Posts by Pete Zahut

61

Is this a normal JW practice? Warning, this will be a bit graphic.

by Sequoia in

this post may be disturbing and i apologize, but i'm just trying to find out if this is a practice the jw teaches.

i was taken advantage of by a guy claiming to be a jw preacher.

he took me to his house supposedly so i could give his daughter piano lessons, and then he basically forced himself on me while telling me he was in love with me and wanted to marry me.

Pete Zahut

Something sees a bit "off" about this post but I'm going to proceed anyway.

First off, I'm glad you asked this question and I'm sorry this happened to you but once you've sorted this out with the police, I'd look into the reasons why you'd even have to ask if this is normal for JW's or even care. The important thing at this point is that this guy needs to be dealt with so that he doesn't try this with anyone else. You can sort out your thoughts about JW's later once you are sure that you are ok about all of this and that other women and young girls are safe.

This guy attempted to cover up his own wrongdoing and soothe his guilty conscience by using a warped sense of Bible logic to make it seem as if you had done wrong and you were the problem . This is what child molesters do to their victims to keep them quiet and my hope is that his daughter or someone else hasn't already been affected by this.

Naturally, you wouldn't want to judge every JW buy this bad experience but it seems to me you'd want to let someone know at his congregation, what happened to you. How they treat you and how seriously they deal with this guy will be very telling and could give you insights into the organization.

Under the circumstances, I think I'd insist that the police contact the congregation to let them know what this guy is up to. Make sure the police know that this guy goes from door to door claiming to be a minister and could take advantage of others.

Whether it's via the police or you or an attorney having to call or write to the congregation yourself, someone needs to make sure no one else has the same thing happen. You may not be his first victim but let's make sure your the last one.

40

All About The Words We Used

by dubstepped in

in the time since i've left the borg behind i've had a few things hit me as to how words were used.

i'm wondering if anyone else has some similar examples, but here are some things that have made me think:.

watchtower - my whole life i saw this as a thing of protection from outside evil forces, and then when i left someone pointed out "isn't that what they used to keep people in prison".

Pete Zahut

Independent Thinking: Seen as a bad thing as a JW but anywhere else, it's seen as a valuable and necessary ability. A parent would cripple a child if he raised him or her to depend on others to tell them what to think. They'd be forever victims of whomever took advantage of their lack of ability to think for themselves and they would be forever lost without direction from someone else.

Sheep Like: Seen as a good JW quality especially by those in charge who want to have things done their own way without a lot of push back from anyone else. In the real world where real things need to happen, there is often "leadership training" offered to employees or "leadership teams" formed when things need to get accomplished. You've never heard of a "follower training" offered or a "followers group" formed to create goals.

Thought Provoking: A good thing so long as one only thinks when told to and only on the topics and within the boundaries provided.

30

How to reply when someone asks about your spiritual health

by RodrigoGuerreiro in

first of all, sorry if i cannot correctly express the original expression used in my native language to ask for the "spiritual condition".. a few years ago some member of the family asks my wife directly how is her "spiritual health" (for me it's one of the many strange vocabulary used by jw like "the slave says...").

she was catched by surprise with the direct question and says that everything is ok... and luckily someone call them for lunch.. my question is: do you have any good answers for that question?

you can be ironic/use some humor because the question is a little bit anecdotical .

Pete Zahut

A. " I've found that like ones ego, their "spiritual health" is only as good, or as bad as they imagine it to be. Since we're asking personal questions, how's yours doing these days ?"

65

Short stay

by midnight in

after much research and prayer i am returning to being a jehovah's witness i can find nothing that eliminates them from being god's directed people , in the end they will reach the end of there journey despite mistakes and errors just like the israelites entered the promised land , thanks for your input and all the best on your personal journey ☺.

midnight..

Pete Zahut

According to the account in Bible (if it was translated correctly) the Israelites (if they existed) made it to the promised land but it didn't mean anything for them long term. What happened to them after they entered the promised land and where are they now?

