Posts by TonusOH

31

Curious? How many members of this group feel we are living in the "End Times"?

by Balaamsass2 in

i like to take a peek at the kids over on reddit every week or so.. this thread caught my eye:" curious….

do any ex jw or pimo, still believe the world is ending.

i see people who have never been witnesses think that the world will end soon and they say things like “jesus is coming soon”….

TonusOH

Science gradually gains knowledge about the things we can test, and does not move in a straight line. But it has proven to be reliable over time, which is impressive given how unreliable people can be. Yes, people can be dogmatic and proud about scientific discovery and learning, an attitude which is, ironically, not scientific.

The things science cannot test are, well... not testable. Hence, the near unlimited ideas and beliefs that people have developed, abandoned, and recreated over the thousands of years that we've been around. And the realization that, after thousands of years, we still aren't anywhere near a consensus on issues of religion or spirituality.

25

Judge Arrested for Immigration Related Criminality

by Sea Breeze in

breaking: fbi director kash patel has announced the arrest of milwaukee judge hannah dugan for obstructing ice during the arrest of an illegal alien.

patel: "we believe judge dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, eduardo flores ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest.".

.

TonusOH

They're just getting started...

New Mexico judge resigns after alleged gang member arrested on his property

16

Is anyone watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu?

by Biahi in

after finishing season 6, episode 5, it occurred to me that, if the jws were right, (they’re not), the “new system” would end up being very much like this.

picture the commanders as the elders.. it’s a riveting series.

i wanted to see it, because i read the book when it first came out.

TonusOH

HereIam60: Brother set up return visit by saying Jesus condemned religious hypocrisy, the Bible speaks of the dead

One thing I realized when I was no longer a JW is that they presume that everyone believes that the Bible is the actual word of God. Their presentations, therefore, tend to be pretty optimistic compared to real life. They usually consist of asking a leading question, ignoring the response, and talking about what "the Bible tells us." It's no surprise that this approach falls flat for a lot people.

88

What does the Catholic church think of JW?

by Halcon in

on a trip to rome a few years ago i asked my friend (who is roman and jw) what the catholic faith thinks of jw.

he simply stated that jw is tolerated by the church but that really not much thought is given to them.

is there an official stance on jw by the catholics?

TonusOH

TTWSYF: simple, just another protesting church.

That was the impression I always got. Starting with Rutherford, the WTS made it pretty clear that all other Christian denominations were false, so they didn't specifically target the Catholic church. I always assumed the Catholic Church lumped them in with every other Protestant group.

9

202504April21Announcement!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2025**04**april**21**announcement.

.

https://app.filemail.com/d/qpxvufhubdjrdoy .

TonusOH

Thank you, Petra!

I can only imagine the hilarious result from feeding an AI the long history of WTS writings. What would it come up with for a set of basic beliefs and core doctrines? And would it sound any more insane than the real thing?

13

JULY 2025 STUDY WT How to Give Advice

by blondie in

jw
friends

i scanned this article and i saw a theme throughout it.

when info like this shows up in the study wt, you can be sure the elders are doing it wrong and the wts hits directly on what it is.

older elders do it wrong and train by word and action the newer elders to do it wrong.

TonusOH

You can see that they try to weasel out of it, though. "It is a conscience matter" isn't a get-out-of-judgment-free card, as it can put a lot of anxiety on the mind of the person who decides to use blood fractions. It is a very insidious way to do things, akin to saying 'it's your decision... I sure hope Jehovah doesn't disapprove.'

92

Jephthah's Daughter

by cantleave in

i have read somewhere that jephthah's daughter did not really go into temple service but was a victim of ritual sacrifice.

the bible says that after weeping over her virginity that the maidens would visit her annually.

how could they visit her if she was killed?.

TonusOH

EverApostate: A god who kills all the first born of a nation, because the King never listened to him

Even worse: the god prevented the king from agreeing to his demands, thus justifying the continued punishments... including the deaths of all the firstborn. The old testament is truly a work of its time.

31

Curious? How many members of this group feel we are living in the "End Times"?

by Balaamsass2 in

i like to take a peek at the kids over on reddit every week or so.. this thread caught my eye:" curious….

do any ex jw or pimo, still believe the world is ending.

i see people who have never been witnesses think that the world will end soon and they say things like “jesus is coming soon”….

TonusOH

One thing to keep in mind is the sense of urgency that the WTS has always shown when it communicates with the rank and file. Even when they talk about not knowing, they still imply that the end is very close. No JW ever thought that armageddon would start 20, 30, or more years down the road. It's always right around the corner and it doesn't make sense to have any future plans for your secular life, when the end is so close.

I remember thinking that I would not have to worry about what I would do after high school, since the end would certainly come before then. I graduated in 1986.

When you have been expecting the end for a long enough time, you stop anticipating it. You're too scared to break away and plan for the future, but you have given up hope that the end will arrive soon. If anyone had told me in 1986 that I would still be in "this system of things" forty years later, I might have left much sooner. The correct question isn't 'how many JWs think the end is near?' The correct question is 'how many JWs live their lives as if the end is near?' The answer? Very, very few.

26

Green Handshakes - Taxable income in Australia

by Listener in

i was doing some research on the taxable status of money being gifted to co’s and travelling missionaries and was surprised with what i found.

i had assumed that it was not taxable income in australia.. it is taxable income in australia and it‘s likely that the same rules apply in some other countries.. a registered religious institution only receives tax free status on donations because they have been endorsed by the australian tax office.

travelling overseas and missionaries are not in this category.. there’s a tax ruling that goes into great detail.

TonusOH

I have no idea how much they got per visit, but I know my mother always tried to give the traveling overseer $20 whenever they were spending the week at our congregation, and I am sure she is far from the only one.

Whether they declared any of it, or how they handled it tax-wise, I have no clue.

20

Space just got Girl-Bossed!!!!

by DATA-DOG in

the founding members of the:.

advanced.

taskforce.

TonusOH

I'm just glad for this rare moment when everyone can agree on what a woman is.