Posts by Pete Zahut

18

Kingdom Hall Attenders: Consider Stopping the Use of Loaded Language

by OnTheWayOut in

it's been a long time since i attended, but i understand that many of you still go to the kingdom hall for your various reasons.. a huge thing that helped me in my mentally breaking from their beliefs was to stop using their terms that put you, virtually automatically, into their thought mode.. using terms like "the truth," jw's feel special about themselves and this helps them separate themselves from "the world.

" by incorporating loaded language, jw's learn not to think, but merely to memorize words and phrases instead of analyzing a situation.. the reasons someone misses meetings is because they are "spiritually weak.

" they might be involved in "worldly thinking.".

Pete Zahut

Faithful and Discreet Slave = Individuals convinced they've been chosen although no evidence of such exists.

Adjustments = What has to be done when former beliefs were absolutely wrong.

Spiritually Weak = Individuals who haven't closed their minds to other possibilities as much as they should have.

Spiritually Strong = Individuals who've closed their minds and have stopped bothering to look any further.

Witnessing = Using our own errors to show others the error of their ways

Public Talk = Telling like minded people what they already know by saying what someone else has already said.

Wait on Jehovah = We have no idea what to do next....haven't got a clue but saying this takes the responsibility off our shoulders.

A Matter of Prayer = What we say to feel pious about not having an answer.

Brother or Sister Jones = You're actually nothing like a brother or sister, otherwise I'd simply use your first name.

Pioneer = Individuals who use antiquated means to accomplish an unpleasant task that no one else wants to do.

42

What Are the Top JW Issues That Just Burn Your Buns the Most?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

which ones make you the maddest?

covering up of abuse, shunning, failed end of world predictions?.

my list is long and heavy, but the top 3 that set me off the most are:.

Pete Zahut

Interfering with peoples personal lives outside the walls of the Kingdom Hall where they have no jurisdiction.
Intervening in and Evaluating peoples personal relationship with God.
Individuals involved in /accused of wrongdoing are outnumbered/ intimidated by those in authority and have no representation other than what they can provide for themselves. There is no open hearing or jury of ones peers.
There is a severe lack of transparency in the inner workings of the organization regarding how doctrines are derived, policy is made, where the donations are spent and what the financial situation is.
Their literature is extremely bias and intellectually dishonest.
The organization leaders are never wrong or make mistakes or are in need of correction or discipline themselves.
They have no accountability toward anyone regarding their past policies and doctrines have damage among the rank and file.
There is no forum in which anyone can question those in authority.
Arrogance and self satisfaction among the rank and file regarding their own salvation is the norm rather than the exception.
They take full advantage of the legal rights provided by the government and hand-outs provided for those in need yet condemn them all to death.
The GB give the rank and file the impression they are loved and protected when there is very little real help they have to offer anyone other than quotes from the Bible.

10

I am a happy Man!!!

by Aprostate Exam in

i am a happy man!

i texted my mother a couple of questions.

i asked if she thought that my children will die in armagedon even if they were good, and had a possitive outlook on life.

Pete Zahut

Many JW's are on the "cafeteria plan" where they pick and choose what spiritual food they want as it comes down the line, then go eat among the rest of the diners, saying nothing and no one's the wiser for it. (very smart actually)

11

Jehovah’s Witnesses’ lock down deal for $700M Brooklyn plot

by defender of truth in

the jehovah’s witnesses appear to have achieved a handshake with their bffs: jared kushner, aby rosen and lvwrk.. the pricing is roughly $700 million for the witnesses’ 733,000-square-foot world headquarters at 25-30 columbia heights and a 1.1-million-square-foot as-of-right development site at 85 jay st.. the same group purchased 1.2 million square feet in dumbo heights for $375 million in 2013 from the witnesses and are now leasing to such companies as wework and etsy.. tech outfits have been circling the brooklyn waterfront properties — and the large “watchtower” on the sign could someday be swapped for a name like “facebook.”.

bob knakal of cushman & wakefield has been running the sale for the witnesses, who are moving to warwick, ny.. multiple contracts were handed out for the properties and, so far, all are unsigned.. there has been interest globally, and local bidders have included l&l holding, east end capital, equity one and vornado realty trust.

when reached, the parties declined comment.. .

Pete Zahut

Bob Knakal of Cushman & Wakefield has been running the sale for the Witnesses, who are moving to Warwick, NY.

Cha-Ching $$$ Imagine how many Kingdom Halls could be built and Missionaries supported on this guys commission alone. He must be lovin' him some JW's right about now.

25

Resolutions at Kingdom Hall

by sieborg in

anyhow i got to thinking today about my days in the borg and the resolutions that would intermittently be made in the announcements for co visit expenses, sending a donation to society www fund etc.

my point is that while i was in (almost thirty two years) i never once saw anyone put up their hand to vote against a resolution that the body of elders proposed.

on a couple of occasions i heard a few hushed murmurs but i never saw one person vote against.

