Posts by TonusOH

34

1985 and baptism...I wish I had read this before today

by enoughisenough in

i am posting a link as to being legally bound to jw rules at time of baptism.

i only did a quick skim, but what i gathered is interesting, and what it says about 1985 may be of use to some hoping to just fade and not be bothered.

in 1985, the questions were changed at baptism for legal purposes so they could have causation to defend themselves should you decide to sue for whatever reason.

TonusOH

LongHairGal,

Yes, they ask the questions just before the group is led off to change and get baptized. At that point, if you want to back out you would be doing so very publicly. Now, if they do it the way they did when I got baptized, then in the weeks before the convention, you would have sat down for two sessions with an elder, who will review many of the JW beliefs. They will ask a question and provide Bible texts, and you must answer the question using the texts so that everyone is assured that you have the JW answer for that question. In my experience, the elder is really there to help walk you through it. I don't think they really want to test your knowledge, they just want to make sure that the JW teachings have sunk in.

12

Atlantis?

by road to nowhere in

jw
friends

o brother, where art thou?.

we cynics need our doses of goings on.. thanks for all th past info..

TonusOH

Blueberry cupcakes! You know me too well.

34

1985 and baptism...I wish I had read this before today

by enoughisenough in

i am posting a link as to being legally bound to jw rules at time of baptism.

i only did a quick skim, but what i gathered is interesting, and what it says about 1985 may be of use to some hoping to just fade and not be bothered.

in 1985, the questions were changed at baptism for legal purposes so they could have causation to defend themselves should you decide to sue for whatever reason.

TonusOH

LongHairGal, I don't think I cared about the format of the questions when I was baptized. I wanted so badly to do it that I would have said yes even if they did not state the question. To me, that part was a formality. Today, it strikes me more as theatre; the group of prospects stands in front and shouts "yes" very loud and everyone gets emotional and applauds. It is a self-reinforcing feedback loop. The chemical reward makes it a very impactful moment for a lot of people for a long time.

They don't miss a trick when it comes to manipulating people.

32

Hello from the UK

by KIMSILVIO in

jw
friends

i am still on my holiday around the uk and currently am in the midlands if anyone is around i’d love to catch up - hope you are all well xx.

TonusOH

punkofnice: Are they all heavily medicated and mental in Hollywood?

Yes, but that has always ever been the case.

I no longer live in a big city, so I am not exposed to the worst of humanity on a daily basis anymore. As for today versus the past, I grew up in the Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s, during a time when New York City was in something of a death spiral. Even today, I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as it was back then.

Things here can certainly get worse, and we have the capacity for it. But I'm pretty happy with my situation today.

12

Atlantis?

by road to nowhere in

jw
friends

o brother, where art thou?.

we cynics need our doses of goings on.. thanks for all th past info..

TonusOH

Whoa, did you just summon Atlantis? Just like that? What sorcery is this???

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Simon: Did we really get to page 522 before Godwin's law kicked in?

Who says we can't show restraint?

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Vintage: Wouldn't it have been diabolical if Evans' had gotten the rights to that book?

If he'd tried to do it ethically, that would've been fine. What he tried to do amounted to theft, and his attempts to deflect from that just made the situation worse. It's a behavior you can see from him frequently-- minimize his actions in any way possible. Either he will say that he didn't do anything truly awful or he will wonder aloud why you aren't criticizing someone else for what they did. Anything to avoid having to answer for his actions. It's a prominent part of his 'narcissist's toolkit.'

38

Replacing God?

by punkofnice in

we seem to be if a more secular society here in the west, these days.

i'm speaking from the uk.. with the lack of belief in god/s, i'm wondering if all the seeming (note: i said seeming!

), deification of people like greta thunberg, george floyd and celebs amongst others, if people who have no real belief system, are filling the gap left by god with people?.

TonusOH

I think we have a strong subconscious desire to belong in groups, and one of our instinctive behaviors is to protect the group from outsiders. Many animal species display this same behavior, and some ape species will even form groups that will physically attack (and even kill) outsiders from the same species.

You can see how strong this impulse is, in the way we easily form groups to support almost any person or cause. Around the world, people will belittle and insult one another because they support a different sports team, to the extent that some people have been physically assaulted and even killed over something that should be utterly trivial. Religion is perhaps our most extreme example of this form of tribalism, in that we deliberately coded in the life and death consequences of our choices. It's what makes it a particularly dangerous form of that behavior.

But I feel that it is inevitable that we would have invented religion. In some ways, we are programmed to act religiously.

31

Latest jw broadcast referring to allegations of protecting pedophiles

by jonahstourguide in

hi folks.. i put this in abuse as i thought it relevant.. a physically in mentally out friend that considers our friendship greater than religion told me that on the latest broadcast steven lett alluded to satans voice being behind people that claim the organisation protects pedophiles.. my friend then went on to say they must be in damage control.. he added, but that is correct, they are hiding their internal records.

is not that construed as protecting the accused?.

if i get the inclination i may post a snippet of what was actually said.. sadly my friend is trying to protect his family relationships and so goes along with the charade.. his situation weighs on me but, as many of you here know, it can be a difficult road to travel.. jtg.

TonusOH

Smiles: Lett then makes weird facial expressions to convince you his threat is sincere.

It always looks like his face is trying to pull itself away from his skull. I think his lips are actually a symbiotic organism that is stuck to his face.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

"When the person you're criminally suing for defamation..."

Does he understand what he wrote? lol