Nathan H. Knorr: Parenting Views. "Your child is a thief!"

Open mind

I recently started perusing the 192 page report on the 1963 "Everlasting Good News" Assembly.

Here's a gem from page 15 describing the high points of a talk by Nathan Knorr:

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Addressing himself to parents in the audience, he asked: "How many times have you mothers or fathers told a child not to take something, and the child just goes ahead and takes it anyway?" It may be a piece of pie or a piece of cake. It may seem like something small. You may conclude that your child is simply disobedient. "No, he is a thief!" declared Brother Knorr. "Even when a person is hungry and he steals, in God's sight it is wrong."

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So, what kind of Father do you think dear old Nate would have made?

om

minimus

All children are little criminals.

aSphereisnotaCircle

The powers that be in JW land doesn't like children, never have.

Heaven

My Mom used to leave money out on the counter. My Aunt was over one day and was amazed that she left it out.

My Aunt asked my Mom "Won't your kids take that?"

My Mom replied "No."

My Aunt asked "Why?"

My Mom said "They know the money isn't theirs. They've been raised not to touch something that doesn't belong to them."

I've never stolen anything from my parents.

dissed

Knorr didn't like cildren unless they could sell books.

bluecanary

Young children have no concpet of property or ownership. We are not born with that, it is a social construction. Like most social constructs, children usually have to make a few mistakes before they get it.

StoneWall

This calls to my mind that saying "it takes a thief to catch a thief"

or better yet "it takes one to know one"

Maybe dear ole Nathan had experience from taking all those contributions/donations as well as other peoples time

and flying around the world at their expense.

He mighta wanted the parents to send him the cookies instead of the kids taking them.

jehovahsheep

old nate jetted around the world while the r and f rode their bicycles selling books

Open mind

Looks like I'm not a very good "Thread Parent". I'll try to emulate Flipper a little better in the future.

minimus:

All children are little criminals.

Are you related to W.C. Fields perchance?

aSpereisnotaCircle:

The powers that be in JW land doesn't like children, never have.

Well, they certainly don't have children's best interests at heart, that's for sure. They do value them as a precious commodity to the survival of the Borg though. Knorr's talk shows how children need to be bent to the will of the Borg early on.

heaven:

They've been raised not to touch something that doesn't belong to them."

Any specifics on how she did that? Just curious.

dissed:

Precisely.

bluecanary:

Young children have no concpet of property or ownership.

That's what I was thinking when Knorr used the example of a piece of pie or cake. Little kids think of any food in the house as fair game and when the parent's say don't eat it, it IS a matter of disobedience, not THIEVERY. Reading Knorr's comments brought this image to my mind:

StoneWall:

Hmmm. I guess we'll never know.

jehovahsheep:

old nate jetted around the world while the r and f rode their bicycles selling books

Well, he had to make up for all the pie & cake he missed as a kid.

At least he didn't drive two Cadillacs, FWIW.

om

Heaven

They've been raised not to touch something that doesn't belong to them."

Any specifics on how she did that? Just curious.

Hi Open Mind... basically, she was relentless! Seriously, she was engaged. She did not have any trouble disciplining her children at any time and any where. And she used the Golden Rule. Would we want someone stealing from us? Then don't do it to others. Pretty simple stuff. She was an awesome Mom before the cult messed her up.

Nathan H. Knorr: Parenting Views. "Your child is a thief!"

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