Posts by TonusOH

16

New World, New World Order, New System of Things

by blondie in

jw
friends

the wts has used to above terms, over the years, some more preferred in certain time periods.

more though, but these occurred to me first.

also the terms "new world" and "new world order" have been used by some us presidents and other leaders..

TonusOH

WingCommander: Growing up in the 80's thru 2000 it was always "The New System of Things."

Same here, I always heard it referred to as "the new system" (in Spanish, El Nuevo Sistema). I don't recall ever hearing it referred to as a new order or new world order. When Bush made reference to "a new world order," our JW ears perked up because it sounded a bit like the new system. We just saw it as yet another confirmation that The End was Just Around The Corner.

Narrator: The end was not just around the corner.

33

What is this?

by Achille in

this image is from "the watchtower" july 2024 (study edition):i can't figure out what that object is that is between the sleeping apostles.wath is it?

a stick, a scroll of the scriptures?

....

TonusOH

slimboyfat: It takes a long time to produce an image like that and a lot of people are involved in the process.

I like the thought that someone was asking them to edit that part, and each time they changed it they made it look more and more like a penis, and finally the editor decided not to mention it anymore because he was afraid they would wonder why he was so fixated on it.

99

What the new JW light position really is 👍

by ElderBerry in

i’m still an elder and i consider myself jw light.

as my fellow elders are.

we don’t throw our weight around like elders used to in the past, it’s all very easy going these days.

TonusOH

Mikejw: Most religions and even non religious beliefs like evolution have 90%+ members in the lite category.

I don't see how this is the case. It probably should be, with what little we obviously know. But that doesn't mean we should park ourselves in a lane and follow the instructions we're not sure we believe in and cannot corroborate.

Instead of 'heavy' or 'light', try 'be true to yourself.'

13

Is jehovahs-witness.com legitimately and reliably independent of WTB&TS and peripheral, aligned entities?

by great-trivialization in

forum
links

i am new to this forum and uncertain that this is legitimately and entirely independent of conniving jw controllers or the wtb&ts and its related entities.

markers like the use of jw.org in the forum description and the policies seem controlled/controlling vs other xjw forums.

this is not an accusation, it is an attempt to know enough to be comfortable with motives of the ownership and controllers of the forum.

TonusOH

Got it, thanks. Prompt and clear.

...and he never made another post.

3

bangers and cash

by stan livedeath in

bangers and cash is a uk tv series about a family running a business of selling cars and car related items in an auction house.. one of family members referred to an event some time in the past with the words.

" when god was a boy ".

oi ad to larf..

TonusOH

Phizzy, that sounds like a variant of the old joke. "X is so old, that when god said 'let there be light,' X threw the switch!"

12

Diligence and Enthusiasm - LDS vs JWs

by Rivergang in

on a scale of 1 to 100, i would put the lds in the high 90s, and the witnesses at about minus 10.. these days (well, around here at least) one encounters the mormon missionaries all over the place.

if they are not knocking at your door, they are approaching you out in the street.

of late, this has been happening all the bloody time!.

TonusOH

I honestly haven't seen either. I live in a fairly rural area, but there is no shortage of Christian churches out here. And I know there are a few kingdom halls around here. But JWs only ever knocked on my door once (in... 2016, I think) and I have not seen any Mormon missionaries at all.

I don't think it's a lack of enthusiasm as much as it is being a bit farther out from the big population centers. After 45 years in New York City, I almost never see a building taller than three stories anymore. Big cities have always been a fertile ground for small groups that proselytize aggressively. Farmlands, less so.

3113

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

ElderBerry: Are you bitter that you don’t have a woman to iron your shirts anymore?

I am imagining a day in the near future, where he pays a sex worker to dress up as a maid, only to demand that she actually clean his apartment.

99

What the new JW light position really is 👍

by ElderBerry in

i’m still an elder and i consider myself jw light.

as my fellow elders are.

we don’t throw our weight around like elders used to in the past, it’s all very easy going these days.

TonusOH

I suppose that JW light is one step removed from JW-has-seen-the-light. There is one thing better than pretending not to be in a high control cult, after all.

10

GB being sued as a group and named individually in a child sexual abuse coverup.

by liam in

this is a court case filed in august 2021 by the zalkin law firm.

deborah hines vs watchtower and the governing body.. what's interesting is;.

"ny already set a precedent that an unincorporated group can be sued for its action and has specifically said this case can move forward.

TonusOH

Cases like this are important for another reason: they demolish the narrative that the organization is guided by Jehovah through his holy spirit. Every child that is victimized by people who are not dealt with properly (by immediately contacting the authorities to investigate) is another child that Jehovah let down by not informing the GB to promote the proper policies. And that is before we learn some of the details of these cases, such as the lack of empathy and the times that they allowed the perpetrator to confront their victim in a room where the only other people were elders, which means the victim was basically alone.

So, they have to either admit that they dropped the ball repeatedly for decades, or they have to fight tooth-and-nail, which just makes them look worse. At some point, the publicity will become too much for the rank-and-file to ignore.

19

The Share of Religious Americans will continue to decline- New York Times. Why? New Pew Study

by Balaamsass2 in

locally, in northern california i have seen/heard a drop in jw and mainstream church attendance especially in person attendance.

(exception: a new creepy local new-age charismatic/pentecostal group: "bethel church" 11,000 and growing mega church(kundalini yoga/sex combined with prosperity gospel, trumpism, guns, rock music, dancing, glitter, speaking in tongues, and faith healing).. for me this paragraph sums it up regarding jehovah's witnesses: " ...smith described organized religion to me as having become a “polluted” idea in the american mainstream, because of the publicity around sex abuse scandals and financial malfeasance in many different faiths in the ’80s and ’90s as millennials came of age.

“the scandals violated most of the virtues believed to make religion good,” smith wrote.

TonusOH

According to Pew Research, the breakdown is something like 62% Christian, 29% unaffiliated, and 7% other.

Atheists account for around 5% and agnostics 6%. The growth has been in those who seem uninterested in religion (19%). They don't identify as atheist or agnostic, but they no longer associate with any particular church. I assume that it just doesn't matter much in their lives anymore.