Be careful what you teach your children......Tact is a good lesson also!!!!

by Gill 7 Replies latest jw friends

  • Gill
    Gill

    IT's good to train a child when they're young to have diverse ideas, opinions and understandings. It is the total opposite of what the WTBTS wants from their children. They want their children to be taught that only the WTBTS is correct and everything they utter, even if total BS, is not to be questioned.

    In the last four to five years I have read so much on history, prehistory, geology, religion blah de blah de blah, and in that reading I have also been non stop telling my husband and children every thing I have read and every diverse theory I have come across, so that in effect, they also have become widely read on the subject.

    My youngest child goes to a Church of England School, even though we are non religious and I have put that down clearly on her information form. The school has no problem with that. They teach Bible, and other religions and only recently did I realise that a new teaching I will have to get into my 7 year old is TACT!!!

    She knows about the possible history of the flood story of the Bible and the likely source of that story being the ending of the last ice age 10 000 to 15 000 years ago.. She also know another possible theory, is polar shifts and continental drift theory, causing ice to melt as continents shifted positions. She understands these as theorys and the Bible 'story' as that, a story used by ancients to explain, what to them was unexplainable.

    So, we were given a lift to school yesterday by the Born Again Minister from across the road and his daughter who is in the same class. As we got out of the car, the Minister asked his daughter, 'so what will you be doing today?' She replied, 'We're doing Water!!!! And we're doing about the Flood and how God killed everyone on the Earth except for Noah and his family with a big Flood.'

    My daughter turned to look at me and nodded her head in despair. Then she rolled her eyes heaven wards and gave a huge sigh!

    This little 8 year old (going on 18) then came out with: 'I don't know! When will people finally understand about the end of the ice age, and how continents move and so do the North and South Poles and they affect the sea level. .......!' I tell you, it was one of those embarrassing moments! It was as if someone had pulled out a tape recorder and played back something I had said at the most inopportune time!

    The Minister looked at me in shock! This bloke Bible bashes us every morning when he gives us a lift and takes every scripture as literal!!

    'Absolutely!' I said in support and then shrugged! What else was there to say.

    This morning he drove past us heathens without offering us a lift!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Greetings Gill,

    Wish I had had your insights when I was raising my family. Of course, I was misinformed! For a number of reasons I am unable to say much of anything along the lines of your story. The Flood - haven't even gotten "there" yet. Seems blood is the issue of the day - am I right? Will be reading more from Gill today, I am very sure!

    CoCo

  • Do Not Call
    Do Not Call

    Good for your daughter and for you, Gill!!

    You've obviously been building with fire resistant materials for your daughter to give such a fine witness. Keep up the good work.

    Give her a pat on the back from me.

  • Gill
    Gill

    CoCo - There's plenty of information on 'the Flood' in Best of but you have to start reading all the other books 'out there' to get a good picture and idea of how long the human race has really been here and what it may well have been up to for thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years.

    DNC - Thanks! You just don't know that they're actually listening and taking it all in sometimes.......till it slips out!

  • lovelylil
    lovelylil

    Seems like you and your daughter have been labled "bad association". If that guy is so closed minded as to judge you on this minor difference of opinion, then there is no loss on your part that he chooses not to give you a lift anymore! Lilly

  • Gill
    Gill

    Lovelylil - I have to come clean here and say it has not been our only difference of opinion. His wife insisted that J K Rowling is a witch and that her books cause terrible damage to children causing them to vomit and hallucinate blah de blah. Well I hope you're reading this J K Rowling because I did one hell of a job defending you from such non sensical slander. I explained how this was nonsense. J K is an Episcopalian Christian and Harry Potter stories are just that stories.

    The mind is a powerful 'muscle' but it is suggestible. If a parent convinces their child that there are evil spirits out there who can enter a person just by reading a book, it is hardly surprising that a child may 'act up' what they have been convinced into believe is true!

    OMG!!!! There daughter hasn't been round here since I told them about my Harry Potter books, CDs, DVDS, Royal Doulton!!!!!

    I think we are well and truly black listed!!

  • lovelylil
    lovelylil

    Gill,

    It just goes to show you that there are fanatics in all denominations! If they think Harry Potter is bad, they would hate to see what type of books my 14 year old reads! Here is the title of one of them "Trinity Blood".

    My daughter was always getting black listed at the KH because of her choice of books and the art she loves. Japanese Anime. Anyway my hubby when we were witnesses came down hard on her and I explained to him that I grew up read ALL, and I mean ALL of the Stephen King books. And yet I became a Christian, by choice. And he considers me a much better Christian than he is. I make this point because parents think you will grow up to be a devil worshiper just by reading a book. It is so crazy really. It is what is in your hearts (jealousy, anger, envy, coveting, backbiting, etc. ) that will defile you, as Jesus said. And not by reading an obviously fictional book. And people with wicked hearts come in all denominations. Lilly

  • Alpheta
    Alpheta

    Lovely Lil, you couldn't be more right. I spent my formative years reading all the science fiction that I could get my hands on. My parents didn't care, they didn't even know I was reading books :) As I grew up I spread my wings into metaphysical subjects and then supernatural, etc. subjects. I read several Jane Roberts books - anyone ever read her? Carlos Castenado (sp?) was a big read during the college years. Guess what - I became a Witness (baptized) in 1996 DESPITE all this.

    What one reads isn't as important to begin with but that one is reading, it's that one is informing one's mind, and the more one reads, the more one informs his or her mind. (Yes, I know there are people who will disagree). I don't remember exactly when I first heard about the Harry Potter books, but being one of those types of persons who says "I will NEVAH do what is popular and it seems at the time that all I was hearing about was "Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that" - well, suffice to say that I did buy the first Harry Potter book when it was on sale at the local book store a few years ago, and the rest is history. I loved it, and I fell in love with the world of Harry Potter and his friends. I don't give a hoot about the sorcery, the relationships are the thing. Harry Potter is a classic "coming of age" story, and in that, it is timeless. J.K. Rowling has done us all a favor writing this series of books, designed to appeal to today's "ear".

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