Posts by Pete Zahut

13

"Secret Sins"... a catalyst for change both negative and positive

by silentbuddha in

i have been completely out for close to 5 years and i have spent alot of time with individuals who either left or are in the process of leaving.

whenever we get to talking about what made you leave or what was it that made the flip switch, the initial answer is some doctrinal teaching.

in other instances it was just sorrow or a variety of other things.. however, as you get closer to many of these individuals it was generally a secret sin they committed at the root of it all.

Pete Zahut

I think this could be one of those Chicken or the Egg....which one came first, situations.

Were the doctrines so flawed that you couldn't build your faith in them and therefore gave in to sin?
Were the expectations so strict, imbalanced and officious that no normal person with a personality of their own, could possibly live up to them without becoming a mindless drone? People cannot be their authentic selves in an officious environment.
Because of the teachings and the requirement to confess your most intimate circumstances to unlettered and ordinary men (the elders) when ordinary sinfulness occurred, were you so ashamed or fearful or the consequences that you figured your were a goner and gave up on yourself ?
Did the teachings about sin and those who commit sin and what it takes to be forgiven, lead you to draw the wrong conclusions about yourself and your relationship with God and created a self fulfilling prophesy?
Are the majority of people just as sinful but less concerned than you, about covering it up?

This is often what happens to people when other individuals intervene in their personal relationship with God. The same thing happens when a parent intervenes in the relationships of their married children. They may be well intentioned, but more often than not, they cause irreparable damage.

35

Is The Watchtower Corporation Facing A Meltdown Of Confidence Among Its Members?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

looking at all the narcissistic bull shit the watchtower corporation has been spewing out for the world to see about suffering of its members to as nothing worth being very concerned about and as jehovah magnificent be vindicated is much more important.

have they really gone off their rocker enough for a very sizable portion of membership to see their insanity and jump ship?.

i think definitely they are losing all respect from their internet savy members as their madness becomes obvious.

Pete Zahut

I think they'll be fine for quite a while simply because the JW's of today fall into three categories that will keep them in place for a good while:

Too many years invested to leave
Don't care about the doctrines, it's the social connection that keeps them involved.
So simple mined, trusting and or naïve, that they are oblivious to the information out there and to the reality of what they're doing.

45

Just A Thought Regarding The Bunker Video

by pale.emperor in

as ridiculous as the bunker video was, a few things popped into my consciousness as i was riding the train today.

firstly, why did they go to all the expense and effort to not only create a bunker, but to furnish it like a living room complete with coffee table, armchair, shelves etc?

i mean, a bunker should be a bunker... boxes of tinned food, tools, medical supplies, emergency gear etc.

Pete Zahut

It is truly amazing that no video of any pre 1975 bunker alert is available. Of course technology now allows dissemination of videos, not then, I was there and got no advice n secret knocks, bunkers etc.

Back in the 70's they used to have demonstrations on the platform on how to get the preaching work done once we were under ban. I remember the sisters pulling out scarves and sunglasses etc brothers wearing different hats and coats and switching them up as they worked the neighborhood. The old ladies in the audience lapped it up...one of them raised her hand and told everyone of a certain dish soap she used that had a plastic container that once empty, was perfect for placing watchtowers and and awakes in so they could be buried in her back yard for use when we were under ban.

People loved the drama of it....it broke up the monotony of their otherwise humdrum lives. That old sister died about 30 years ago and I wonder if anyone has ever dug up her magazines.

45

Just A Thought Regarding The Bunker Video

by pale.emperor in

as ridiculous as the bunker video was, a few things popped into my consciousness as i was riding the train today.

firstly, why did they go to all the expense and effort to not only create a bunker, but to furnish it like a living room complete with coffee table, armchair, shelves etc?

i mean, a bunker should be a bunker... boxes of tinned food, tools, medical supplies, emergency gear etc.

Pete Zahut

Part 2, the follow up video shows them 10 years later sitting in their local Kingdom Hall hearing yet another talk about the new system being right around the corner. The once dark haired girl has grey in her hair now and is wondering what ever happened to the "tribulation" that was supposed to have come and gone by now and if not having a family of her own was a wise decision.

34

How to disorder a JW (family) chat

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

we all know the moment that a nice family chat is moving to the propaganda game.. sister in law saying that jw.org is the highest ranked website, cousing saying that the new hq is energy neutral, aunt stating that jw have the best education.... what can we say on these moments?.

that br splane just likes these new light ideas?.

that a jw.org video stated that jw use the name jehovah because people recognize this name?.

Pete Zahut

I usually ask my relatives what data they were shown and can show me, to prove these things to be so, or did they simply take their word for it ? Did they see this information in the literature or was it passed on anecdotally from someone else.

