Is the WTS guilty of child abuse?

cheezy

I have worked in the field of investigating and treating child abuse. One of the definitions of child abuse (besides the ovious - physical and sexual) is neglect. Does the WTS encourage parents to neglect the physcial and emotional well-being of their children by their policies (printed and implied) against higher education, vaccination, holidays, mandatory field service, early baptism that carries severe consequences, etc.?

DavidChristopher

Yes. As I believe we all were formally...But I could be wrong..wanna race?

DannyHaszard

Danny Haszard born 3rd generation Jehovah's Witness 1957 some of the images below are from my first theocratic 'coloring book' and my nightmares.

This pic above (not from the WT) is nearly identical to a Black and White 2' X 4' "visual aid" that my Elder dad used in public talks all over during the mid 1960's. http://tinypic.com/icirly.jpg http://tinypic.com/iciryf.jpg http://tinypic.com/icis0w.jpg http://tinypic.com/icirnq.jpg http://tinypic.com/icis5y.jpg

garybuss

Jehovah's Witnesses make hate a religion

I'll go to the next step and say that every single person exposed to the Jehovah's Witnesses is a victim of abuse, or deprivation (which is a form of abuse).
I agree with Stanley High . . .

For conscientious cussedness on the grand scale, no other aggregation of Americans is a match for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Stanley High, The Saturday Evening Post, September 14, 1940 The Way I See it http://www.freeminds.org/buss/buss.htm

DannyHaszard

Paranoia playbook http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/88858/1.ashx our discussion April 2005

MerryMagdalene

mandatory field service

This brings up some memories...being a kid in "field service" and having "householders" fairly often express pity for me because of what I "had to do" and expressing anger that adults were making me peddle literature door-to-door. They would sometimes ask who was making me do this? did I want to do it? why? I would feel awkward and embarrassed and guilty then about 10 different ways: that I was doing something socially abnormal, that I wasn't more enthusiastic about doing something socially abnormal, that I wasn't better at making a defense of my ~~parent's~~ faith...and on and on. I would stammeringly try to explain that nobody was "forcing" me to do it, then laugh about it with the "car group" afterwards, while it secretly gnawed away at me from inside.

And I remember my mother's stories of how she was persecuted in school for being a JW during WWII, and how strong that made her faith. She was raised as a JW from the age of 4 on, always tried to make it fun and upbeat for me, but there are some things that there just isn't enough sugar in the world to make more pallatable.

~Merry

Aude_Sapere

For the apologists and dissenters, I repost my comment on another thread:

===========================

OK. Let's turn it around then regarding this so-called 'Child-Hater Religion'.

Rather than focus on behaviors that are interpretted as either hateful of children or disciplining of children, what exactly do they 'as a group', as a 'loving organization' to demonstrate that respect and love of this impressionable group of members?

(I might add: Captive Members - but that might be extreme...)

Please tell me what programs are in place to help the children be children. To help them grow up to be strong, thoughtful, happy, healthy, independent adults.

Please help me see how this religion helps single parents.

Please direct me to the 'positive reinforcement' programs that are held out. I am only aware of 'negative reinforcement' guidance and direction from the organization - and thus from many parents in that org as well.

-Aude.

cheezy

Thanks, Danny for those pics - brings back memories! The implications are far-reaching - many religions use the threat of hellfire etc if you are not a good little boy or girl. The WTS cult went waaayyy beyond that with their doctrine of 'salvation through works' - you not only have to be good - you have to go from door-to-door and comment and give talks! I purely hated doing those things! Which actually set me up at the age of 7 or 8 to think that I was bad and unworthy and would be destroyed at Armageddon - not only for not getting enough hours, but for not loving the activities that I was told I should be joyous about. The WTS and JW parents don't seem to recognize or care how literally children take things. They stole my childhood, and my young adulthood.

DannyBloem

I have worked in the field of investigating and treating child abuse. One of the definitions of child abuse (besides the ovious - physical and sexual) is neglect. Does the WTS encourage parents to neglect the physcial and emotional well-being of their children by their policies (printed and implied) against higher education, vaccination, holidays, mandatory field service, early baptism that carries severe consequences, etc.?

This is a very difficult topic. First of all I think the WTS is surely guilty of some form of sexual and physica abuse. They condemn this of course, but they do not take the nessesary steps that could really help to avoid certain problems. About neglect, yes in certain ways. In some other ways they encourage close and loving families. So this depends more on how dups pick things up. vaccination was never any issue with dubs, but is with some other more mainstream chistian groups here (some forms of protestants, which do not allow children to get a vaccination) I think the WTS is clearly guilty in the field of higher education, but find it hard to relate it as child abuse. It is more abuse of people in general. I know in the years as a dub that there are a lot of nice and good families in the 'thuth' that have wonderfull parents, who do a real nice job in raisig the family, and making up for the loss of holydays etc.
I seen several families become a dub, where the children were threated bad with volience and all. After becomming dubs, things improved a lot. With help from others in the cong. I seen also some bad ass elders thinking it cool to beat the shit out of there own children. I guess this refelcts more or less the society we living in. I do not think the WTS is much more bad in this case then many other religions, like protestants, catholics or muslims. Danny B

Honesty

Yesterday morning an old friend asked me about my affiliation with the Watchtower Society.

His exact words were, "The Jehovah's Witnesses thrive on hatred. Hatred of other religions. Hatred of anything remotely connected to worship of Jesus. Hatred of all people who do not want to become one of them."

He left out one thing.

The Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to hate former members who leave the religion and that includes minor children (under 18 in most states) who leave the group.

Do you personally know any minor children who left the Jehovah's Witnesses?
I do. Plenty of them. If they were 17 or 18 years old most of them moved out or had already moved out of the family home when they left the group.

Really, does age come into play when speaking of children? I am 52 years old and yet I am still my 75 year-old mother's child.

How many grown children are shunned by their parents due to the dictates of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society?

Is the WTS guilty of child abuse? Yes, without a doubt.

Bob Evans

Walland, TN

Is the WTS guilty of child abuse?

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