TonusOH

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Posts by TonusOH

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  10

  The arrogance of the "True Believer"

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  both political and religious true believers often distinguish themselves by their limitless arrogance towards people who dare hold different opinions from them.

  every thing has to be done on their terms; people who think differently cant expect to have the same rights as those who consider themselves true believers.

  in this way a elite is created a kind of spiritual master race.

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  TonusOH

  "Jehovah is not the author of confusion. Now, if you'll just study this weird chart while I explain the concept of 'overlapping generations...'"
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  52

  What would happen if the religion just straight out gets outed as bad? The ORG admits to it and all the members get told to disperse

  by Starlight.vee in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  like the org just gives up and comes out saying that all of what they are saying is untrue and that there is no armageddon, nothing.

  how do y’all think the the members still in it would react?.

  there be a mental health crisis i perhaps.

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  TonusOH

  If the WTS decided to close up shop, the rank-and-file would scatter. They would find other churches to join. You might get some groups that decide to carry on as splinter groups, but they would be small and local and probably disintegrate after a while.

  There are options out there for someone who is suddenly and unexpectedly let down by their religion. Most would roll with it; humans are quite resilient creatures.
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  22

  Article - New Zealand: Jehovah's Witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/522908/jehovah-s-witnesses-lose-last-ditch-court-case-over-abuse-in-care-report?fbclid=iwzxh0bgnhzw0cmteaar1g3qvzxlojo2szcm6xlsf2tsc_0rehd4dp4i6rda6zxafplc_v2hzvvf4_aem_pztghhvtf5to8qsjtv3m0g.

  july 23, 2024. jehovah's witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report.

  jehovah's witnesses have failed in an eleventh hour attempt to block part of a lengthy report about abuse in care that is about them.. .

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  TonusOH

  My mother loves to use Luke 8:17 when some scandal rocks another religion. "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."

  I wonder if she will apply it to the WTS in this case...
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  20

  Would Watchtower Actually Murder Members Who Question the F&DS If They Could?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  imagine if the watchtower had their own country where they could do what they wanted.

  do you think they would actually kill people who disagreed with them?

  would the elders be willing to carry out the executions?what say you?.

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  TonusOH

  The WTS has promoted doctrines, beliefs, and policies that have led to the suffering and death of loyal followers. If they had the option of hurting opposers, they would do so. They would claim to be doing it in the name of god and with god's sanction, which would allow them to do this without suffering pangs of conscience.
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  64

  Ages of each user here?

  by ukpimo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm interested to know the age demographics here.

  it must be significantly different to other exjw forums.

  it would be a damning report for watchtower if most of us appear to have left for decades.. you don't have to mention your exact age, you could always say "in my 50s".. i am in my 70s.

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  TonusOH

  56 this year. Began a long, slow fade in the late 90s/early 2000s. Stopped attending meetings around 2003/4, stopped going to the memorial around 2007/8, stopped believing in god around 2012. I guess the snowball had too much momentum by then.
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  299

  Who told the first lie?

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this is a continuation of the discussion which sprang from an unrelated topic.. so according to genesis, who told the first lie?

  god told eve that if she ate from the tree of knowledge she would die that very same day.

  in response to that statement the devil told her she would not die.. eve ate from the tree and did not die.

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  TonusOH

  KalebOutWest: Which God are you arguing over?

  This is always an issue when discussing the Bible, which itself could be described as two Bibles (OT and NT), which themselves are collections that may or may not include many other books. Even for those Christian denominations that share the same Bible, there is no shortage of explanations for who and what god is, what he wants, what he plans, and so on. To discuss the 'god of the Bible' is to discuss thousands of versions of that being.

  Since the JW religion was the only one I followed, I am biased towards that version and those interpretations. I can keep up with discussions to some degree only because that version isn't too different from mainstream Christianity, at least as it developed in the west. When I was a JW, there was one correct version/interpretation and many wrong ones. Now, there are just a great many versions and interpretations, and I can try to look at it from each individual's perspective. Not always easy, but otherwise I risk talking past the people I am talking to.
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  15

  Has the Organization threatened to disfellowship those who state views countering those of the Slave?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  do you have quotations from watchtower literature regarding how to handle those contributing to disunity in the congregation?.

