Trying to talk to JW family

frustratedxjw

I have visited your forum on many occasions, but never posted myself. I read the information on the recent 16 pedophile settlements made by the Watchtower. I wasn't sure if I should tell my JW mother or not. Well, today I decided to call her and tell her. She is well aware that the Watchtower was having a problem with pedophile lawsuits and mishandled cases. Well, if anything she saw it as a positive that the Watchtower is willing to settle these cases. She feels that they are being cleansed by Jehovah. In the end, the conversation turned to a personal attack on me and my life and how I do not pray with my children in her presence and how she feels I do not teach them the Bible. I became defensive and tried to defend myself as a person and a mother. She hung up on me.

After thinking about it, I realized this is ridiculous. I have done nothing wrong. Why should my telling her of these pedophile cases result in a personal attack on me? Why do Witnesses always turn negative information about the Watchtower into a personal attack on the one telling them the facts?

The funny thing is, next week I am invited to a luncheon to honor the parents most involved with their children during the school year. I had more volunteer hours than any other parent in the school. It is nice to have this recognition from "wordly" people since I'm certainly not going to get from my Witness family.

hubert

Welcome to the board, Frussy.

If you get to talk to your Mom again about the law suite settlements, maybe you can mention that most likely the plaintiffs in these cases are most likely df'd or da'd, and are considered "apostates".

You aren't allowed to "even eat a meal with them". Yet the Watchtower gave them millions of dollars? And where did this money come from? From member donations.

If she says "from selling W.T. real estate", you can say.."Where did THAT money come from"? ie: member donations.

Hubert

Scully

Despite the way the JWs like to "spin" the pedophile situation within the WTS, the fact remains that there are active JWs in good standing with the organization who are known by the Elders to be pedophiles. They have access to children at KHs, District Conventions and Circuit Assemblies, while families are oblivious to these individuals roaming freely in their midst.

The way I put it to my JW family is that I have a Conscientious Objection to the way this issue is being handled by the WTS and at the local level in the congregations. I am unwilling to make my children guinea pigs in their horrendous experiment - choosing to protect the "rights" of known child molestors and child predators rather than protect the innocent children and their families from these criminals.

I tell them "It isn't always easy to do the right thing, in fact, people often suffer horribly for standing up for what is right. I don't do this to hurt you - I do this to spare my children from harm. If there was another way to do this without putting my children in harm's way, I would do it, but this is the only right choice I can make."

So far, they've respected that it's my conscience that's compelling me to boycott the JWs, their meetings, the preaching work, etc. In the meantime, I've become atheist, but that's beside the point. I'm still doing what I believe is right. They don't have to like it, but they do understand the dilemma.

OnTheWayOut

Welcome aboard.

Why do Witnesses always turn negative information about the Watchtower into a personal
attack on the one telling them the facts?

The WT organization does this in their literature, so they learn it by reading the stuff.

Some have said WT is a cult. They are ignorant.
Scientists scoff at creation. Scientists are greedy and ignorant.
Mainstream religion says WT is wrong. They are just jealous of WT's success, greedy, and ignorant.

Read enough stuff like that, and you start to do the same thing- judging people who don't want a
WT magazine as goat-like (no longer able to directly call them goats, but goat-like is okay).
They judge any witness who misses meetings or takes regular vacations as "weak."

J-ex-W

Welcome--and you make some excellent points here!

Arthur

Why do Witnesses always turn negative information about the Watchtower into a personal attack on the one telling them the facts?

I would like to share some very interesting comments from noted psychiatrist Dr. David R. Hawkins:

"To protect itself, the ego welcomes the concept of "labeling" to dispense with unwanted realities. The illusion is that by declaring a reality to be a "myth" and just a "label", it will disappear."

"The downside of misplaced faith is that it is painful to overcome denial. It is disillusioning and therefore creates anger, which is also unpleasant to integrous people. Pride also precludes awareness that one has been duped."

( Truth Vs. Falsehood, pgs. 222 and 226; respectively )

Sarah Smiles

I think it is really really nice that you love your children enough to get involved in their education. YOU deserve this honor!

If only more parents were like you!

YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK! I SAY EDUCATION FIRST!

On the other hand, I think your mother needs to start showing you some respect. I think if you continue to let her disrespect you she will. Call out her behavior!