Pete Zahut

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Posts by Pete Zahut

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  16

  Candidate for the Governing Body???

  by DATA-DOG in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

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  dd 😎.

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  Pete Zahut

  He's far to well educated.
  
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  26

  "In a human moment before Jehovah grabbed her"

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i often wondered how far back the witnesses had been involved with my family.

  my grandmother died at the end of 2013 and while going through her photos we found some of my great-grandmother, dora, who was born in 1901 and died in 1994. there is a photo of dora dated 1946 standing outside her house in east riding, yorkshire.

  on the back of the photo her husband had written "in a human moment before jehovah grabbed her".. my great grandfather, who died before i was born, did not like the witnesses.

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  Pete Zahut

  Thanks for sharing those interesting photos.
  

  It's my understanding that many folks from that time period in England, Ireland and elsewhere used the name Jehovah.

  My mother was called upon at the door by JW's when she arrived in the US and was asked if she knew God's name. They were astonished that she knew the name Jehovah but she had been taught that at the school in the village where she grew up. Her mother was the teacher.

  The caption on the photo saying "Jehovah grabbed her" seems like it may have been made by someone who believed that at death, God "takes" people to heaven at will, rather than waiting for a future resurrection.
  
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  15

  Read this Pretty Good Advice!

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  Pete Zahut

  To me, the high road is the noble, just road. Taking it doesn't always mean being a pacifist or passively walking away or being nice. To me, it sometimes requires action and confrontation; it requires pointing out wrongs and injustices. It requires action to defend self. It requires fighting.

  I see your point but when I read the MEME, I assumed that passivity wasn't the issue and that a discussion or confrontation of some sort had taken place. A line was drawn in the sand at some point and that's when a "monster" was made of the person who spoke up for him or herself or made their true intentions known. I also assumed that an amicable agreement could not be reached. According to the Meme, when that happens, it's better to walk away from the ensuing drama and be at peace with oneself rather than continue to fight an losing battle.

  For a former JW, it's nearly impossible to get anyone to change their mind before they're ready to. No matter how well intentioned one is, forcing others to see things your way, typically makes things worse.

  (P.S. I wasn't the one who "disliked" your well thought out comment.)
  
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  15

  Read this Pretty Good Advice!

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  Pete Zahut

  Sounds like passing the buck on personal responsibility. Blaming others for what you do. Everyone can think of bad things that have happened to them as justification for doing bad things back.

  I'm not seeing it that way.

  I'm seeing someone who is taking personal responsibility by walking away from the drama of a given situation and because he has done so, those he walked away from are condemning him.

  Instead of returning to the drama by blaming anyone or justifying his actions or getting back at anyone, he chooses peace by staying out of the conflict altogether.

  In this forum I'd say that this is referring to a former JW who left the religion and has been made out to be a demonic apostate by his former friends and family for having done so.

  Instead of being nasty back to them, he chooses to say noting one way or the other about his personal decision and has chosen to stay out of the drama they've created.
  
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  28

  Should I stay or should I go?

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello everyone, i haven't posted anything on here for a while and today i just really felt like i needed to get my thoughts together.

  (if you don't know me please read some of my previous posts).

  so pretty much not much has changed in my life, i'm still living with my parents and going to all the meetings and service.

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  Pete Zahut

  "Better the devil you know, than the one you don't know"

  "Wherever you go....there YOU are"
  

  In other words, who knows if things will be any better with your Aunt. You may get tired of each other, you may get tired of caring for kids and feeling isolated, you may regret not being able to go to college, you may miss your family.

  Whether you stay at home or move in with your Aunt or choose another path, you will still be you, no matter where you are, your personal happiness is up to you. You decide how you're going to feel in any given situation.
  

  On a rainy day, one person may choose to stay indoors and wallow in their own gloom while another person chooses to grab an umbrella and go for a walk and stomp in puddles. The difference between them lies in what they have chosen to believe about rainy days. One believes that rainy days are gray and unpleasant and the other is able to find something good about the rain. The experience they have is based on what they've chosen to believe and the feelings that come, are a result of their choice.

