Posts by Pete Zahut

38

Hard to Remember but Back in the Ninteen Fifies...

by new boy in

jw
friends

my writing a book about my strange life as a jw.

i need some help.. does anyone remember when they used to get these charts out at the service meetings which had all the hours, "back calls" and bible studies on it?

what did they call that?.

Pete Zahut

I only remember as far back as the early 1960's but they were still using the tote board as was mentioned. They'd draw a curtain on the back of the stage revealing the board and examine how well the congregation as a whole was doing in comparison to the expected national quotas.

I remember feeling pressure to "place" my quota of magazines and to get my quota of hours in for the month. Others have mentioned the "Rotten Review" that you had to sign and turn in to your Book Study Conductor but no one has mentioned the Rooming Work.

The Rooming Work involved knocking on doors and instead of peddling magazines we were told to ask the householders if they had rooms available in their home for JW's to say in during the summer convention. It was the oddest thing to be told at meeting that the "world" hates us and then turn around and ask them to let us use their bedrooms and bathrooms. Some of the Witnesses had pretty low standards and the visiting Brothers and Sisters sometimes ended up staying in some very sketchy places. I was always impressed at how generous"worldly" people were because none of the JW's I knew offered up rooms in their own houses.

I also remember the smell of the literature when you first came into the Kingdom Hall and the sound of the brother banging those big rolls of Watchtower and Awake magazines against the literature counter in order to break the paper ring that held them together. Looking back, I Wouldn't be surprised if the home made ink and glue the society used back then, could be linked to all the cases of depression one used to see among the JW's. (come to think of it, it was probably a combination of the glue and the contents of the magazines that was at the root of it all)

8

Interaction with Cart People

by Lost and adrift in

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!

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.

32

Where is the Rebel.

by The Rebel in

jw
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.

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

18

A world without religion? Any different?

by punkofnice in

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.

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 ?

32

Where is the Rebel.

by The Rebel in

jw
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.

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

14

The Kingdom Hall

by TheLiberator in

i know i have mentioned this on other posts.

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

it was god's organization.

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.

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.