Pete Zahut

Joined

• started 56 topics
• posted 3,252 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Pete Zahut

• 
  51

  Witness Royalty and the last day at the "Towers"

  by Lynnie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my uber elder cousin and his wife got the "privilege" of having one last "toast" of wine at the rooftop garden at the towers in nyc since the jw's are vacating to warwick.

  his oldest daughter and son in law are quite high up in the inner circle so they get invited to all the "inner circle" activities.

  even though they aren't supposed to toast to anything it was pretty darn close.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  Only a couple of interracial back in the 70s and these guys were not so higher up.

  High enough up so as to be driven in a new black Lincoln Town Car to the meeting. These cars were said to have been donated by a JW with a car dealership. I sat at the GB table for all of my meals and my congregation was near Central Park so enjoyed getting away from there a few days a week and getting out among those living a real life. The problem I had with the town cars is that we were told not to stumble others by making a showy display of wealth. I can only imagine what the Brooklyn Heights neighbors must have thought when they saw those cars full of humble servants of Jehovah,coming and going in their gleaming black cars. The other problem I had with it was the fact that your work assignment had to be at a certain level before you had access to a car and driver. If they were donated, why was it only a select few who used them? Those of us who did the actual work, certainly weren't included.

  The sister I spoke of, seemed embarrassed about it as if she was some sort of "sell out". She was a housekeeper but her husband was in a position of "Bethel Prestige" so she by virtue of his position, she had moved up a notch or two. Her "fleshly" Sister was a Bethelite as well but was single so she was down on the street and out in the weather with the rest of us.
  

  By gleaming leftovers from the tables at lunch ?

  Pretty much everyone gleaned after meals so they had something to snack on later. I'm talking about larger rooms with views of the city, more vacation time, air conditioned work space, travel to speaking engagements paid for by the donations of others who may not have been able to travel themselves....and of course, access to a town car and driver when needed.
  
  
• 
  51

  Witness Royalty and the last day at the "Towers"

  by Lynnie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my uber elder cousin and his wife got the "privilege" of having one last "toast" of wine at the rooftop garden at the towers in nyc since the jw's are vacating to warwick.

  his oldest daughter and son in law are quite high up in the inner circle so they get invited to all the "inner circle" activities.

  even though they aren't supposed to toast to anything it was pretty darn close.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  Witness Royalty

  That term reminds me of when I was in Bethel back in the late 70's. All of us regular Bethelites used to walk everywhere or use our meager earning to ride the subway or bus to meetings. Often, we'd be coming home from meeting after 10pm in bad neighborhoods and in freezing NY winter weather. It was ironic, in view of how we were all supposed to be equal in Jehovah's eyes, to be huddled under an umbrella in the sleet and rain and see the higher ups being driven in long black town cars, to their meetings. On meeting nights, you'd see the town cars coming out of the garage one by one.

  One time I was on my way to meeting and a group of us were standing on a street corner huddled up under our umbrellas in the driving rain. I saw my housekeeper (a black sister married to a white higher up) sitting in the back of one such town car, with her husband. The car was waiting for the light to change and when our eyes met she looked ashamed and leaned back so that her face was shielded by the door frame. The car drove off leaving us all in the rain and a long subway ride to the meeting.

  Knowing her, I knew she was a humble person who came from very humble beginnings and wound up going places once she got to Bethel. I got the sense that she would have been more comfortable being with us on the street than she was with being driven around like a celebrity. I didn't have a problem with it but it came as a surprise to me that even though we were told to "keep our eyes simple", the individuals who were telling us that, were living quite high on the hog.
  
• 
  34

  Today's W.T when it mentioned Depression and Anxiety

  by Isambard Crater in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  our co-ordinator put his hand up and commented saying that people who go on about how depressed or anxious they are just need to stop giving in to impulses and show more self control without letting their emotions rule their lives.. if anyone from the media, a government agency or some other public body heard a comment like that, they'd have a hard time exercising self control over the rubbish this elder spouted, which my friends and family with genuine depression found insulting..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  they just need to stop giving in to impulses and show more self control without letting their emotions rule their lives

  Imagine being at the mercy of this unenlightened narrow minded clod? This is why "unlettered and ordinary men" have no business being in a position of authority where they can influence and make life altering decisions that can permanently affect the lives of others.
  
