Posts by TonusOH

16

Dear Female ExJWs

by Simon in

jw
friends

judging by some forum comments and tweets, it seems like some female exjw's feel they are being ignored or excluded from things.

i thought i'd share my views.

what could possibly go wrong .... first, i think it's unfair to post and judge people based on a private chat shared without permission and posted without context.

In the past, I've been an admin/mod/owner of one forum or another, so I can sympathize with Simon having to tackle an issue like this before it gets out of hand. It can be thankless work, but sitting back and saying nothing can be worse. A potential lose/lose situation. I'd like to add that I appreciate the work he's done keeping this forum going for more than twenty years. That's impressive.

And I say that because I have the luxury of being able to ignore controversial discussions or posts if I choose. I've mellowed a lot over the years and have learned which drama I need to deal with and which drama I can safely ignore. I generally try to treat people well and be as easygoing as I can, with the understanding that I can't please everyone but I can decide who to engage. It's not always the best approach, but it keeps my stress levels very low. And I am pretty happy with that.

29

The Genesis 3:15 woman.

by Fisherman in

genesis 3:15 says that the woman’s seed would be in enmity with the serpent’s seed.

although the bible reveals that the woman’s seed is jesus and christians that go to heaven with christ, it does not identify the woman directly.

we at jw believe that the woman is symbolic.

TonusOH

Maybe it is a mixture of the literal (actual beings, god and jesus) and the metaphorical (the wife of god is a representation of a group or organization). It's possible that the seed is not an individual, but an organization or ideology which is personified by an individual. Thus, god is the literal individual who takes action, and jesus and the woman are representations of who god is and what he stands for.

I think the concept holds up until the NT, when an actual and literal Jesus appears, the son of an actual and literal woman who gives birth to him.

19

Beards- just told by an elder

by dothemath in

i know this subject has been talked about lots over the years, just thought i would share a recent finding from canada.. while visiting with a group of friends, an elder (don’t recall how the subject came up) mentioned the local body had voted to allow brothers with beards be allowed to give talks from the platform.

(it was a very close vote).

the direction given was for each congregation to decide for themselves if that is now acceptable.. so some congregations will be for, and for many it will not.. it’ll probably be a long time before we see any pictures on the watchtower where they’re allowing this though..

TonusOH

Another (very OPTIONAL) division-causer.

That was my thought as well. It demonstrates the folly of an organization that demands strict, unquestioning obedience suddenly telling its followers to make up their own minds. Most are so conditioned to expect to be told what to do, that they look down upon those who exercise their newly-granted freedom. Imagine creating an atmosphere of resentment and jealousy over something as pedestrian as facial hair.

3

NZ Kingdom Hall Going Up For Auction June 23rd

by Newly Enlightened in

https://www.bayleys.co.nz/2313423.

https://www.bayleys.co.nz/news/commercial/prayers-answered-for-community-groups-or-property-developers-as-former-church-is-placed-on-the-market-for-sale.

TonusOH

The congregation that used that hall merged with another one and the site is not used anymore. It's zoned commercial, so it could be developed into another house of worship or a small store/strip mall.

If it's the latter, there would be the amusing possibility that -once there are storefronts there- the witnesses would return with their magazine racks and brochures.

35

Still here.

by Lee Marsh in

jw
friends

the last 2 1/2 years have been extremely stressful.

while the rest of the world was dealing with covid, i was also dealing with cancer.

in fact it seems none of my doctors knew about it.

TonusOH

That's great, Lee! Glad to hear you are doing better.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

Guys, this is such toxic behavior this community does not need personal grievances between 2 parties as its not our beef so please only talk about ex jw topics and let sleeping dogs lie.

Sorry, bud. I mean, I get your point. I really do! But this popcorn isn't going to eat itself, y'know?

31

WHEN is the Kingdom of God coming?

by Fisherman in

when is the kingdom of god coming?.

on being asked by the pharisees when the kingdom of god was coming, he answered them: “the kingdom of god is not coming with paratherisis; 21 nor will people say, ‘see here!’ or, ‘there!’ for look!

the kingdom of god is in your midst.” —lu 17:20,21. .

TonusOH

In verses 4-5, 11, and 24, Jesus warns against being lead astray by people peddling false claims. And elsewhere, he had warned them against trying to figure out when the end would come. You almost think he was referring specifically to the WTS.

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

And let's face it- Croatia is not going to ask any country to extradite someone for making fun of a person on the internet. Nor would any country comply with such a request. It tells their citizens that their government will send them packing at a moment's notice for no reason, instead of protecting them as they would be expected to.

The closest he'll get to any kind of decree is when the judge reads the complaint, looks up, and asks "are you people serious?"

10

Watchtower's NEW Legal Learning Studio

by Newly Enlightened in

https://youtu.be/qn4z2uzsabm.

TonusOH

Anybody who was in this religion/organization for decades had to have seen the results of what happens to people who got college/career versus those who did not.

I knew an elder who was a long-time JW and had worked with many in the GB. He told me once about a time when he was butting heads with his daughter, who wanted to go to college. He was adamantly against it, as the organization had long cautioned against higher education. Better to prepare for the last days by pioneering, he felt. But she was being stubborn.

So he spoke with one of the GB members about it, explaining the situation. The GB member asked him "tell me, brother, has your daughter ever caused you any problems?" The elder answered that no, she had not. The GB member replied "then why create a problem with her now?"

Incredibly, the GB member was telling him to go ahead and let his daughter go to college and get her degree. Having gotten this advice from one of God's Own Mouthpieces, he relented and allowed her to attend college.

I think about that when I see the continued admonition against higher education by the WTS. When it was convenient, their own leadership felt that it was a viable option. But the rest of us? Those without a direct pipeline to the boardroom? Sorry, no degree for you!

11530

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

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

TonusOH

I think Gold would be much more likely to make a formal response to a criminal complaint than the others, and he might also publicize the case to a larger audience. I don't think Evans wants either of those things to happen. He wants to be known as a pre-eminent exJW and activist against the cover-up of CSA by the organization. He doesn't want to be known as the person who cheated on his wife by visiting prostitutes repeatedly, a fact that he announced to the world in a video that won't ever go away, but which could become viral.

He's walking a very fine tightrope, and so far has not done a very good job of it. But I think even he knows that there are certain actions he could take which would ruin him very quickly and very thoroughly.