Jehovah's Witness Children are Kept Alienated from the rest of the world!

by Gill 27 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  metatron

  The thing that kills me about "bad associations" is the fact that Paul may have been quoting

  a Greek proverb: "poor company ruins noble character". Yet, today we see a worldly

  proverb twisted into cultish separatism.

  metatron
• 

  legalchickie

  How true! I have such guilt now about raising my two boys in the WTBS. I can never regain the times I missed with them for their birthdays, holidays, etc. No sports for them of course either. Spending every weekend in field service and then of course, all of the meetings!! On school nites no time for homework, gotta be at the hall. Ugh! I was a JW for 27 years. My oldest son is disfellowshipped for something he didn't do, the elder's set him up and others went free with no reprove. That was the beginning of the end for me.

  There was a family in our hall that had two children. Both homeschooled, no interacting with other kids in the neighborhood, it was sad. Those are two of the most socially backward kids I know. You are right, no way to face reality and interact with anyone outside of the society. Oh, and of course, both regular pioneered...big surprise.

  Another thing, the JW kids all get married by the time they are 18 or before since no dating is allowed. Unreal. Those marriages are between two children not adults. Then babies having babies. It is tragic!
• 

  sammielee24

  Along with the alienation, a child raised as a witness and most especially if they are raised in a strict witness atmosphere, is taught blind obedience. Their powers of reasoning which develop in most normal children, do not develop in witness children and instead they learn right from wrong by punishment, guilt and fear. This is a real psychological issue as those children become adults and still have no ability to reason or comprehend things other than what they have been taught. The fear that a witness child endures has lasting ramifications as they move into adult hood and get stuck there.

  That alienation and brainwashing also means that every single decision they make becomes based on obedience to the WTBTS. Without the ability to reason, not being allowed to socialize with 'others', not engaging in 'the world' - means that they draw further inward.

  Witnesses are afraid of life. Some children raised as witnesses will never leave because fear of that unknown, fear of satan, fear of the world will keep them bound forever. They understand fear from loss - loss of their family, their friends, their community and it drives them to stay close to the fold even if they don't believe. Fear of persecution. The witnesses live through fear and if that doesn't get them, the guilt for having wandered outside the box of fear, will.

  A JW child is alienated from anyone not like him and lives with the constant knowledge that he is expendable, second best to the society and his comprehension is such that he will only receive love if he follows the rules and remains inside the 'truth'. He is not loved for himself at any level and seeks to receive validation from the only source he knows - the society. sammieswife.
• 

  heathen

  Home schooling is not a bad idea as long as you have qualified instructors of which I don't know any J-dubs that fit the bill since they hate higher education . I can see them only getting a gammar school education . Public schools are not the best either but at least there is a required level expected from students.
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  tula

  No matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone else who is worse off. These poor amish kids have no opportunity to try to make a "worldly friend" because their whole community is kept isolated from the world and they all have to live next door to each other. They have no television, radio, or internet. No access to public libraries and sometimes no opportunity to go to school. They have even less contact with outside world than the JW children. Who will reach out to them?? They are not even allowed in a door-to-door prostelitizing because of the fear of influence of others. Where is their chance of escape? How do they get out? And we think 3rd world countries are oppressed? Look what is going on right here in this country! Land of the free? Who will free them to be able to make their own choices in life?

  Facts you may not know about the Amish:

  The Anabaptist movement believes that only the pure should be involved in religion and that if a member were to fall into sinful actions, he or she should be excommunicated. Meidung, also called shunning, is the practice of the community to avoid associating with members of the community who have been excommunicated 24 . Jacob Amman's interpretation and practice of Meidung was even more strict than that of the Anabaptists. He told his followers to shun all members that leave the Amish church and those who marry an outsider. He also preached that one should not buy from, sell to, or even eat at the same table as the excommunicated individual 25 . Such strict traditions have been passed down generation to generation and have kept the Amish lifestyle stable 26 . The Amish get their instuction for shunning from the Bible in I Corrinthians 5:11, which says "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one" 27 . Once a person has been shunned, if they acknowledge their sins and wish to make ammends with the community, they are allowed back into the fellowship, usually after two or three weeks 28 .

