Posts by TonusOH

60

1/25 WT: Oral and Anal sex are a go - if she's ok with it

by neat blue dog in

he will not pressure her to engage in sexual acts that make her feel uncomfortable, that are demeaning, or that bother her conscience..... the bible does not provide details as to what sexual practices between a husband and a wife should be considered clean or unclean.

a christian couple must make decisions that reflect their resolve to honor jehovah, to please each other, and to maintain a clean conscience.

generally speaking, a couple would not discuss with others this intimate aspect of their marriage..

TonusOH

road to nowhere: is there anything in the Bible on wanking?

Nope. The WTS used to refer to Colossians 3:5. The NWT translates it as follows:

"Deaden, therefore, your body members that are on the earth as respects sexual immorality, uncleanness, uncontrolled sexual passion, hurtful desire, and greediness, which is idolatry."

The New International Version translates it this way:

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

Even if we allow the NWT wording, it's tough to say that this explicitly condemns masturbation. The Bible seems to be silent on the issue otherwise; trying to interpret Onan's crime --disobeying an order from God-- as a condemnation of masturbation is a stretch, to say the least.

10

If the UN fails, what do JWs have prepared?

by Anony Mous in

i was listening to a podcast about the current geopolitical situation, apparently the un has gone so far off the reservation being controlled by and trying to align themselves with anti-west values, a number of countries is attempting to kick israel out of the un because it is defending itself against iran.. off course, many african nations, some middle eastern, china and russia and a few european nations are all in some amalgamated economic league.

if the vote happens while biden is still president, it’s unlikely, given the election, the party is willing to throw their anti-semitic base under the bus and wouldn’t veto it, hence why these people are considering doing this now and china/russia would go along just to create some mayhem.

the un weeks ago voted to hand over a significant part of jerusalem to an unspecified state of palestine, this likewise went unopposed by the biden-harris administration.. if this happens, given the outcome of the next election, the us will almost certainly have to abandon and disband the un.

TonusOH

If the UN were disbanded, I would expect the WTS to provide "new light" indicating that this is a clear sign that the end is near. They will make statements to the effect that this is it-- THIS time, it's going to happen. But they will word the statements in such a way that they can deny them later. Two or three years later, when the world is still puttering along, they will find a new interpretation to make up for the fact that their favorite bogeyman is gone.

The infrastructure is in place for them to deal with any and every such disappointment. It's more a question of how our always-connected world will view them when it is no longer so easy to whitewash the past.

13

Does maths prove the bible is wrong?

by joey jojo in

there might be a few that find this post boring, because, you know - its maths.. i like maths but im not a mathematician or condsider myself any type of expert on the subject.. there is a branch of maths called propositional logic that is used widely in computers and computer programming that allows computers to make decisions based on certain conditions.

for example: if a condition exists, then do something.

like: if the a button is pressed, then the letter a will appear on the screen.

TonusOH

IF you open your eyes and see god, you MIGHT be hallucinating.

22

BABYLON THE GREAT IS NOT FALLING ANYMORE? (NEW LIGHT FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING)

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/rsbfa_7lqv4?si=muuxmgtll1n1ifad.

the watchtower’s babylon the great: a shrinking reality?.

so this latest annual meeting introduced a new idea about babylon the great, and here is the part from geoffrey jackson's talk we real need to dig in and consider it's ramifications..... so you’ve got to hand it to them; they know how to keep things interesting with their ever-evolving interpretations and, of course, those classic "adjustments" in understanding.

TonusOH

DoC: Lots of stuff to take place before worrying about the GT.

All of it is up to interpretation (and re-interpretation, after it turns out to be wrong), so the GT can begin at any time because they can interpret the events however they need to in order to fit the narrative. It's similar to their approach where they claim you must trust the GB since it is "spirit-directed" but also you must let them off the hook because they are mere fallible men.

If we get it right, that is a reason to trust us. If we get it wrong, that is not a reason to distrust us.

13

JWs on LinkedIn

by usualusername1 in

jw
friends

when i'm extremely board i look up jws on linkedin.. steven is clearly counting his time.

lol.

TonusOH

"...it is my choice to connect with others that have a deep appreciation for what Jesus Christ taught and that apply his teachings daily in their lives now."

