Posts by StephaneLaliberte

31

Loss of a Jehovah’s Witness who I considered a friend

by Fallen_Winter in

jw
friends

i have known a jehovah’s witness for approximately 15 years and i have considered her a friend although i know that jehovah’s witnesses cannot have friends who are not jehovah’s witnesses.

approximately two years ago, i was going through a very difficult time and i asked my friend if we could have bible study.

she said yes and we have been studying the bible since.

StephaneLaliberte

although I know that Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot have friends who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses.

That sums it up. Unfortunately.

13

JWs on LinkedIn

by usualusername1 in

jw
friends

when i'm extremely board i look up jws on linkedin.. steven is clearly counting his time.

lol.

I honestly don't understand the logic of only connecting with Jehovah's Witnesses when the thing you boast about the most is your preaching activity. Wouldn't you want to connect with as many people as possible who might be interested in your message and religious activities?

Oh, right! It's because the Watchtower doesn't want you to do that! They want absolute control over anything related to the message. You're a minister, but you're not allowed to publish anything publicly!

I can't remember exactly when that instruction came out in the Kingdom Ministry, but I do recall it was one of those things that solidified my desire to leave the cult.

73

JWN, 23 years posting Blondie

by blondie in

jw
friends

can i call you friends, i think so after 23 years posting here.

i am dismayed how jwn is being "dominated" or taken over by a few posters, peppering the comments.

in the past, the admin did not approve of this and did remove some posters from jwn.

StephaneLaliberte

Some of the posts are soo long that I sometimes find myself using chat gpt to resume the text.

14

rant about the stupidty of JW r/f

by enoughisenough in

putting this under beliefs,doctrine and practices because i don't see a better heading.

here is what i have been thinking for years now and the situation with the recent storms and the devastation brings in closer to home in my thinking.

i lived in western nc for 20 years and moved to wv in feb of this year.

StephaneLaliberte

Simply calling Jehovah's Witnesses "stupid" for believing all this ignores the very real psychological mechanisms that can affect us all. Personally, I see them as a cautionary tale about how I, too, can be misled by my own delusional reasoning, influenced by my motivations.

Confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and denialism all play a role in leading them to find merit in the claims of the Watchtower. As for their motivations? Fear of losing a sense of purpose, comfort in hardship, community, ethical guidance, family, identity, and a sense of security. And, last but certainly not least: they fear God's wrath.

So, I wouldn't call them stupid. I grew up in the JWs and was one as an independent adult for 15 years; 15 years! I wasn't stupid—I just had to free myself from all the wrong motivations that kept me upholding baseless arguments.

62

Ten reasons Jehovah’s Witnesses have the true religion (plus a bonus one)

by slimboyfat in

thinking back when i was a true believer these are probably the top ten reasons why i believed jws are the true religion.

1. they show love among themselves by not going to war.

not killing your fellow believers in any circumstances, including war, would seem to be a very basic requirement for true christianity.

StephaneLaliberte

You are trying to put an exact number something that is impossible to put an exact number on.

You're right—JWs probably don't have an exact number either, but I’m willing to bet that their margin of error is smaller than what historians have to work with.

One of the reasons I spent so much time looking into these numbers is that I was raised as a JW and repeatedly told that had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have been sent to jail and likely faced execution. And, as you seem to believe, I was told this story to reinforce the idea that JWs were the true religion because of their persecution.

However, the numbers show that the majority of JWs weren't incarcerated, and only a fraction were executed. While this doesn't diminish the heroism of those who were (in my book, they're heroes), it is a disappointment compared to what I was led to believe when I attended meetings.

JWs were an “island of spiritual resistance” and that other churches have had to come to terms with the “widespread complicity” of their leadership and ordinary members

While this statement is true, "spiritual resistance" was not what the Nazis needed at the time. As I said before, martyrdom didn’t win the war—physical resistance did.

any act of resistance was remarkable in the circumstances

That's where you and I agree. However, Jehovah's Witnesses don’t share this view. They don't believe in physical violence. In their view, those who picked up a gun to fight the Nazis were enemies of God. While the Nazis were killing millions, JWs were preaching that God would soon bring about Armageddon and kill exponentially more people who didn’t share their beliefs. Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., would all be destroyed.

Essentially, they didn’t see resisting the Nazis as a way to serve the greater good of humanity. Now, nearly 100 years later, history shows that humanity needed Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims to pick up arms and fight back because God remained idle and did nothing.

Someone who spoke against the regime, went to jail, renounced their faith in custody, was released, later regretted that decision and rejoined. Did they resist, or not?

You enumerated several scenarios in which people could have renounced their faith, even temporarily, in the face of persecution. I completely agree with you there. I'm not in a position to judge them from the comfort and safety of my home. I probably would have been the first to sign the paper and say, “Heil Hitler.” But I’d like to think I wouldn’t have given up names, that I would have helped people evade the Nazis, and that I might have blown up some train tracks.