Remember these are imperfect men who can be "over zealous" just like they were back in 1975 and make claims that just aren't true.

45

Just A Thought Regarding The Bunker Video

by pale.emperor in

as ridiculous as the bunker video was, a few things popped into my consciousness as i was riding the train today.

firstly, why did they go to all the expense and effort to not only create a bunker, but to furnish it like a living room complete with coffee table, armchair, shelves etc?

i mean, a bunker should be a bunker... boxes of tinned food, tools, medical supplies, emergency gear etc.

Pete Zahut

I think the idea of it being an actual "bunker" came from use here, but it was meant to be a basement in someone's house that was used from day to day but was also a place where one would be safer during a storm or some other dangerous situation because there aren't any windows that could be broken or from where the "bad guys" could see lights on, inside. That setting created a sense of urgency and danger and the idea is that there would be a time when refuge from the world would be needed because they'd be on the hunt for JW's.

The whole video was filled with subliminal suggestions that were intended to play on ones subconscious. You're not supposed to think too much about any of it, you're supposed to feel the message. The things we believe to be so, that are held in place by an emotion such as fear, are very difficult to get rid of, even when we know on a conscious level, they are not real. The folks at the Watchtower know this to be true and see this a spiritual warfare and for our own good, rather than deceptive manipulation.

15

Shocking news

by Confusedalot in

i recently posted about what would happen if my mom got sick,seeing that i'm apostate.

even today i posted on a thread about blood transfusions.. i just received a text from my brother saying that my mom is in hospital and requires a transfusion to survive....is this a coincidence?.

am i being punished by jehovah, or is the devil out to get me...i dont know anymore what to do.... things are getting too much, guess i should not have joked so much in my posts..

Pete Zahut

Am I being punished by Jehovah, or is the devil out to get me...I dont know anymore what to do...

Sorry to hear about your Mother but she is the one who is sick, so no....you aren't being punished. To think that your words have that much power over the God of the universe (if he exists), must be a heavy burden for you to bear. I'm sure on some level you realize that it's a bit egocentric or narcissistic to believe that God (if he exists) would punish your mother because of something you said or did.

If the devil (if he exists) were out to get you, he would likely make positive things happen for you rather than negative things that might send you running back to the JW's.

Charles Manson is a mass murderer and yet he is in his high 80's and has been alive and well in prison for decades living off the taxpayers while my wonderful father died not taking a blood transfusion supposedly out of obedience to Jehovah, which proves to me there is no God.
It's time to focus your energy on helping your mother now, rather than wasting it on these superstitious notions about God and the Devil that were planted in your mind by religious fanatics.

30

Trouble in paradise!

by Confusedalot in

just for fun, some thoughts about the paradise teaching:.

will all the carnivores be transformed anatomically?

if a lion is transformed into a herbivore would it still be a lion?

Pete Zahut

Why were humans supposedly created to live forever but animals weren't ? Does this mean animals will grow old and die and suffer the ravages of old age just as they do now? Will humans not feel sad when the animals they love keep getting sick or injured and dying throughout all eternity? Why would a loving God do that to the animals? If I didn't take care of my aged or sick dog or cat, I would be thought of as a cruel person but God apparently intended for animals to get sick and grow old and die.

68

Over 300 DFed apparently went to a northern U.K R.C!

by Isambard Crater in

that's what i've been told by a family member (elder) who went to one of the regional conventions in the north of the u.k lately, who told me the 300 or more disfellowshipped who returned to jehovah by attending show that the end is so close, just like the final talk says..

Pete Zahut

There's a high number of battered women who return to their batterers and studies show this is primarily because they somehow are convinced that they were partly to blame.

In my experience, I think it's safe to say that most DF'd JW's on some level are still victims of the cult and are often convinced that they deserved to be disfellowshipped and shunned.

If this rumor about the high return of DF'd ones is true, it's obvious they aren't returning out of love for God. They are returning for self serving reasons.(can't blame them). Not only do they literally loose all their friends and family, they still erroneously believe that their eternal life hangs in the balance as well.

29

Relaxed rules toward oral sex?

by Socrateswannabe in

these people won't state anything definitively, but here's an excerpt from the study article entitled "making christian marriage a success", in the august, 2016 watchtower.

it does make me wonder.. although the bible does not provide specific rules about the kinds and limits of love play that might be associated with natural, sexual intimacy, it mentions displays of affection.

(song of solomon 1:2; 2:6) christian marriage partners should treat each other with tenderness.

Pete Zahut

Does this indicate a softening of their antiquated view of oral sex?

You can't always tell from reading the articles in the Watchtower, what they're getting at.

Some of the writers are Cunning Linguists.