I like this approach. I remember, when I was a PIMO, I used to say outrageous comments like that just for fun and people didn't know how to react. I'd be affirmative on some odd teachings like a complete fanatic. I was hoping that the very fact that there was room for me to say things like that would prompt them to question their beliefs, but I've never seen anything really come out of that strategy.
StephaneLaliberte
JoinedPosts by StephaneLaliberte
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8
www.jwletter.com
by Mace.Bean inhonest letter accurately stating current jw beliefs and practices.
far different from the childish handprinted letters most jws are mailing out.
https://www.jwletter.com.
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how long after a fade does the local hall keep your records?
by mickbobcat inso i have not been to a kh for 26 years.
if i wanted to dissociate what would be the procedure and is there any gain in doing it so long after i left?.
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StephaneLaliberte
There was a sister I knew who had her fair share of struggles in the truth, disfellowshipped, reprimanded, etc. When she moved from the congregation where all that happened, the brother in charge sent a blank publisher card to the new congregation and told her he misplaced/lost her old records. I think that brother was a PIMO.
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Do any of you ex JW`s ever feel ashamed or embarrassed to admit you were once a JW? To your now friends / associates ?
by smiddy3 ini ask this now because i have been living in this town for the past 14 years and the circle of friends i have now i have never let on i am an ex jw.. i`m talking about 30-50 people at least.. not that the subject has ever really come up , but i think they would be shocked / amazed that i was a ( i hate this word ) a "devout" jw for 32 years going around knocking on peoples doors trying to convert them to the religion .. yet every now and again i get tempted to.. how say you ?.
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StephaneLaliberte
I’m not ashamed to admit I’m still a victim of a cult from which I faded. How else am I supposed to explain that I have next to no friends from my past. That I don’t decorate my home on Halloween/Christmas? That I don’t see certain people in my family?
The shame lies with the cult, the abusers, not the victim. All I can do now is do the best with the situation that I have. How can I be ashamed of that?
Besides, I have other things in my life that I’m proud of. I’m a good father and husband. I’ve provided help to family and friends through the years and have shown to be a good person with people around me. I’m highly skilled in my profession and helped my wife in that regard as well. Yet, I’m a simple man whose idea of a great meal is fast food.
If you want to be around people who appreciate you for who you are, they need to know about both your qualities and your challenges. In my case, JWs is a big deal.
But the key is to celebrate your winnings and acknowledge your loses. For many of us, raised as JWs, it feels wrong to “celebrate our winnings”. We’ve been thought that even if we excel, we’re still “good for nothing slaves”. And that even if we’re generous with others, we shouldn’t boast about it: “let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing”! Basically, not allowing you to be proud in anything!
Well, now that I’ve left that group, I understand that this way of thinking is simply abusive and designed to keep you down. I left that group and now I’m proud of the good things I do and unashamed of the bad things that happened to me.
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Alec Baldwin Shot a Woman Dead
by Simon inso alec baldwin shot a woman dead on set and seriously injured another man.. what do we put this down as?
a tragic accident?
maybe ... except that implies no one was to blame.. the more you find out, the more it seems that this was due to negligence and lack of attention to safety.
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StephaneLaliberte
Just thought it was interesting to mention that in Quebec (Canada), they modify the canons so that they can only shoot blanks.
Also, there is no real ammunition allowed on the set.
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What kind of job would you like to have?
by Iamallcool init doesn’t have to be about big money.
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StephaneLaliberte
When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Lawyer, but I quickly gave that up as this wasn't a suitable objective for a JW. Then I dreamed of being a Solution Architect (SA) in IT. Well, now I'm where I wanted to be 20 years ago. I'm an SA. And now that I reached that dream... well, I don't know anymore.
Truth is... I'm competitive and I like to be the best at something. I'm very good in IT, one of the best I know. So, its very satisfying on that front. But I also feel that my life could find greater meaning in helping people out. That's why I keep thinking that I could be making Youtube videos, provide advises and opinions and spend my time researching various subjects that impact people's lives. But then, a lot of people do that. Would I be as good in that field as I am in IT? I don't know. And once I reach that dream, will I grow tired of it and dream of something else? I don't know. I guess I'll have to try, but I got to get my "ducks in a row" before then.
And then, who knows, maybe I'll change my mind when I actually have the time to start chasing that dream.
In the meantime, I know I am very successful on the most important project of my life: Being a good family man. So, even if I don't achieve anything else, I think we could still wrap up my life as follow: Stephane was a good guy who loved and took care of his family. The rest is just bonus and having fun in life.
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Alec Baldwin Shot a Woman Dead
by Simon inso alec baldwin shot a woman dead on set and seriously injured another man.. what do we put this down as?
a tragic accident?
maybe ... except that implies no one was to blame.. the more you find out, the more it seems that this was due to negligence and lack of attention to safety.
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StephaneLaliberte
If you are physically fit to work and don't, this likely shows issues with Mental wellness and/or drug dependencies.
This is what needs to be addressed and this needs to be done in a firm fashion so that people have all the rewards that come with working hard.
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Alec Baldwin Shot a Woman Dead
by Simon inso alec baldwin shot a woman dead on set and seriously injured another man.. what do we put this down as?
a tragic accident?
maybe ... except that implies no one was to blame.. the more you find out, the more it seems that this was due to negligence and lack of attention to safety.
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StephaneLaliberte
Alex Baldwin is one of my favorite actors. I don't care about his personality and personal views in the same way I'm an absolute fan of Tom Cruise, but can't imagine having a beer with him.
That being said, the guy killed someone! Clearly the gun worked as expected. So the issue was the way it was handled. Was it careless? For instance, if you drive too fast (carelessly) and cause an accident, you can be held criminally responsible for it. Same logic goes with guns.
- Did he personally verify that the gun was loaded and with what?
- Are blanks easy to identify, like painted blue?
Answering "no" to the questions should be considered criminal negligence. Even if someone hands him the gun and tells him its not loaded. He was an active part of that negligent process. He is responsible. He should, at the very least, stand trial. Perhaps he could be declared "not guilty" at that trial, but he should still have to go through the trial process.
On the other hand, if, for what ever reason, a live round was painted blue, than, it would remove Baldwin from the loop; attention would be diverted to who painted the live rounds. Sure, there are other security measures that can be followed:
- Modify the guns so they CAN'T shoot live ammunition
- Never aim at anyone, even with blanks.
- Properly store guns, ensure that nothing other than bullets are in the barrel (such as rocks)
- Log access to guns, who, where, when and why.
- Only practice in designated controlled areas, even with blanks.
While breaking the above rules wouldn't be criminal negligence, they could easily lead to civil claims.
Oh, one last thing: I very much doubt that Tom Cruise would make a mistake like this considering how serious he's been with gun training for his movies. One of the best fast draw on movies is him in Collateral!
- Did he personally verify that the gun was loaded and with what?
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I showed on of my JW (True Believers) that Kingdom Halls will be opening soon. He had a fit!
by pistolpete inso i showed one of my older uncles the link on jw.org.. https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/the-governing-body-announces-that-some-in-person-meetings-will-resume-in-select-areas/.
keep in mind that this is one of the relatives that is a true believer and used every excuse you can think of for the cancellation of all kingdom hall meetings.
and he also used every scriptural argument you can make up to justify the end of the door to door ministry.
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StephaneLaliberte
I think this is a good thing. I can see the impact the whole covid thing is having on my dad and I know he'll be happier to see people in person.
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StephaneLaliberte
What evidence did you folks find in Ray's books that was important to you?
For 26 years I ignored the prophecies and the scandals believing that the love within the organization compensated for these shortcomings. Sure, we weren't perfect, but we were all people seeking to do God's will!
Then I read Ray's book! I understood that the love I was after was not a fruit of the organization, but simply the people in it. While we judged people by their actions, we didn’t judge the leadership in the same manner.
While guilt was imparted to the short comings of individual man, leaders never took ownership for their actions as a group, no remorse, no regrets. And yet, being a group does not make them less accountable to act as Christians. For instance, how can someone be forgiven for a sin he expresses no regret about? Same goes with the leaders. What about the way they go about, disfellowshipping people who disagree with them on non-core teachings? What about all the rules they’ve put in place that go beyond the scriptures? They would never accept this if it was only one man. In fact, they despise the Catholic and their Pope for that reason. What they fail to understand though is that a group of man or one man are bound to the same judgment, same rules.
Based on this, it was clear to me that the Organization’s leaders were not the type of Christians that Jesus thought about. So, I left.
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StephaneLaliberte
Just about everyone in my family. At one point, my mom, dad, sister, ants, cousins, they were all out. I was the only one in... Then they got re-instated one after the other.
I find it interesting that all these people committed serious sins and now, they have some kind of a judgmental attitude towards me. I left on principals; I didn't agree with the teachings. I never divorced, cheated on my wife, or committed fornication. Never drove drunk or did illegal drugs. Yet, people who did such things, but were later re-instated believe they have the moral superiority to judge me.