Posts by TonusOH

6

non US folks and pumpkin pie

by carla in

sorry, i didn't know how to classify this- on some cooking boards i am on i came across how some do not understand pumpkin pie at all, particularly down under.

there was a whole thread about picking up libby's pumpkin pie filling (and the expense) and then came the subject of vegemite which does not sound good to me but can't say as i have never had it.

with all the sugar and spices what is not to like about it?

Pumpkin pie is kind of like cheesecake. You wouldn't think that dropping a blob of cream cheese (or pureed pumpkin) on a pie crust would work very well, but... mix it with a lot of sugar and suddenly it works. Creamy and sweet.

It's not my favorite, but that's because my mom ruined squash for me by always boiling it until it was a fibrous, mushy, tasteless mass. She did the same with spinach and okra. No idea why she did that, she was an amazing cook and usually not afraid to experiment and find something that worked. But some foods she would just boil too long and serve. Go figure.

98

Who raised Jesus from the dead?

by Blotty in

i have seen arguments surrounding jesus' resurrection being proof of "the trinity" - now while in some cases it's a good argument the evidence for it remains very weak.

(bible quotes are from the nwt but other bibles are referenced, use whichever you please) this following version of it is a good example.. "the bible indicates that all [persons] of the trinity was involved in jesus’ resurrection.

galatians[1:1] says that the father raised jesus from the dead.

TonusOH

Isn't Jehovah described as the God of Armies? You get the impression that he was part of a pantheon of gods at one point. And they weren't the only gods, since the ten plagues of Egypt indicates that Yahweh had challenged the Egyptian pantheon and --as one might expect in a work by his devoted followers-- he thrashed them soundly. The Egyptian gods were only able to duplicate some of Yahweh's miracles, and their attempt to replicate the turning of a rod into a snake was a humiliation when Aaron's rod-snake (heh) devoured the others.

I think a cool book would be the one where it is described how Yahweh struck down all of the other gods and took over as the one and only. Did he lock them in some alternate dimension? Did he steal their powers and trap them in the center of a star? Did he... =gulp= ...kill them?!?!?

There's an effects-laden HBO max-series just waiting to be filmed!

349

Who really is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?

by Godlyman in

if anyone were to come up to you claiming that they are the faithful and discreet slave, how would you go about proving them to be false, based upon scripture?.

estephan.

TonusOH

Godlyman: I will reveal them shortly.

Finally! After more than two thousand years of waiting!

121

Babylon the Great

by Godlyman in

do jw's still believe that babylon the great is the empire of false religion?

inquiring minds want to know .

estephan.

TonusOH

If your guidebook is vague enough in its statements, you can continue to re-interpret it endlessly in order to match the events of the day. And as each interpretation proves false, you can claim that god was keeping important knowledge from you until the time was right. And thankfully, that time is NOW. THIS interpretation is THE ONE. The final one. The one that will really really honestly for sure be correct.

And so on. And in 20-30 years, expect the next wave of "new light" to shine across humanity and show us the way.

349

Who really is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?

by Godlyman in

if anyone were to come up to you claiming that they are the faithful and discreet slave, how would you go about proving them to be false, based upon scripture?.

estephan.

TonusOH

Even if you are a believing Christian (for whom the claim would be relevant), you would expect someone making that claim to demonstrate why it is true. I mean, if I walked up to you and told you I was the faithful and discreet slave of scripture, would you feel obligated to disprove it? Or would you ask why I believe that claim and how I can show it to be true?

After all, the JW interpretation isn't the only one. Why is their claim true while the others are not?

22

I`m going out on a limb here ! ....PIMO

by smiddy3 in

jw
friends

pimo , as i said i`m going out on a limb here and i might upset some people ,but i really don`t think this is a real strategy that works and doesn`t help the person who is still in.. while you may be doing this to keep the peace in the household and keep relations somewhat stable in the family arrangement ,it`s not helping the person who is still under the control of wt/gb to break free from it ,and isn`t that what you would really like to happen ?.

and are their children involved as well ?

that`s another issue ,the longer they are subject to this control the harder it will be for them to disengage get free.. maybe you should re-evaluate what you could do more to help your partner / spouse or whatever to free themselves from this bondage they have involved themselves in.. [ of course their may be others who are quite happy to have their partners/mates under the control of the wt/gb.

TonusOH

I think it depends on the situation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. I don't think I could go PIMO, it was difficult enough being active when I was still convinced that it was true and trying to find a way to get to more meetings and field service. Once I recognized that I did not believe, I pretty much stopped altogether. But I did not have the pressure that others do, in that I could walk away with only one real casualty (my mother), and she was dependent on me and not the other way around.

I think that most PIMO are in a tricky spot, especially if they are young. It's not their fault that their family and friends will turn against them and harm them mentally, emotionally, and possibly financially. Sometimes they have to play the hand that is dealt, and look for ways to build a support system so they aren't left adrift when they finally go POMO.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

He's not subtle about playing up his supposed level of access. 'Three years after my last trip to Parliament, I'm back on important business!' Don't forget to stop and say hello to Prince Andrew!

49

Early Hominem. Neanderthals. Evolution.

by solameguy12 in

so i grew up as a witness but i’m no longer active, i have some family that still practices very seriously.

but i don’t want to ask them my question.

but what does the bible and teaching’s of jw’s say about early hominids?

TonusOH

When I realized that I didn't believe in god, I finally allowed myself to see what the 'other side' had to say about issues like evolution. Two things surprised me: how poorly I (who fancied himself a lover of science and biology) understood evolution, and how dishonest apologist institutes and authors had been when they discussed it.

I know that YouTube channels like AronRa and Gutsick Gibbon have covered a substantial number of deliberate out-of-context quotes and deceptively-edited videos to demonstrate that the claims about scientific malfeasance are made up. I can only imagine how bad the cognitive dissonance would have been if I'd seen these while I still was a believer.

And I can't help but think that many of the major apologists and apologetic websites must realize that they're not just wrong, but deceiving people. I rejected evolution and embraced creation out of ignorance, because I refused to listen to any counter-information out of fear that it would lead me astray. But these people and sites have to know! They're actually going through the data and information. The out-of-context quotes and video edits are not an innocent mistake. That still leaves me dumbfounded.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

John 8:7? From the person who made his name by criticizing others? lol

46

Nephilim...Only desired females

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

bible questions answered.

who were the nephilim?.

the bible account says that “the sons of the true god began to notice that the daughters of men were beautiful.” (genesis 6:2) those ‘sons of god’ were actually spirit creatures who rebelled against god when they “forsook their own proper dwelling place” in heaven, materialized human bodies, and “began taking as wives all whom they chose.”—jude 6; genesis 6:2.. the hybrids born from this unnatural union were no ordinary children.

TonusOH

Genesis 6:2 says that they found the human women beautiful. One may interpret that as they wish, especially in light of a better understanding of sex and genetics. But I think it's a stretch to assume it was anything else, because there isn't anything in the text that we can extrapolate from.

Genesis 6:1-8 reads like a bit of a mash-up of two (or perhaps three) different stories or story threads. God's disillusionment with mankind is one of those threads, the 'sons of God' are a different thread. Taken in isolation, verses 2 and 4 tell a tale of how angels married human women and fathered sons who "were the heroes of old, men of renown." They do not sound like villains, nor does the text imply that they were the cause of God's consternation with mankind. The verses seem to be out of place.