Here is one effect of our going out in field circus, that they will not tell you about. No, not the getting persecuted. No, not that last-call syndrome where the last call takes forever. This is even worse, and I could have been guilty of it myself even if I didn't conduct a study from it myself. I could have set someone else up for it, and later led to this type of tragedy.
You go to the door, and there is a family with two small children. The older one is about 6; the other, about 3. The birthdays have passed, and it is close to summer. The mother accepts the magazines readily, and the father calls back and wants a study. They have fallen for the scam. But this disrupts plans for summer vacation. You see, the 6-year old remembers that they were supposed to be going to Canada, and it was to be a week trip (with an intermediate stop). That trip is in a couple of months, but now they are studying the Bible (at least the NWT) with the help of the Bible Teach book.
Within that month, both parents are going to meetings regularly. And pretty soon, there is a talk about sacrificing the money for the vacation to put in the Worldwide Pedophile Protection Work. Which is exactly what they do; besides, the Grand Boasting Session is the same week that they were going to Canada. So much for that trip!
Well, the older child is disappointed. The younger one really doesn't understand what is going on, but this makes trouble since the older one is griping and belly-aching about not being able to go to Canada. They get dragged to the Grand Boasting Session instead, and both are acting up continually (the younger one because of not being able to sit still for 8 hours; the older one from being pxxxed at losing the real vacation. Of course, they are told that Satan is using the children to make it difficult, which only eggs on the parents that much more to continue the study. There is no fun that summer.
Soon after, the holidays come up. The 6-year old now remembers what a wonderful Christmas it was the past 2 years; the younger one probably doesn't remember but is still able to comprehend that this year is not as exciting as last. And, since the older one is in school, it creates problems when the holiday parties start (not to mention that they have trouble staying up late on meeting nights and then having tests the next day). Basically, instead of a nice beautiful Christmas tree, there is nothing but a growing collection of Puketower literature. Instead of a round of presents, there is a round of service (by now, the parents are unbaptized publishers). Instead of Christmas music, there is Kingdumb Sxxx. Instead of the feast, there is another lunch of fast, good-tasting poison. This year is definitely nothing like the past several.
Another year comes up. Now, vacation season comes, and this time nothing is planned. Instead, service all summer long. There are no campouts or parties this time. The older child, now 7, misses out on the birthday party--there is absolutely no fun on that first warm day of the season, except going out in field circus and talk of the parents' getting baptized in lieu of any fun.
Ultimately, both children get forced to get baptized with initiatory coercion from the parents and the hounders. They do poorly in school, because they are too tired from those boasting sessions every Thursday night. They are not able to do field trips or extracurricular activities. There are no vacations or other fun, except those damn Grand Boasting Sessions. No college, either--both are stuck with their parents long after the age of 21. Not to mention that they have missed out on all the fun, plus they got all the bitter disappointment and many an unnecessary spanking from this. What a waste!
Hopefully, none of the people I called on wound up fitting this description. But, knowing the way this spreads, there is the danger that someone I initiated the call on (and someone else finished, in another state) had this kind of a call. This illustrates the danger of initiating the use of coercion: if one person picks up the virus, they could cause all kinds of havoc that would not have existed had you not knocked on the doors.
Ted Jaracz, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW THAT YOU HAVE RUINED MANY CHILDHOODS LIKE THIS?