Posts by StephaneLaliberte

40

"Mankind's Search for God" book

this book was published around 1990, but was never studied (to my knowledge).

does anyone know the reason why?.

StephaneLaliberte

I remember that we did study it and being shocked by the very graphic painting of the man being sacrificed, his heart being ripped out of his chess! To this day, 30 some years later, I remember exactly what it looked like!

Anyways, I remember that when we studied it, I felt it wasn't going deeply enough into the beliefs of other religions and so, I ended up going to the library and studying about other religions, in particular, catholics. From that moment on, I gained much more respect for other religions and realized that the JW were not that special. I still felt that we were closer to the truth but no longer had the disdain I previously felt for others. It actually had a deep impact on me as I thought that others outside of my religion were just a bunch of idiots and didn't deserve my respect, but that changed. Thanks to that book triggering this reflection in me.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

StephaneLaliberte

Interesting almost no JW know about Morris removed. Means few JWs visit website or follow along org development 😁

Talked about it to some of my JW family, they didn't care. Reality is that the see the GB as a group and if one member gets on or off, they really don't care. One of them thought it was normal as they grow older. I think that's one of the reasons a lot of people stay in, they don't fully understand what their religion is about and what they're actually supposed to believe.

29

why are we interested in what is going on in the JW

by enoughisenough in

for the most of us, we have left the jws...and even though we are no longer jw, many of us are still interested in their beliefs, doctrines and practices as currently practiced.

i was trying to sort out in my mind why i still care about what they are doing.

i think the answer to that is a hope that something will develop in the jws that will wake up a lot of others, and selfishly, a lot of my friends.

StephaneLaliberte

I started on this board as I was a JW and thus, felt directly impacted and I was seaking exposer to all the things the WT was hiding from me.

Once I left, I understood enough to warrant me leaving, but not enough to be satisfied. So, I kept watching for everything that had to do with JWs, including their religious view and practices.

Several years later, this interest has faded into a case study of how humans control and fool themselves in social groups (religions, political parties, companies, dancing club, karate dojos, etc). The JWs are a very good example of how various tools can be used to make people do things that are against their own interest or that of others, seemingly for the benefit of a greater cause, something greater than themselves. Such examples include propaganda, logical fallacies, disproportionate sense of belonging, overbearing and dominating over your life. While there are more to these, the idea is that all these bad things that are found in JWs are also found in other group.

The main difference with Religions and other social groups however is that they may control your entire social circle (family and friend), which, in turn, may extend control over you beyond what some may be able to bare. This is where they are more dangerous then everything else and I guess that's what brings me back to this board often. To see how far they can keep pushing such control and how they achieve it.

13

Museums the new way to make money?

by raymond frantz in

the organisation is now creating museums in 35 countries, is that their new way of making money?

nowhere does the bible say that christians should engage to such activity but is it possible the watchtower is now making it a priority for :.

a. look like they have something to offer to the community.

StephaneLaliberte

Catholics have been doing it for 2000 years! Nothing new under the sun!

34

Stress of Going to a Summer Convention

by LostintheFog1999 in

spotted this picture on a friend's page, he was highlighting the mental health issue.

however,we thought the magazine on stress was deliberately placed in the summer months because for any jw going to a convention, paying high season hotel rates for themselves or their whole family to stay near the convention centre, fighting coworkers and managers to get the time off work, travelling expenses, buying their own meals for the family, buying new shiny suits and dresses to impress (particularly if you have teenage girls who are looking for their prince), and more.... by the time they come home again and straight away back to work, their nerves will be so frazzled that their stress levels will have sky rocketed!.

as brother elder says to them, "don't worry.

StephaneLaliberte

While some of the things I've seen and heard at summer conventions are directly responsible for me leaving the org, in general, I must admit that it wasn't all that bad.

paying high season hotel rates for themselves or their whole family to stay near the convention centre

Generally, if you booked a hotel when the list came out, it wasn't that difficult. If you had serious financial issues, they'd find brothers and sisters in host cities where you could stay at. I know, I benefited from that arragement once.

fighting coworkers and managers to get the time off work

They tell you 6 month ahead. If your job doesn't allow it, you've got a very bad job. Some JWs won full year salaries for being unjustly fired for attending their convention. In the end, its no worse than planning any other vacation.

travelling expenses, buying their own meals for the family

When I was poor, we'd bring giant coolers to basically eat sandwiches for 3 days. Yeah, it sucked.

buying new shiny suits and dresses to impress (particularly if you have teenage girls who are looking for their prince), and more...

Yeah, that was a major expense. Especially with kids who would outgrow their suits every year.

By the time they come home again and straight away back to work, their nerves will be so frazzled that their stress levels will have sky rocketed!

I had made an habit of taking the monday off as well for that very purpose!

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

StephaneLaliberte

She also said that Jehovah cleaned out the organization once before and he would do it again.

Let's be perfectly honest here: Getting rid of AM3 is actually a good thing for JWs. He was among those we quoted the most to demonstrate how bad the governing body was. So JWs are better off without him and for the right reasons too.

I guess the only "bad" thing about this is their total lack of transparency. Why was he removed? Where is he now? Did they give him a severance package? What was the process followed for taking an action like this? No body knows.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

StephaneLaliberte

I don't like the man, I don't think he's a redeemable person in the eyes of the ex-JW community.

Actually, one of the main reason many of us have left is the lack of forgiveness in the JW cult. You commit a sin? We might disfellowship you and will keep record of it in a file that will follow you from one congregation to the next. This is the furthest from being christian.

If we claim someone "not redeemable", than we are no better then they are. That being said, it doesn't mean we'd need to become friends with the guy and assume he is magically a good person if he ever chose to leave the JW. All I'm saying is that we'd need to give the guy a chance at redemption. Who knows?

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

StephaneLaliberte

I think there's a strong possibility Ant Mo took this decision himself? I know few of you will disagree, but there's a chance. He's the only father on the GB Is it possible all this CSA has finally gotten to him? Unlike other GB members, he's not commented on it, has he?

Interesting... this could indeed be a possibility. He was very judgmental in his way of teaching and perhaps he hit a point where he could no longer rationalize some of the things he's seen and thus, started to judge his own group, religion, including himself. This has happened to many zealots in the past, why not AM3?

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

StephaneLaliberte

Comparing TOMO to Ray Franz is like comparing apples to oranges. Ray was a scholar and a genuine human being. Anthony Morris is a self service asshole.

AM3 was more "Old Testament" while Ray Franz was clearly a christian. "Old Testament" is much more about judgment and condemnation while the Christian message was much more towards forgiveness and love, which Franz obviously focused on in his books.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

StephaneLaliberte

It means a great deal to me. JWdom is a cult that stole virtually my entire life. I lived in misery for decades because of it. All my family members are still in, and, as a result, I have zero relationship with them. It is natural for people like me to be interested in the goings-on in JW land. - Magnum

I don't know how old you are Magnum, all I can say is that I felt like you at one time. I mean, I was 30ish when I left and felt exactly like that. 10 years later, I've made other friends and managed to keep a respectful relationship with some of my family while getting even closer to some others. In the end, time is a healer and I understand now that they didn't steal my life. Even when I was in, it was still my life. When I was in, they held a lot of control over my life, true, but in the end, it was still my life, it was me who experienced happy moments, good things and even love. So, while they did emplify and sometimes caused many of the hardship I've experienced in life, I hold on to the good things I've lived through and the things I've learned along the way. Had they had full control over me, I would still be in.