TonusOH

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Posts by TonusOH

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  16

  Why do you call yourselves "apostates?"

  by Marbles in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well let me clarify the question.

  i know you call yourselves apostates because the bible defines people who leave their previously held beliefs as apostates.

  my question means, if the bible is not true (and i don't think it is) then there is no such thing as an apostate.i have never been a jw, only a bible student with them.

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  TonusOH

  The WTS considers someone an apostate if they 'oppose' the organization, which can include something as simple as speaking out against the wrongs it has perpetrated or it's damaging policies. I would assume that, for many who spend time doing that, they are proud to be considered apostates. If you are identified as an opposer by an organization you consider to be evil, it's not really a derogatory term.
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  33

  Peak Cancel Culture

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  we seemed to have reached peak cancel-culture.

  now, we get to try to cancel the citizens of an entire country for something their government chose to do.. really, we can't allow russian individuals to compete in sports?

  to live a life?.

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  TonusOH

  I'm fascinated at the extent of the pressure being put on both Putin and Russia. It seems unprecedented, and it could work far better than hoped. But it's also very scary. I'm reminded of Pastor Niemoller's words:

  First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
  Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
  Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

  An important message here is that, whenever oppressors want to introduce rules or laws or policies that suppress freedom and harm the innocent, first they seek to apply them to those who are easy to vilify. Once the law or rule is in place, it can now be used against anyone else. What is the old saying? The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Anytime we take the easy way out, we open the door to the worst kinds of opportunists.

  The ability of 'the world' to 'cancel' a nation and subject its citizens to suffering and deprivation sounds like war by a different name. I'm interested in seeing how this goes, but also very worried.
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  18

  Pat Robertson makes one last ''doomsday prediction''

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  pat roberston,92, comes out of his million dollar mansion ( which his loyal followers paid for ) to continue his doomsday prediction.

  pat needs to make one last appearance to show his followers he was right all along.

  after all his failed predictions on his ''700 club,'' pat needs to show his followers that this ''doomsday prediction'' is a bible prophecy.

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  TonusOH

  What a life. Enjoy money, power, influence, and adoration of millions for giving sermons and pandering to the crowd. Then retire and live a life of luxury into your early 90s (and possibly long after), knowing that you'll get the best medical care that money can buy and that you'll probably die in comfort, surrounded by friends and relatives right to the last moment. Best of all, you won't be around to see it all crumble as the fight for your fortune turns messy.

  Televangelists are the original Twitch streamers.
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  11

  04-2022 Q from Readers on Divorce

  by Rattigan350 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  any comments on the 04/2022 question from readers on divorce and remarriage.. "if a christian divorces his wife without scriptural grounds and then marries another person, how does the congregation view the previous marriage and the new marriage?".

  why does that even matter how the congregation views anything?

  they should be minding their own business.. if people move to a different area, the congregation wouldn't even know about.. (if a guy remarries a woman with the same first name, she would end up with the same name and no one would know).

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  TonusOH

  I think they're using "the congregation" to mean "the governing body," but they don't want to be too overt (for outsiders, perhaps?). The GB doesn't hide their belief that they are the only reliable conduit to God's guidance and to Biblical understanding. From very early on, the WTS has put the human leadership between God and the membership, so that only the person/people at the very top can interpret Scripture.

  So whenever there is a question about policy, they will often refer to "the congregation" or "the organization" instead of referring to the Bible directly. It's a bit surprising that they don't just admit that the "view" that matters is the one from the human leadership-- it's not as if they aren't perfectly clear about the importance of the hierarchy of the organization on policies and beliefs.
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  13

  Are They Letting the Organization Go?

  by pistolpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  interesting idea by;.

  fabian strategy warrior.

  to many of you, this idea might seem absurd, but is it?.

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  TonusOH

  There's too much money to be made by keeping the organization intact. I think they'll work towards getting people back into the kingdom halls as soon as they can. Peer pressure works best when it is face-to-face.
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  Libel and defamation will be hard to prove without Lloyd first finding and winning a lawsuit against "Marko."

  But if he is claiming that Marko doesn't exist, then I am assuming he would be suing K&M for defamation by claiming that they used this imaginary person as a vehicle for making defamatory statements. Kim and Mikey may have to prove that Marko is real and that he made the statements in question (and if they can do that, then Evans could conceivably proceed with action against Marko).

  Mind you, if he wants to initiate legal action against them, there are likely to be a few hurdles. Such as filing suit in a jurisdiction halfway around the world, and having to decide if it's worth it for what may end up being a very small judgment. And the possibility of being deposed, or having his wife deposed. And the chance that he might lose. And so on. In the USA, filing a lawsuit is very easy. Winning... that's a bit more complicated.
  
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  Maybe he can get his next video sponsored by Ashley Madison!
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  Of if you were the lowest in the hierarchy, like a young girl, and someone with his controlling, manipulating personality and inability to control his weiner had that type of power and control in an organization where that authority couldn't be questioned or reported?

  I've read experiences from abuse victims who met with elders when their attackers were being investigated, and some of the questions they were asked make your blood curdle. The level of detail and lack of empathy was appalling. One can only imagine the line of questioning if he'd had the opportunity to question a young lady about sex abuse (and the power to make her life miserable if she did not cooperate).
  
  
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  11530

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

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  TonusOH

  It looks as if he wants this to blow over so he can move past it and get back to making a living with his videos. But it's not the kind of thing that is so easy to shrug off. People are being forced to address the situation, and his "with me or against me" approach is not working in his favor.

  I think he has worked so hard to build up his own importance -while minimizing his faults- that he genuinely does not understand why people won't give him a pass. He doesn't seem to think that it's any problem that someone who has so much dirty laundry being aired (and this is just the stuff he admitted to, not even counting the rumors and as-yet-unverified accusations) might be a liability for those working with him. By the time he recognizes that he needs to change course, it will be too late.
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  19

  After leaving the JWs

  by punkofnice in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  how do i view the world after leaving the jws?.

  1. most politicians are disgusting filth.

  political parties are disgusting filth.

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  TonusOH

  I think that we don't change all that much in terms of who we really are, even when making such life-altering decisions. My behavior and general outlook on life changed very little even when I recognized that I didn't believe in god and was free of the shackles of the WTS and was no longer bound by any religious creed.

  Or maybe it's better to say that the changes I have made were driven more by more specific experiences and people/relationships, than they were by a religious affiliation or belief. Our brains don't seem very good at parsing the bigger picture; we focus on the stuff that's close to us and personal.