There is nothing that I know of in the Bible that actually says there would literally be modern day Israelites and if there is, there is no proof that JW's are the ones to fill that role. JW's also insinuate themselves into the role of the "faithful and discrete slave class" even though there was no indication that there would be a Slave "class" and it would be literal and that role (if there was one) would be filled by a modern day religious group and JW's would be that group.

At any rate, unlike a lot of us who were raised as JW's and were forbidden to look at outside information before baptism, you have at least dared to go against the stern directives that we abided by and can now make an choice based on what you've learned so far.

As someone who watched his father die a horrible death due to the blood issue, my advice is for you to be sure you thoroughly understand the scriptures that JW's use to support that stand as well as all of the surrounding verses and know the context in which they were written. Ask yourself why the scriptures show that those who went against the early laws regarding animals and blood, were only considered unclean until sundown and why no one had to die over "misuse of blood" yet today JW's are expected to die and let their kids die over this.

Also, do not to putt all your eggs in one basket in terms of planning your future because so far, everyone who has ever lived, whether or not they believed in a "promised land", has grown old and died. Chances are pretty high that you'll need to count on growing old and having the resources to take care of yourself when you are.

I'm in my Late 50's and am ready to retire in the next few months, with a pension and additional income. Many of my contemporaries counted on being in the "promised land" long ago and viewed it as a lack of faith to prepare for the future. Some of the old pioneers and circuit overseers I know are in their late 70's, living in mobile homes, or rental units, driving school bus or have several part time jobs and are struggling. Back in the 1970's they thought the end was finally on the horizon and disregarded the evidence that the elderly folks who came before them and were dying one by one and had been duped into believing the end would come in their day as well. I never bought into this trend and from what I read in the literature and heard from the platform was made to feel unfaithful for planning for a future in this system.

Each JW generation that comes along convinces themselves (via repetition at assembles, meetings, and in the literature) that despite all the evidence before them, that somehow they will be the ones who won't have to grow old and die. It's human nature and it's the only way many of them can cope,

21

There is a NEW Songbook?!

by My Name is of No Consequence in

i am not talking about the one that the org came out with in 2010. i am talking about a new one that just came out.

it is completely different or is it just the 135 songs from the 2010 songbook plus the 16 that they have rolled out since then?

my head is spinning!.

Pete Zahut

The New Song book is here !! The new song book is here !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rTcfKfXwqo

49

How do you categorise the Society - Cult or High control religion

by UnshackleTheChains in

i have often seen many categorise the organisation in different ways.

some say cult, some say high control religion.

cult or high control religion?.

Pete Zahut

I think JW's were a cult in the beginning seeing as how they were founded by a man and were too new to be accepted by the general population as a full on religion. Those who have a complaint against JW's tend to use the term cult because it has a negative connotation in our society and using that word is sort of an intellectual way to engage in name calling.

As far as I can see, there is no specific line of demarcation between a religion and a cult. To me, JW's are a religion with cult like overtones. When it comes down to it, I suppose Jesus was viewed by some as a Cult Leader at one point and Christians were his Cult. Most religions were probably cults at one time until their warped views eventually became more mainstream. They all have a degree of hold over their members and strive to ensure that they all hold the same beliefs and are moving in the same direction.

People who feel left out or misunderstood by the general population for some reason, tend to be attracted to unpopular or off beat religions like JW's. Like anyone else, they are on some level, looking for answers to unanswerable questions but they don't fit into the already existing religions. They feel extra virtuous by being part of something that is looked upon as odd or a bit crazy by others. I know some JW's who would be utterly disappointed if JW's were ever thought of anything but offbeat and they very much dislike the recent changes that make their once quirky religion, more mainstream.

