Posts by TonusOH

16

Probability of Earth and life being how it is

by ballistic in

jw
friends

there are some things we don't know about existence and whether the earth is a simulation or even a creation.

but we can do some statistical analysis on it.. the probability of a planet like earth existing in the goldilocks zone and having a moon that perfectly eclipses the sun is extremely low, but it's not impossible.

the habitable zone (or goldilocks zone) around a star is the region where a planet could potentially support liquid water on its surface.

TonusOH

Regarding the odds of anything happening, if you stack probablities you can get outrageously long odds that would make any occurrence seem impossible. Many lotteries have odds in the hundreds of millions to one, yet people win lottery jackpots all the time, and on a few occasions more than one person will do so at the same time. There have been people who have won lotteries multiple times. We see very large odds beaten all the time, and by working backwards we could add probabilities that would put the odds in the billions or trillions to one. It doesn't really get us anywhere.

I can better understand the appeal of the arguments regarding design or fine tuning. I do not reject the possibility that there is a creator. I am confident that it isn't any of the ones people believe in. It's a long road from "there is reason to believe that a creator exists" to "it is this specific creator." We should always be aware that those are two very different statements. One is pretty easy to reason out, even if the logic is questionable. The other requires us to defend one or more premises that are contradictory, which leads to further explanations that just get more and more contradictory and confusing.

37

1975 !

by Sea Breeze in

how many of you here remember 1975?

i hope the newer generations never forget.the true believers got shamed for it.

those who were hedging their bets, fared much better.

TonusOH

My mother once showed me a letter she received from her sister in February 1968, expressing excitement that my mother had begun to study with the JWs. My sister and I would be born later that year. My mother claims that --even back then-- she understood that the WTS wasn't making any definitive predictions. I don't believe that; I think she began the Bible study with them because she believed that the end was imminent.

Interestingly, she did not get baptized until 1977. Did something happen to change her mind between 1968 and 1975? I'll never know, because she rarely talks about that time, and never in-depth. I'd love to know what happened during that time period, but I think those are secrets she will take to the grave. I know that she would immediately reject any information about the JWs that isn't directly from the GB, so there's no sense in pointing out how strongly they pushed the 1975 stuff.

Remember that in 1969 they told young people that it was a "fact" that they would never grow old in the present system of things. And the Kingdom Ministry in Sea Breeze's first post originally stated that there were "months remaining" before the end of the present system of things, then was updated with more ambiguous language. They lied, and they covered it up, and then they blamed the people who had been lied to. They praised the people who sold homes, then admonished them for doing something that had been praiseworthy just a year earlier.

If you claim that God is whispering in your ear but you make big claims that turn out to be false, it must be one of two things: you are imagining that someone is whispering in your ear, or the person whispering in your ear isn't God.

6

Changed View of Post Armageddon and Paradise Conditions ?

by HereIam60 in

when i first came into contact with jehovah's witnesses they were talking about god's kingdom bringing about a peaceful new world.

the scripture used being psalm 37:10,11 "just a little while longer and the wicked will be no more.you will look at where they were and they will not be there., but the meek will possess the earth and they will find exquisite delightin the abundance of peace..".

i took this to mean, then, that when jehovah intervened, at his appointed time, it would be instantly, invisibly, and painlessly.

TonusOH

David Splane said in a talk."... suppose you love the country, but you are assigned to live in a city?...Well you can learn to love the city!"

They have such an awkward way of demanding that you do as you are told.

13

Loyalty to the Governing Body? Timeline to Change

by blondie in

jw
friends

https://jwfacts.com/watchtower/governing-body.php .

here is an example how the wts has "adjusted" scripture.

the governing body has gone as far as to change the text of micah 6:8 in their 2013 new world translation of the holy scriptures (nwt) in order to be able to demand loyalty.

TonusOH

Jehovah wants all of his servants to be loyal to him and respect those whom he allows to have authority.

It sounds like they want all of the perks of being in charge, but none of the responsibility.

12

Too Much Video ?

by HereIam60 in

does anyone feel the same way?

i am not anti-video, just feeling overload.

since the jw organization started video production there has been such a flood of it that no one can, or possibly even wants to keep up with it all: some thoughts and questions i"ve had -.

TonusOH

Wait until they discover that they can use AI to create their videos at a much lower cost of resources and time.

...and probably at a higher level of quality.

25

Judge Arrested for Immigration Related Criminality

by Sea Breeze in

breaking: fbi director kash patel has announced the arrest of milwaukee judge hannah dugan for obstructing ice during the arrest of an illegal alien.

patel: "we believe judge dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, eduardo flores ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest.".

.

TonusOH

The use of the Presidential pardon as a pure political tool (and not just by Trump, but by many administrations) is another reminder that the power of that office needs to be drastically reined in. The problem is, each political party wants to right the ship only when they are not in power; as soon as the fortunes are reversed, so is the desire to see things work as originally intended. Trump is presently hard at work testing the limits of what he can do and what he can get away with. Does anyone think that the next Democrat administration will do anything other than follow that same course? Or that the GOP will then take over the role of Defenders of Democracy?

12

Seeking JW friend

by Jujitz in

hello: i'm currently not yet a jehovah's witness but i'm seeking a friend to help me to better understand their doctrine.

thank you.

david.

TonusOH

Your best friend is information: www.jwfacts.com

31

Curious? How many members of this group feel we are living in the "End Times"?

by Balaamsass2 in

i like to take a peek at the kids over on reddit every week or so.. this thread caught my eye:" curious….

do any ex jw or pimo, still believe the world is ending.

i see people who have never been witnesses think that the world will end soon and they say things like “jesus is coming soon”….

TonusOH

Science gradually gains knowledge about the things we can test, and does not move in a straight line. But it has proven to be reliable over time, which is impressive given how unreliable people can be. Yes, people can be dogmatic and proud about scientific discovery and learning, an attitude which is, ironically, not scientific.

The things science cannot test are, well... not testable. Hence, the near unlimited ideas and beliefs that people have developed, abandoned, and recreated over the thousands of years that we've been around. And the realization that, after thousands of years, we still aren't anywhere near a consensus on issues of religion or spirituality.

25

Judge Arrested for Immigration Related Criminality

by Sea Breeze in

breaking: fbi director kash patel has announced the arrest of milwaukee judge hannah dugan for obstructing ice during the arrest of an illegal alien.

patel: "we believe judge dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, eduardo flores ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest.".

.

TonusOH

They're just getting started...

New Mexico judge resigns after alleged gang member arrested on his property

16

Is anyone watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu?

by Biahi in

after finishing season 6, episode 5, it occurred to me that, if the jws were right, (they’re not), the “new system” would end up being very much like this.

picture the commanders as the elders.. it’s a riveting series.

i wanted to see it, because i read the book when it first came out.

TonusOH

HereIam60: Brother set up return visit by saying Jesus condemned religious hypocrisy, the Bible speaks of the dead

One thing I realized when I was no longer a JW is that they presume that everyone believes that the Bible is the actual word of God. Their presentations, therefore, tend to be pretty optimistic compared to real life. They usually consist of asking a leading question, ignoring the response, and talking about what "the Bible tells us." It's no surprise that this approach falls flat for a lot people.