Posts by TonusOH

WingCommander: Every chance I had to be in gifted or Honors/AP classes in school was squashed by the JW's influence over my brainwashed parents.

Yep. I was moved out of an honors program in High School and put on a vocational track, because there was no way my mother was going to let us go to college. I lucked out, though. The engineering course I took had just added BASIC programming as an item, and I found my calling. Still, I ended up doing entry-level jobs for several years (why start a career in a world about to end?). Got lucky again when my workplace started buying more PCs and needed someone to help manage them. Within a few years, I had the career that I had been running away from. I hopped on that train and I never looked back.

My mother griped about my career ambitions until she learned how much money I could make as an IT professional (my salary increased by more than 50% over an eighteen-month period, and before I knew it, I was "middle class"). She never stated her approval of my having a career, mind you. She simply stopped griping because she liked that we had money and did not have to scrimp and save anymore. She lucked out too, I guess. But she has never expressed gratitude or appreciation for it.

17

Setting the record straight. CSA report in New Zealand

by joe134cd in

ok i just want to officially set the record straight about the report of csa in new zealand.

i have a pimo relative who lives in nz.

as far as public awareness, with regard to the jws, it was basically a big nothing burger.

TonusOH

It's bound to be relatively minor news, unless there was some really shocking events. I think the important thing is that it is a matter of public record now, and the WTS has another black mark against it. They will be less and less willing to make claims about how they protect the flock when there is a growing body of documents that show negligence and worse.

I mean, Bill Cosby's crimes were pretty well-known throughout Hollywood, but the public was unaware of his history. Then, a relatively unknown comedian was captured on someone's phone talking about it during a stand-up routine, it went viral, and suddenly everyone knew what Cosby had done. It's good to have these cases and documentation available to the public-- if this issue ever becomes front-page news, there will be no way for the WTS to hide.

38

"A Jehovah's Witness"

by NotFormer in

a very certain distinctive of jws is how they refer to themselves.

"one of jehovah's witnesses".

it's one of those coded jargon thingies.

TonusOH

I don't remember, since it wasn't something that came up very often. My impression is that I would have used either "I am a Jehovah's Witness" or "I am one of the Jehovah's Witnesses." The latter may be grammatically incorrect, but it would sound pretentious to say "I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses" since it implies a more direct and personal role. It sounds to me like saying "I'm one of Jehovah's boys."

3041

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

Any word on his criminal lawsuit against the magnificent seven? I'm sure the court is preparing subpoenas as we speak!

3041

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

"Thanks so much for all of the ongoing support! If you want to support me even better, here are some links! You're all so great for supporting me! Also, I went on another vacation and that will delay any upcoming content..."

22

Article - New Zealand: Jehovah's Witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report

by AndersonsInfo in

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/522908/jehovah-s-witnesses-lose-last-ditch-court-case-over-abuse-in-care-report?fbclid=iwzxh0bgnhzw0cmteaar1g3qvzxlojo2szcm6xlsf2tsc_0rehd4dp4i6rda6zxafplc_v2hzvvf4_aem_pztghhvtf5to8qsjtv3m0g.

july 23, 2024. jehovah's witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report.

jehovah's witnesses have failed in an eleventh hour attempt to block part of a lengthy report about abuse in care that is about them.. .

TonusOH

careful: are the GB so hell bent on keeping all this stuff hidden just to save face among non-Witnesses

Oh, yes. But they are also concerned with the rank-and-file hearing about it, because the WTS tells JWs that they are different from other religions, in that they protect young ones from abuse and make sure to deal severely with those who abuse children. If the truth is that they do neither of these things, then they are no different than the religious groups that they have condemned.

And, of course, there is no way to make the situation look less egregious. Not only did they fail to protect children from sexual predators, they instead protected the predators and put the victims through a difficult process led by men who had no training and no idea what they were doing aside from trying to cover for the organization. The only way to save face is to make sure no one ever learns about these cases. So much for transparency and the cleansing light of truth.

52

What would happen if the religion just straight out gets outed as bad? The ORG admits to it and all the members get told to disperse

by Starlight.vee in

like the org just gives up and comes out saying that all of what they are saying is untrue and that there is no armageddon, nothing.

how do y’all think the the members still in it would react?.

there be a mental health crisis i perhaps.

TonusOH

I can't imagine that the WTS would be winding down operations. As far as I know, they could not just close up shop and take the money. They'd probably wind up in federal prison if they did that. If they cannot do that, then why would they deliberately sabotage their situation, instead of trying to salvage it? The GB have it pretty good! They live comfortably and are almost worshipped by millions of people who support them with every scrap of cash they have. They get to play Pope in a tax-free environment.

I can't judge how they (JWs in general) are doing, because in my area I don't ever see them. I know there are some KHs around here, but I almost never am in those areas and could not say how they are doing. I will say this: I've lived out here almost exactly nine years, and JWs knocked on my door once. ONCE. Never seen a cart, never seen a flyer, nothing. You could forgive people out here for not knowing that they exist.

16

Thanking Jehovah God for Sports

by Sea Breeze in

serena william's thanks jehovah god for allowing her to participate in sports.

how nice.

my jw parents followed the rules and thought they were doing jehovahs will by denying me participation in sports.

TonusOH

I was discouraged from playing on a company softball team. Thanks, Jehovah!

Remember, we must only pray for things that are in keeping with Jehovah's will and plans. Serena: Jehovah, please help me to win a worldly tennis tournament!

3041

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

Yep. We have been predicting this for a while. He lost the enthusiasm for making videos when most of the people who did the heavy lifting went away. He has lost the enthusiasm for WatchTower content. He wants to do the lazy influencer thing, where he does a few ten-minute stream-of-consciousness rants and gets tens of thousands of dollars a month. He is having trouble hiding his contempt for everyone, including his supporters.

What can his supporters do? If they try to encourage him, they risk getting berated by him. If they dare to reduce their support, he will consider it a betrayal on the level of "what Kim did." The only realistic option is to rip the bandaid off and walk away altogether, knowing that he will never forgive them for it. Just 320-ish more to go.