Pete Zahut

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Posts by Pete Zahut

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  16

  JW Trolley Caption Competition

  by usualusername1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just saw this profile pic in facebook.

  made me chuckle.

  https://www.facebook.com/eleanorconwayuk/photos/gm.119963091878435/10154964287646233/?type=3&theater.

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  Pete Zahut

  
  
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  16

  JW Trolley Caption Competition

  by usualusername1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just saw this profile pic in facebook.

  made me chuckle.

  https://www.facebook.com/eleanorconwayuk/photos/gm.119963091878435/10154964287646233/?type=3&theater.

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  Pete Zahut
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  20

  Maddox v Integro USA, Inc, et al

  by Richard Oliver in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know that this is old but going through and posting about every lawsuit that i can find in this decade with watchtower either good or bad if it has not already been posted.

  this lawsuit was brought in the federal district court for the eastern district of louisana.

  it involves a family whose mother had died at a district convention in 2011. the mother, patsy, was descending stairs at the convention which was held at the mitchell center in mobile, alabama when she fell and was fatally injured.

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  Pete Zahut

  And neither the Mitchells nor the WT should be held liable for someone falling down the stairs unless something was done wrong to cause it

  Whether or not they should be held liable isn't the part that concerns me. The hard part for me to overlook is the fact that they distanced themselves from the local brothers who ran the assembly. It reminds me of how they seem to distance themselves from the elders who make a mistake or do something wrong while acting in their behalf. The Australian Hearings come to mind.
  
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  20

  Maddox v Integro USA, Inc, et al

  by Richard Oliver in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know that this is old but going through and posting about every lawsuit that i can find in this decade with watchtower either good or bad if it has not already been posted.

  this lawsuit was brought in the federal district court for the eastern district of louisana.

  it involves a family whose mother had died at a district convention in 2011. the mother, patsy, was descending stairs at the convention which was held at the mitchell center in mobile, alabama when she fell and was fatally injured.

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  Pete Zahut

  There is no "They or Them" when referring to the Watchtower. It's a faceless corporation that has convinced millions of JW that they are part of a loving world wide brotherhood and that those in charge care deeply for them.

  "The Governing Body loooooves you" -Stephen Lett

  
  

  At the end of the day, they look for any legal loophole available to avoid having to use their "Bible trained consciences " and do the right thing.
  
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  47

  I am a Living Time Machine

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which world is this?_________________when the doctor pulled my screaming body out of mom all those 7 decades ago, i landed in a post-wwii world.it was--compared to today's world--an alien planet.. the world i live in today has nothing in common with the world in which i grew up.. there were no cell phones back then--there were black telephones with a dial-tone and an operator who placed your call.

  everywhere you found telephone booths!

  a call was a nickle.where did all those telephone booths go?i dunno.where did my whole world go?i dunno.. tv sets were huge boxes with tubes and small screens.

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  Pete Zahut

  I sure do miss phone booths. It just isn't the same with a cell phone.

  ...and once in a while, when you'd get an annoying phone call, there was something very satisfying about being able to "hang-up" on someone by slamming down the receiver. "Hanging-up" on someone with a cell phone is very unsatisfactory.

  
  
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  20

  Does God really care about mankind?

  by Sour Grapes in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am dying of cancer.

  yesterday i asked my full blown jw wife if she could snap her fingers and make me well would she do so?.

  she replied, "yes.

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  Pete Zahut

  Sour Grapes,

  You must have forgotten the logical and comforting JW explanation as to why God hasn't brought Armageddon yet?

  2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow respecting His promises, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

  I was always baffled by this lame reasoning because as you pointed out, every year he delays means millions more are born and will have to be destroyed.

  My JW mother lost her battle with cancer at 57. Toward the end she said to me "You know, I spent a lot years worrying about dying only to find out experiencing it isn't nearly as bad as years of worrying about it was." She said "The hard part is the feeling of missing out or being left out. It's like being invited to a dinner party only to find out that everyone there is staying for dessert afterward, except you. Then I think about the little children who get cancer and all the other things that can happen to a person along the way and I figure I was fortunate to have lived even this long".
  
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  14

  Nightmare on memorial night. This cult really sucks.

  by Still Totally ADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this morning i woke up from a good night's sleep to a horrible nightmare.

  as soon as i woke up i asked myself when am i going to get this cult out of my head.

  as a disclaimer i just want you all to know my wife would never do this because she is a hard fast atheist.

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  Pete Zahut

  I'm sure many a older former Catholic still has scary dreams stemming from the beliefs that were taught to them as children. It's likely that many old Catholics still cringe a bit when they eat meat on a Friday even thought they've gotten the OK to do so.

  I've heard of old JW folks who are stricken by dementia who return to the (Christendom based) ideas taught to them as children. An old sister in our congregation, when saying goodbye to people at the Hall, used to say in a cheery voice "Bye -bye....see you round the Christmas tree."

  The ideas or beliefs that were once held in place by emotion (fear) are very difficult to get rid of, even when we recognize the false logic used to present the ideas to us in the first place.

  I'm sure that even after it was proven that the earth was round rather than flat, there were many long time sailors who were still nervous when sailing toward the horizon. They probably even had nightmares about it.

