nomoreguilt's wife...........My thoughts

nomoreguilt

The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise or oath of alegiance to the United States and to its national flag.It is commonly recited in unison at public events, and especially in public school classrooms, where the Pledge if often a morning ritual... ( when I was a child).

Nomoreguilt and I... talk about the way we were raised alot. Him as a Jehovah's Withness and myself as a Catholic. Back years ago as a young child in grade school, I remember a boy horrible teasing, taunting a younger boy that was waiting for the school bus. He had been suspended from public school because he refused to salute the American flag during mandatory morning exercises. According to thier beliefs, the Bible foebids having any false idols before God.

Why would the flag be a false idol?

We need to remind all Americans the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to all of us.

Please tell me why... a Jehovah's Withness children safety would not come first. Why put a child in a pressure situation? Standing for the Pledge of Allegiance, Christmas, Thanksgiving , Halloween, Birthday (the day God gave you life..) a happy day for all children. I quess maybe you all think what the......But remember I was not raised a JW as nomoreguilt would say. What is wrong with people now days? Whatever happen to the laws of the bible?

Maybe the world situation is lacking the true love of God for who he is.. not what they want him to be!. ( Deep) It's what in your heart for receiving. This is my personal feeling. The kindness you give will be anxiety valued and appreciated.

Thank You, Nomoreguilt's, Wife

flipper

NOMOREGUILTS WIFE- Good post by you ! Well, like your husband I was in the witnesses for 44 years - got out 4 years ago. Don't feel alone in your wondering about the witnesses and why they do things - there isn't a good reason why they believe as they do. Just remember they are " cult mind controlled " by the Watchtower society and told they will die at Armageddon if they aren't faithful to the Watchtower societies beliefs ! They are controlled by FEAR in my opinion. It is a tactic of many cults. So, the parents control their children by keeping them in fear , the same way the parents are controlled by the Watchtower society and kept in fear. Sick stuff, eh ? Peace out, Mr. Flipper

cognac

When I was little I had no idea why I didn't salute the flag. One of my classmates asked me why I didn't salute it.

So, I went home and told my mom that my classmate asked why I didn't salute the flag.

She told me to ask him, "Why did he salute the flag".

So, that's what I did. Still had no idea why I didn't salute it...

Pioneer Spit...oh, i mean Spirit

Hi. Great thread. I had to go outside the classroom EVERYmorning for several years (preference of certain teachers) through 8th grade for the morning Anthem and pledge.

Sure it can make you strong, but strong is a parent's job, not a 5 year old's. . . having to make a 'stand' at a very young age makes one grow up too fast, too cynical, too separate. It reinforces on the young JW mind that they are different, and there's enough of that when you're a kid anyways.

My parents were Marines (of course, they now deny the honor of that service) and they still have a small booklet put out by the USMC that outlined care and reverence of Our Flag. In it, it described 'almost worshipful reverence' of the symbol of our country. "So you see, reciting the Pledge is worshipping the flag!!!" How many times did I, and my teachers, hear that!

worldtraveller

Most people are proud to live in the country of their choice. But that country, like Canada and The US, came to be as a result of sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of lives. Millions worldwide too.

For that I am eternally grateful. So I express it in suttle ways.

The Witnesses are not allowed to be proud of their country. People died to allow those with little or no pride to live in a country where an individual can practice whatever they wish. No one needs to salute anything, but if you choose not to, it is a sign of a self esteem issue.

Too bad pride is not part of their inner self. That's why they are what they are.

To me, I am proud of the effort all those years ago, of the individuals that made North America a continent where everyone can worship as they please. Even if you feel it necessary to shun the soldiers and others that gave you the freedom to worship as you wish.

2112

Forcing a child to fight these and other battles is crule on so many levels. First as the child looses these battles they feel guilt for not being strong enough. Then as they win some battles they are more put out by their class mates and teachers. Plus this feeds into a self fulfilling prophecy....The world will hate you,,,,,.

How many times have each of us heard a JW talk and ack like a total ass and when we or someone else stands up to them they claim percution? As they are teaching their children this we can look forward to more and more folke with a victim mentality.

StAnn

Hello and Welcome!

JW's do a lot of things solely to make them stand out as different than the rest of society. For instance, JW's don't have bulletin boards in their Kingdom Halls, they have information boards, because the "churches" pass out bulletins on Sundays and they don't want to be associated with the churches. They don't even have churches, they have Kingdom Halls, because they want to be different. We used to have a little overture between the last two verses of the songs we sang but that was stopped because the churches did that. We sang songs, not hymns, because the churches sing hymns. The entire blood issue isn't really one of biblical principles; it was invented as a way to allow JWs to martyr themselves for their faith. Judge Rutherford, the second president of the WTBTS, did every thing in his power to ensure the JW's stood out from all of the other religions, in an attempt to garner attention and perhaps sell more books. In addition to getting attention for the WTBTS, all of these practices serve the psychological function of isolating JW's from the rest of society, who will view them as freaks and avoid them. It is important to introduce the "freak factor" early into a child's life before he/she makes friends who might enlighten him/her as to the truth of God and the Bible. JW's don't want their kids having friends who aren't JW's, and turning them into pariahs is an effective way to do that and thus keep them from having their minds enlightened.