Norway (page 2)

InquiryMan

In my congregation it was explicitly said from the platform that no spanking was to take place in the KH.

I know the story quite well. This happened in 1989, the year after I said farewell to the Watchtower Society. We were a little group of ex-Jehovah's Witnesses which took it upon us to inform the authorities about Jehovah's Witnesses and among them we drew to the attention of the children’s “Ombudsmann” at the time Trond Viggo Torgersen that Jehovah's Witnesses and their literature was violating Norwegian law. We also informed other authorities about other shadowy sides of the Watchtower Society. The child ombudsman was very interested and he quickly understood the whole matter due to the extremely well documented material we provided him with. After I and others appeared on national radio in a daily news show called “Here and Now” and talked about this illegal practice among the witnesses it was finally picked up by television in a program called “Antenna 10”
This set the Watchtower Society branch office completely in uproar and they went ape shit. I have in my possession the entire complaint they filed to the NRK, the national broadcasting company in Norway, quite funny and interesting and as usual full of weasel worded sentences and lies.

In those days the Watchtower branch office was lead by a committee and their spokesman was a certain Thor Samuelsen, a thoroughly slimy specimen of a revolting nature. The Watchtower Society was dumb enough to send him to the “Antenna 10” show where he came across exactly as the liar he is. He of course lied through his teeth when asked if Jehovah's Witnesses did beat or spanked their children. And this had a strange effect really as all the Jehovah's Witnesses watching also knew very well he lied, in fact his lies really upset many of them. This was about mid week and on the national news the following weekend he was actually called a liar as we had provided the TV journalists with even more solid documentation from the Watchtower magazine with a nice little drawing of a man spanking a child, with a rather incriminating caption. It is rather rare that anyone is actually called a liar on national TV but the Watchtower spokesman managed to do it. He was never ever used in that capacity again. He has much the same problem as the current US President as he is unable to stop smirking or leering when he is talking about serious matters.

I still have the press release from the Ombudsmann and also a letter from the Norwegian branch office to all the congregations and a letter written to the Norwegian national TV corporation, where they try to do damage control. Nothing however helped and they suffered an enormous loss of face. Yup, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Norm

Hellrider

Oj, en tråd om Norge. Heisann folkens...; o )

1989... I was 15 then, and had just gotten out, so I missed that one. But at least at our KH (Lillehammer), spanking only occured rarely, at least AT the meetings. I know for a fact that some of them were beaten pretty badly at home though. I remember how my grandma used to point out how "fortunate" we were, that we weren`t spanked with belts, right on the naked thighs, which is how she had seen it been done in Australia (to which our family had ties). How very christian, btw, to allow spanking in other parts of the world, where it`s not contrary to the Law...like any kid ever benefitted from spanking.

kifoy

Hei og hå! :-) (Hur mange norske/skandinaviske er det her egentlig?)

So it was in 89... Yeah, that sounds about right. I remember that we did not se the debates where the "Apostate" people where attending. But I think we gathered around the TV to see the one where good old Thor were attending. (Ah, Thor. I can still hear his voice in my head and se him gesturing from the platform. As a kid I was always fascinated by him, his short- and roundness, and his Bergen area dialect that made me sleepy...)

I can't remember much of the details and the reactions afterwords, really. I was about 11-12 years old.

kifoy

cultswatter

Hi Norway guys and gals

I have some Norwegian blood in me

Does shopping at IKEA count??

Matty

Does shopping at IKEA count??

Tut Tut - no it certainly doesn't, IKEA is a Swedish, not a Norwegian company!

InquiryMan

And Liv Ullmann is Norwegian. And Norm, thanks for providing the details from the inside... I remember the whole matter quite vividly, although I was a loyal witness back then. I remember thinking when thor was on TV. He is just like "Kim Il Sung".... Why didn´t they send Hans Jacob Lilletvedt instead, handsome and eloquent....

Dansk

Great stuff (((((((((((Norm))))))))))))!

This is a good thread as people need to be reminded of just how slippery and slimey the Watchtower Society really is (I know, most of us here already know it - but for those sitting on the fence it's about time they had a reality shot!).

Norm did a great deal of good in exposing the Watchtower Society for what it is and we owe him a debt of immense gratitude as his work had ramifications worldwide (many of his interesting posts can still be found on the net).

I've learnt an enormous amount since exiting Watchtower and spanking kids is completely unnecessary. All it does is instil fear when what they need to learn is that situations can be resolved through understanding - and if that means grounding them or depriving them of something they enjoy so be it. Punishment doesn't have to be barbaric and violent.

Shouting is also out of order. I was both hit and shouted at as a child and all it did for me was to make me neurotic. In turn I shouted and spanked my own kids. Very bad!! You see, we are very much conditioned by our parents and, try as we might to be different (as I did!) we all too often end up emulating them. A good book is Toxic Parents, which highlights the problem. What is good is that it shows the cycle can be broken.

I managed to break the cycle but it came too late for my older daughter who is still shunning her mother and I. My three other children are wonderful with us - but I know I could have been a better father. Damn Watchtower and stupid ancient Bible texts (e.g. "spare the rod and spoil the child"!!). Absolute nonesense!!

Our children need love, affection and discipline - but not violence. I am now a pussycat (with no claws!)

Love,

Ian

Fred E Hathaway

Fortunately, there are many, many Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world who do not use spanking as a means of discipline. After all, self-control starts with the parents, and there is no law that can stand against it or the other fruitage of the spirit (Galataians 5:22-24). We can note the passions/desires of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 that no longer are at work when the spirit is at play includes enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, and things like these. Thankfully, faith, hope, and love reign among true Christian Witnesses of Jehovah.

InquiryMan

Still it cannot be denied that it has been / and is endorsed by the Watchtower society, varying on the cultural/social attitudes in their local communities.

Norway

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