Posts by Pete Zahut

22

Went to the assembly..some.personal thoughts on it.

by integ in

jw
friends

i've been as honest as i can on this forum throughout my time bouncing in and out..and been jumped on for saying anything positive about the "truth" or my experiences at the hall, but it's been a few years now since i have been attending meetings.

i go to the memorial for family reasons and went to the assembly today for the same reason...but one observation i have to make is most of us have all dealt with years of hearing how gawd awful "the world" is and how the only happiness is going to meetings and out in service.

now that is total bs.

Pete Zahut

"I remember the being pent up and controlled at the meetings would make the going out in the world that much more fun and exciting. Couldn't wait to get out and do fun stuff. I think those brought up witnesses almost have a better appreciation of things in the "world" due to being so restricted from it."

For me it wasn't about getting out and going wild....it was about getting out from under the guilt, unrealistic expectations of life and the unnecessary emotional burdens JW's place on people who just want to have a relationship with god.

33

Most Widely Circulated Magazine In The World

by Calebs Airplane in

which magazine is now the most widely circulated in the world?.

before responding, keep in mind that certain parameters (such as content and page count) ought to be met before any printed material intended for mass distribution can be categorized as a “magazine”.

for example, the absolute minimum range for any publication to be considered a magazine is typically around 32 to 48 pages while the highest page counts are usually around 128 to 160, with some popular women’s fashion magazines coming in quite a bit higher than that.. so with that said, which is now the world’s most widely circulated magazine?.

Pete Zahut

A lot of magazines are struggling in this era of the Internet. But a few are doing well.

The Watchtower is a Non Prophet organization. Real magazines rely on profits rather than false prophesies, to survive.

32

AUSTRALIA - Petition to Cancel the Charity Status of Watchtower and Jehovah's Witnesses

by jwleaks in

a petition has been launched in australia to coincide with the child abuse royal commission's adverse findings against watchtower and jehovah's witnesses.

the petition is to the australian charities and not-for-profit commission to cancel their charity status.. https://www.change.org/p/australian-charities-and-not-for-profit-commission-acnc-cancel-the-watchtower-bible-and-tract-society-s-charity-status.

[quote].

Pete Zahut

Is the petition open to Australians only ?

17

Wish me all the best

by LevelThePlayingField in

jw
friends

so i called in to my local walgreens pharmacy to get my blood pressure medicine refilled.

i go to the pharmacy to pick it up and they tell me that the doctor has denied filling it saying to them, "prescription refill not appropriate".

i asked them what that means and they say you'll have to contact your doctor on that, sorry.

Pete Zahut

Thanks for sharing your situation LTPF I hope it helps you to let others know.

I think you got a good piece of advice from OTWO. Your doctor is required by your insurance to monitor your liver functions because any change could mean your life. Taking your wife's medication could do you irreversible damage. Tell your Dr. immediately what has been going on. He's heard it before and will know what to do.

I work with a woman who's husband has been playing this same game with his Dr. and now is on life support and all of his organs are shutting down. He continued to think he cold treat himself by cutting back, extending sobriety goals and postponing treatment, figuring that somehow his situation was different and not all that bad. They will be pulling the plug on him next week at 60. It didn't take long for the dominoes to start falling and there was no stopping them once the began.

You don't have to tough it out alone. Anxiety is hellish but it can be overcome. Until then your Dr. can prescribe medications that will deal with your anxiety and won't wreck your body like that solvent known as alcohol does. You must be honest with him or some other Dr. immediately so they can help you.

24

What not to say...

by joey jojo in

hey guys.

i was recently talking to a old friend who is a very active elder.

i was talking about ' the truth' and he suggested i sounded like an apostate because i used terms like ' the society' and ' watchtower '.. i am aware that ' dubspeak ' has changed over the years and i am pretty sure that someone posted about it here but i can't find the thread.

Pete Zahut

I was talking about ' the truth' and he suggested I sounded like an apostate because I used terms like ' the society' and ' watchtower

If you are raising questions or sounding as if you are pointing our inconsistencies , you'd have to be careful of the tone of voice you are using or your choice of words.

If you used the term "Watchtower" or "The Society" instead of " The Brothers or the Faithful and Discrete Slave", it might sound as if you are starting to view them as a nameless faceless corporation rather than a loving Brotherhood being led by Jehovah.

Using the term "The Truth" while making air quotes with your fingers or a with a certain tone of voice, could tip them off that you're starting to see things that must not be spoken about.

13

The start of a rough patch ahead...

by confused3426 in

jw
friends

last night i told my mom my true feelings on the organization and what i've learned so far.

it all started from a conversation, we need to go visit the new headquarters.

my mom has been studying and just recently became an unbaptized publisher in the spanish cong.

Pete Zahut

"She of course told me I am weak in my faith, and have allowed Satan to corrupt my thinking."

Even though they tell you to "Make the Truth your own", your Mothier must not have faith that Jehovah's holy spirit is strong enough to protect you from corruption by Satan while you attempt to truly understand the religious interpretations you were taught by imperfect humans, since childhood.

26

Observations from an Ex-Elder Part 2 - Cart Work

by doubtfull1799 in

up until i left recently i was participating in the cart work.

in the location where we used to set up near our local mall we never had one person stop and take literature or stop and chat - other than fellow brothers.

i thought maybe it was just a bad location or something.

Pete Zahut

I'm guessing Phase 2 of the "cart work" will involve JW's dragging the carts along as they go from door to door, ringing the door bell and then simply pointing to the cart (if and when) a householder answers the door.

26

Observations from an Ex-Elder Part 2 - Cart Work

by doubtfull1799 in

up until i left recently i was participating in the cart work.

in the location where we used to set up near our local mall we never had one person stop and take literature or stop and chat - other than fellow brothers.

i thought maybe it was just a bad location or something.

Pete Zahut

Every Thursday morning there are two carts set up outside the main doors of our local library. Each cart has 2 JW's manning it. I can see from my office window that dozens and dozens of people pass by without so much as a glance. As others have said, the JW's look at their phones or chat among themselves. Then they pack up at noon just when things begin to pick up in terms of people coming and going and off they go.

Last week it was in the 20's around here and 4 women stood there stone cold in their skirts, freezing their magazines off. I thought to myself, "what a colossal waste of time" they could just leave the carts there and it would have the same effect. People almost seem intimidated by the crowd of over dressed people hanging oddly around a bunch of religious brochures.

22

I need some serious help

by bulldogg1877 in

jw
friends

i grew up a jw kid until the age of twelve.

since then i have lived a worldly life.

i have enjoyed alot of my life experiences, but i now feel like i am lost.

Pete Zahut

We often look at the past with rose colored glasses and forget the difficulties we had, only remembering the good things. I'm wondering if you are looking back on your JW life this way.

There is a saying "You can't go home again". I'm not saying you shouldn't revisit the JW religion if you think it may help but don't expect to be able to go back to the naive state you were once in and rebelled against once you grew out of it. People often need structure and any structure is better than no structure at all but remember, you can find real and practical guidance as well as the structure you crave via many avenues besides JW's or with religion itself.

Whatever you do in this regard, make sure it's done based on provable facts and tangible evidence in the here and now rather than based on fear or in sentimental hopes and dreams that can only be kept alive by ignoring reality.

37

WT Society Creates the Atmosphere which Spawns Child Abuse in Congregations

by flipper in

been thinking about this lately after almost 14 years out of the jw cult myself.

when you think of the language used within the jehovah's witness organization in such a closed society environment in how the wt society promotes almost absolute " trust " in the elders , the governing body, and trust even in the " friends " in the congregation themselves- is it any wonder that unscrupulous child molesters can enter any congregation pretending to be " spiritual " and take advantage of unsuspecting children or the parents ?

think about it : an individual is judged as a " spiritual " person within the jw organization based on what wt functions or duties they are good at performing.

Pete Zahut

Besides their tendency to judge a persons trustworthiness by their meeting comments and their dress and grooming (no beard, short hair= good) the other danger is the magical belief that Jehovah would never allow such a thing to happen in the Congregation.

Because of their tendency to be overly trusting with one another, JW's are also sitting ducks for any JW related business scam and for pick pockets at the assemblies where they leave their belongings lying around on seats.

I have a male relative who was hired by a "sister" to do chores when he was 14. When it was time to pay him, she told him to come into the bedroom where her purse was. She proceeded to teach him the facts of life and it sent him off the rails...changed his whole life in very bad way for a time. It sickened him that she could sit in the meetings with her husband and kids and answer and give talks while he felt so horrible about himself. He was too ashamed to tell anyone for fear of the shame it would bring his JW mother, after all JW boys are supposed to be like Joseph and run away when they are seduced. Instead, he ran away from home and lived on the streets and found odd jobs. He joined the army as soon as he was old enough and somehow managed to pull himself together. He never got to go to high school or college but he did get married and raise a nice family (non JW of corse) His wife despises JW's for what they did to her husband.