Posts by StephaneLaliberte

15

Are There any JW Teaching that you DO Agree With?

by NotFormer in

(apologies for the typo in the title.

"teaching" should read "teachings".

i misread vanderhoven7's most recent post as being the above.

StephaneLaliberte

The religious foundation of Jehovah's Witness thinking is more than strict theology. It is also cultural. This shapes and, sadly, warps their so-called "Biblical" teachings.

That is 100% correct. There were many things I agreed with while I was still a believer, but ultimately, judging them solely by their fruits is what led me and my family out of that organization.

Eventually, I became an agnostic. Even so, I still agree with many of their teachings. However, the problem isn't necessarily what they teach—it's the environment they create, which produces very different fruits.

Here are a few teachings I still agree with (though not necessarily in how they’re applied):

Equality across races, cultures, social backgrounds, and countries (though I don't agree with their view of men being above women).
Refusal to participate in wars (although I don't believe in absolutism—sometimes war can be morally justified).
The expectations around how husbands and wives should treat each other (though this isn't always practiced equally).
The rejection of the Trinity and the concept of eternal torture in hell as unbiblical.
The command to not eat blood (although I disagree with applying this to life-saving medical situations).
The importance of preaching (though I never agreed with the time-reporting system).
The principle of disfellowshipping those who persistently sin (though I never agreed with the practice of shunning them).
Baptism by full immersion (though I don’t agree with baptizing teenagers or young children).
Recognizing that Christmas is not Jesus’ actual birthday (though I don’t agree with disfellowshipping those who choose to celebrate it).

23

1/2 of the Jehovah’s witnesses have gone

by hoser in

jw
friends

there are 1/2 of the jehovah’s witnesses that there were 30 years ago in my area.

some have left but i think that many have died and none of their kids stayed being jehovah’s witnesses.

7 congregations have been dissolved over the years.

StephaneLaliberte

Only the truly old, and truly brain-dead and possibly ignorant, sheltered, homeschooled offspring remain.

My parents are still involved, and no, I wouldn’t describe them using the terms you mentioned. In fact, I still know many Jehovah’s Witnesses whom I would not characterize that way.

It’s easy to underestimate the influence a high-control group or cult can exert over intelligent, educated individuals. Among their members are accountants, lawyers, teachers, successful business owners, doctors, and more. These are people who genuinely believe in the core teachings and often find ways to suppress or rationalize the cognitive dissonance they inevitably face.

By reducing people in groups like the JWs to simply being ignorant or “brain-dead,” you risk overlooking the sophisticated and manipulative mechanisms that such movements use to maintain control — even over highly capable individuals.

11

Did you have a written schedule?

by karter in

jw
friends

the wts encouraged us to have one, i alway found it funny when people would desplay it where everyone could see it to show how busy they are in the lords work.. karter..

StephaneLaliberte

I did follow these schedules, and while I was never able to stick to them strictly, they did help me become more productive. In fact, I used a similar schedule earlier this year. I’m still not following it perfectly, but if I can get there, I’ll be happier.

I remember when I was a JW, I used to think: If I ever leave, I’ll finally have time to do this or that. So when I did leave, I made sure to stay productive and hold on to my goals. I’m not 100% where I want to be, but I’m satisfied with my progress.

On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of people leave the JWs and fill their newfound free time with Netflix and endless scrolling. If that’s what they want, that’s fine—but for me, I make sure to set goals. The discipline I learned as a JW helps with that.

There’s a lot I wish had been different about my time as a JW, but if I can take anything positive from the experience—like reading, public speaking, sales skills, or discipline—I’ll make sure to hold onto those.

27

I want a marriage mate that’s a brother

by Lace83 in

hi, my name is leacy and i am 41 years old.

i live in california.

i attend the rancho santa margarita congregation.

StephaneLaliberte

So, you're looking for a JW brother who is:

35 to 45 years old
white
tall
brown hair
blue eyes
beard

So, nothing about personality, character, interests (hobbies), etc.

Your shopping list would be a better fit for Tinder, you know, looking for a one night stand? I wouldn't expect such criterias when seeking for a husband!

135

Just because Jehovah had to prove His Right To Rule? I don't think so!

by liam in

we get old because jehovah had to prove to all the angels that his way of ruling was the best?

that's the sorriest argument the watchtower has come up with.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/11hz_jqjkjo.

StephaneLaliberte

But to the devoted, their suffering is only temporary, per the scriptures.

Temporary suffering is still suffering. It is still a serious punishment. Why inflict suffering at all when God has the power to prevent it entirely?

Would you say that waterboarding isn't bad just because the pain stops once it's over? The person may not be dead or physically handicapped, but they still endure intense suffering. In fact, by that logic, one could argue that waterboarding is a loving way to extract information—since other forms of torture leave permanent scars or disabilities.

But we all recognize that argument as absurd. Suffering is suffering, whether it is temporary or not.

So my question remains: Why allow the just to suffer at all?

135

Just because Jehovah had to prove His Right To Rule? I don't think so!

by liam in

we get old because jehovah had to prove to all the angels that his way of ruling was the best?

that's the sorriest argument the watchtower has come up with.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/11hz_jqjkjo.

