Posts by TonusOH

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

I'm curious about that myself, and how it would affect the civil suit. When you consider that he refers to "girls" in both his book and video, how damaging is it to mention an accusation of grooming/abusing a 14-year-old? I think he could make a case that such an accusation is damaging, but it would not be easy to determine liability. Again, this depends on how Crotian law/courts deal with such matters, but in the US you can win a defamation case but have the damages reduced if you are considered to be at least partly liable.

That also raises another question- is the civil suit just for show? There is no reason for any of the plaintiffs to make the trip out there to defend themselves. Otherwise, the case could have been extremely embarrassing (and even more damaging to his reputation). Imagine calling him to the stand for a cross-examination? Imagine calling family members, or others who know him and have worked for him, to testify? He almost certainly will not have to go through that, so he can continue to brag and bluster on Twitter without the fear that he'd be exposed.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

It's possible that his lawyer has asked him to keep the details quiet, as it is generally a bad idea to reveal too much about legal action while it is pending or ongoing. You can damage your case by talking to the public about it while it is still going on.

I agree with you, that Evans seems like a difficult client to manage when it comes to keeping information confidential until it's safe to reveal. But in this instance, he seems to be showing a bit more restraint than usual. Good luck keeping him from screwing that up, though.

34

History repeated: pre-1975 trend of selling homes to ‘downsize’

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i saw this thread on reddit.

i think the reason for this is that the 1975 fiasco is never mentioned in the jw religion.

nobody mentioned it to me when i came in the years after.. the problem with this is that all the sad stories were never told (or hushed up) of people who sold off homes, etc.

TonusOH

I knew a woman who pulled her children from school in 1975, as part of their preparation for the end. She had to re-enroll them the following year, and they were always a year behind their peers. I bet there are a lot of stories like that, of people who made less drastic life changes (than quitting jobs or selling property) just to watch as 1975 came and went. I wonder how many of them remained after the GB threw them under the bus in 1980/1981.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

I am thinking that the reason he is filing a criminal suit against seven people is based on what his lawyer has recommended. If he files a criminal complaint against people with insufficient evidence, it makes it more likely that the whole matter will be dismissed quickly. So they probably pared it down to the ones they felt they could make a case against, as thin as it might be. They don't need for it to succeed, they need to file it for the next step.

Because it could be that this is just part of the process for filing the civil action. If he files the civil action after letting the statute of limitations on the criminal complaint expire, it could hurt his case. Since defamation is treated like a crime, there would be the question of why he didn't file charges if he felt that a crime had been committed. So his lawyer may have advised him to pursue the criminal case, knowing that it will go nowhere but that it is a necessary first step.

Mind you, the civil case has no real chance of succeeding, IMO. Even if, by some odd circumstance, he was able to get a judgment against anyone, he would be in no position to collect it. I doubt that Croatian courts can attach a lien to any funds/property that are not, at the least, held in Croatian banks or on Croatian soil. He would be able to wave the judgment around and pretend it vindicates him, but that gives his critics yet another chance to mock him. I don't think he understands the long-term consequences of his actions here. But self-preservation seems to take second-stage to his pleasure-seeking.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

It is my fervent hope that the 'Magnificent Seven' will keep us appraised of any developments as they happen. I want to know all about this "criminal lawsuit" and just how Evans intends to proceed. If this is just a blustering performance done in the hopes of saving face, please make sure he never ever lives it down. Thanks!

13

PIMA sitting on the fence

by PimoElder in

technically, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in a god, while an agnostic is someone who doesn't believe it's possible to know for sure that a god exists..

TonusOH

If the existence of a god or gods became clear, then we would need to update that definition.

By the definition of agnostic above, both theists and atheists can be (and likely are) agnostic. After all, we are describing beliefs, even though many religious people (and no small number of non-believers) are confident that they know, not just believe. I think our minds work this way, where we are uncomfortable not being sure. Although I do not write off the possibility of a god existing, I live my life as if I am sure none does.

If Yahweh were to announce his existence in the way that is typical for him, neither the atheist nor the agnostic would be given much time to make any adjustments in their thinking.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

He didn't do a good job of removing critical reviews, since some brutal ones are still there on the Amazon page for his book.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

current policy is to report any genuine sex crimes straight away

I assume this means that you are to report any accusations of a sex crime. JW elders are not police detectives or forensic investigators. They should be asking law enforcement to do its job, not waiting to determine if a report is genuine or not. If the organization is not making this clear, then they are still failing to protect children, as Mr. Lett wants us to believe.

10

Mind control

by joao in

wt has really been doing a great job at mind-controlling their members.

how can people who say they are your friends not even want to know why you're leaving when you want them to know?!

eh!

TonusOH

What is truly corrupting about shunning is that it is supposedly done out of love-- out of a sincere desire to help the lost sheep find their way back into god's arms. The cruelty of telling people that they must turn their back on people they have come to know, love, and deeply care about is staggering. The pain it has caused families over time is tremendous, and often it is a lasting kind of damage that never heals and affects many more people than just those directly involved.

The fact that they say it is done out of love, when it is an act/behavior utterly devoid of love, is a crime. That they proudly present it as an idea borne in the heart of a being that is kind, loving, and generous makes you realize the kind of awful, twisted things that we can be made to believe.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

I found this comment by Michele Birch

She tries very hard to make it clear that she likes him and wants him to succeed. But I think that, if he replies, she will realize that he only sees the attack, not the encouragement or supportive words. He'll attack her and dismiss her as just another hater or bully, someone he will gladly do without.

And at some point, when he's run off all of the Michele Birch's out there, he'll complain bitterly about how no one wants to support him, how exJWs live only to see him crumble and fall. And he'll still be ready for a fight in the comments. Some people's lives serve mostly as a lesson for others on how not to do things.