• 
  7

  ANECDOTE of the DAY (a Rabbi on God's slaying of humans)

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anecdote of the day.

  _________i spoke with a certain rabbi every morning for over a year and a half.we were at a starbucks along with a table filled with all sorts of fellows.

  they were mostly immigrants.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  The grandfather was suggesting that he, as a professional painter, was superior to and amateur painter because he didn't foolishly imagine that all of his work were masterpieces worth keeping. As a professional, he held himself to a higher standard.

  If the (imperfect human) Grandfather/Painter were an imbalanced man, he'd have painted a big red X across the original painting and thrown it in the corner where it was of no use to anybody. He may have even, in a fit of rage, put his fist through some of the canvas that he especially disliked and rendered them forever useless. This kind of behavior would have frightened his family and made them question his sanity. Thankfully the Grandfather/Painter, being a balanced man, realized that he could choose to see the value in the existing painting and simply touch it up to make it more to his liking, or, he could chose to simply start over.

  Christians base their belief in the existence of God on the Bible where it tells us he is a supreme ,just and loving being, incapable of error....he is not an amateur. Since we are comparing him to the Grandfather/Professional Painter, if he were truly just and loving God, he could have chosen to "touch up" the first human pair and improve their flaws or he could have simply started over. Instead, he chose to curse them and to render them in even worse condition than before. He tossed them in the corner (so to speak) and left them there to fend for themselves. Later he filled his art studio with water that ruined most of his work. A few of the paintings that he "sort of liked" floated to the top and survived this insane action. However because they weren't entirely perfect, he tossed them in the corner and eventually forgot about them too and vowed that one day, he would be back to burn his entire studio down.
• 
  19

  My sister has a different view of shunning to my brother-in-law, but he doesn't know

  by Xanthippe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my library has volunteers who run the local history department.

  they put up an exhibition last month called women at war and they asked for photos of people in uniform who aided the war effort in wwll.

  i offered a photo of my mother in her red cross nurse's uniform but then i couldn't find it so i had to write to my sister asking if she had it.. i addressed it to her and her husband explaining why i wanted it and just wrote as if this is family property and i needed it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  Sorry Pete, I just don't understand people like this, it just doesn't compute.

  When JW's behave this way to their family members it reminds me of the time Jesus Apostles, full of their own importance, were heavily condemning the prostitute . They were willing to condemn her to the fullest while Jesus himself, the Son of God, was kind and forgiving to her.

  It's a case of "The Butler(s) being more grand than the King himself".
  

  It's sometimes the same way in an office. The head manager might be casual and have an open door management style but to speak to him one must first get past the $10.00 and hour clerk who is being far more officious than she needs to be by creating unnecessary road blocks because she's on some kind of personal power trip.

  Shunning people is the only power the the GB allows the lowly individual JW to have. When shunning, most of them aren't primarily concerned with "sticking up for Jehovah". Their main motivation is the extra sense of virtuousness they get to experience by doing so. They get to play the role of the martyr (look what your actions done to me). Then also enjoy how noble it makes them appear to the group. This is referred to as "Virtue Signaling".
  
• 
  19

  My sister has a different view of shunning to my brother-in-law, but he doesn't know

  by Xanthippe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my library has volunteers who run the local history department.

  they put up an exhibition last month called women at war and they asked for photos of people in uniform who aided the war effort in wwll.

  i offered a photo of my mother in her red cross nurse's uniform but then i couldn't find it so i had to write to my sister asking if she had it.. i addressed it to her and her husband explaining why i wanted it and just wrote as if this is family property and i needed it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  The text was delivered, Pete.

