Keep in mind that the WTS prefers to have as much control as they can over the rank and file. When they talk about having the freedom to choose anything, it is usually because it's a thorny issue and they want to be sure they have an excuse they can fall back on. That's when they say that a particular issue is up to "each individuals conscience, and between them and Jehovah." That's when you know it's an issue they would rather not commit to because it might be an inconvenience for them.
TonusOH
JoinedPosts by TonusOH
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36
DISSOCIATION - Based on Covid 19
by gavindlt indear friends,.
i think you all know me as a person who has always strived, despite my imperfections to only ever wanting to be and remain in the “truth”.
it is in fact what i so desperately want for my son ashton and my baby girl honey bee, to be lovers of truth and grow up to be a loyal servants of jehovah god and his son, jesus christ.
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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 would be hysterical, if someone bought the .com domain and redirected it to lloydevans.info.
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39
Is 1914 still a major belief in JW land ? Or has it been abandoned ?
by smiddy3 ini just wonder about this topic as it is now 109 years since that date and what was expected to take place has never happened ..
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TonusOH
They can hang on to 1914 for a while longer by dropping the "generations" explanations. They almost did so in 1995. Why did they bring it back? I can only assume that they want to use it as a way to keep the expectations up, to maintain the idea that time has almost run out. That is what hinders the WTS- they need to keep people in expectation of an event that will happen very soon.
But at some point, enough time will pass that the date becomes worthless or even detrimental. And at that point, expect "new light" and "adjustments in thinking." But they will probably have to find something else to keep the pressure up, otherwise they will lose more and more people.
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Likes and Dislikes. How about making the identities known to the poster?
by nicolaou ini haven't a clue if it's technically feasible but i think if you're going to hit the dislike button on a post you should be open to discussion with the poster.. just your own topics and posts of course.
what do you think simon?.
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TonusOH
I don't pay it much mind, though I do frequently upvote and occasionally downvote posts. If your vote showed up, it would corrupt the system, IMO. People would feel pressured to return a positive vote, or would be less likely to upvote someone who downvoted them before, regardless of how they felt about the comment in question. People would be less likely to downvote posts to avoid retaliatory downvotes or confrontations. And so on.
PS: I only ever upvote Simon's posts, since I bet he can see who did it and I don't want to be on his bad side.
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Watchtower (Study) August 2023 gaslighting and deflecting again.
by was a new boy in'they turn the story around to make it seem like you are at fault, deflecting attention and blame away from them to make you feel guilty.
this type of emotional manipulation is called gaslighting.. .
deflection is manipulation, and if it's coupled with other toxic relationship behaviors, it may be necessary to remove yourself from the situation.'.
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TonusOH
Beth Sarim: life forever on hold.
And that is what is so tragic about it. My mother is a very smart and ambitious person, and she basically stopped living in the early 1970s because she was waiting for the end. She is in her mid-80s now, and still waiting for an end that she insists is "very close" and "right around the corner," etc.
If the WTS had said in 1975, "the end is very close, and by close we mean at least 48 years away," I bet she would not be a JW today.
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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
It looks like a basic template that you are supposed to replace with your own content after you start the site. I guess some web hosts will do that now, so that the site is not just a blank page. But it should show something to indicate that it is "under construction." Or maybe he uploaded a random site template so it wasn't a blank page? Can't say.
But really, if you get a new site and are directing people to it, you should have a page that welcomes them and explains that you're still building it.
In the meantime, he should link to lloydevans.info
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15
How many new converts do you remember as a JW?
by SydBarrett ininspired by the "whats the reason you think jw's are in decline" thread.
my belief is that almost all the growth, at least in the western world is due to jw's having kids.
i was a 4th generation jw from birth till about age 20, so the timeframe i can comment on would be my teen years.
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TonusOH
I was born in, became inactive around 2000-2004. I can't say how often we saw new people in the congregation, or how many of those were new converts developed from a door-to-door visit. I do recall hearing some brothers and sisters relate how they were converted via a d2d visit and Bible study. But I never really thought about it, which is odd in retrospect.
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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 looks like a boilerplate site template. He probably should not have posted the link until he had updated the site with his content...
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1290 JW Congregations have been deleted since 4th Dec 2022
by ComingOutaMyCage inhttps://i.redd.it/hd9p1g3ssr2b1.jpg.
1290 jw congregations have been deleted since 4th dec 2022. i have a full map so you can explore active/deleted congs, and also orphaned halls https://analytics.jws-library.one/viewmap.html.
many of the deletions in the usa appear to be foreign language groups.
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TonusOH
LV101: What is an "Orphaned Hall?"
I assume it means a KH that has no active congregations that meet there. In which case, it probably will be sold.
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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
Since he considers the donations his salary, I don't think he gets to "do [his] work in [his] own time." A boss can't tell you what to spend your salary on, but he can set expectations and demand results. Otherwise, it sounds like Evans wants to have it both ways. Again, to his patrons: this is what you're paying for.