this summer, the conventions will feature at least a few sisters wearing pants that would cause Tony Morris to have an apoplectic fit. I wonder if brothers will get in on it, so that there will be statements from the podium asking the brothers to please button up their shirts and to stop fluffing their chest hair during the song (is that a thing anymore? Or am I dating myself?). Will this be known as the year that JW women discovered yoga pants?
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Trust Our (Neither Inspired Nor Infallible) Life Saving Direction?
by Ron.W. inwt 2013 11/15 p. 20. at that time, the life-saving direction that we receive from jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint.
all of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.. wt feb 2017.
"the governing body is neither inspired nor infallible.
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TonusOH
That would be a u-turn.
Then: be prepared to make a loyal and unashamed defense of your faith, no matter the cost!
Now: Jehovah understands that things might get a bit rough. Take it easy and avoid unnecessary stress.
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GB Update #2, March 2024: Women allowed to wear pants, no ties/coats required if not giving a talk, & now able to greet DF ones in the KH!
by WingCommander inyou heard me correct, this is not a joke, and it is not april fools day!
the asl portion of the governing body updated #2 (march 2024) has been released a bit early and someone caught it.
summary: .
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TonusOH
I don't think that's the message from the top, it sounds like that is how some rank-and-file will cope. And if they take that approach, of being able to hide among the enemy during the harsh times, then it opens the door to stuff like tattoos, or earrings for men, or even... (wait for it)... tight pants.
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Is the fight over?
by nicolaou ini'm still digesting these changes and i think i'll reserve judgement for some months until we see how it all plays out in reality.. however, if the disfellowshipping process really has been de-fanged and shunning is beginning it's retreat into the society's past then what excuses will there be in the years to come for anyone who wants to leave?.
i can almost understand why they've done this.
more carrot, less stick.
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TonusOH
I'm curious as to how it will develop over the next six months and then the following eighteen months. How quickly will JWs embrace the relaxed dress requirements? I bet beards are the latest fashion in a lot of congregations now!
Will there be pushback? Will the outreach open up avenues for people to return, or make it easier for people to drift away? Will there be fewer hardliners than I am expecting? It will be an interesting two-year period, IMO.