  I suppose it's possible the number may belong to someone else now and your message was delivered to the new party instead of your Sister. I've received " wrong number" texts and have ignored them unless they've seemed important in which case I've texted back and let them know they had a wrong number.

  I'd hate to see you miss an opportunity to keep in touch because you thought she was ignoring you. ( just sayin' )
  
• 
  19

  My sister has a different view of shunning to my brother-in-law, but he doesn't know

  by Xanthippe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my library has volunteers who run the local history department.

  they put up an exhibition last month called women at war and they asked for photos of people in uniform who aided the war effort in wwll.

  i offered a photo of my mother in her red cross nurse's uniform but then i couldn't find it so i had to write to my sister asking if she had it.. i addressed it to her and her husband explaining why i wanted it and just wrote as if this is family property and i needed it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  Then I thought I would like to thank my sister so I used the mobile phone number I've not used since my parents died and sent her a text telling her how good the photo looked enlarged in the exhibition and thanking her.
  

  Are you sure she still has the same phone number? Is it possible that she just didn't receive your text message?
  
• 
  23

  Why Jehovah witnesses don't say, "Bless you" ?

  by Issa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  bless you, that was a big sneeze you let out sister.. sister- ah, what does "bless you" mean?.

  oh, it's pagan.

  because people bless the soul of the person so they don't escape from their physical bodies.. sister- right, it is difficult to change the little things, but we can please jehovah by staying away from those things.. .... this is a scenario that happened when i accidentally (naturally) said "bless you" to the jw sister.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  Sister- Right, it is difficult to change the little things, but we can please Jehovah by staying away from those things.

  
  

  You: Well what about the "little" matter of mispronouncing his name tor all these decades?

  Anyway, the words Bless, Blessed and Blessing are often used by the religious and they usually have something to do with God so therefore, JW's are automatically the authorities on the matter. If it wasn't their own idea to say "bless you " to someone who sneezes, then doing so is displeasing to God, unless the Governing Body has new light on this and other equally important matters.
  
  
• 
  15

  I wonder if their are any parents of theses children on here now .May 22 1994

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know it could be a sensitive subject however we were all once firm believers and could have very well let one of our loved ones die due to what we once believed.. and not to be judgemental on what we would have done or did do in the past ,i sometime wonder if any of the parents or even one parent of the children of the may 22nd 1994 magazine of "youths who put god first " have now regretted their decision to let their children make this decision on their own.. after all these years i find it hard to believe that not one of them have no regrets to what happened to their child.. i can also accept that it would be extremely hard to admit that you allowed your child to make a decision to die on a belief you instilled in them that you no longer now believe in.

  i think that would be very hard to live with and come to terms with.. if any of you are here my heart goes out to you because you have gone through hell and my thoughts/vibes are with you..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  I am the son of someone who died not taking blood at the advice of JW's but he was only studying at the time. The Elders assured us we would soon see him in the New System but because he wasn't baptized, they wouldn't let us have his memorial at the Kingdom Hall. He was worthy in their estimation of a resurrection but not unworthy of having his memorial held in the Kingdom Hall and he certainly wasn't worthy enough to be featured on the cover of the prestigious AWAKE! magazine.

  A few years ago however, I did meet an X-JW couple who lost their young because of the Blood issue (Leukemia) and later left the organization over doctrinal issues....talk about ongoing grief and heartbreak.
  
• 
  26

  Male Martyrs can expect to find 72 virgin maidens, what can female suicide bombers expect???

  by James Mixon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  female martyrs will be chief of 72 virgins the fairest of the women, and plus she will made beautiful , happy and without jealousy .."whoopee" their paradise is worst than jw's paradise..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Pete Zahut

  Are Virgin Suicide Bombers allowed to drive yet or do they still depend on men to deliver their bombs for them?

  Anyway, I suppose the best a Female Virgin Bomber can hope for, is the privilege of becoming part of a Harem of virgins who belong to a Male Suicide Bomber.

  A few days later, none of them will be virgins and they['ll be looking around for something new to strive for.