Posts by StephaneLaliberte

19

Reddit thread on convention video urging cutting off contact with Faders

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i just read this.

don’t know if anybody here has seen the video.. the intended result of this is to obviously scare ‘faders’ out of the shadows.

now, they are being threatened with loss of association with their loved ones and friends.

StephaneLaliberte

Shunned without any formal removal from the group.

Well, there used to be a distinction, though a subtle one. I'm considered inactive. So when Jehovah's Witnesses see me, they might smile, offer a casual "hello," and then keep walking. They don't stop for a real conversation.

If I were disfellowshipped, though, they typically wouldn’t even offer that. They’d just look past me like I wasn’t there.

That said, there's been a recent shift. JWs are now allowed to offer a casual greeting to disfellowshipped individuals at the Kingdom Hall. Whether this change applies outside the Hall, I’m not sure.

But even so, what is a “greeting” if it comes with no intention of opening a conversation? Isn't a greeting, by nature, a social invitation, however brief, to engage? The JW version, in this context, feels more like a scripted formality. It's “hello” and “goodbye” in the same breath. It looks polite on the surface, but lacks sincerity; it’s politeness in form, not in substance.

24

The JW's are suing Mark O'Donnell in civil court for millions.So protect the pedos, and suit the whistelblowers? Shame on this cult!

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

link to his announcement on www.jwchildabuse.org:.

https://www.jwchildabuse.org/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sue-editor-of-jw-child-abuse-website-for-millions/.

if anyone needed any further proof of how low and despicable this cult has become, here's more evidence.

StephaneLaliberte

Doesn't look good for Mark. It would have been far safer legally if he had simply interviewed the person who invited him to the meeting, rather than attending it himself. Had he done that:

He likely wouldn’t have violated any wiretap or privacy laws.
As a journalist, he would have been protected by shield laws and wouldn’t have been compelled to disclose his source.

7

Pay Attention To Daniel's Prophecy!--PDF!

by Atlantis in

pay attention to daniel's prophecy!--1999-pdf--48mb (credit goes to expositor and jason barker) http://www.watchman.org/jw/payattentiondaniel.htm pay attention to daniel's prophecy!.

by jason barker .

pay attention.

StephaneLaliberte

I remember when that book came out. I think we got it on a Saturday afternoon—or was it a Friday? Anyway, I remember reading the whole thing, cover to cover, before the night was over. And I remember being troubled by the content. I felt they presented extrapolations and far-fetched conclusions as facts, without addressing changes in theology. In the end, I thought the book was BS.

Then I chalked it all up to: “Don’t get bogged down with prophecies.” At the time, I still believed that—even if the Watchtower was wrong about the prophecies—the fruits of the spirit (encouraging members to love God, have a relationship with Him, and maintain good conduct) outweighed their twisted interpretations of prophecy.

All that to say: that book was a key factor in me no longer believing in the JWs’ prophecies.

45

What is the Craziest Thing You Are Aware Of Someone Being Disfellowshipped For?

by Sea Breeze in

i knew a lady who was disfellowshipped for 20 years for smoking.

she finally went back to the kh and since they couldn't find her paperwork, (all the former elders were dead) she was allowed back in without reinstatement.

no one even remembered her.

StephaneLaliberte

There was a kid I met at school that was disfellowshipped for smoking. He had been caught twice and told me that it was his second cigarette he had ever taken. He simply was dumb enough to get caught the only two times he decided to try cigarettes! Worse: When confronted by the elders, he admitted it!

45

What is the Craziest Thing You Are Aware Of Someone Being Disfellowshipped For?

by Sea Breeze in

i knew a lady who was disfellowshipped for 20 years for smoking.

she finally went back to the kh and since they couldn't find her paperwork, (all the former elders were dead) she was allowed back in without reinstatement.

no one even remembered her.

StephaneLaliberte

Got DF'd for leaving my wife and marrying someone out of the cult. - Mr Quik

The problem with JWs is that they see this as cheating on your spouse. Even if you leave that person. Wait a year, go out with someone else, get married, people will talk and gossip and treat it the same as if you lived with your spouse for year while cheating behind her back.

45

What is the Craziest Thing You Are Aware Of Someone Being Disfellowshipped For?

by Sea Breeze in

i knew a lady who was disfellowshipped for 20 years for smoking.

she finally went back to the kh and since they couldn't find her paperwork, (all the former elders were dead) she was allowed back in without reinstatement.

no one even remembered her.

StephaneLaliberte

I remember a 70+ year old brother, smoking secretly in his shed, this was found out by his JW wife, he got DF because she told the elders.

If only he had denied it. One witness to him smoking. Not enough evidence. He simply had to deny.

26

It’s now official - The Governing Body Members are called for Legal Deposition in a Major Court Case Against Jehovah’s Witnesses!

by liam in

it’s now official - the governing body members are called for legal deposition in a major court case against jehovah’s witnesses!

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1ke6cgh/its_now_official_the_governing_body_members_are/.

recent court documents show that members of the jehovah’s witnesses governing body — including former member tony morris — have been officially subpoenaed to give sworn testimony regarding cases of sexual abuse in new york and how the organization dealt with (or essentially hid) them.

StephaneLaliberte

Even if no serious legal consequences come out of this, the experience itself may push the Governing Body to re-think their current policies. That kind of experience, being accountable to a government, the public light, I'm sure it will motivate them in the same way the ARC did. That is, the Australian Royal Commission into child abuse: Even if the Witnesses didn’t face immediate legal consequences, the attention did lead them to make positive changes to their policies. Hopefully, this situation in New York will have a similar effect.

7

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - Watchtower's Depictions over the years?

by Ron.W. in

the destruction of sodom and gomorrah, by the english painter john martin.

it was painted in 1852.. how has the watchtower depicted this event in all their artwork over the years?.

have they been influenced by this well known work of art?.

StephaneLaliberte

I have to admit that their art work has been impressive through the years, including those you posted above. That's actually one of the things that made it more difficult to wake up from. Quality work such as this made it all soo real. Quality art work, on tangible book, publicised through the applause of thousands of people attending conventions across the planet. It was so real.

Then I saw amazing art in other religions too, for beliefs I didn’t agree with. As I got older, I learned how these books and pictures are made. It was like seeing the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. All that magic turned out to be just smoke, and it changed how I saw everything.

Perhaps today, with AI producing so much things so quickly, perhaps that eonWhen you see art work of such quality

26

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.