A very dangerous belief!!

Gill

We were unfortunate enough to be invited to spend some time with some of my JW relatives the other day. My husbands JW relatives totally shun us but, my side of the family occassionally 'stoop' to allow us into their presence once in a while. (A totally worthless occassion in which no 'real' conversation is permitted!)

One of my cousins children was overheard telling my daughter : 'We're Jehovah's Witnesses and that means that we are never allowed to do anything bad, ever!'

After thinking about this, I realised what a dangerous belief this young child had. Would he recognise 'abuse' if it happened to him, or would he consider that his 'fellow JW' could not possibly be doing anything wrong.

Having known my cousins for gone forty years I know they've done plenty that a JW might view as 'wrong'.

Yet their young ones are continually brainwashed.

The same cousin had taken her children away for the Christmas period so that 'they cannot be contaminated or influenced by the pagan Christmas Season!'

There are times that it really appeals to me to write a DA letter and force them to stay away from us!

It is a bizarre experience to spend time with completely brainwashed and partly braindead people!!

fullofdoubtnow

It is a bizarre experience to spend time with completely brainwashed and partly braindead people!!

I imagine it is Gill, now you don't go for your regular dose of indoctrination at the kh. I sometimes reflect on the things I used to believe, do and say as a jw, and wonder how I was ever persuaded to believe it all. The jws around here don't speak to me anyway, and I'm happy about it, I doubt the type of conversation we'd have now would be very uplifting.

As for your cousins' kids, it sounds like they are being taught to see no evil in the jws they associate with, whatever they do. I would think that that is a potentially very dangerous situation for them.

Flash

Next time your invited decline their invitation. Its not a sincere offer to visit with the family anyway, just a token and condesending gesture at best.

I've considered the DA Letter too. Perhaps in the future I will since I don't follow all their "rules" anymore anyway.

Honesty

One of my cousins children was overheard telling my daughter : 'We're Jehovah's Witnesses and that means that we are never allowed to do anything bad, ever!'

This child had to hear this from one of the 'Pillars in the Congregation.'

No wonder JW's are so arrogant.

Woodsman

I have an invitation to attend a "One year closer to Armageddon" party tonight with my wife. I am going to decline and let her go alone. I'm going to go to my neighbors house instead.

I could not spend 6 hours with drinking stupid idiots and have to watch my speech all night.

What if I said something stupid like:

Things are getting better in the world since WWII.

There has never been this many humans on the earth because times have never been this favorable for the human species.

Computer applications can map astronomical events back through history and show in what year an event occurred if it is linked to an astronomical event. These applications can prove for example that Jerusalem was toppled by the Babylonians in 587 BCE.

Jesus said don't follow people who say "The time is at hand", which also happens to be the title of a Watchtower Bible and Tract Society publication.

Not even being able to discuss and debate topics of interest because the JWs aren't supposed to speak about certain things would drive me crazy.

Madame Quixote

It seems to me you could have had a fascinating and enlightening conversation with the cousin's child about what she believed was "bad" and why, if not for the typically repressive environment of a JW family gathering.

The kid is unconsciously screaming for help, by using the words "not allowed", rather than saying, "we're footstep followers of Christ," the way most adult JWs would do (or some mature variation on the same theme).

"Not allowed" suggests repression and compliance, rather than belief; maybe belief comes later; I don't know . . . maybe there's hope for this child to get out, as long as she still sees it as "not allowed" instead of "we believe."

The distinction between deep repression and profound arrogance is a fine one, especially in conversations with kids who are the biggest victims of such brainwashing.

The parents are arrogant and repressed; and the kids probably are too; however, often times, when angered by a JW family incident or situation, I find it very difficult to remind myself that deep insecurity and deprivations breed the cycle of arrogant oppression.

I believe that the insecurity of such deprivations feeds the arrogant repressiveness and is the core of Fundamentalism and cultic ideas that cause people to neglect their own and their childrens' deepest needs, often times for many generations.

In many respects, it turns off the sympathy and empathy switches and short-circuits compassion for others, as well as for the self.

Congratulations on getting out of that terrible cycle, Gill.

I think it is very lucky that you are able to maintain contact with your JW family, although I do agree that it feels like worthless conversations are taking place when you're with them. If you keep your cool, you might be able to reach some of them, in gracious, delicate ways, especially since occasionally you do have contact.

What a sad state of affairs it is to have an entire family locked into this cult, I do know. I am glad you have your husband, and hope you both are somehow able to exude happiness, and be yourselves when around your poor, repressed JW family. As long as we are outside the cult, we have choices they will never have; we need to make them see that without being overly confrontational. Best wishes to you in that effort, if you choose to make it.

Mulan

On Christmas Eve, at our daughter's house, my niece, who is 10 years younger than I am, was talking about all we missed not giving our children the Christmas experience because we were Jehovah's witnesses.

Our daughter's son, age 10, said "who are Jehovah's witnesses?" We laughed out loud, because we've come so far so that he didn't know who they were..

The answer his mother gave was "it's a bad church". Loved it!

Madame Quixote

That really is progress, Mulan. So, I take it there are no active witnesses left in your family, or they're never discussed (or both)? That is serious progress - that you were JWs and your grandson has no clue of their existence. "Bad church" is definitely a perfect response to his query!

Abandoned

Jesus said don't follow people who say "The time is at hand", which also happens to be the title of a Watchtower Bible and Tract Society publication.

I'd never thought about this before. WOW! Even little Freddie Franz wanted to warn us away from following him...

Gill

fullofdoubtnow - Funnily enough, looking at my cousins lovely children they made me smile, remembering the statistics that only 1 in 10 JW children remain in the cult.

Honesty - They're arrogance makes my blood boil, plus the way they feel compelled to look at you as if you were something the cat dragged in.

Woodsman - So glad you felt able to turn down their invitation. I too like to wind my parents up with information on how well the world is doing nowadays. It always upsets them when we discuss life spans getting longer! Not something I can discuss with the rest of the JW family!

Madame Quixote! That is so true about the repression. I look at these kids and know that their mother races to the TV like a bat out of hell if a 'birthday' is mentioned, or 'Harry Potter' or 'Christmas'. She's a total fruitcake when it comes to these things. The kids are certainly repressed and it is sad to see their crazed mother in action......though it still makes me laugh when I think of her doing it.

Mulan - Congratulations on a successful all round escape! I'm sincerely happy for you and your family.

A very dangerous belief!!

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