JW Children - We're normal, and have fun at conventions, etc.

by berrygerry 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  berrygerry

  Was reading a poster's experience with custody, and the info in WTS Child Custody Packet.

  Children are prepped to present themselves as normal, with school friendships, hobbies, activities, etc. and not to mention that their life-goal is to pioneer.

  The School brochure (1983) contains this gem:

  "They [Witness families] also travel several times each year to attend larger gatherings called circuit assemblies and district conventions. These trips sometimes provide opportunities to visit museums, historic sites and other places of cultural interest."

  Yesterday, stumbled upon this contradictory gem:

  May 1979 KM, Page 4.
  

  "12 Since many of us include attending the assembly during our vacation period, we should be careful that the convention spirit does not become a vacation spirit. Otherwise, this may cause the importance of the convention to fade in the minds of ourselves or of our children. Should this be allowed to happen, it would interfere with our joy in assembling as Jehovah’s people, due to the fact that our minds would be preoccupied with having a good time in a fleshly way rather than with the good spiritual things that Jehovah is providing.—2 Tim. 3:4, 5."

  The same KM states:

  "11 Sometimes negative comments about conduct at assemblies have to do with young ones. Since we live in a corrupt and permissive society, great effort is required to shape youthful personalities in harmony with Jehovah’s will."

  Our family had ONE family vacation - PERIOD - during my childhood.
  

  The rest of our vacation periods were spent driving long journeys to some city for way-too-long conventions. At those cities, we never saw a thing, other than the convention site, as per WTS REAL teaching. (There's no better way to wake up from drifting off to sleep in the hot sun, then having your dad sitting behind you with a very solid crokinole flick to the ear.)
  
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  GrreatTeacher

  We never turned conventions into vacations, either, but we did usually go on a separate vacation every summer.

  I'm starting to realize that as bad as I thought my JW upbringing was, there were others who had it much worse.
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  Divergent

  Witness children are normal??? That's far from the truth!!! I am in a good position to say this as I was one of them!

  Based on my experience as a witness kid who was brought up "in the truth" by "spiritually zealous" parents, I can testify to how absurd that statement is. I grew up with no real friends due to a lack of young people in my cong. When I was a teenager / young adult, the constant harping on how we need to "do more" & "slave for Jehovah" and my not being able to meet all these requirements to the satisfaction of the elders (who made it almost impossible to attain "privileges" in the cong) left me with a drastic lack of self-esteem & self-confidence. The constant judging by certain self-righteous ones caused me even more misery. Furthermore, the strict admonition to "marry only in the Lord" contrasted with my NOT being able to find a single compatible person in the truth contributed to my despair. At the same time, I was not doing well in my career - how could I when I was demotivated & facing all these problems??

  Contrast this to my current situation. I am fading, with sporadic meeting attendance & total non-participation in field service. As a result, my career has greatly improved - why? Because I am more motivated & focused and am able to devote more time & energy to fulfilling work rather than to "spiritual activities" which leave me tired & drained rather than refreshed. Am so glad that I have liberated myself from that dreary & tiresome "spiritual routine". Most importantly, I have a "worldly" girlfriend, who I deeply love & adore. I now have a greater passion for life, and my self-confidence & self-esteem have increased by leaps & bounds. This is what I call a normal life, not the life I left behind!

  My life would have been a total disaster, had I not awoken & made a drastic change for the better. I really hope witness kids would wake up & see "the truth" for what it is. A miserable way of life which is wholly absurd & abnormal
  
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  DATA-DOG

  When you have to lie in court so as to present something as "normal", what you are hiding is probably very abnormal. What does that really say about the one true religion?

  The WTBTS lawyers who are devoid of human decency, cannot tell the truth. If they did, JW parents would lose many more custody cases. They call it "theocratic warfare", but they intentionally misrepresent the facts in their favor.

  DD
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  Watchtower-Free

  
  
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  OUTLAW

  Having to Prove Your Normal is a Red Flag..LOL!!..
  
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  Bungi Bill

  My father was under strong pressure from his newly-converted JW mother to bring us kids up " In the Truth". Luckily for myself and my two sisters, he resisted that. JW children having a "normal" childhood? As much chance of that as the existence of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Unicorns!

  Bill.
• 

  sowhatnow

  lmao, how do you present yourself as normal?? you must not BE normal if you have to act it. and gee how do we 'act normal" if we dont know what normal is, lol

  thats wrong in so many ways.

  and

  'These trips sometimes provide opportunities to visit museums, historic sites and other places of cultural interest."

  or,
  

  we should be careful that the convention spirit does not become a vacation spirit.

  [oh yea, we cant have any fun what so ever now] whats a vacation spirit? is that the same as an evil spirit? or a broken spirit?
  

  I WANT A VACATION SPIRIT! I NEED A VACATION!
  

  I dont know about anyone else, but on a Sunday nothing is usually open after 4 pm.

  who wanted to stay another day? or could afford to miss a day of work?
  

  we were lucky to get to stop for ice cream on the way home.
  

  and your so sick and tired of sitting in a 'freezer' or oven, depending on where you went for a convention, on a squeaky hard seat, all you want to do is go home and eat real fresh cooked food, not peanut butter and jelly and bottled water again. and get some sleep and not be kept awake all night listening to the loud smelly air conditioning unit run in your ear.

  I honestly have no clue how my mother got through a 7 [6, 5 ,4 ] day convention, and with me as a child to boot. I must have slept a lot.
  
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  brandnew

  Conventions were fun,......until it actually started.......then when it ended.....
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  stuckinarut2

  As a teenager, the ONLY thing even close to fun at conventions was checking out the cute sisters...but of course never actually having the courage to TALK to anyone...