TonusOH

Joined 3 years ago

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Posts by TonusOH

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  15

  What "message" does the J.W Org. have to offer that will attract new members ?

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  22 days ago

  the message they have been pushing for 150 years or so is "the end is near !"..

  in the educated, civilised world, people think " yea ?

  maybe because of economic meltdown exacerbated by climate change, but not from some intervention by a non-existent god".. "would you like a free bible study ?

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  15 days ago
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  TonusOH 21 days ago

  The JW message is a form of Pascal's Wager, which has a time-limit attached. They will explain that they are the only path to salvation and that the end is imminent, which creates a sense of urgency. Join now and submit, or risk losing out.

  Without the 'imminent end' part, the message is unappealing. Lately, they have been making changes so that being a JW doesn't feel so onerous, but that also must make you wonder why you are still a JW. The more mainstream the WTS becomes, the less reason there is to be a member, as opposed to joining a much more relaxed church that doesn't require such fine control of your life and provides a more human (and humane) social experience.

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  99

  What the new JW light position really is 👍

  by ElderBerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a month ago

  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.

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  24 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  ElderBerry: I Know for a fact that many if not most members of all belief systems including atheist and theists do not claim they know the entire truth without any doubts.

  That is not what you were saying before.

  And this is not a response to what I said, either. So I will repeat it: if you truly are agnostic about the origins of the universe, you should not belong to any religion. You don't have to be atheist, either. Not knowing means not knowing. Taking a stand by joining a religion is the opposite of claiming to be agnostic.

  ElderBerry: I can pick a lane and that’s exactly what I am doing

  I don't think you understand what I am saying. You continue to go on about the ultimate truths of the universe, when that is not what is being challenged by several posters here. And, once again, you gloss over the actual challenge. You can't join a religion and then shrug off the real concerns about its policies and doctrines. You are supporting those by remaining a member.

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  99

  What the new JW light position really is 👍

  by ElderBerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a month ago

  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.

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  24 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  ElderBerry: They don’t have the whole truth whatever your belief system whatever religion or non-religion.

  Two things:

  1- If this is your view, you should not belong to any religion. You cannot claim to be unsure and then remain in a group that follows a specific set of beliefs.

  2- This must be the fourth or fifth time that I have to point out that I am not talking about the ultimate truths of the origins of the universe. I am referring to specific doctrines and policies that you can absolutely make judgments about. Your continued avoidance of this part of the discussion makes me think that you don't have an answer for it and are deliberately ignoring it. But this flies in the face of your claims that you're just agnostic and no different from anyone else.

  You cannot not pick a lane.

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  228

  The point of existence and how it refutes the Trinity

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a month ago

  rowan williams, the former archbishop of canterbury gave an interesting answer to the somewhat stark question, what’s the point of us existing?

  as a christian, my starting point is that we exist because the most fundamental form of activity, energy, call it what you like, that is there, is love.

  that is, it’s a willingness that the other should be.

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  7 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  Twinkies don't taste as good as they used to.

  That is the single truest line written in this topic so far.

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  187

  Insight Book LIES - then tells the TRUTH!

  by BoogerMan in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  a month ago

  it-1 p. 493 communication - "when the circumcision issue was resolved by the governing body in jerusalem......".

  it-1 p. 881 galatians, letter to the - "by reason of a revelation, paul, with barnabas and titus, went to jerusalem regarding the circumcision issue; he learned nothing new from james, peter, and john, but they recognized that he had been empowered for an apostleship to the nations.

  " (galatians 2:1-10).

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  21 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  "Actual scholars disagree on the minor specifics of certain data, therefore disproven WTS lunacy is legit" is about as dissonant as congnition can possibly get.

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  99

  What the new JW light position really is 👍

  by ElderBerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a month ago

  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.

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  24 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  ElderBerry: Most religious groups have large numbers of people who are agnostic if they are honest with themselves.

  There is no way to demonstrate this. I think you are stating it because it makes your stance seem more common and therefore the dishonesty is less of a problem.

  But that is still not my concern with it. Be agnostic if you want. But please do not try to hide behind "no one can know for sure" as if you can apply that to everything. By staying in, you tacitly approve of --and possibly help to maintain-- a set of bad and dangerous policies.

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  23

  1/2 of the Jehovah’s witnesses have gone

  by hoser in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a month ago

  there are 1/2 of the jehovah’s witnesses that there were 30 years ago in my area.

  some have left but i think that many have died and none of their kids stayed being jehovah’s witnesses.

  7 congregations have been dissolved over the years.

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  19 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  I'm curious at what the internal numbers look like after the changes to reporting time and door-to-door service. Are they finding more converts from the less-intrusive approach? Wouldn't that be ironic!

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  3121

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2 years ago

  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.

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  13 days ago
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  TonusOH 25 days ago

  You can see how hard he has worked to minimize the damage from his misadventures. New exJWs still are given the impression that he had a moment of weakness during a time when his marriage was on the rocks, and "dated a sex worker." Only when they ask do they learn that he had been seeing sex workers regularly for years and that he was a self-absorbed grade A asshole to everyone he worked with and to his family.

  It's good that people are still willing to shine a light on his awful behavior, because he will never stop trying to minimize what he did and put the blame on the people "harrassing" him. Those 300 diehards are working their asses off to cover for him. I don't know how they sleep at night.

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  99

  What the new JW light position really is 👍

  by ElderBerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a month ago

  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.

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  24 days ago
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  TonusOH a month ago

  ElderBerry: It may be true or it may not I don’t know and neither does anyone else.

  I am not disputing that the ultimate truths or knowledge about the universe are possibly unknown. That is not what this is about. Pretending to support an organization that is deceitful and has bad and dangerous policies can be harmful to you and others. Dismissing this risk because 'it's all opinion' is not an excuse. The dangers of shunning and of the blood policy are not simply matters of opinion, they cause real harm. The incorrect predictions are not opinions, they are wrong and a sign that the GB is not what it claims to be. The bad policies that protect child predators are not matters of opinion; they have real-world consequences to the victims and their families.

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  99

  What the new JW light position really is 👍

  by ElderBerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a month ago

  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.

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  2. 
  3. 

  24 days ago
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  TonusOH a month ago

  ElderBerry: Are you beginning to see the difference between PIMA and your approach where you decide what is definitely true or not?

  I am seeing the difference between dogma and thinking for one's self.

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