Wow. After this obnoxious, smug and insulting comment, he invites the person to visit the website and find out more? Sure, dude! I'd love to become a condescending know-it-all just like you! Sign me up!

12

Atheist philosopher Philip Goff becomes a Christian

by slimboyfat in

philip goff, professor of philosophy at durham university, in the past few weeks has said that he has become a christian of a fairly liberal and perhaps somewhat heretical variety.

it’s been a long journey from staunch atheism in his teens, to questioning the basis of his atheism and a purely materialist conception of reality as a professor of philosophy specialising in consciousness, to now considering himself a christian.

he says it’s the result of coming to terms with the fact that atheists and theists both have good arguments and looking for a middle ground that accommodates the best arguments of both.

TonusOH

The solution he has landed on is that there is likely a God who is not all powerful but has to work within constraints, resulting in suffering and evil.

There could also be a god who is all-powerful and unconstrained by morals when it comes to the sandbox universe it created for the purposes of research. Not the sort of being to give us any hope of a future for ourselves, but is a less problematic explanation for our universe as it exists.

73

JWN, 23 years posting Blondie

by blondie in

jw
friends

can i call you friends, i think so after 23 years posting here.

i am dismayed how jwn is being "dominated" or taken over by a few posters, peppering the comments.

in the past, the admin did not approve of this and did remove some posters from jwn.

TonusOH

Rattigan350: No one lied to you.

I disagree. Example: the WTS told young people that they would "never grow old in this system of things." This fulfills the second definition of a lie that you posted. I would argue that it also is covered by the first definion, as I do not think they should get a pass for believing something they had no defensible reason to believe. If I tell you that a comet passing by the Earth is really a spaceship that is going to rapture true believers, the fact that I am deranged enough to believe this doesn't mean it isn't a lie.

Mind you, I am not feeling charitable enough to wave off WTS lies by claiming that they were deluded. I'm confident that none of the WTS leadership who ever "clarified" anything thought that they were also not in their right minds when they made their own (ultimately failed) prognostications. At some point, the only options are that they are stupid, deluded, mislead... or deceivers. I'm willing to agree that they might be a combination of those, but they definitely have lied.

2914

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

Of course, he leaves himself an out when claiming that he welcomes 'diverse' opinions-- any comments that are "hateful, judgmental, abusive or invasive" will be ignored and the user blocked.

In other words, any comment or opinion that isn't slavishly and unreservedly supportive of him will fall into the category of 'hateful/judgmental/abusive/invasive.' Good luck, people who support him! Remember to be as gentle and supportive as you can, or he will run roughshod over you and your stupid and ignorant opinion and bigoted and hateful statements! If you really cross the line by saying something offensive like "I disagree," you might find yourself added to his active, ongoing, and super-important criminal lawsuit!!!

60

1/25 WT: Oral and Anal sex are a go - if she's ok with it

by neat blue dog in

he will not pressure her to engage in sexual acts that make her feel uncomfortable, that are demeaning, or that bother her conscience..... the bible does not provide details as to what sexual practices between a husband and a wife should be considered clean or unclean.

a christian couple must make decisions that reflect their resolve to honor jehovah, to please each other, and to maintain a clean conscience.

generally speaking, a couple would not discuss with others this intimate aspect of their marriage..

TonusOH

This issue was mentioned in Ray Franz's Crisis of Consceince. There were many couples who were distraught at the inistence by the GB of only the most basic sex positions and restrictions on foreplay. The idea that this group of old prudes needed to intrude on the most intimate part of a married couple's relationship should have been ridiculous even back then. The fact that they held on to this power even as it stressed relationships among the rank-and-file is insane.

I guess the snippet quoted in the first post shows that, even now, the rank-and-file struggle with the fallout from this silly and invasive approach.

7

FOR ACTIVE JW's: January 2025 Study Watchtower: Where is JESUS?

by BoogerMan in

didn't jehovah assign christ all power & authority?

so why no mention of him?.

from the january 2025 study watchtower: .

TonusOH

The most awkward thing is when they refer to themselves as "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses." It's as if they realize how glaring the omission is, but they are stuck with the JW name. So they occasionally slip in "Christian" as a way to remind themselves that Jesus is a part of the belief system.