Posts by Pete Zahut

27

I disfellowshipped my parents this week..

by fulano in

i just wrote them a mail, telling them to not contact me any more under any circumstances, illness or death (79 and 83 years old).

unless they leave the cult and would apologize for our f*'.ed-up upbringing which ruined our whole life.

Pete Zahut

JW's get to have the upper hand in how much or how little they will shun their family members and you are supposed to be grateful for whatever crumbs they throw you. You've taken the wind out of their sails by turning the tables on them. I've thought about saying to JW's I run into from time to time... " I hate to sound harsh but are you still a JW? If so I can't in good conscience speak to you if you are still part of that misleading and destructive organization."

The difficult part of this lies in the fact that they are your parents and they are quite elderly. It's hard to be forgiving even when you know that they too are victims of a cult.

32

It came in today's mail

by Virgochik in

it came today, the dreaded envelope containing my personal copy of "return to jehovah" from my elderly, desperate mother.

it included a small note asking me to read it over and to let her know what i think.

she got it at her assembly.. firstly, i'm angry that she continues to push her religion on me, given that i stopped attending meetings over thirty years ago, and very offended that she assumes that i still want to be a witness, which is her choice of religion, not mine.

Pete Zahut

I understand your feelings completely but you have to remember this only annoys you because you choose to let it. It's only a piece of paper toss it out, (tear it to shreds if it makes you fell better) scan the note for anything newsworthy and go on about your day. Send your Mom a newsy note or card and say nothing about the brochure.

As you said, your Mom is not well and one day when she is not here you will have the satisfaction of knowing you behaved decently toward her even though she (unlike Jesus) is pushing her beliefs down your throat. If you catch yourself mulling this problem over an hour or a day later, dismiss it from your head....change channels and think of something more pleasant.

33

Why are JWs so against debate

by enigma1863 in

if the jws follow proverbs 27:17 they should not be afraid of any tension or friction.. in order for iron to sharpen iron you need pressure, tension friction and a bit of heated debate..

Pete Zahut

They can only bear to hear that which confirms what they've already believe. Their beliefs are based on the one dimensional logic they have been taught.

We all remember how that was, don't we?

5

Caption the Disfellowshipping Image

by Wasanelder Once in

here is the blank.

have fun!.

your turn!.

Pete Zahut

5

Caption the Disfellowshipping Image

by Wasanelder Once in

here is the blank.

have fun!.

your turn!.

Pete Zahut

5

Caption the Disfellowshipping Image

by Wasanelder Once in

here is the blank.

have fun!.

your turn!.

Pete Zahut

Misdirected Shunning

Sisters in Front: "Psst....I'm not positive but that blonde over there looks a lot like Dave and Edna Johnson's oldest daughter from over in the east congregation...you know...the one who got herself Disfellowshipped last week. Let's hug and show her how happy we are."

Woman in Blue: "Hmmm...they put an invitation on my front door inviting me to come here today but it's as if nobody can even see me. That does it... next Sunday I'm going to the Presbyterian Church...maybe they'll be more welcoming to new people"

3

If quick builds are miracles....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i found jw's like to make ignorant, disproportionate claims qbout their achievements and activity.. despite the abundance of free labour, free money in the billions and the ability to make people do as they wish, the ridiculous claim that even a 3 day quickbuild is a miracle has finally been put to shame.

i remember such claims of assistance from god, evident by projects that went on for weeks and months!

it's just a timber frame building with a layer of bricks one side and paint the other!

Pete Zahut

If quick builds are miracles, what happened here ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPiZ00FoPA

27

Missed the Meeting

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

so yesterday was a lovely day where i live and so instead of going to the meeting we went, as a family, out for the late pm/early evening to have a bbq.

we were far more relaxed than if we had gone to the meeting.

we spent far more time talking that if we had gone to the meeting.

Pete Zahut

When I was a kid, the next best thing to missing a meeting on purpose was when there was a power outage at the Hall during the meeting or when my parents would forget to adjust the clocks for daylight savings time and we'd be an hour late......(Heaven for us kids)

27

Missed the Meeting

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

so yesterday was a lovely day where i live and so instead of going to the meeting we went, as a family, out for the late pm/early evening to have a bbq.

we were far more relaxed than if we had gone to the meeting.

we spent far more time talking that if we had gone to the meeting.

Pete Zahut

The interesting thing is that no one moaned about not going to the meeting, in fact one of the kids wanted to know when we had passed a certain time as that would mean it would be too late to even consider going.

Kids (and adults) do not like or benefit from weekly meetings that resemble funeral services rather than the motivating and encouraging gathering they came there for. I cringe when I think back on all the hours my little boys (now grown) sat in little suits staring into space rather than enjoying a sunny day or an at home evening with their Dad who had been longing to see them, all day.

150

Disfellowshipping Image

by naazira in

jw
friends

this photo can be found in the april 15 , study edition article titled:.

why disfellowshipping is a loving provision.

just by looking at this image we can see how quickly the barrier between the congregation and former member is put up, after the announcement that this sister is no longer one of jehovah's witneses.

Pete Zahut

Drawings like this that contain subliminal messages are designed to achieve perception without awareness. It would have been too "on the nose" if they'd have shown the DF'd person in black and white and the JW's in color.

In this case they wanted to draw the viewers eye to the sad and questionably dressed woman who appears to be the process of turning her back on the loving congregation and having second thoughts about sadly heading out into the world alone. Her form fitting bright colored sleeveless dress and high heel shoes compared to the loose fitting clothes of the others give the indication that she has been influenced by the wicked world. Her grey book bag and sad expression shows that kingdom interests have become secondary, she knows she is in the wrong and is about to make a mistake she will regret.

Subliminal messages are most effective when the are negative and induce a fear response on a subconscious level. Advertisers and JW's must resort to these tactics when what they have to offer isn't able to stand alone on it's own merit and their target audience has to be swayed into a mindset that causes them to do or think what they normally wouldn't have on their own.

Too bad Gods "spirit directed organization" has such little confidence in the message of the Bible and in Jehovah's spirit to be able to draw people to him without resorting to trickery.