Posts by TonusOH

46

Nobody else understands

by ElderBerry in

if you once were fully pimi and truly believed jw doctrine to the core like i once did, when you come to the reality that it is not the truth at all it can be extremely devastating.. i think only other ex jws could ever understand.

i wasted my entire life i thought the real life was yet to come to wasted the best years knocking on doors.

now i’m so angry.. i can understand why so many top themselves when they realise it was all lies..

TonusOH

That might be the one thing that could change the WTS for the better, but I don't know if they could ever do it- reject the concept that JWs must limit/avoid association with "the world." That might be the one biggest thing that affects us, because many people can't really see it. You can converse with people at work or at school, and they can think "JWs aren't so bad, they are regular people. They miss out on one or two things, is all." They don't see how JWs isolate themselves from non-JWs the rest of the time.

It's not that you go to X number of meetings and spend X hours preaching (although that can certainly drain a person); it's that the rest of the time, you don't get to behave like a normal person. Going out with non-JWs for dinner, or a movie, or to hang out, and so on. That might be even worse than not celebrating birthdays or holidays. You see yourself as being isolated from this world that is always right in front of you.

46

Nobody else understands

by ElderBerry in

if you once were fully pimi and truly believed jw doctrine to the core like i once did, when you come to the reality that it is not the truth at all it can be extremely devastating.. i think only other ex jws could ever understand.

i wasted my entire life i thought the real life was yet to come to wasted the best years knocking on doors.

now i’m so angry.. i can understand why so many top themselves when they realise it was all lies..

TonusOH

I was 101% in when I was in. I went through a period where I faded pretty gradually, still telling myself it was the truth but my subconscious mind had already checked out. By the time I realized I was out, it wasn't traumatic. I was in for 30-40 years or so, made it to MS with people sure that I'd be an elder in due time. I'm sure there are a lot of people who feel that I wasted a lot of potential.

I do feel a bit of sadness for losing out on some possible career paths that I decided not to follow, but I got lucky- an opportunity in IT when I was just beginning to fade allowed me to develop a career and make a decent living. My life was in good shape when I finally let go and walked away from the org. No bitterness, no looking back.

8

Bathwater

by peacefulpete in

many who have become disillusioned by some particular recent wt offence, separate from the church physically but retain the indoctrination the wt installed in their brains.

a familiar trope is often used,.

"don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!".

TonusOH

The WTS isn't unique in updating its "knowledge" as humanity learns more about itself and our world. They're not even unique in having most of those updates amount to "no, the world didn't end this time." In that light, it's not entirely wrong to say that any denomination has a proper understanding of the Bible.

54

What If The Tower Fell?

by Big Dog in

what if the truly unthinkable happened and the tower went down?

perhaps the irs swooped in and claimed fraud and padlocked the headquarters and kingdom hall doors?

or the gb took the money and ran to a nice non-extradition country to live out their years?

TonusOH

JeffT: Scientology yes, Mormonism no, depending on what time frame you use. The Mormons predate the Watchtower.

I was thinking about the origins of the Abrahamic religions, which would have been many centuries prior. Mormonism was born during a period of upheaval in the US, but most of the denominations that grew out of it based their beliefs on the Bible. Joseph Smith decided to write a new book and effectively create a new religion. Hubbard decided to do him one better. It remains amazing to me that either survived the religious environment of their time (and, in fairness, Smith himself did not survive it).

543

Encouraging scriptures for the day

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

hello my friends,.

here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

TonusOH

The GB advises the rank and file not to become too attached to material things because "Jehovah will provide." Then they make videos asking for more contributions and advising the rank and file to give generously. It makes you think that they don't trust Jehovah as much as they expect the rank and file to trust him.

43

Lard I Mean Lloyd Evans Patreoff Pool - January 2024

by DerekMoors in

okay people, you know the drill.

give us your best estimate for where jabba the hut's fatter, broker cousin will be with patrons on january 2.. some numbers to consider:.

last september is when he did his beg-fest and peaked at 478. just two months later, early november, he was down to 427. .

TonusOH

I'm going to go conservative on this one and say 392.

I'm guessing that the die-hards will dig in. I am also assuming that there will be at least one video or Patreon/Facebook post where he asks them not to let the Silvo Mob* win. That will probably give the numbers a slight boost and/or slow the decline.

*We need an image of Kim as a mob boss.

5

A New Name for an Old Orgy - Awake 95 2/8 pp. 26-27

by Sea Breeze in

yep, that is the title of an article in the 1995 awake magazine alerting people to the horrors of valentine's cards & candy.

the message is simple, if you eat valentine's candy at school while no one is looking, it's nearly the same as being in an orgy.

i just can't believe some of the garbage i used to read and regard as acceptable literature.

TonusOH

I love chocolate, but I don't know that I've ever had a piece that made me feel like I was taking part in an orgy.

Although, some of those chocolate-covered cherries...

49

The ''dreaded'' birthday cake

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the watchtower—study edition | september 2023. study article 39. let mildness be your strength.

11 if a workmate asks, for example, why we do not celebrate birthdays, consider: could he be wondering whether we are allowed to have a good time?

or might he feel that our position will dampen the company’s team spirit?

TonusOH

peacefulpete: So ask your mom when she cut you off the teat and celebrate that day each year!

Happy Weanie Day!!!

28

The Saddest Thing About Tony Morris's Removal

by NotFormer in

i've mentioned before how i've wondered how tony morris must have felt when he was sacked.

yes, i know he's a rehensible human being who got served a healthy dose of karma, or, if you like, divine judgement.

to go from having all there is to have within the world he lived in, to where he is now; that's a long fall.

TonusOH

If his exit from the GB had anything to do with the recent changes in doctrine and policy, it well may be that he chose to step away rather than start a messy fight. His comfy arrangements might be less about keeping him quiet and more about being grateful that he chose not to create a PR headache for the rest of them.

But, as others are saying, until we find out what actually happened, it's just more guesswork. I'm impressed that they've kept it under wraps this long.

9

The 'Tower has no Face

by NotFormer in

just thinking about how the wt has evolved over the century of its existence.

before the gb tricked knorr into making them the ones responsible for everything, the president at the time was very much the face of the society.

after franz, it all became a bit nebulous as to who was in charge.. is the current situation more advantageous to the wt or less?.

TonusOH

They dodged a bullet by limiting Franz's power in the 1970s, especially after Knorr passed away. Franz strikes me as a guy who would have wanted to rebuild the organization the way Rutherford did. But radical changes would not have been good for the rank and file, especially right after the 1975 fiasco. Franz would have driven the org right off a cliff.

The issue today is the lack of charisma among the GB members. Too many old guys who are used to preaching to a captive and obedient choir, and have never thought about how they come across to potential recruits. And with a constant presence via videos and social media, the mystique is gone. When you look and sound like a clown or a cartoon, it's tough for people to take you seriously.