I think this was their attitude from very early on: the world is in Satan's thrall, and you can only get reliable information from Jehovah through his organization. If you are going to seek answers, do so from the organization. Since they are the only ones who have Jehovah's guidance, they are the only ones who have all of the answers. So, there is no reason to seek answers outside of the org. And if you don't like the answers -if they don't make sense, for example- trust the org. They never get anything wrong (but when they do, they'll get it right the next time).
TonusOH
JoinedPosts by TonusOH
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10
Do Your Own Research.
by LostintheFog1999 inthere were several times when i was inside the congregation that i met up with a problem in my life and on mentioning it at a group i would be told to do my own research about it.. of course, they didn't mean for me to research worldly material for the answer but to use the wt indexes and look into the wt society magazines.. it was only when i started to do my own research outside of the wt that i began to see the limited scope of the society's magazines as all problems usually fell into the category of 1. read the bible, attend meetings, go out on the work, and pray; or 2. this isn't going to be fixed now but in the new world god will sort it out and the former things (what you are suffering from now) will not be called to mind.. i wonder how many people still in are struggling and are not being encouraged to research away from the organisation where they would receive practical and valuable advice?.
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26
WEASEL WORDS--WHAT ARE THEY--HOW THE WTS USES
by blondie in"a number of techniques employed to mislead others fall under the category of weasel words, and this article quotes examples that are regularly found in watchtower publications.. weasel words are defined as:.
“words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading,”[1].
intended “to avoid answering a question clearly or to make someone believe something that is not true."[2].
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TonusOH
The experiences of the 1910s and 1920s taught them not to sound too certain when they made statements. Or at least, they learned that they could make some statements that sounded certain, while also making others that they could refer to later if they were wrong.
This is what happened with 1975. There was a WT or Awake magazine in 1969 that told young people that they would not grow old in the present system of things. Statements like that were forgotten when they had to explain why nothing happened in 1975. Instead, they referred to the statements they had also made, which were much less certain.
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Watchtower Says Their Writings Are Part of the Bible and Are Essential For Salvation
by Sea Breeze inhard to believe, but it's true:watchtower december 15, 2008, pg.
28 – “our coming to know "the truth‟ - the entire body of christian teachings that has become part of the bible - and adhering to it are essential for our salvation”.this is the same position of the roman catholic church.
one of the pope’s titles is the vicar of christ.
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TonusOH
They treated Russell's Studies in the Scriptures books as a replacement for the Bible, claiming that if one only read the Bible, they would 'fall into darkness' and be confused. But if they read SitS, they would understand the Bible and have a clarity that was not possible with just Bible reading alone.
To interpret the Bible is to find meaning in its words and to build ideas and concepts that are not clear upon a normal reading. This is why there are so many different denominations of Christianity (an issue that is not limited to that faith; pretty much every other religion has offshoots that disagree on the tenets as they understand them). JW leadership makes it clear that they interpret the Bible for the rank and file, and that it is dangerous for anyone but the GB to offer an interpretation, since they are getting their guidance from god, and you are not.
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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TonusOH
"The sex workers are fine! Every marriage can use some and no one wants to admit!"
I'm going to assume that this person is just trolling and not actually an Evans supporter. Another example of Poe's Law.
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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TonusOH
That whole statement is cringe-worthy enough. Now, consider that he is sending it to HIS WIFE.
The man is trash. To his supporters: that is what you are supporting.
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7
Why didn't they just tell people Rutherford needed to move to San Diego?
by SydBarrett infrom wikipedia: "rutherford had reportedly lost the use of one lung from pneumonia suffered during his imprisonment in 1918 and 1919. finding new york's winter weather "impossible", rutherford was encouraged by a doctor to "spend as much time as possible" in a more favorable climate.
" why not just tell the people exactly what it says above?
why all the mumbo jumbo about purchasing it for ancient worthies to be resurrected?
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TonusOH
It may be that Rutherford was the type not to let an opportunity go to waste. Instead of pitching the idea that he needed a place to rest and recuperate, he could have an opulent home built for those great men of the past (who, serendipitously, were soon to be resurrected and would need lodging). And if he happened to use it in the meantime, he could use the cover story to deflect any possible criticism.
Also, King David wasn't going to be driven around in any old car, was he?
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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TonusOH
I think he cares about YouTube views because it puffs up his ego. He must really hate that so many other exJW channels are able to get many more views per video, even with smaller subscriber counts and nowhere near as much self-promotion. It's the oldest lesson in the book: be patient, produce content, carefully cultivate a following, cater to that following, and be patient. Also, don't be an obnoxious douchebag all the time.
For someone who has tried so hard to sideline anyone who wanted to do exJW content, it has to burn him pretty bad to see so many of them doing better than him, while also making videos judging him and exposing who he is. I'm guessing that his main goal in growing his channel and Patreon is to gather a large enough following that he can go after everyone and crush them. Every day that this doesn't happen must be agony for him.
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77
Biden running in 2024 🤣
by LoveUniHateExams ini've filed this under news and world events, although i could've posted it under entertainment, lol.
apparently, joe biden will be seeking re-election for another term in the white house.. this, despite a recent poll showing that 70% of people don't want him to run again.. biden just has to be the worst president i've seen.
his gaffes, over-relience on a prompter, and, more than any other president, his refusal to answer journalists' questions, all go to make him top of the list in terms of bad presidents.. it will certainly provide entertainment, if nothing else..
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TonusOH
Well, this has the makings of a disaster.
Democrats must be wishing that Biden will eventually decide not to run, and Harris will agree to be dumped to the sidelines. The one possible benefit of Biden/Harris running again is that they would probably avoid a contentious primary season, while the Republican primaries are likely to be a brutal bloodbath. Their hope is that the GOP fractures and whichever of Trump or DeSantis wins will lose too much support as voters stay home in protest. But this is counting on Biden being able to handle the rigor of a campaign, and I just don't think he is up to it.
I do wonder if they'll make Kamala Harris step aside and find someone else to run as Biden's VP, with the understanding that they will be there to fill in when Biden is finally determined to be unfit to complete his term. If anything scares voters more than an aging Biden or Trump, it's the thought of President Harris.
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2
Breaking News: JW's lose 1st round of Norway appeal!
by BoogerMan inthey are still officially deregistered in norway - and have to pay all the legal costs.
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share the good news.. https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/130cwcm/we_won_first_round_verdict_is_out_norway_vs_wt_10/.
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TonusOH
I assume that by "first round" he is indicating that they expect the WTS to appeal. I wonder how the court system is in Norway. Will this drag out for years, or do they normally get it done quickly?
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42
Why did you leave the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses?
by Vanderhoven7 ini've never been a witness so i never left.
graeme hammond writes:.
for some years i’d had a growing irritation and disillusionment with the religion: i was getting tired of the pompousness, the arrogance and the control, i felt increasingly choked by their restrictions and i was drained by their demands on my time.
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TonusOH
I wanted to believe that they were telling the truth, which is why I avoided any exJW or anti-JW info until I came to the realization that I didn't believe in god. But by the time that happened, I was well into a very long and gradual fade.
So I don't know what specifically would be the teaching that made me start to distance myself. I do recall that some of the statements bugged me, in that the implication was often that loyalty and obedience to the organization was more important than being correct. If you disagreed with an interpretation, you had to accept the organization's explanation or you could be df'ed for apostasy. If, later, the organization changed their interpretation to mirror yours, you could not be reinstated. Being right didn't matter. Being obedient did.