Posts by StephaneLaliberte

22

Did You Have Good Relationships With The Elders?

by minimus in

jw
friends

my experience was that most jws wanted to have an elder “friend” just in case they got into any “trouble “.kinda like knowing that certain cop who might get you out of a jam.

.

of course there was another group who did everything they could to either kiss the elders’ ass or stonewall them anytime they came snooping around.. how did you and the “older men” get along?.

StephaneLaliberte

There was a period in my life where I was young, with no car, and struggled for basic groceries. At that time, I expected them to be there for me. They weren't.

Eventually, as my situation got better, I got married, got a family of my own and thinking back on what happened, I realized that the issue at its base was not these man. It was the Watchtower. I’ve been in several congregations and the story was always the same: Elders had families, full time jobs and simply running the ~~business~~ congregation was the equivalent of a second job. Then, top this off with the problems of parishioners where a noticeable part of them suffer from depression and other mental illness.

The expectations of the Watchtower are too high, they are unattainable. In the end, the problem at its core is that elders should be able to make a living and focus on their role.

32

Watchtower June 2020 Article, '' Return to Me''

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the watchtower—study edition | june 2020. .

study article 26.

6 who can share in the search for inactive ones?

StephaneLaliberte

Something isn't right with the elder that "brought back" 40 people. I can see two scenarios:

1) Its a fanatic that threthened them with disfellowshipping if they didn't come back

or

2) They lived in a region where where the last brother with priviledges in their congretation moved to some place else. With no one to organize their meetings, they became inactive for a month or two. Having heard of their situation, this elder from a near by congregation invited them back into his congregation.

I'd go with option two. But of course, Watchtower would spin it out of context to illustrate a point.

5

Love letter to Simon

by Nathan Natas in

my dear, dear simon,.

it is with a heavy heart that i approach your throne today.. i fear i have become aware of a minor boo-boo on the site.

remember, we must be perfect just as our lard is perfuct.. the problemo esta dis: .

StephaneLaliberte

Remember, we must be PERFECT just as our LARD is PERFUCT.

ahahahahah, that one made me laugh! :)

95

Jesus Believed In Adam and Eve

by Parker in

i'm new to the forum.

i'm an ex-jw who actually faded from jws.

i'm here to drop by every once in a while to ask a question or two.

StephaneLaliberte

While Jeus, as a Jew in the first Century, was likely a fondamantalist Creationist, mentioning a story to draw a point doesn't mean you believe that story to be historical or true.

For instance, if I say: It is the turtle that won the race, cause, unlike the rabit, she never stopped moving towards her objective. This doesn't mean I believe that this race actually ever occured. I just use a well known story to drive a point.

18

I was wondering how this would play out in JW land.

by wolverines in

i have a niece who is trying to get pregnant.

she was telling me her husband had to go to a room with porn in it and masturbate into a cup to get tested.

i never thought of this before but but how would a jw handle this.

StephaneLaliberte

I would imaging JWs would say that they did it without the help of porn, even if that was not the case.

12

Can disfellowshipped individuals attend the Video Meetings

by StephaneLaliberte in

just a quesiton: can disfellowshipped individuals attend the video meetings.

if they can, do they have to turn off their video and sound?

can they attend with their family?

StephaneLaliberte

Hello everyone,

Just a quesiton: Can disfellowshipped individuals attend the Video Meetings. If they can, do they have to turn off their video and sound? Can they attend with their family? Is there any specific instructions for them?

Thanks!

31

Just wanting confirmation on an unofficial JW experience

by joe134cd in

just wondering if anyone can confirm or deny this unofficial jw experience that my father received by email.

i’ve told him that it against wt rules to forward unofficial accounts.

but of course he just puts that down to apostate driven lies.

StephaneLaliberte

To add to my comment, technically, this is quite impressive. Just like their litteratures being translated into soo many languages. However, technical achievements do not translate to being good. Technology is blind to morality, good vs bad. The nazis were very advanced with their rockets and industrial process and their u boats. While they were braging about all that, it didn't make them moral.

31

Just wanting confirmation on an unofficial JW experience

by joe134cd in

just wondering if anyone can confirm or deny this unofficial jw experience that my father received by email.

i’ve told him that it against wt rules to forward unofficial accounts.

but of course he just puts that down to apostate driven lies.

StephaneLaliberte

While there is no proof about this, it could happen. Even if the emails are filtered by employees, it could have made its way to the CEO, after all, their platform was at the center of keeping a world wide cult afloat. That in itself is impressive.

33

Are You Afraid To Publicity Express Your Opinion?

by minimus in

jw
friends

are you reticent to express your opinion when it comes to religion or politics?.

when we were jws , we had to be so careful that we didn’t stumble anyone.

are you comfortable saying that you don’t agree with someone or something even if it appears you are in the minority?

StephaneLaliberte

I find that many people are like the JWs in that they've been told to believe things and they don't question the official doctrine. For JWs, its the governing body. For many, its the media and whatever trends are on social media.

For these types of people, I usually don't go out of my way to share my thoughts and I try not to have friends like that.

8

Tips on a successful stumble

by Fadeaway1962 in

hi i don't mean tie my shoe laces together,.

i realize some theocatic warfare involved (lying) getting fed up with trying to fade .. how do jw family members react?.

StephaneLaliberte

I faded and didn't lie to my family. I didn't see the point in keeping a relationship with them if they didn’t respect me. In exchange, I give them the respect I expect from them. I don’t preach to them or try to subvert their faith. On the contrary, my wife and I will help them when help is needed; for instance, with tablets and other devices.

As for everyone else, I told them I needed time and never said more. If I ever need to lie to JWs doing some type of investigation trying to break apart my family, I will happily oblige. Still, politely avoiding questions tends to be easier.