Posts by Pete Zahut

40

Still dont get the friggin birthdays

by nowawake14 in

jw
friends

i have read extensively about the origins of birthdays, and i still don't get it.

but it's not what it means today.. even wedding veils were used to ward off the "evil eye".

but it's not what it means today.

Pete Zahut

They used to use the account from the Bible where John the Baptist was beheaded and his head was presented on a serving platter at the birthday celebration of Pharaoh's Daughter.

I never saw how that account meant that we shouldn't celebrate birthdays. What I took away from it was that we should never behead anyone at a birthday celebration and we probably shouldn't use serving platters since the Pagans apparently used them.

For that reason, we always used to acknowledge our boys birthdays by recanting the story of the day they were born and getting them a little something special even if it was only a special dessert at dinner, just for them.

Now that they're grown up and the Watchtower is a thing of the past, I'm glad that we went with our gut on that one (a few others as well) and we weren't robbed of yet another harmless life experience.

62

2019 BOE Elders letter May 13 England - Ireland Data Protection

by Not_Culty in

https://tinyurl.com/y2bzncu9.

Pete Zahut

I remember when I was a kid back in the 70's my Mother called at the door of a young couple who showed interest. It was the 70's so the guy had long hair and faded jeans, the girl had beads around her neck and was wearing faded patched jeans etc. My Mother was fastidious about keeping the required house to house records and also wrote their names and address in her own "Return Visit / Back Call " book and made a note that said "Young Hippie Couple" to remind herself of their conversation.

When she called on them again, she left her "Return Visit" book open and the young woman saw the note and said indignantly "We're not Hippies !"

Mom was embarrassed of course and tried to explain that to someone of her generation, anyone with long hair and faded jeans, was what was they though of as a Hippie, which of course isn't true.

Try as she might to apologize, the young woman suddenly lost interest and my Mom learned a hard lesson about not pigeon holing people based on their appearance. Mom always felt that the ministry was a life saving work and keeping accurate house to house records was of utmost importance so that no one was missed. She worried that she may be held responsible for "stumbling" a potential sheep in this particular instance.

I think she'd have felt better had she known that 4 decades later, the end didn't come after all and in fact they would be told not to keep house to house records at all.

45

New Light on the 144,000?

by Ding in

someone on facebook is claiming to have reliable information that the gb is about to announce new light on the 144,000 -- that it's symbolic, not literal.. one person suggested that they will retain the two-class teaching and just change the meaning of 144,000. his idea was that the change would avoid three problems with the current teaching:.

1. embarrassment over more and more partakers at the memorial when the number should be getting less and less.. 2. embarrassment over 12 symbolic 12,000s somehow equaling a literal 144,000.. 3. solving the problem of running out of "anointed" ones who are old enough to be on the gb.. thoughts?.

Pete Zahut

If they change that teaching, many an apostate will have been correct all along and will be welcomed back into the fold.... all is forgiven. (NOT).

Its more likely that if there is a god, they will be held responsible for having spread this nonsense throughout the world for a hundred years and for having turned honest thinking person's away from him altogether.

Think of the forrests of trees that were cut down and the oceans of ink that were used to print this nonsense not to mention the lifetimes that were spent blanketing the globe with it and the utter disappointment that came to those who realized they'd been duped.

58

Do You Support a Sex Strike?

by minimus in

jw
friends

alyssa milano is saying that women have to go on a sex strike to take control of their bodies.

what do you think about this?.

Pete Zahut

I heard Alyssa’s husband David Bugliari has gone back to his old girlfriend Palmala.

27

I Ended my Bible Study

by Maria Nieves in

i ended my bible study today.

several months ago, i began to feel that the truth was not the truth.

as the months progressed, my feelings intensified.

Pete Zahut

There'll be a bit of a grieving period because of your disappointment but it will soon pass. Give it a couple of months and you'll likely come to see that your study conductor may have been kindly but she wasn't really a friend. Rather she too is a victim of a cult like religion that easily dispenses with people who don't buy into their program... even their own flesh and blood.

She may have felt that she was studying with you because of a genuine interest in saving you from the wrath of God but its likely that her motivation was from peer pressure and from wanting to save her own skin. She was counting the time she was studying with you and was required to report it to the congregation each month so they could monitor her activity and make her feel guilty if she wasn't doing enough.

If there is a god, you can pray and live your life in the manner that your own conscience and ability to reason, directs you. Within the framework of your own life circumstances, you can show kindness and or do good works that provide real hands on help to those in need around you or who you may come into contact with regardless of their religious affiliation.

62

Enjoyed the Memorial

by ScottyRex in

probably not a popular opinion on here....and haven't been actively attending meetings since 1988....(i know i know a submarine attender) however thoroughly enjoyed attending this evening...was good to see lots of people i remember whilst growing up in this faith, they were genuine and the whole atmosphere was one of love.

sure if i suddenly wanted to become active again and didn't change my lifestyle they would drop me like a bomb.....however i haven't and won't and they didn't and don't.

this works for me.. i cannot demonize the witnesses on what i have seen tonight.

Pete Zahut

I know what you mean when you say you enjoyed the time you spent with the JW's. I too hold nothing against the JW's individually and usually enjoy being around my old friends mostly because its familiar and feels safe and not because of anything related to the actual religion or its beliefs.

