Pete Zahut

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Posts by Pete Zahut

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  8

  Interaction with Cart People

  by Lost and adrift in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  on a recent visit to our capital..such an adrenalin rush when i rounded a corner and spotted carters !!.

  wandered slowly over and pretend to be interested..asked could i take mag...initial impression (and i'm in no way snobbish) was 2 scruffy looking dowdy sisters wich irritated me i don't know why....i was allways struggling as a single mum but refused to look like a tramp!!.

  sister jumped asked if i was interested in religion i said no too much abuse etc ...she said she undwrstood and went on to blather about catholic abuse scandal!

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  Pete Zahut

  Me: No he was being interviewed by royal commision....😂about abuse hidden by ur lot

  Ha....I love that line....especially after she just threw the Catholics under the Bus for doing the same thing.
  
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  32

  Where is the Rebel.

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  who cares?.

  the first time i was in distress with the watchtower, i was fortunate to find this place.

  my ego thought ,i was somehow special, that my posts were reaching a worldwide audience, and most of all i felt at ease, maybe home is a better word.

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  Pete Zahut

  Well thanks guys....Didn't mean to hijack The Rebel's post but I suddenly feel a little bit like Sally Fields when she won the Oscar " You like me....you really like me " !

  - Pete
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  18

  A world without religion? Any different?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i wonder what it would be like, without any religion in the world?

  i don't think it would be like 'imagine' by lennon.. i don't believe it will ever happen.

  even if it did, people are the same.

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  Pete Zahut

  Would the world really be any different without religion?

  I don't know .....but when's the last time you heard of an Atheist setting fire to an abortion clinic, steering a plane into a skyscraper or shunning their children for having their own beliefs ?
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  32

  Where is the Rebel.

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  who cares?.

  the first time i was in distress with the watchtower, i was fortunate to find this place.

  my ego thought ,i was somehow special, that my posts were reaching a worldwide audience, and most of all i felt at ease, maybe home is a better word.

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  Pete Zahut

  It's funny that you bring this up because I was wondering how to end my days of visiting/ commenting on this site.

  Every time I log on, I learn something new but I wonder if I need to stop being an X-JW and move on.

  This site has helped tremendously and I owe all of the posters, past and present a debt of gratitude for their assistance. I hope I've been able to help other in the same way but it seems like I've been getting a lot of "thumbs down" lately on my half baked comments which confirms my feeling that I've contributed all I can and should move on.

  I agree with you rebel, posters come and go and we should be glad that they were healed even though we don't hear from them anymore.

  Thanks for making this post.

  -Pete
  
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  14

  The Kingdom Hall

  by TheLiberator in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know i have mentioned this on other posts.

  as a born-in, i was obsessed with the watchtower.

  it was god's organization.

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  Pete Zahut

  "My feelings may seem extreme to some. So I was just wondering if anyone feels like me. I will now shut up.

  Hi Liberator, I really understand what you are talking about and what you are experiencing...I do.
  

  Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn, although your post is well written and makes absolute sense, I do notice a couple of red flags in what you've said so far and maybe pointing them out will help you.

  I don't want to seem harsh but I see a lot of black and white / all or nothing thinking and it seems as if you've gone from being "obsessed" with the Watchtower, to almost overnight being "freaked out" by what used to be commonplace to you your whole life.

  I also see a lot of dramatic language such as Scared to death by the Kingdom Hall, Panic Attacks, People suddenly looked artificial, Spell had been broken,Occult, Dark History, Terrified....etc. I know there is truth in what you say but I think the level to which you are reacting to them may be a bit over the top. (sorry)
  

  I've said on this forum before that I've noticed that when people first become JW's they go a little crazy and drive their friends and family away with their zeal. I think it's often the same when people learn the Truth about the Truth. They are almost driven to alert everyone they know. That's an old throwback from being a JW where you are taught that you are responsible for "saving" people (and yourself)....from God's wrath during an impending Armageddon.

  I hope you will take this with the spirit in which it is intended but I think you may need to reel it in a little and ratchet your reactions down a couple of notches so as not to scare your wife and others off. This isn't an emergency, the Watchtower has been around for a long time and you've been in involved with it your whole life. It may feel like it to you but It's not as if there's a building on fire and you have to get everyone out now or else.

  At this point, you've become accustomed to TTATT and all it's life changing repercussions. Others in your life will need to have all of this broken to them gently or they will shut down out of (apostate) fear or just being plain sick of hearing about it.

  My advice is to let people come to you and ask you what's going on. When they do ask questions only give them little tidbits at a time...don't spill your guts, let there be some mystery about all of this so that they will want to find out more. Tell them that you've discovered some things that every JW should know before getting baptized and it's all out there for anyone to see but because of human nature and because of the way things are set up in the organization, you have to let people do their own homework lest you become the problem,much like the messenger who is shot for delivering unpleasant news.

  At other times it helps to simply ask them to explain what they believe and ask them leading questions about those beliefs that will lead them to see things from different angle.

  My wife and I were lifelong JW's and towards the end I began having the horrible anxiety and panic attacks you describe. I was able to keep it in check enough so that I helped her see what I was learning and thinking without scaring her away. She started seeing things on her own and everything fell into place on it's own.
  
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  18

  Kingdom Hall Attenders: Consider Stopping the Use of Loaded Language

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.".

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  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.
  
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  42

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

  by Wild_Thing in

  1. jw
  2. 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:.

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  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.
    
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  10

  I am a happy Man!!!

  by Aprostate Exam in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  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.

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  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)
  
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  11

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

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.. .

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  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.
  
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  25

  Resolutions at Kingdom Hall

  by sieborg in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.

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  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.