StephaneLaliberte

This thread makes it seem like the issue lies with Jehovah’s Witness teachings, but the real problem is actually the Bible and Christian beliefs.

No matter how you explain it, the core idea boils down to this:

God created humans with everlasting life. Humans sinned. As a result—due to principles established by God—humans now suffer and die. And not just those who originally sinned, but every generation afterward, for thousands of years. Today, billions of people continue to suffer and die.

If we step back and look at the big picture: billions of humans have endured suffering for thousands of years. By comparison, historical figures judged as monsters—like Genghis Khan and Hitler—caused significantly less harm in scope and scale. And yet, in their time, they had their reasons, their justifications, and millions of people agreed with them. Even so, history has rightly condemned them as monsters.

Yet, when it comes to God allowing human suffering and death, this same fundamental evaluation is often ignored.

Some will argue: "He's not directly hurting or killing people, He’s just allowing it to happen." To that I say: If you have the power to stop something and choose not to, you are just as responsible as if you had done it yourself.

As for: "It a consequence of humans rejecting him in the first place!" As far as I can see, among those who suffer, billions have devoted their lives to God, praying, obeying, and following His commandments as best they could based on information available to them. Yet He still lets them suffer. If suffering is a punishment, then what was their crime?

39

20250115**Ages For Ministerial Servants and Elders!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2025-01-15-ages for ministerial servants and elders.. see page 2. .

https://pdfupload.io/docs/1b0b5c00 .

https://imgbox.com/p3a9yjmr.

StephaneLaliberte

I know of at least three brothers who do not want to become elders, not due to a lack of capacity or availability, but due to a lack of agreement with the teachings. The problem with JWs is that you are not allowed to disagree with teachings that aren't even central to to the religion. In the meantime, the religious leaders prefer to look down on thousands of brothers which they see as "incapable" rather than seeing things for that they are: These brothers are silently protesting! And what we see today, is that, rather than address the real issue, they turn to younger, more manipulable ones so that they can parrot whatever they want them to.

13

JWs and Christmas

by Rnadomchris83 in

i have been lurking around here for years.

i'm not a witness, but my in-laws are.

my wife grew up in it but was never baptized.

StephaneLaliberte

Well, it is hypocritical for them to condemn people who celebrate christmas when they were celebrating it at bethel when they claim to have been selected by Jesus as the only true religion back in 1919. That being said, I don't expect them to change their minds on this anytime soon.

22

The abuse of JW org

by wozza in

awhile ago i said on here i would like to show how wrong the jehovahs witness organisation is , in that they will not accept the testimony of a victim of sexual crime where the victim has no other witnesses to the crime.

i faced this with helping my ex wife for about 15 years in exposing her father , an elder, to the jw org.

his raping of her over years and they believed him.. so therefore the perpetrator knowing of the organisations stance can easily deny and therefore be free to pretend to serve as an innocent jw still mixing with the congregation ,and also i have witnessed an accused perpetrator of child molestation witnessing at my next door neighbors house in field service with a child of another family even though the elders knew of the accusations against him.

StephaneLaliberte

the deliberate weaponization of the rule. - Vidiot

But, they DO NOT WANT THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED. - Biahi

The weaponization happens when they don't get the police involved and Biahi is 100% right! Before, the elders could literally disfellowship someone who reported the abuse to the authorities.

Since 2019, however, they've updated their policy to instruct elders not to prevent anyone from reporting abuse. Clearly, they wrote this because, before, they actually did prevent victims from reporting!

Since 2019, they changed the rules instructing elders not to prevent anyone from reporting abuse. This change shows they used to actually prevent victims, through disciplinary actions, from going to the police!

Also, that change doesn't go far enough. Elders can still talk victims out of reporting. One elder might not say anything, but another might pressure the victim to safeguard Jehovah's reputation and see their experience as some holy martyrdom!

The elders aren't capable, either physically, legally or competently to collect the necessary evidence. - Anonymous

They should alert the police and let them investigate, then base their actions on what that investigation reveals. - TonusOH

Absolutely right!

Way I see it, the problem at its core is not the two-witness rule, but how JWs do involve the police or, for the very least, advise the sexual abuse victims to do so.

22

The abuse of JW org

by wozza in

awhile ago i said on here i would like to show how wrong the jehovahs witness organisation is , in that they will not accept the testimony of a victim of sexual crime where the victim has no other witnesses to the crime.

i faced this with helping my ex wife for about 15 years in exposing her father , an elder, to the jw org.

his raping of her over years and they believed him.. so therefore the perpetrator knowing of the organisations stance can easily deny and therefore be free to pretend to serve as an innocent jw still mixing with the congregation ,and also i have witnessed an accused perpetrator of child molestation witnessing at my next door neighbors house in field service with a child of another family even though the elders knew of the accusations against him.

StephaneLaliberte

I noticed that two people downvoted my comments. Could you explain why?

I mentioned that I agree with the "two or more witnesses" rule and emphasized that physical evidence should also count as a second witness. Considering that, since recent years, JWs also accept witnesses to seperate events, I really don't see the problem with my position.

Are you suggesting that, for example, if a stepdaughter accuses her stepfather falsely, you would automatically believe her without requiring corroborative evidence or a second witness?

This kind of blind belief is exactly why innocent people sometimes end up spending decades in jail!