The thing is, the whole reason I've known these people since extreme childhood is because they convinced my Mother that they were the one and only true religion and being one of them was the only way to be spared destruction by God. None of that is provable and noting they've ever said, has turned out to be true. So what's the point of continuing on? Especially when so much irreparable damage has happened to my family because of the blood issue.

18

I’m so sad . . .

by HappyBlessedFree in

so my husband asked me if i’m going to the memorial.

i said “no”.. he asked would it be okay if i take the kids.

“i would prefer that you didn’t”.. why can’t he see the lies!

Pete Zahut

What works best is to attack the credibility of the leaders/organization.

Attack may not have been the best choice of words. Any kind of perceived attack would very likely put him into defense mode and close his mind off even though he sees that things you are saying are indeed credible.
What worked best for me was to ask legitimate questions about the Bible that lead to a JW explanation and in the process the flaws in the doctrines that weren't noticed before, were revealed.

18

I’m so sad . . .

by HappyBlessedFree in

so my husband asked me if i’m going to the memorial.

i said “no”.. he asked would it be okay if i take the kids.

“i would prefer that you didn’t”.. why can’t he see the lies!

Pete Zahut

The thing I found that works the best is to get your spouse to see the inaccuracies of the beliefs one at a time and then it will have less and less of a hold on them. Ask him to help refresh your memory on the beliefs by asking simple non judgmental questions and let him answer without judgement or argument. Let him see things for himself without having to be on the defensive.

Since it's the Memorial you could say:

You: I've forgotten a lot of the details of who eats of the bread and the wine, such as where the number 144,000 comes into play.

Him: There will be 144,000 who are chosen to rule with Christ in heaven Revelation 7:4. 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

You: Are they literally from the 12 tribes?

Him: No that's symbolic

You: Ok so they're not literally from the tribes of Israel but does that mean that the number 144,000 is symbolic too?

Him: No, that's literal

You: So one part of the scripture is literal and another part is symbolic? How do we know that for sure?

Him: That's what the faithful and discrete salve says is the understanding.

You: Are some of the 144,000 who partake of the bread and wine at the memorial, women?

Him: Yes

You: So the women who partake of the emblems don't teach or have any position in the Congregation now, but they'll be ruling with Christ in heaven and judging mankind.

Him: Yes

You: Yeah....ok...it's convoluted but it's starting to come back to me....I guess I was never sure about how I could prove anything like that to anyone who wasn't already a JW.

7

Have you been embarrassed just to be with somebody?

by stillin in

jw
friends

the cult draws a lot of strange people in.

people who act like snobs about education and how much more important the witnessing work is.

people with hang-ups.

Pete Zahut

My wife and I went to New York to tour Bethel in 2006 with a group of 8 JW's from our Hall. We went around the city and did some sight seeing as well. As we were walking along in Times Square behind our group, we realized that they were the fattest people on the street....everyone of them was overweight and they were all walking along eating something. Even though they were youngish, they were having trouble with all of the walking. We had to stop so they could buy cheap flip flops for several of the sisters to wear because their feet were aching.

We went into the famous Katz Deli and the line of people was all the way out the door and out onto the sidewalk. When we finally got inside, one of the women in the group ordered one of their specialties but began telling the guy behind the counter specifically how to make her sandwich, which didn't go over well.

It was like a scene from the "Soup Nazi" episode of "Seinfeld" . The man shouted in his NY accent " Lady...you come into here our Deli and tell us how to make a sandwich...do you see that line of people waiting to get in here ? N E X T !!!"

We were on a City Bus and while the Bus was in motion, one of the women went up and started asking the bus driver if he could stop at a certain street to let us out. He shouted at her for talking to him while he was driving and told her to go back and sit down.

We had a nice time but yeah....we were embarrassed a lot on that trip.

24

My JW boyfriend broke up with me

by DrunkinLove in

i am so crushed right now.

i have been dating a witness for over a year now.

we love each other so much.

Pete Zahut

Take note of the one who scanned over his phone.. this sort of controlling nosiness is quite common among sects where members get (imaginary) brownie points by seeking to know the personal bits of others lives.

And to add to that, JW's believe it's their duty to report any "wrong doing" they may find out about and can even be disciplined themselves if they don't....and that's not the half of it.

As someone who lost a father at 60 and father in law at 48 because they refused a blood transfusion, you need to know that JW's are prepared to die and let their spouse and children die rather than take a life saving blood transfusion. If you were to pursue a permanent relationship with your JW boyfriend and one day have children or need blood yourself, he'd be torn as to whether or not to save them/you at the expense of his and their "eternal" salvation. His family and fellow JW's would pressure him to allow them to die and he'd be disciplined if he didn't . This is not an exaggeration.

You'd either have to become a believing JW yourself, go from door to door preaching, not celebrate Holidays or Birthdays and not vote or he would be disciplined (disfellowshipped) for continuing a relationship with you. If he was disciplined or left the religion altogether, his family and friends would have nothing more to do with him.

2 Corinthians 6:13 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

Genesis 24:3 and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,

To JW's you are an "unbeliever" " and your are a "daughter of the Canaanites" because you are "of the world" and not a JW. To them, he is a danger to them because he is seeing you and he must be disciplined to protect the congregation because they have the "light" and you are in "darkness".

This hurts now, but in the long run you'll be better off that this happened.