Posts by Pete Zahut

28

Were You Ever A True Believer?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was raised in the religion and for the most part believed that my religion was truth.

i recognized some mistakes were occasionally made but felt that nobody is perfect.

then i smartened up and realized how dumb so many of the beliefs are....was there ever a time that you truly believed you had the "truth"?.

Pete Zahut

It was weird for me....I thought I had the truth and went through life as if I did but on some level I didn't believe it, yet thought there was something wrong with me for not quite "getting it" like everyone else did. Living that way eventually led to terrible free floating panic and anxiety issues that seemed to come out of nowhere, stuck around for a decade and didn't quit until a week after I left for good.

Before leaving, I started asking JW's I knew, questions, trying to find out what they believed and where they stood. Turns out most if not all didn't "get it" at all but were going through the motions and were fine with that. It didn't matter to them in the least that they had to ignore all the gaps and holes they noticed. They had no problem being elders, pioneers or bethelites all giving talks, making comments and teaching others, beliefs that if they though too much, didn't make sense .

69

What food are you grateful for?

by punkofnice in

jw
friends

i'll start: stilton cheese.. (it was a toss up between that and sweet pickled beetroot).. thank you folks..

Pete Zahut

Warm freshly baked bread of any kind.....especially if it has butter melting on it.

29

Parody of Song 113: "We're No Longer Witnesses!"

by TJ - iAmCleared2Land in

being in "the truth" forever, i keep (frustratingly) finding myself humming kingdom songs unintentionally.

it frustrates me when i find myself doing it!.

so today i got this song in my head, and couldn't get it unstuck, so i decided to write alternate lyrics to it... when i get that tune in my head now, i'll have words that work!

Pete Zahut

Love this....and I thought I was the only Weird Al Yankovic of Kingdom Songs out there !

50

Pharaoh tries to kill all male babies - later Moses orders the very same thing!

by George One Time in

so many things that i just discoved about the bible.. .

so from the book my book of bible stories, we all know how little moses was saved from a cruel pharaoh.

of course the king of egypt was afraid that those cute little babies would endanger his empire eventually.

Pete Zahut

A bit off topic but look at the proportions of that baby's head compared to it's arms...and what about the eyelashes and the size of it's nose, not to mention it looks to be caucasian. How did this picture ever get passed for production?

One of my final conclusions as to whether the JW's have the truth, had to do with them still claiming these "stories" were literal.

32

What is having the biggest impact on the watchtower Bible and tract society?

by UnshackleTheChains in

hi all.. this is a reasonable question and would love to know what you think is having the biggest impact on watchtower.

there is a plethora of websites talking negatively of watchtower.

there are the never ending court cases regarding child abuse allegations.

Pete Zahut

pale.emperor 9 hours ago

I know for me, and it may have been the same for you, being a witness was such a chore. I mean, i used to genuinely believe it but i hated the door to door ministry and i could tell people just pretended they had joy in it

neverendingjourney

I'm talking about the rank and file Witnesses living day to day and dealing with the burdens of being a JW. Something's gotta give.

There is so much talk among JW's about "sighing and crying" and the need for "endurance" and they blame the pressures from the wicked system of things for this. Most of what JW's endure are the self inflicted burdens that the organization puts upon them to perform and the mental drain of always living in expectation for a someday that never comes. Living this way in an age where information to the contrary is readily available or where there is a forum for individuals to discuss their similar experiences, has and will continue to loosen the stronghold the Organization once had on unaware individuals.

13

What's up with the numbering of the songs and reading them off the screen?

by Spiral in

i don't have to go very often, but last time i took my mother they were singing songs off a screen.

the numbers weren't the same as the songs with the same number on my tablet.

seemed like a lot of people were confused, but a couple of more gregarious attendees were singing (and swaying a bit) "church-style".

Pete Zahut

but a couple of more gregarious attendees were singing (and swaying a bit) "church-style". Something new?

More and more, they're becoming a mainstream fundamentalist style religion.

32

What is having the biggest impact on the watchtower Bible and tract society?

by UnshackleTheChains in

hi all.. this is a reasonable question and would love to know what you think is having the biggest impact on watchtower.

there is a plethora of websites talking negatively of watchtower.

there are the never ending court cases regarding child abuse allegations.

Pete Zahut

I'd say it's the internet and social media that is having the biggest impact on the Watchtower. They are able to use it themselves and because of that, they have lost much of the magical mystique they once had over people by becoming too common place because of over exposure. Also there is a good chance that any JW who uses the internet, could at any time, run across information that could get the ball rolling in terms of opening their eyes.

It sort of reminds me of the situation that Donald Trump is in. Certain groups are afraid of what he could "undo" in terms of strides that have been made toward "gay rights" "racial and gender equality" and "environmental" issues to name a few.

Because of the internet and peoples ability to spread the word quickly it will be very difficult if not impossible for him to sneak anything by anyone or try to take things that were hard fought for, away from anyone. He has made himself too much of a commoner via all the media exposure he's had and his regular tweets. It's so easy now for the public to know what's going on to and spread the word.

Gone are the days when the masses blindly accept what those in positions of authority, tell them to do. Anyone (other than born-ins) have no one to blame but themselves if they don't look at the JW teachings from all sides, before becoming involved with them.

13

New Letter from the GB

by Coded Logic in

dear brothers and sisters,.

it has come to our attention that many you, especially in the developed world, have chosen to outfit your homes with artificial lighting.

while there is nothing wrong with husbands wishing to see more clearly while studying - or for sisters to want to add some extra lighting when cleaning the home - we need to be careful how we choose to use this technology.

Pete Zahut

Sincerely,

The Governing Borg

P.S. And another thing...since sickness and death for the entire human race was part of Jehovah's purpose and was to serve as a punishment for Adam and Eve's disobedience, it would be unconscionable for a true Christian to try to rid him or herself of illnesses of any form (including eyeglasses or dental work) or to prolong his or her life in any way.

23

Looking for my little sister.

by DeadmanWalking in

i have a little sister havnt seen or heard from in 20 years she was da for attending a church she was 17 at the time she moved out and lived with a family not jw's in fact they are very a posed to jw's the past 20 years i've tried to make contact she won't respond all i know is she's got kids 2 or 3 of them she lives outside charlotte nc and works for a insurance company as an underwriter.

i think her husband is a police officer ?

being back in her life having a niece or nephew to watch grow up would be nice.

Pete Zahut

If you know the company she works for, send her a letter in care of her work address marked "Personal" and give her your contact information and explain that you only want to reconnect wit her, no strings attached.

22

Went to the assembly..some.personal thoughts on it.

by integ in

jw
friends

i've been as honest as i can on this forum throughout my time bouncing in and out..and been jumped on for saying anything positive about the "truth" or my experiences at the hall, but it's been a few years now since i have been attending meetings.

i go to the memorial for family reasons and went to the assembly today for the same reason...but one observation i have to make is most of us have all dealt with years of hearing how gawd awful "the world" is and how the only happiness is going to meetings and out in service.

now that is total bs.

Pete Zahut

"I remember the being pent up and controlled at the meetings would make the going out in the world that much more fun and exciting. Couldn't wait to get out and do fun stuff. I think those brought up witnesses almost have a better appreciation of things in the "world" due to being so restricted from it."

For me it wasn't about getting out and going wild....it was about getting out from under the guilt, unrealistic expectations of life and the unnecessary emotional burdens JW's place on people who just want to have a relationship with god.