The point is that the same can be said of millions of Catholics and Protestants who faced similar choices. Was their faith worth any less than that of Jehovah's Witnesses?

Someone who was a JW for social or family reasons but decided it wasn’t worth it when the Nazis came to power.

The same can be said for other religions. You also have to consider that, in Germany at the time, you were either Catholic or Protestant. But how many of them truly believed and practiced their faith? Those who did often lied to the Nazis and fought clandestinely.

All this to say that the JWs response to the Nazis didn't make them the true religion. It was one way to face it, but it didn't make them the one and true religion.

62

Ten reasons Jehovah’s Witnesses have the true religion (plus a bonus one)

by slimboyfat in

thinking back when i was a true believer these are probably the top ten reasons why i believed jws are the true religion.

1. they show love among themselves by not going to war.

not killing your fellow believers in any circumstances, including war, would seem to be a very basic requirement for true christianity.

StephaneLaliberte

Former JWs who attempt to deny reality on this do themselves no favours. It’s a sign of being in a bubble. Not everything about JWs is bad. - Slimboyfat

Yes, the Jehovah's Witnesses were notably the only religious group that publicly opposed the Nazis. As a result, about one-third were imprisoned, and by the end of the war, around 1,500 were killed. Remarkably, they did this peacefully!

Martyrdom is a powerful story—one that inspires and captivates. The willingness to die for one’s beliefs is a narrative celebrated on monuments, war memorials, and museums throughout the Western world. People need inspiration, and what could be more courageous than a virtuous death?

However, the situation is more complex. Before the Nazi era, there were between 25,000 and 30,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany. By the end of the war, about 20,000 remained. To account for this:

About 1,500 were killed.
Between 1,000 and 2,000 signed a loyalty declaration to the Nazis, renouncing their faith. (historians' estimate)
Let's estimate around 1,000 fled Germany.

This means that by the war's end, between 500 and 6,500 individuals stopped practicing and did not return to the JWs.

Consider that between 1939 and 1945, 13,000 to 20,000 Jehovah's Witnesses managed to stay free despite the Nazis systematically targeting them. This was no small feat, given their beliefs, which included not saluting Hitler, reciting loyalty oaths, or participating in holidays and political events. It’s likely that some may have compromised their beliefs to remain undetected.

So, when you say, “The overwhelming majority of JWs resisted the Nazis,” that’s not entirely accurate. The actual numbers suggest that between 75% and 94% resisted.

Interestingly, while historians have made estimates, the Jehovah's Witnesses likely know the exact figures but choose not to share them. Anything less than 99% would cast a slight shadow on their heroic narrative against the Nazis.

Again, this is not to diminish their sacrifice, which is indeed commendable. However, absolutes rarely exist. The JWs were not entirely good, just as Catholics and other religions were not entirely bad. Millions of other Christians also died in war and resistance efforts, and many suffered in various ways. Ultimately, evil was defeated through the efforts of countless soldiers and fighters. The sacrifices made by Jehovah's Witnesses are no less significant than those of others who fought for justice.

62

Ten reasons Jehovah’s Witnesses have the true religion (plus a bonus one)

by slimboyfat in

thinking back when i was a true believer these are probably the top ten reasons why i believed jws are the true religion.

1. they show love among themselves by not going to war.

not killing your fellow believers in any circumstances, including war, would seem to be a very basic requirement for true christianity.

StephaneLaliberte

I could have added that the behaviour of JWs during the Third Reich was also something that convinced me Jehovah’s Witnesses have the truth. The Nazi regime is as close to a laboratory test of who are true Christians as you could conceivably devise and JWs conducted themselves well when so many others did not. That’s not to deny that individuals of other religions showed courage or that some other small groups also took a stand against the regime, but it seems obvious that JWs stood out as a religious group that stood firm under extreme trial. - Silmboyfat

When I was a JW, I believed the same thing. However, after leaving the faith and visiting Auschwitz, I came to realize that Catholics and other Christians simply followed a different strategy. They lied to the Nazis and publicly supported them, all the while contributing to the resistance behind the scenes. As a result, around a million Catholics died fighting in the resistance. Like the JWs, many of them were sent to concentration camps.

Certainly, there were ugly cases where some Christians were full-blown Nazis, but JWs had their own traitors too. The only real difference was the numbers—there were many more Catholics, and therefore many more traitors and Nazi sympathizers, but the ratios were likely similar.

Looking back, I now find it immoral for JWs to claim they were the only true Christians through all of this, while ignoring the significant sacrifices made by other believers for the good of humanity. Their faith was put into action, and if there is a God, it would be unjust to overlook those sacrifices.

