StephaneLaliberte

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Posts by StephaneLaliberte

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  9

  PRESS RELEASE: This is not over, on the contrary. I do not retract.

  by sp74bb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i appreciate all the expressions of interest and solidarity.

  it has been a very intense week.

  i started with the help of many of you, a particular war for my rights as a european citizen.. we have achieved an important space and advertising with a single complaint, which is a great success that i share with you all.. the press has not only spoken about a single complaint, but they gave a full coverage on asocial behavior of jehovah's witnesses and the last, a very hard editorial from the newspaper el periodico director (link).

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  StephaneLaliberte

  Thank you! We all come to this forum trying to make a change, in our lives or in the lives of anyone who read our comments. And when one of us have the attention of the media like you do? It's like the "american dream"!!
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  28

  2016-09-21 BOE Re: Global Assistance Arrangement for the 2017 Service Year

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  september 21, 2016 to all congregations re: global assistance arrangement for the 2017 service year.

  ps to bodies of elders:.

  this postscript should not be read to the congregation, and this letter should not be placed on the noticeboard.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  WOW! 14$? They are asking even more money from people in the states. What the heck???
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  13

  WT 1/2017: "Why is the Bible sometimes misunderstood?"

  by Schnufti in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the bible is designed to be understood by those who are humble and willing to learn.

  jesus said to his father: “i publicly praise you, father, lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.” (luke 10:21) the bible is written in such a way that only those with the right attitude would understand its message.

  people with a proud attitude—a common trait of “wise and intellectual ones”—tend to misunderstand the bible.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  I'd ask: "Give me an example of what I don't understand in the bible."

  - They would likely go on about the trinity, hell fire, the earthly/heavenly hope or some other theological things.
  

  Why would being proud prevent them to understand these truth? What does it mean to be proud?

  Or let me ask you this: Would a humble person knock on his neighbors doors and tell them: Unless you understand the bible exactly, precisely as I do, than you are too proud to be a true christen? Shouldn't there be some leeway? Don't you see the irony?

  Just consider for a second that salvation is much simpler than what you think. What does God wants in the end? To get rid of bad people and keep good people. So, what does it mean to be good? For instance, Would God kill a hard working widow, mother of two, simply because she turns you down at her door step and keeps believing in Hell, Heaven and the Trinity? Could it be that your are too proud to admit that you do not have monopoly on what is good and evil? That people can be saved by their love? Not knowledge? Jesus came to free the people from the heavy load of their religious leaders. And yet, here you are, telling people that they will die unless they join you.
  

  This is the fact you must face: unable to see the simplicity of the teachings of the Christ, you are like that Pharisee, praying on the corner of the street, thanking God loudly that you are not like one of these sinners.
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  28

  2016-09-21 BOE Re: Global Assistance Arrangement for the 2017 Service Year

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  september 21, 2016 to all congregations re: global assistance arrangement for the 2017 service year.

  ps to bodies of elders:.

  this postscript should not be read to the congregation, and this letter should not be placed on the noticeboard.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  wow DwainBowman and millie210 I didn't know that the watchtower could be coercive at such a strong level. I'm not even being sarcastic here. I just didn't know they'd go that far.
  
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  3

  Things you'd never read in the Bible

  by Tahoe in

  1. social
  2. humour

  mock the week is a british improvised, satirical celebrity panel show, like whose line is it anyway?

  performers deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.

  i found it quite funny and thought i would pass it along.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  I choked up on the Dr. Pepper joke!
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  9

  The Watchtower try to give a modern twist to the scriptures.

  by StephaneLaliberte in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was listening to the september broadcasting, where david splain talks about how jacob met with esau.

  david splain: how did jacob react?

  did he try to show how important and prominent he had become?

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  StephaneLaliberte

  I was listening to the September broadcasting, where David Splain talks about how Jacob met with Esau. And said:

  David Splain: How did Jacob react? Did he try to go “tit for tat”? Did he try to show how important and prominent he had become? With all of the blessings he’s received? Did he re-open old wounds? Did he argue with his brother? Did he say: You know, I was right all along and you Esau, you’ve been wrong? Did he demand an apology? No. There was a lot that Jacob could have bragged about, no question about that. There was no doubt that Jacob had Jehovah’s blessing. […] Jacob settled any lingering differences not with his fists, not with a bragging tongue, not with a weapon, but humbly. Like a real man. Like a spiritual man.

  Obviously, he is trying to make a point about how to settle differences between brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, the story he is portraying is not what the bible reports.

  Gen 32:6  In time the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: “We met your brother Eʹsau, and he is now on his way to meet you, and there are 400 men with him.” 7 And Jacob became very frightened and anxious. So he divided the people who were with him, as well as the flocks, the cattle, and the camels, into two camps. 8 He said: “If Eʹsau attacks the one camp, then the other camp will be able to escape.”

  Jacob was scared. His brother was back with a small army and his camp would not have been able to hold its ground. He was so scared that he broke his camp in two, and moved them by priority: His servants at the front, so, if they died, well, he still would've had Le’ah and her kids! And if they died as well? then... he had Rachel and Joseph way at the back.

  Are these the actions of a holy man who was convinced he had the blessing of Jehovah? Really?