JW's raise their children in the religion and the children often feel alienated from the general population like their parents did, but unlike their parents, it's because of the religion itself. The parents as well as the children are caught up in the religion because of it's cult like aspects. Most if not all of these cult like aspects come from the man made rules and policies rather than from the actual doctrines themselves. There is limited information about the inner workings of the organization and there is a price to be paid if one leaves.

Anyway....rambling thoughts but that's my take on JW's. If I had to choose just one of the terms offered to describe JW's I'd have to go with "High Control Group".

26

Data for Partakers from 1935-2016. Latest number wasn´t this high since 1954!

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

i gathered the data for the memorial partakers every year since 1935 (the first year they had data) until now.. the latest figures haven't been that high since 1954!.

this stat looks very bad in watchtower land because the decreasing # of partakers was given, for decades, as proof that the end was near!.

.

Pete Zahut

It would be interesting to see which countries had an increase of partakers. I suspect that all the recent growth in 3rd world countries may have something to do with the uptick in partakers overall.

My experience is that folks from these countries often are quite enthusiastic but because of the cultural differences between their world and the folks in New York, they don't quite "get" or have a full sense of what they're into with this strange western religion. On the other hand, those in western countries aren't as impressed by the words of these western leaders as they once were and less of them are partaking and are being replaced by partakers from 3rd world countries.

(Just a guess)

21

There is a NEW Songbook?!

by My Name is of No Consequence in

i am not talking about the one that the org came out with in 2010. i am talking about a new one that just came out.

it is completely different or is it just the 135 songs from the 2010 songbook plus the 16 that they have rolled out since then?

my head is spinning!.

Pete Zahut

As an aside....Churches sing Hymns as part of their services....JW's who despise the customs of Christendom and pride themselves for being different, also sing Hymns disguised as "Kingdom Songs" during their services...oops...I mean meetings.

Like Christendom, they also use these songs during funeral/memorials and when a Bride marches down the aisle in her white dress during a wedding at their Church....oops I mean Kingdom Hall.

32

Finally, after almost 3 years, they want to visit with me

by StarTrekAngel in

so i ended up going to the meeting yesterday.

i have been absent for almost 2 months.

my wife was also absent as long but mostly out of chance.

Pete Zahut

English Standard Version (ESV)1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

"Always remember what 1 Cor 10:13 says. Jehovah would never test you beyond what you can handle."

Despite what your friend may think, you are not being tested by Jehovah...this scripture he quoted points out that there are temptations in life and that god will help you to escape temptation. It does not say in this scripture that he is the one tempting you or that he tests us.

32

Finally, after almost 3 years, they want to visit with me

by StarTrekAngel in

so i ended up going to the meeting yesterday.

i have been absent for almost 2 months.

my wife was also absent as long but mostly out of chance.

Pete Zahut

Maybe they want to sign you up for some multi level marketing scheme they've gotten involved with.

Seriously though....it took a little over 3 years for anyone to come looking for us after our last meeting. 25+years of regular attendance and participation and socializing and raising our kids and no one cared. The Circuit Overseer who called on us with one of my old Elder friends, was shocked that this happened.

He said, " You haven't been at the meetings lately...we're concerned " . I said "My last meeting was the Memorial of 2008. Here it is almost 2012 and this is the first time anyone came to check on us. Not even so much as a phone call after over 25 years of attending that Congregation ". The look he shot toward that Elder friend of mine, could have stopped time. HA !

I'm not sure from your post if you been gone for 3 years or two months but either way, I suppose in view of my experience, it's nice that someone is making the effort.

Not to be overly cynical but if there hasn't been meeting attendance or field service reported, they can count their time by calling on you, face to face or on the phone. In person, they could be there 4 or 5 hours depending on how talkative you are, which for them would be preferable to knocking on doors. They may even be able to study with you for a period of time.

As JW's, I'm sure on some level they are concerned about your "spirituality" or at least have been convinced that it's their duty to be concerned about your "spirituality" but if you do visit with them face to face, you might end up saying too much or drawing some kind of line in the sand. It might be better to avoid them altogether.