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  TonusOH

  I don't remember the specific copy of The Watchtower where I read it, but I do recall there was an article about relying on the GB for knowledge and interpretation of scripture. They offered an example of a couple who had a different view about a particular issue, and were counseled to trust the GB's interpretation. Instead, they spoke to others about their view of it, and were disfellowshipped as a result. Later -the article tells us- the GB came around to the same point-of-view as this couple. The article made it clear that they were not reinstated, because their 'crime' was not being wrong-- it was that they went against the GB and tried to undermine their authority.

  To me, that is an example of the GB threatening the rank-and-file with expulsion if they challenged any of the organization's views and interpretations. I remember reading it because it was one of those things that bothered me on some level. It meant that, for the GB, being correct was secondary. Being obeyed was primary.
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  299

  Who told the first lie?

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this is a continuation of the discussion which sprang from an unrelated topic.. so according to genesis, who told the first lie?

  god told eve that if she ate from the tree of knowledge she would die that very same day.

  in response to that statement the devil told her she would not die.. eve ate from the tree and did not die.

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  TonusOH

  Taken literally, that might be the strangest part. Is it evil to be naked?
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  37

  Reddit thread re Oct 2024 WT with picture of window washer - Theme knocking people who Planned

  by LongHairGal in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this thread currently has over 300 comments.. it shows a picture of an older man washing a window looking wistfully… then it talks all about how some may have doubts about not having planned and the situation they are in now that they are older, etc.

  it refers to others who did plan and who supposedly have ‘apparent’ financial security.

  in my opinion, the whole gist of this article is to make older witnesses feel better who did not pursue a career or plan well for retirement.. it tries to imply that those others who planned only have ‘apparent’ financial security - which is to say they don’t (?).

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  TonusOH

  LongHairGal: It tries to imply that those others who planned only have ‘apparent’ financial security

  They will say that those who put everything into the organization have built up treasures in heaven. Which is to say that it will all be okay after they are dead. But we have to wonder why that matters. If you worked and saved for your later years, are you punished for not building up enough spiritual treasure? If you go to heaven anyway, what difference did it make? Does the other person get a nicer heavenly dwelling because they put every last dollar in the contribution box and ate stale bread every night?

  You wouldn't be denied from heaven just because you learned to plan for retirement, right? So, you go to heaven and that person who trusted the GB (and suffered for it) also goes to heaven. You're both in heaven! If there is a "lower-tier" of heaven, it would still be heaven! Would god be nicer to that other person? Who cares! You're in heaven!

  I suppose the WTS attitude is to say that you don't want to risk ending up dead forever because you fell just below the qualifications for salvation. I'm wondering why god would hold that against you. Is being financially responsible a pet peeve of his?
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  28

  Remember the sex talks?

  by KerryKing in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i remember sitting through public talks where the speaker spent the hour discussing in great detail anal sex, masturbation (of yourself and others), sex during menstruation and so on.

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  i was a child, looking back now, i realise that they systematically stripped away our childhood innocence, we knew and heard things no 'worldly' child would have heard.. the child abuse and grooming happened to every single one of us, the feelings of guilt and shame was in all of us even if we didn't actually do anything bad, the mental images caused by these filthy men hung around in our innocent minds till there was no room for that innocence.. it has taken me 44 years to realise that what was done to us, even those of us not physically abused, is a crime.. do they still have talks like that nowadays i wonder?

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  TonusOH

  Jan, the USA is far more prudish that most other countries, especially Europe. We're not too far removed from a time when the religious right wielded significant influence over politics and even daily life, to some degree. The question of teaching evolution in public schools is still an issue in many parts of the country. And our approach to sex and sex-related topics is mostly still to pretend that we didn't hear the question.