So last night I spoke with my boys (6 and 9 years of age) about why we believe things. I completely plagiarized Richard Dawkins (ha!). So I used as an illustration that people thought before that the earth was flat. And I went through the three reasons people believe things. Authority, Majority, Tradition...I started with majority explaining that just because many years ago everyone thought the earth was flat didn't mean it was true. Than authority..Just because your teacher or your grandma or whoever says something doesn't necessarily mean it's true..and last but not least tradition. It was a more extensive conversation which involved alot of feedback and reasoning on their part but I would say that they understood the concept completely despite their young ages...So next time they talk with my JW family I hope that they bring it up(my children are incredibly vocal and honest)...I would advise those who still have contact with your family who are witnesses to prepare your children because you never know when someone will subtly try to influence them...
beliefs
by mentalclearness 6 Replies latest social family
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dobbie
Its a great idea to prepare your kiddies, i found that out last year when i let him go to a jw social without hubby and he came back with things put in his head by his husbands mother (and he was only 4!) Although they no longer see him, he is still in a class with his jw cousin and 3 other jw kids and he sometimes comes out with things that they said, such as Jehovan will bring back all the dead animals etc but i do try to talk to him as honestly and clearly as i can on these occasions and i also say that just because his cousin says this or that , doesn't mean its true and that we all believe different things etc. I don't want any of that jw toxic waste lingering in his mind!
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mentalclearness
Thanks for the encouraging words Open Mind...I'm always reading your threads and trying to apply some of the wisdom when talking to my own kids....It's kind of hard to raise kids without the JW mindset when you've been raised as one, but there are some positive things that I can rescue as well... Bobbi...I just had this huge fight with my sister because she keeps on bringing magazines to my house and talking to my kids..I had to tell her finally that unless she respects my decision to not be a witness and not raise my children as witnesses she won't really be allowed to hang out with them....Sometimes, you have to put association with jw's on your conditions...
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mentalclearness
In the God Delusion there is a letter to his daughter that has those three reasons for beliefs..Although I've read something to that affect before, but in that letter to a 10 year it's explained in such a clear manner. I have it in Spanish but I'm sure you can Google it and find it in English..
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greendawn
Young kids should be protected from JW cultic influences but the idea of linking belief in a flat earth with a belief in the existence of God is not necessarily correct.
It doesn't necessarily follow that because one was wrong the other will also be wrong. -
nicolaou
greendawn: mentalclearness did not link "belief in a flat earth with a belief in the existence of God", she simply used it as an analogy - and a good one at that.
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mentalclearness
Belief in God didn't even come into the conversation. We were just talking about beliefs in general. Let's say you hear a commercial on tv that says if you drink this certain power drink you'll have more energy and be stronger..The fact that it's on TV or that many believe that doesn't mean it's true. That was basically the gist.