  It seems like you have decided that living with your parents and family is the basis for your current unhappiness, so that's how it will be from now on until you realize that it's up to you how you feel. You are in control of your own thoughts feelings and emotions. The sooner you learn that the better off you'll be.

  You say your parents have given you a car (and insurance I assume), a new phone and that they are getting nicer to you and you love them. You indicate that you have an opportunity to go to college while living at home so why not take it? Things may improve when you start taking classes and meeting a wider circle of people who will likely be more mature than the ones you already know. You'll be away from home for long stretches at school and work and you may feel like you're progressing. You may be quite surprised at how happy you are to get home and see your family at the end of a long day.

  I don't want to dismiss your complaints, but to put things into perspective, there are millions around the globe who would love to be in your situation no matter how unbearable you feel they have become.
  

  "Happiness is not like a bus stop that one simply arrives and there they are. Happiness is a day to day, moment by moment thing. Sometimes it's fleeting and sometimes it comes in long stretches and everything in between. One must be on the look out for it and enjoy it as it happens."

  This is not to say that there won't be times in where changes in your life are needed but if you have control of your thoughts and emotions, you can spend your energies focusing on the needed change rather than wasting your energy obsessing on how unhappy you are and who's fault it is.

  Can you tell us about your job search? What are you doing each day, to look for a job? Perhaps we can help you with that.

  How about college? What are you doing each day to make that happen?
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  19

  Bought My First Christmas Tree Last Night

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  last year i didn't bother with christmas as it still felt like a "nothing" day to me (thanks watchtower!).

  this is the 2nd christmas since waking up and leaving the cult and i've finally bought my first christmas tree:).

  i have no idea what to do with it though.

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  Pete Zahut

  This is the 2nd Christmas since waking up and leaving the cult and I've finally bought my first Christmas tree:)I have no idea what to do with it though

  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+decorate+a+christmas+tree+how+to+basic
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  20

  Deceptive comments or lies that you have heard from platform or brothers & sisters?

  by Farmer Jim1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, so what are the most deceptive comments that you have heard from your experience in congregations?.

  my top three are;.

  1) service overseer during the ’ how did we do?’ annual talk, twisted the figures to such an extent that it looked like the congregations ministry was in tip-top shape.

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  Pete Zahut

  They read a letter from the Society some years ago and announced that there would be a new and loving provision from Jehovah that was meant to ease the burdens of the brothers handling the literature by going to a donation basis rather than having a set price for it.

  It turns out this was done to avoid having to pay sales tax like the other fundamentalist religions do when they sell their literature and religious trinkets . Avoiding taxes seems like a legit reason to make this change but why not "own it" rather than lying by passing it off as a blessing from Jehovah?
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  13

  Anybody know about this one?

  by careful in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  a new book has just been published called the oxford handbook of the bible in america.

  in it is an article by michael gilmour, professor of new testament at (the evangelical) providence university college in manitoba, canada, on jws and the nwt.

  that's chapter 41. but that is not the only time jws are brought up.

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  Pete Zahut

  Be mindful of the carcinogens from the burning ink.
  
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  12

  Is it just me

  by Jayk in

  1. social
  2. current

  or is thanksgiving a massive animal sacrifice ritual?.

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  Pete Zahut

  Is a trip to the zoo or to the circus the same as condoning and glorifying the practice of placing animals in captivity for human entertainment ? Yes, I suppose it is, depending on how you look at it.

  At least with Thanksgiving, everyone was going to have dinner that day anyway and instead of beef, chicken or fish being served as the main dish, they served turkey.
  
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  27

  hi, I am new, God bless all.

  by Daniel Ronjom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everybody.i am new to this forum.i have grown up as a christian in a christian family, but i recognized that jehovahs are more positive about peace on earth.

  i believe in peace on earth too.

  i believe in god and jesus and angels.

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  Pete Zahut

  Welcome Daniel,

  I'm glad you had a good experience with the Jehovah's Witnesses you encountered.

  I'm curious as to how you knew they were Jehovah's Witnesses. Most people who do something kind for someone else, don't typically tell you what their religious background is unless they have an ulterior motive.