  These brothers read the bible and make it say things like they want to hear it. For example, at about 5 minutes in, he said about Jacob that he had 11 sons:

  11 sons in 7 years? How is that possible? Easy when you remember that Jacob has 2 wives and 2 concubines, or secondary wives.

  Really? Secondary wives? He had two wives already. As he had married Leah first, Rachel was the Secondary wife (even if she was first in Jacob's heart). As for the concubines, they were nothing more than mistresses that were living in house.
  
  Of course, to admit that the man of old were not satisfied sexually with just one woman didn't sound too good, so they say: Secondary Wives.

  Did not Abraham get rid of Hagar (a concubine) by sending her out into the wilderness with her son Ishmael? She obviously didn’t get the “secondary wife” treatment!
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  19

  Britain Branch Relocation - Chelmsford, Essex

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i97qudi-jwe.

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  a-19-e 10/15.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  Pepperheart: That’s one thing I seriously don’t understand. Knowing about the court cases that are coming their way, the logical path would not be to centralize so much assets into one bulk of buildings as they did in Warwick and are about to do in England. The obvious, intelligent thing would be to create various charities where each of them would own different buildings that the watchtower would lease.

  Or, they could have relocated into another country than the US, England or Australia.

  But, good for us, they haven’t done that.

  When those cases come down on them, they will have to pay up or their bethel will be seized.
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  54

  According to one JW there can only be 1 of 3 reasons why you left.

  by Bonsai in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i asked an old jw friend of mine why so many baptized individuals leave the jw religion.

  "did it ever occur to you, old friend, that maybe they know something that you don't know and have valid reasons for leaving?

  ", i asked.. his response set me back for an answer.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  I was raised a witness and stayed as one right up until I was 35. Throughout the years, I disagreed with several teachings. Due to these differences in opinions, I was never able to “take the lead” as I could not see myself teaching things on the platform that I did not personally believe. Still, I was happy as a witness in that I had friends and nothing too serious shook my boat. Until I had kids. As they grew up, I came to realized that I would have to teach my kids the society’s truth and not my personal beliefs. If I ever did such a thing, I’d risk the chance of being “exposed as an apostate”, one day or another. If that day came in late, I could even lose my kids as they would turn against me in favor of the watchtower.

  This seriously came in as a shock. These differences in opinions did not feel serious enough for me to leave the watchtower. After all, I followed the watchtower’s advice to be meek, humble, and to “Wait on Jehovah”. I kept in mind that they’re imperfect, and could not expect their teachings to be infallible.

  But wait a second, why aren’t they humble as well? Why would they feel the need to take actions against me if it ever came to their attention that my teaching was different then theirs, even in small matters?

  I than carefully looked at how they consider anyone who disagree with their teachings, including apostates. They insult them on a regular basis: “they do the will of their father Satan”, “prideful” “fornicators” “anti-Christ”, “they don’t love Jehovah”, “they left God to pursue their desire”, etc.

  It than came clear to me: Even if I tried to explain how I actually want to serve God, all they’d hear are the insults regularly thrown about in their teachings: “Lazy Snob”, “he wants to lead people after him”, “false prophet”, “puts his trust in man rather than God”.

  How can an organization claiming to represent God and treat people who disagreed with them even on insignificant details as I did? Acting this way is far from doing the will of God. They have exchanged the will of God which is essentially about love towards him and your neighbor and placed in numerical values about field service hours, meeting attendance, privileges, donations, etc. All the while, becoming increasingly concerned about the survival of the organization rather than actually upholding righteousness.

  So, I have left. With my wife and kids. I was not a sinner and I was not mad at anyone in my congregation. I was not sick, and I was not working too much. I was simply a man that felt the Watchtower lacked the love that they preached.
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  19

  Britain Branch Relocation - Chelmsford, Essex

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i97qudi-jwe.

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  a-19-e 10/15.

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  StephaneLaliberte

  So, David wanted to build a temple, for there was none to his God. They have hundreds of thousands of various Kingdom Halls, convention halls, hotels, storage facilities, etc and they are comparing themselves with David?? David who, by the way, did not even built the temple after all??
  
  How in the world can they keep a streight face while telling people to work there for free when

  1) they literally made billions from selling NY properties, and other properties around the world,

  2) They emptied the bank accounts of all the congregations around the world

  3) They downsized their betel workforce

  4) They downsized their special pioneers arrangement

  5) They downsized their budget in printing less and less publications

  And they still have the boldness to look straight into the camera and pressure low income family man to give up their vacations to work on their project.
  
  I almost regret not being a JW anymore as I would be vocal about this. I don't think they would actually disfellowship someone asking these questions. As long as it is not contradictory.
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  28

  2016-09-21 BOE Re: Global Assistance Arrangement for the 2017 Service Year

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  september 21, 2016 to all congregations re: global assistance arrangement for the 2017 service year.

  ps to bodies of elders:.

  this postscript should not be read to the congregation, and this letter should not be placed on the noticeboard.

  1. 
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  StephaneLaliberte

  If I was an elder, I would agree with this arrangement as long as every expenses from that fund were communicated back to the elders. I would expect to see which hall had which repairs. The date, the cost. If they have that level of transparency, sure, I'd be happy to give.
  
  Of course, they would not give that level of transparency and I would love to hear them explain why.