The 8.8 doesn't hang that much lower than the D35, it won't be noticable offroad. And the D35 isn't as weak as 'they' say. The problem here lies with what 'they' say. 'They' seem to always exagerate things. 'They' see something happen and associate that with everything else of the same type, despite applying common since and rationale.
You can run 33" tires on a 4/10 geared D35 behind the 4.0L and be just fine, even with moderate wheeling. The problem lies with hard wheelin, or running with a
locker and not taking it easy on the skinny pedal. Lots of skinny pedal with a D35 auto
locker will snap an axleshaft.
Then there's the age old advise of 'run what you brung' or 'run it til it breaks'. I think you'll be just fine. If you decide down the road that you want to wheel that jeep harder, you can then upgrade to an 8.8 as they can be found stock with 4.11 gears, limited slip, and disc brakes for around $500.