  The practice of washing feet comes from the scripture of John 13. The Amish follow a strict and literal interpretation of the Bible, and just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the last supper, the Amish wash each others' feet at the observance of communion. They stoop when washing each others' feet as a symbol of humility 29 .

  Currently, many of the important differences in the Amish way of life are the customs and moral principles. Such beliefs have become known to the Amish followers as the Amish Charter. This is an unwritten set of rules and beliefs that all Amish people strive to uphold and use as a guide in their daily lives 30 .

  Some of the most important beliefs held by the Amish are: separation from the outside world, vow of obedience, and closeness to nature. There are other regulations over societal customs such as dress, use of inventions and no formal education beyond elementary school. The fear of being shunned and excommunicated keeps the Amish from being tempted by the outside world. The moral beliefs of the Amish Church are based on the Bible and most of their views stem from literal translations of the teachings of the Bible. The Amish do not try to recruit members from the outside world because that would be seen as consorting with those that are shunned 35 .

  However, while the Amish do see meaning in the functions of government, they also give limitations to the authority of the state. Several issues and controversies have come up between the Amish and the state during the 20th century. Some of the most controversial include; the consolidation of small elementary schools, the requirement of high school attendance, compulsory welfare systems, and conscription 39 .

  When attendance was required past the fourth grade, quite a few Amish parents refused to go along with this law. Slowly though, they began to accept the idea of children attending school through the eighth grade. However, serious conflicts came about with the onset of school consolidation 40 .

  But with consolidation, Amish parents did not like their children going to large schools away from the farm community where they did not know the teachers or what their children were being taught 42 .

  Another issue Amish culture had with the public school system was over the attendance in high school. The Amish feel that the age when a young person should be in highschool is when cultural isolation is most important 43 . Public high school teaches ideas that are not ackowledged by Amish culture, and parents feel it is important that at this time in a young person's life, he/she should only be surrounded by Amish peers. Other objections against high school attendance stem from their religious beliefs on social boundaries. I Corinthians 3:19 is an often quoted passage which says, "The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God" 44 .

  After many confrontations in various states, the U.S Supreme Court finally settled the controvercy on May 15, 1972. In Wisconsin v. Yoder , the court ruled in favor of the Amish saying the states could not constitutionally force Amish to send their children to public high schools 45 .

  In addition to controversy with the American government, the Amish also struggle with the basic idea of modernity 50 . No matter how hard they try to avoid it, technology is slowly creeping into the Amish way of life. The areas where they have much conflict in are: telephones, motor vehicles, use of tractors, new types of farm equipment, and "luxuries" in the home. While the Amish still don't permit electricity in the home, most do use mechanical or gasoline-powered machines.
• 

  Dragonlady76

  Tula,

  This thread is about JW children specifically.

  Amish children are also alienated, however they live within their own communities, this is not true of JW's.
• 

  Gopher

  The Amish population in the world is about 200,000. JW's are over 30x that number, so the problem is that much larger in the JW's.

  Also the WTS makes a special point to use children of JW's as "alien residents" among their schoolmates and when out in service on weekends, continually exposing these children to scorn and humiliation.

  So while the Amish children are also alienated, at least other children (the ones they call "English") are not in their face all the time making them feel bad about being different.
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  unique1

  Jesus H. No wonder we are all screwed up!! It is amazing to go back and read that kind of stuff as an adult capable of thinking for themself as opposed to a brainwashed follower!! Paranoia will Destroy Ya.
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  Dragonlady76

  Once again Amish kids live in their own communities with their own kind and do not come into contact with people outside their religion, and if they do it's very limited. JW live with the general population, and their children are alienated from the general population all though they live amongst them. I cannot see how you could even begin to compare the two.
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  truthseeker

  An art indeed Gill. Save this article, it will useful for child custody cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses.