Posts by TonusOH

189

What evidence is there for a biblical jesus?

by Touchofgrey in

is there any independently verified evidence that a miracle worker called jesus existed and did the things that the bible said he did?.

the four gospels were written by unknown authors many decades after the so called events, so can't be considered as eyewitness accounts.

i think that there may have been a apocalyptic preacher who was executed by the romans and the story evolved from their.

TonusOH

FreeTheMasons: For the same reason Herod saw him in a negative light - they didn't want to lose their power and control over people.

Even though they knew he was divine?

I asked the question to point out a flaw in the argument that the apostles would not have died for a fraud. We can point out this flaw in other ways, such as the claim that the Jewish priests --who were waiting on the Messiah-- would reject a man who performed miracles and spoke in a way that left people amazed. If people can act in an irrational manner, why not the apostles who supposedly preferred martyrdom? If their actions only make sense in the context of an actual god in their midst, how does that explain his rejection by the priests? Because they wanted something that they knew they would lose anyway? That doesn't make sense.

This sort of selective interpretation might be excused if it happens once, or if it can be explained away in a coherent manner. But this is typical of the Bible-- it is interpreted many different ways and inconsistencies and problems like the one described above are ignored or handwaved. After a while, it's not hard to understand what is happening-- we interpret it to suit our beliefs. This, in itself, is a flaw.

266

Where is Tony?

by Athanasius in

jw
friends

on february 22, 2023, anthony morris iii was officially removed from the governing body of jehovah's witnesses.

a few months later it was revealed that the watchtower bought him a house in lumberton, north carolina.. however, and correct me if i am wrong, since leaving the gb nobody has reported seeing tony attending jw meetings or participating in field service.

in fact nobody has reported seeing him anywhere, not even at a local liquor store.

TonusOH

There may not be any exJWs who care enough to make the effort to try and photograph him. Heck, there may not be many who are aware of his situation or where he moved to after he "left" the GB. In the grand scheme of things, he's just not that big of a deal.

While I am still impressed that so little information on him has emerged, I also realize that there's only so much we can find out. And the effort is probably far too great for most people, just for the sake of a photo or a soundbite. I think we will eventually learn more, but it might take some time.

12

Marcial--News and Update on Atlantis!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

news on the person you call (atlantis!).

(before he came to simon's board he was called the twin, the crawler, the titan, the scanner, and many other names to hide his identity.

he has never been caught and to this day the watchtower society has never known who he was.

TonusOH

Thank you for the update, Petra.

7

storm Helene-help plans?

by enoughisenough in

out of curiosity, i went to the jw website to see if they had posted anything about helene, it's damage, and what their relief plans may be, i any.

i looked in the news and in video sections to see if there were any postings.

i couldn't find anything.

TonusOH

They can pocket insurance money while using unpaid JW labor to perform repair work. But that is for locations that suffer damage, of course. I am not aware that they ever set up aid stations or send supplies as part of relief efforts.

Thankfully, there are probably plenty of other charitable organizations (including religious ones) that will provide JWs with food and medicine, without asking questions. They won't even know they are JWs, unless they set up a cart nearby...

189

What evidence is there for a biblical jesus?

by Touchofgrey in

is there any independently verified evidence that a miracle worker called jesus existed and did the things that the bible said he did?.

the four gospels were written by unknown authors many decades after the so called events, so can't be considered as eyewitness accounts.

i think that there may have been a apocalyptic preacher who was executed by the romans and the story evolved from their.

TonusOH

If Jesus was indeed the messiah and was known to perform miracles, why would the rabbis see him in a negative light?

62

Ten reasons Jehovah’s Witnesses have the true religion (plus a bonus one)

by slimboyfat in

thinking back when i was a true believer these are probably the top ten reasons why i believed jws are the true religion.

1. they show love among themselves by not going to war.

not killing your fellow believers in any circumstances, including war, would seem to be a very basic requirement for true christianity.

TonusOH

Some of the recent changes made me think that they are slowly moving towards the mainstream. After so many years of such strict orthodoxy, they cannot embrace mainstream Christianity all at once. But they can begin to move in that direction a few bits at a time. Moving Jesus into a more prominent position would make sense in that context, especially if it is combined with the idea that the GB is fallible and can make mistakes.

The idea of putting the GB in a truly subordinate position to Jesus would be fairly radical, but also a concept that the rank-and-file could accept. Especially if it means a gradual lessening of the 'obedience to the GB' policy. I'm not sure they can go all the way in that direction without leading the rank-and-file to wonder why they don't just go to another church. So I might be on the wrong track. Still, it will be interesting to see if any more changes are made in the near future.

28

C t Russell and jellyfish case

by Jaime l de Aragon in

c t russell and jellyfish case.

then he said, "i am like a jellyfish.

i float around here and there.

TonusOH

This topic was linked from a Reddit thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1fp54om/what_is_the_most_disturbing_thing_you_have_found/

I had read of Russell's... affair(?) with Rose Ball, and recall reading some of the testimony that can be found on the site linked in the first post here. It is a reminder of the kind of man Russell really was.

135

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

by slimboyfat in

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?

TonusOH

Jackson is such a weasel in those transcripts. So much for being brave in the face of persecution. JWs in Malawi held fast through literal beatings and torture. This guy shrinks in his chair when asked a question.

They "hope to [...] be [Jesus's] disciples"? It's "presumptuous" to think they're god's only mouthpiece? Pathetic.

3041

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

by Simon in

jw
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.

TonusOH

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

25

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS STUPID: a special category of ignorance

by Terry in

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.. ___________________________________________________________.

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.