Posts by StephaneLaliberte

15

Another diabolical, disingenuous, nutcase illustration

by Beth Sarim in

this has been weighing on my mind all day,.

i just have to vent and get this off my chest.. the latest jw brainwashing, indoctrination session i think it was a broadcast.

toward the end where the speaker was spouting-off about being in a 'race' again and 'enduring until the end',.

StephaneLaliberte

I agree that the example never made much sense to me, but to their credit, its actually an example that was provided by the Paul in the bible.

8

January 2023 Study Watchtower - both sides of the mouth!

by BoogerMan in

i've added to it in bold letters:.

january 2023 study watchtower, page 20, pars.

1 - 3.. almost 2,000 years ago, jesus gave his life in our behalf, opening the way for us to gain everlasting life.

And Paul wrote to the corinthians: "Let us preach to all who are not part of us, to join us for the Lord's meal, which he established to commemorate his death. Let us go forth and instruct them that they are no longer to celebrate the pass over as their fathers and forefathers have done for a thousand years since it was put in place by Mose our prophet. No longer shall they partake in a pass over meal with their families in their own houses. Christ was nailed on the torture stake so that all those who believe in him may now, once a year, join us at our public place of worship in order to celebrate the new covenant of which the vast majority are not part of. They are now to silently observe those who are part of the new covenant take a small taste of wine and a small bit of bread. And while no one is to be physically fed during this lord's meal, let us feed ourselves on spiritual food as we preach and praise our lord for the greater part of our celebration."

23

WT Style Pacificism

by Sea Breeze in

episode 203 of netflix ... i am a killer looks at the murder of christopher chavez in texas.

christopher chavez was a 22 year old ministerial servant and a born-in son of an jw elder.

after a thursday night meeting and a quick bite to eat afterwards with friends at a local restaurant, he was kidnapped, taken to a gas station and forced to drive his killers around for hours while they were in the back seat.

StephaneLaliberte

I grew up in the JW and my stand on protection has never changed since I was a kid: You don't start fights but you are allowed to finish 'em.

Concerning the situation in the OP, I would've tried to find an escape route or tried to fight back. But honestly, it's much harder than it sounds. Fighting looks easy in the movies but when you never ever fight and never consider it, it is much more difficult to gather the courage to fight back. So, even if we say: In the same position, I would have done this or that, perhaps we'd have behaved like him: scared frozen like deers in the headlights.

About the rules for self defense, in Canada, they're very similar to the Watchtower's. If someone walks in your house with a deadly weapon (baseball bat, gun, knife, crossbow, etc), you maybe allowed to harm them with the weapon of your choice. The question that will come up is: Could you flee or were you cornered and have no other choice?

If they don't carry anything, I'm not even sure you have the right to fight them out of your house. You are basically expected to call the cops and wait for them. The idea is that you are not allowed to protect material possessions. If you think about it, it's basically what the Watchtower teaches.

Honestly, I don't like that reasoning. If it were to me, it would be like the states: Stand your grounds. Your home is your safe place and you should be able to use maximum force to protect it.

21

question for those who either aux pioneered pioneered

by enoughisenough in

how many of you would have spent the hours "pioneering" if it weren't for the pats on the back and being looked up to as someone special in the congregation?

i will admit that back in late 1970's i attempted to aux pioneer during a campaign because it was promoted and seemed the right thing to do,but i didn't get the hours and it was stressful trying to...and i didn't feel like a cheerful giver.

i never attempted it again.

StephaneLaliberte

When I was younger, around 13 to 18, I would often pioneer in the month of August as I would work and enjoy the summer in July. And yet, my congregations didn't often go in field service in August. Most of the pioneers would pull there hours for the year by the end of July and take it easy in August. As a result, I was often going out alone, door to door, preaching. I enjoyed it. I honestly had some engaging conversation and in some cases held company to some lonesome people willing to chill and talk.

I really believed that I was bringing something positive to my community and I guess that in some ways, I did. What's the harm in people thinking about their spiritual outlook on life? That's what often came out of me knocking on people's doors. Had I been successful in my attempt at bringing people into the "truth", perhaps I'd have a different outlook on it now. But those times I went out alone, I felt that people were speaking their minds and I was having real conversations, not just plain preaching. It was a two way street. I learned about other people's perspective on life and shared mine. I also believe that these honest conversations played a serious role in me eventually leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses.

That being said, I did invest way too much time in that stuff. I remember some days, I actually did 12 hours! Street witnessing in the morning (6am to 8:30am). Door to door between 9 and 12. break. Door to door from 1pm to 5pm. Field service in the evening at 6:30pm (finished late with a bible study). Man... I was a zealot.

28

Was Jesus the Messiah circumcised ?

by smiddy3 in

has this question ever been raised before by jehovah`s witnesses?

and what`s the significance, if any ?.

StephaneLaliberte

Of course he was... his parents practiced all the Jewish rituals. 40 days after his birth, they went to the temple with him to complete "pidyon haben" (redemption of the first born).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentation_of_Jesus_at_the_Temple#Scripture

43

Watchtower looses Norwegian Appeal

by Diogenesister in

watchtower has just lost its appeal in the norwegian courts over the withdrawal of the funding it receives from the government as an officially recognised religion.

the initial decision will now stand due to what the court termed 'exclusionary practices' which includes the witnesses barbaric practice of shunning minors, even by family members in their own homes.

the ministry of children and families have decided they are now no longer eligible for the state grant of 16 million norwegian kroner given to officially recognised religions.. the following is a statement has been issued, i have summarised if it isn't readable: .

StephaneLaliberte

Bravo! Bravo!!

15

Do you believe in ultimate justice?

by Fisherman in

ultimate justice means that conduct is not inconsequential.

.

StephaneLaliberte

Religion rationalizes or make it easier to accept the fact that there is no such thing. We like to watch movies where the hero wins, but the world we live in often lets the bad guy take it all.

Some also try to rationalize this by saying that even if some evil doers are not held accountable by the justice system, they will still suffer. They will inevitably be tormented by their conscience, or experience the absence of true love from everyone that surround them. Take Stalin for instance, he did a lot of wrong, yet, never faced external consequences other than being feared rather than loved. Was he truly happy? The idea that he probably wasn't makes it seem like there is an ultimate justice after all.

But then again, I believe this also is trying to rationalize something we'd rather not accept. That perhaps these evil doers are happy nonetheless. We might simply be projecting on "evil" people. We could never imagine happiness by ruling over hell and so, we assume it is the same with people like Stalin. It's a comforting thought. Unfortunately, in spit of what good decent people think, perhaps these bad people don't hold the same values at all. As a result, they can still feel satisfied, fulfilled and happy in following their course. No consequences.

There is no real justice. The winner [good or bad] takes it all.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

StephaneLaliberte

Looking at that video where Loyd is doing manual work... this isn't going to convince JWs against a paradise at all... they actually dream of building their own houses (so do I, just in this world though). But I do get his point... there will be jobs that people don't like in a paradise... its just that his video isn't expressing this well at all.

28

JW Obession with the trinity

by Riley in

so a few years i watched a lecture series by a man named dr. micheal heiser called the two powers in heaven, jesus in the old testament.

funny thing was it wasn't even very evangelical in nature, so i turned off my religious binders and just watched it like a regular person.

it turns out that the new testament is a hinge point in the bible.

StephaneLaliberte

So what? So what if people are wrong about exactly who Jesus and God and the holy spirit are? In the end, aren't we supposed to be judged by our actions? JWs and many religions seem to believe it's the other way around and when you think about it, it doesn't make sense.

I had this epiphany years ago reflecting upon my grandmother’s life. Always faithful to her husband and kids, dedicated her life to raise 10 kids, keeping the house in order, feeding them, dressing them, ALWAYS there for them. Even in her late years, she'd call everyone and make sure everyone remained in contact with each other. Everyone loved her. She wasn't perfect, but she was loved and still is. A hug from my grandma made me feel that no matter what happened in this world, she loved me.

BUT! She believed in the trinity! How horrible! According to JWs logic, had Armageddon happened during her lifetime, God would have sent an angel, or perhaps a resurrected governing body member, to kill her.

Fear mongering none-sense.

16

An army of volunteers and a convoy of trucks and heavy equipment headed to Florida as we speak!

by nowwhat? in

no not the watchtower, but franklin graham's samaritan purse!

nothing on the website as of noon friday edt.

evidently all the resources are tied up making their next movie.

StephaneLaliberte

Donation originating from the Watchtower is actually limited when you consider that the majority is actually given by the locals:

The local elders administer the donations and the work to be done. For instance, identifying where the food needs to be moved at, houses that offer hospitality, making health-checks, etc.
The majority of the donations are done on the spot, by local brothers and sisters, for that specific event: Food, clothing, materials, etc.
Most, if not, all of the material used for repairs are paid by individual insurances and local donations.
All re-build work is 100% volunteered by brothers and sisters.

So, what exactly does the WT donate?

Time: The bethel will be busy in coordinating the elders, directing phone calls to the proper elders, and providing guidance on how to address the overall situation. Considering that the bethelites are primarily paid in food and shelter, let's be generous and say that 50 bethelites are working two weeks each on this situation, that comes to about $60,000.

Material: They will sometimes provide, rent, or even borrow trucks, and fill it up with food that they will indeed purchase, but this is rather rare. They might offer to pay some material to rebuild stuff, but from everything reported through the years, this wouldn't be significant.

Bragging about how they help! Now this is probably the largest expense related to the disaster itself. They will produce promotional content (videos, website, magazines, books, photos) on how the "disaster relief funds" were used to help everyone there. They'll pay for a Governing Body member and some helpers to travel over there. Along with them will be a filming crew and their filming material. The irony is that in said promotional content, they will also take credit for all the local work and donations that have nothing to do with the "disaster relief funds".