Posts by Pete Zahut

It would be great to have the abc news video shown in the post above, downloaded onto a portable video device and play it for those who are manning the literature carts.

You could just walk up and ask if they saw this video on the news and wondered what they thought of it. If they say it's just apostate propaganda, you could ask them if they believe what the news says when they report Catholic Church for the same offense. You could pull out an old JW magazine with an anti Catholic cover article on it and ask them why they believe this kind of thing and speak harshly about it only when it's about someone else's religion?

14

Disfellowshipped for Tattoos??

by Lynnie in

are getting tattoos a disfellowshipping offense?

i know several jw's that have them but i always thought they were totally taboo.

what do you guys know about this?

Pete Zahut

I do know JW's who've recently gotten them but I think tattoo's are generally frowned upon and you are viewed as "immature" if you get one. Tattooing "No Blood Transfusion" on your arm is probably acceptable.

I knew a guy who was a biker when he started studying. Before he got baptized he had a bikini tattooed onto the naked lady on his forearm to make it look more acceptable. His wife had a small Butterfly done on her backside when she was young and slim but she had put on a a bit of weight and during her baptism the Butterfly looked more like a Condor.

34

ABCNews Nightline: Segment on JW absuse cases here......

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

here is the segment on the conti abuse case in california and jehovah's witness's response as reported on by the abcnews nightline broadcast which was shown early this morning.

it really displays some absolutely shocking behavior from not only her abuser and his (supportive) wife, but also the jw attorneys and elders via video.

i am just blown away by the audacity displayed by these monsters.. we can now understand why governing body member stephen lett slipped in his comments a couple of weeks ago about "untrue reports of child abuse" in one of his talks which can viewed on the cult's website.

Pete Zahut

I agree, pedophiles can be found in any organization but this is an Ex JW forum hence our interest in this particular religion's pedophiles. The Watchtower Organization has destroyed many an individual and many a family for lesser offenses, all in the name of pure worship and under the guise of being the one spirit directed true religion. They harshly punish those who break their own organizational rules but they themselves break Cesar's law as they see fit then turn around and use every means available within Cesar's law to avoid reproach or having to pay for their own wrongdoing. They are used to having the upper hand, calling all the shots and pressuring "sheeplike ones" into cooperating with them. Their authority means nothing in the real world and their ways are finally being exposed. This may not be enough to cause a mass JW exodus but more girls and boys may come forward and the organization will definetly suffer an erosion of its power over the flock.

46

Groanfest. Share your daftest jokes .

by jhine in

lots of serious stuff being discussed on site .

i thought!it would be nice to make each other groan/ smile for a change .please share your corniest ,punniest , or daftest joke .. i will start with this shocker , borrowed from tim vine .. vandalism in a multi story carpark ....... ...................................,............................ wrong on sooo many levels !.

come on now share yours.

Pete Zahut

Q. What's the difference between an introverted Engineer and an extroverted Engineer?

A. An introverted Engineer looks down at his shoes when he talks to you. An extroverted Engineer looks at your shoes when he talks to you.

A newly married Chinese couple went on their honeymoon. The groom had always been kept busy working in his family's restaraunt and was embarrassed by his lack of experience with women. On their wedding night, wanting to impress his new bride, he told her he would do anything she liked and all she had to do was ask. The bride was inexperienced as well but said to her husband.

" I have heard my married girlfriends whispering about the number 69 and I too want to try this number 69."

The young husband looked puzzled and said " Really??? You want Garlic Chicken with Snow Peas?"

13

Leaving Christendom for the Kingdumb Hall

by gone for good in

most of us old timers left behind a stable, respected, religious heritage in our disillusioned haste to join a stupid cult.. as i recall, there was no rite of dissociation required - no reason offered to your church, no resignation required - it was a non-event from the dubs viewpoint.

what was your experience?

were you expected to do or say anything as you abandoned your spiritual heritage to become a drone in the watchtower hive?.

Pete Zahut

The JW insistence of new converts making a formal break with their former religion is more about rubbing it in the churches face than it is about anything else.

5

Socially awkward

by tamagotchi in

jw
friends

growing up a jw has made me some what socially awkward.

i would often push people away due to my weird traits.

this was made worse by surrounding myself with certain people within the congregation who didn't have my best interest at heart, who now i know where trying to bring me down, this has invoked in me trust issues with people i meet.

Pete Zahut

Tamagotchi...you're playing my song. I enjoy people for the most part and they seem to enjoy me but I have to try so hard to be "normal" and hide the little quirks I realize I need to overcome. I realize that my JW upbringing has stunted me in terms of making friends from scratch and knowing how to handle myself in certain situations. I've had to learn not to be so judgemental, not to assume things about people, label people or expect myself or others to be so perfect. I also have to remember that I'm not responsible for saving anyone, having answers to all the big picture universal questions or proving things to people or defending my beliefs and understandings. Looking back, all of that came from being a JW. Having the idea drummed into your head since childhood that the whole world is broken and that mankind as a whole is flawed and unredeemable, is bound to do a number on ones psyche. Always having to evaluate everything and everyone through a strict and often unattainable set of standards and cramming myself into a mold that someone else carved out for me...not to mention the shame and guilt I had to carry around for not quite "getting" what everyone else seemed to believe in so wholeheartedly about the so-called "truth". The "unity" they strove for, homogenized and stunted me to the point that I often don't know how I really feel or what I really think. Sometimes I surprise myself with the odd little reactions I have to things, that seem to come out of nowhere but then I realize that I'm trying to use a JW induced thought processes that often don't work in the real world.

The thing that has helped me is reading books on the topic of conversation and making friends, observing what those who seem to attract others, do and having a few pre thought out answers, phrases, stories, jokes or topics that I can fall back on when I'm not sure what to do or say. Overcoming "learned" behavior that has taken place over one's lifetime, can't be done overnight but it can get better.

The good news is that you realize there may be a need for improvement and that puts you way ahead of the game. I suspect, like me, you are probably not as noticeably bad off in this regard, as you may feel you are.

29

I Haven't Missed a Meeting in Years!

by Oubliette in

i recently ran into a jw i knew from a few years back.you know how it goes, a few pleasantries that always seem much more awkward than they really should (not for me, mind you--for him).and then the question, "so what congregation are you attending?

are you able to make the meetings?

"i'm thinking: do you always start conversations this way?so anyways, knowing full well the jw-mindset, i decided to have a bit of fun.furrowing my brow, i said, "that's an odd question!

Pete Zahut

There was an annoying sister in our congregation who would invariably approach people when they had missed a meeting or two and say "We've missed seeing you lately ". She pulled this on me only twice. The first time I let it go, the second time I said "I know...I've missed you too...but I figured you must have had a good reason to be missing so many meetings...nice to see you here today though" I quickly turned and started talking to someone else.