  In my reoccurring JW dream I suddenly realize that I've signed up for Bethel again and there's no way to get out of it without shaming my family. I spend the dream wondering what possessed me to do such a thing and how I'm going to get out of there, get my house and job back and who's going to support my family. (I'm always so relieved to wake up from that one and find out it's only a dream)
  
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  25

  A baffling physics question

  by FatFreek 2005 in

  1. social
  2. current

  for several weeks i've been treating myself to a hot chocolate milk (well, soymilk) before bedtime.

  some 16 oz soymilk which i heat on high in our microwave oven.

  this is just enough time where the liquid begins to bubble along the top edge.. i then take it out of the microwave and place it on my kitchen gram scale, stir it good enough to redistribute the heat, then reset the scale to zero grams.. next, i squeeze in the hershey's sytup, "special dark mildly sweet chocolate" (fat free) into the warmed soymilk till the scale reads some 30 grams.

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  Pete Zahut

  I'm guessing evaporation is the issue you asked about originally but more importantly, have you read the ingredients in Hershey's Syrup?

  • HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. made from corn syrup by converting the dextrose (another sugar) into fructose, which is sweeter..
  • WATER.
  • COCOA* Also known as cocoa powder. ...
  • CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: POTASSIUM SORBATE, PRESERVATIVE. also know as sorbic acid potassium salt.
  • MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES vegetable, synthetic, or animal (cow- or hog-derived). Used to blend ingredients such as oil and water.
    
  • XANTHAN GUM. ...also known as corn sugar gum.
  • POLYSORBATE 60. ...Typically a composite of animal, vegetable, and synthetic substances that allows oil and water to stay mixed together.
  • VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR * made from potash and dimethyl sulfate:
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  At the risk of raining on your parade, it's loaded with high fructose corn syrup....terrible for inflaming and roughening the interior of your arteries and causing them to collect the cholesterol in your blood, rather than letting it pass by and be filtered out. Between the lactose in the milk, and the high fructose corn syrup, not to mention, the caffeine in the chocolate, I don't know how you can possibly sleep.

  If you're hell bent on drinking this stuff, there is a new version that uses pure cane sugar rather instead of the High Fructose Corn Syrup. - Pete Zahut
  

  
  
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  9

  Between two worlds

  by Skepsis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after knowing the ttatt i felt anger of all the lies i was told for years.

  then, i did some changes in my life to the better.

  i was doubting but felt relieved.

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  Pete Zahut

  Yes, I can relate to all of the things you mentioned.

  I must say that from reading other people's post about this topic and looking back on my own experience, I'm of the opinion that there is more drama and fear on the part of the "fading" JW than is often necessary.

  For me, there was a huge sense of relief that occurred once I made up my mind to leave once and for all. I discovered that so long as I skirted my way around the initial questions and reactions from JW friends and family,most of them couldn't care less so long as you didn't make them personally face anything or feel uncomfortable. I found that most JW's don't really care about proof or facts or whether or what they believe is actually true so long as they get to anesthetize themselves from facing reality.

  The bigger deal you make of it, the more they will feel required to play the part of the loyal JW. If you seem nonplussed when they show concern about you gradually turning down meeting assignments or slowing down in attendance, they'll eventually get used to the idea.

  The more excuses, apologies and explanations you offer, the more they'll push.

  (After a period of time where you've been canceling out on assignments)

  You: Brother Elder, in terms of parts on the meeting, you'll need to do without me for a while.

  Elder: What's going on ....is there something wrong.

  You: No, not at all...this is voluntary work and I'm taking a break from it for now.

  Elder: Well we need you to help out, I've already got you down for several assignments.

  You: Well It's never going to be convenient is it? But as I said, I'm a volunteer and I'm discontinuing my duties in that capacity for now.

  Elder: There must be a reason for all of this.

  You: Once again, I'm fine...I'm simply discontinuing my volunteer duties for a time.

  Elder: I'm Going to have to talk to the other Elders and we may have to make some kind of announcement.

  You: If you want to be that formal about it, that's entirely up to you, anyway, I just wanted to let you know so you can go about finding a replacement.

  No excuses, no apologies, or explanations just a clear and direct message made with full eye contact, that you will not be doing parts in the meeting. You'll have to get used to not jumping in with an excuse or explanation during the awkward silences between questions. No looking down at the floor or body language the gives them the signal to treat you as if you're doing something wrong.

  Make it clear to them that this is how it is, no if's and's or buts....they'll have to get used to it. They may be a little concerned about you but mostly they're concerned about how this impacts them and about how to get you to go back to doing what they want you to do.
  
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  25

  Would you give up one year at the end of your life if you could relive any one day in the past?

  by Esse quam videri in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  like the question asks: if you could relive any one day of your life, any age, any place and remember everything about it afterwards, would you be willing to live one year shorter at the end of your life?

  one day for one year?.

  i realize that someone well on in years would think twice about it, but, what about you younger ones?

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  Pete Zahut

  I could imagine how somebody who had a huge negative life altering experience or physical injury, would want a do-over, but right now, as many nice times as I've had over the years, I can't think of anything I'd like to live over again at the expense of losing a year of life.