TonusOH

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Posts by TonusOH

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  3036

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

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

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  TonusOH

  Any of them located in Phuket? Asking for a friend.
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  25

  JEHOVAH'S WITNESS STUPID: a special category of ignorance

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  worse than being stupid is thinking you are smart while you are stupid.. i should know.. for many years i was a special category of "stupid"; i was jehovah's witness stupid.. .

  what does that entail?

  listen and i'll tell you.. ___________________________________________________________.

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  TonusOH

  Based on the OP, I was definitely JW-stupid for a long time.

  Now I'm just plain stupid. It's a considerable relief.
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  135

  Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  say it ain’t so!

  .

  in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

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  TonusOH

  FreeTheMasons: The fallen angels didn't materialize as women.

  I know that. To covet is to desire. They coveted those women's bodies because they wanted to have sex with them. Which means that these spirit beings were capable of being aroused by human bodies. Which makes no sense whatsoever. It also makes no sense for a god who is hung up on sexual misconduct to make angels capable of (1)wanting to have sex with humans and (2)shifting into a physical form to do just that.
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  135

  Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  say it ain’t so!

  .

  in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

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  TonusOH

  FreeTheMasons: Being a human is a gift. It's such a cool gift that some of the angels coveted it.

  As I recall, what they coveted was the nubile bodies of young human women.

  The idea that angels would give up such a hallowed position for a fleeting experience is almost comically silly. The only thing sillier is the idea that such beings would have become aroused at the sight of a young lady, or that a god who is so famously uptight about sex would have made them capable of such sensations.
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  135

  Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  say it ain’t so!

  .

  in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

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  TonusOH

  Journeyman: Admittedly, it might seem a bad idea to imply a lot of your members are deluded or even mentally unwell(!) as they hinted

  This might be a good reason to drop the literal number. I think they said this (about partakers possibly being mentally unwell) in the hopes of getting people to stop partaking, so that the number of the remnant would drop again. Then they could go back to saying "look at the dwindling number of partakers! The end must be close!"

  But the number has just continued to climb. We went from a low of around 8,800 to more than 22,000. The number is an albatross now; it is difficult to reference it without being reminded that it has increased significantly after the change in 'understanding.' The ship has sailed.

  A change that makes the number inconsequential might be the first step to dealing with the problem. The eventual last step would be that they could ignore it, since the number would no longer matter. The concept of two groups (one heavenly, one earthly) could still be used, without the issues that a hard number creates.
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  125

  Mandated Shunning is a Crime

  by Lee Marsh in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mandated shunning is on the rise around the world with devastating effects on millions of people.

  shunning that is mandated by organized groups to its members is a form of both physical and psychological violence against those people being shunned and cut off from their family and life-long relationships.

  mandated shunning means that the shunning is ordered from the top down.

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  TonusOH

  LHG: So, how would I really feel if people who shunned me decades ago all of a sudden came up to me smiling and wanted to be friends???

  And remember, if you were to tell them to go away, they would justify themselves to one another. "Oh, she is just a bitter person. This is what happens when you turn from the truth." And so on. It would not even occur to them how it must look from your point of view. That the same people who turned their back on you have been given permission to pretend that they care now. We are supposed to be grateful for this?
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  20

  I saw this on ex JW Reddit today. Are ANY JW kids even listening to talks anymore with tablets in their hands? :)? lol

  by Balaamsass2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i got this notification from ex-jw reddit today via email:.

  r/exjw · posted by u/nightmare_dark_shade 1d ago.

  guys, my parents found out i was posting here.

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  TonusOH

  DoC: Home schooled and at 19 seems to be wandering aimlessly in life.

  That is a predictable result for someone raised as a JW, at least if they or their parents are all-in. I lucked into a career in IT because things fell into place and it did not feel as if I was going off-plan by doing it. Otherwise, I'd be in my mid-50s, stuck in some dead-end job as a mail clerk and wondering if I would ever be able to retire.

  And I can remember the examples given at conventions, where they would talk about a brother/sister who preferred to lose a job rather than miss a day of the convention. In those examples, they always ended up in a much better situation, proof that Jehovah had rained blessings upon them for their devotion. The message was clear: if you have to make sacrifices for your faith, it will be paid back in multiples. And if your devotion left you without a job and few prospects? Don't expect help from the organization.
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  135

  Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  say it ain’t so!

  .

  in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

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  TonusOH

  It's funny, I had jokingly wondered recently as to what they would do if the number of partakers grew larger than 144,000.

  The problem with end-times groups is that they tend to set doctrines, policies, and expectations based on the idea that the end will arrive soon. Over time, some of those teachings become untenable and must be modified or discarded, but the core idea of the end being near must not be abandoned. Many times, they go from a strict interpretation to "it's a conscience matter" or "we just don't know." The results are sometimes comical, and sometimes tragic (the stance on blood transfusions is an example of the latter).

  When the number of partakers began to stall --and even increase-- they had to do something about it. So they said "it's not for us to say." The number really ballooned after that, and must be a constant source of frustration for them. So it doesn't surprise me if they say "new light- it's a symbolic number." But now, watch for the number of partakers to increase quickly and substantially over the next few years. The next step would be for them to stop reporting the number of partakers, once they realize how bad it has gotten.
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  4

  Help I'm Being Repressed

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  today's news included a small story about a libertarian post on x that endorsed the murder of vice president harris.

  when there was outrage:.

  demands for investigation after nh libertarian party shares threatening harris (msn.com).

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  TonusOH

  'We don't want to break the terms we agreed to. Also, we're being repressed.'

  Sooo... you agreed to be repressed, is what you're saying?
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  11

  New Zealand: Supreme Court dismisses Jehovah's Witnesses' final appeal for Abuse in Care exemption

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528110/supreme-court-dismisses-jehovah-s-witnesses-final-appeal-for-abuse-in-care-exemption.

  1:10 pm on 16 september 2024 .

  anusha bradley, investigative reporter.

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  TonusOH

  The important thing is that the information is available, so that anyone who wants to know (or know more) can look it up and read it themselves. This is why organizations like the WTS fight so hard to be removed or excluded from the record. Later, when they claim that they are protecting children and that they deal harshly with predators, people can find information that demonstrates that they are lying.

  Now, if they want to deny that they have a problem, they have to explain why there is a growing list of documentation showing that they are a part of the problem. And that the way they have dealt with CSA is shameful. This already has led to changes in their approach, where they are more open to advising victims to contact the authorities instead of warning them to 'keep it in house.' This is what needs to happen. They have to make it very clear that victims should contact the authorities ASAP, instead of relying on a group of unqualified elders to handle the situation.

  But this also makes it clear that they are more concerned about their reputation than they are about protecting children. That has to change as well.