In short: While JWs certainly deserve recognition for their unwavering stance, it is equally important to acknowledge the sacrifices and alternative strategies of other religious groups, including Catholics and Protestants.

37

NO SUPPORT FOR EXJWS DRAFTED IN UKRAINE

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/ulan2hhagz8?si=jpedzunzb5o_6axd.

here’s a cautionary tale for anyone counting on past ties with jehovah’s witnesses to dodge conscription: they’ll throw you under the bus faster than you can say “conscientious objector.” a man in ukraine learned this the hard way after refusing military service and hoping his old religious connections would save him.

spoiler alert—they didn’t.

StephaneLaliberte

Wow, just wow. Those elders sure love wielding the power of life and death.

We don't know what this guy did to be thrown out and kept out. Based on the latest watchtowers, it should be easier then ever before to get back in. Is this guy a child molester? Did he commit fraud against brothers and sisters? Did he go after an elder's wife?

I think it has everything with WHY he was thrown out and kept out of his religion. Because in this case, the court was evaluating the guy's conscience which he could not prove. I bet if he was kept out of that group because of apostasy, he'd stand a chance.

As for me personally? I'd pick up a gun and fight. You invade my country, my home, threaten my family. What else am I supposed to do?

26

What if JWs voted in elections?

by Las Malvinas son Argentinas in

all this political banter is exhausting, so i want to ask a question that has probably been asked before, so here it goes….

let’s try to keep this non-partisan - just give your opinion and why you think that way.. i’ll go first.

i think jws would generally lean to the right, but not by a whole lot.

StephaneLaliberte

[...] most of the Brothers are in the low income bracket, any direct and immediate financial support (as typically offered by these parties) would be highly desirable. [...] Witnesses are typically the kind of people who want instant help, rather than a people who would be happy to the government's long term strategic planning projects to help the economy, like the investing in ports, bridges or cleaning up the environment. - no-zombie

When I first read your comment, I disagreed, thinking that JWs don't typically respect laziness and often help one another whenever possible. But after giving it more thought, you're right. Despite not being lazy, I've seen many of them, including myself and my family, benefit from low-income housing projects and other assistance programs. They encourage hard work to support one's family, but since they frown upon business success and higher education, many JW parents end up in low-paying, hard-working jobs. They work hard for little reward, often for most of their lives. As they dedicate so much time to their religion (10 to 20 hours per week), they don't have the time to invest in themselves through training or exploring job opportunities outside their core trade. Some managed to do so anyway, but they did it against the current.

As for long term strategic plan, they don't really have any as Armageddon is just around the corner.

26

What if JWs voted in elections?

by Las Malvinas son Argentinas in

all this political banter is exhausting, so i want to ask a question that has probably been asked before, so here it goes….

let’s try to keep this non-partisan - just give your opinion and why you think that way.. i’ll go first.

i think jws would generally lean to the right, but not by a whole lot.

StephaneLaliberte

Had I not been raised as a JW, I would probably be conservative (Right / Republican). However, because of my upbringing, I find myself dead center between the left and the right.

JWs' theocratic vision for the world is one without countries and borders, where everyone is equal and the diversity of cultures is experienced through music, food, and clothing. It's a beautiful dream.

Unfortunately, this vision of the world is utopian. In today’s world, culture is tightly linked to their countries of origin and their religions.

People who have left the JWs know all too well that religious people lie. They say one thing in public and practice another in private. For instance, JWs tell the world that they don’t practice shunning when, in fact, they do. Or that taking a blood transfusion is a personal choice, when, in fact, it isn’t.

The same can be said of other religions whose values conflict with the host country, such as Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others.

In Canada, religion has mostly been removed from politics. As a result, views previously seen as incompatible with religion, such as women's equality, LGBTQ rights, sex before marriage, abortion, drug use, and more, have become accepted. Over the years, most Christians have peacefully come to terms with these changes. As a result, we now have a country where human rights take priority over religious views. This is also one of the reasons why living conditions tend to be better than in many other places and why many migrants come to Canada to live and share this dream.

Sadly, this is not the case for a significant number of migrants. Based on demonstrations and political activism that we see on the news and social media; it is easy to see that many strongly identify with their countries of origin and their religions.

This directly conflicts with the vision of a peaceful multicultural country that, I believe, Trudeau naively supports. Unfortunately, he and his political party even go a step further: they assume that people who fear such individuals are inherently racist nationalists. Do they even understand that people will boldly lie to protect their beliefs?

The country believes in religious freedom, but the religions do not. Many Christians, such as JWs, will retaliate against their children when they leave the faith. The same can be said of other religions, some even more violently than others!

All I can say is that I dream of a world where these words from Pierre Falardeau, a well-known separatist nationalist in Quebec, would make sense: "If you share my values, I don't care about your race and where you're from; I'll call you my brother."