Pete Zahut

My point is that while I was in (almost thirty two years) I never once saw anyone put up their hand to vote against a resolution that the body of elders proposed.

Probably the same way the GB decided what to do about the blood fraction issue, the overlapping generation change and the ban on tight pants.

12

Luke 15:4 Has this ever happened in your congregation?

by pleaseresearch in

luke 15:4. new international version.

"suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.

doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?.

Pete Zahut

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

I don't think they left 99 sheep to check up on me but after 25 years in the same Hall as a regular attender, service goer, socially popular...the Elders didn't call on me until 3 years after my last meeting (Memorial 2008). An Elder (former close friend) showed up with the Circuit Overseer and said they missed me. (sniff)

You should have seen the C.O's face and the look he gave the Elder when I said " Couldn't have missed me too much....I haven't been to the meeting in 3 years but this is the first time anyone has come to check on me and my phone hasn't exactly been ringing off the wall either".

I gave him an ear full of what happened to our family and why we left and he looked truly stunned and sorry. After discussing everything for about 30 minutes, he got up to leave and asked me if I'd like the latest issues of the Watchtower and Awake.

Me: " Are you serious??? After everything I just told you and all we've been through, why would you think I'd ever want to read those magazines again??"

He and the Elder just skedaddled out the door to the 4 or 5 other sheep they left "unattended" in the car while they checked up on me the "one lost sheep". Haven't heard from anyone again.

17

My sister denounced the two elders

by opusdei1972 in

yesterday my sister presented, against the two stalker elders, a complaint before the district prosecutor.

the prosecutor said to my sister that in the country there are freedom of religion, so it is totally illegal to accuse a person loudly in the street before her neighbors , and to insist for going to a illegal judicial questioning.

she even showed to the prosecutor a past notification in which she asked to the elders a written document specifying the charge of apostasy so as to attend the judiciary meeting with her attorney.

Pete Zahut

This is great.....It would really be something if these elders were personally charged for their actions. If that happened, I'll bet they'd be on their own in terms of any legal help from the Society.

This could set some kind of legal precedent for other former JW's in the same situation as well as send a message to these Elders who think they own you and your future, that they'd better think twice and tread lightly from now on.

26

My mom died at 96 (without a visit from her granddaughter)

by BONEZZ in

jw
friends

don't get here much anymore.

my mom, if you remember, really wanted to see her granddaughter before she died.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcpuj96a8lg.

Pete Zahut

How could anyone be so harsh as to ignore such a plea from their grandmother?

I fear the granddaughter's actions will haunt her more and more as she grows older herself and thinks back on this.

It's remarkable how your Mom was so sharp, right up to the end. No matter how old she is when it happens....it's always too soon, when it comes to loosing ones Mother.

21

My sister who is still in is going to Costa Rica as a missionary

by time2keepmoving in

jw
friends

i left the organization in 2011 and never look back.

i left behind my sister and her two daughters by mid 2015 both her daughters (both are in their early twenties) were disfellowshipped and left the organization.

she has decided to go to costa rica as a missionary (i guess that's what they are still calling them, unless that has changed, been gone so long i don't know if they came up with a new term for it).

Pete Zahut

It's called "serving where the need is more fun". Not many people go to Gnome Alaska or somewhere else in the frozen north where people live, yet few JW's around to spread the life saving news. It's typically places with sandy beaches that they head for.

I think now these folks have to finance themselves because of the "money issues" the Watchtower is having these days. Did she have a home to sell in this country? Most likely her money will go farther down there. She also could be hoping she'll be more "exotic" there being a foreigner and will find a husband who lives there and already has things set up.

15

Another JW Literature Trolly Experience

by Athanasius in

this morning i stopped at dollar general to get a cheap container for waste paper.

it was 11:30 am and there were two jw literature trolleys parked near the store and manned by three jws, on old man in a rolling chair, a 30 something man, and 30 something woman.

as i walked by them i glanced at the their literature rack and proceeded into the store.. i was in the store for 20 minutes and made my purchase.

Pete Zahut

The pages of the RNWT are simply glued to the back. Actually this RNWT has the same binding that you would find in a trade paperback, which is not designed for the frequent use that a devout JW would put it through. So I can see the spine cracking and the pages falling out of these new Bibles after a year or two of frequent use.

Can't expect too much of a free Bible. I have to give them kudos for having Bibles that they can give away. Maybe they have a "base model" for giving away and save the upgraded ones for those who pick them up at the K.Hall. The guy you talked to sounds like he was on the ball, was pro-active and even had another translation of the Bible. Good for him, he might be a thinker and think himself right out of "the truth" one day.