Did you witness at school?

NomadSoul

I grew up being a Witness. I remember in Elementary and somewhat in Middle school I used to be really outspoken about being a Witness. I even had my own study with a classmate, which thankfully he lost interest because I was getting tired of it too.

But High School was a different story. Even though I was still a super dub I avoided any mention of me being a JW. Not a word!

Then half way through the semester we wrote a paper. It was some sort of autobiography. Well, I decided I would write about my witness side and how it was wonderful. The teacher was impressed on the paper that she decided to read it aloud. I was so embarrassed. I wanted to be invisible at that time.

I didn't even feel guilty about the fact that I tried to hide my cultish background....mmmmm.

Broken Promises

I can relate to what you wrote.

I think in our first 10 years, we just accept what we're told, and believe that we should also witness to our fellow students and friends. I don't remember doing any witnessing to classmates, apart from trying to explain why I couldn't attend their birthday parties or even say "happy birthday".

In my teenage years, born-again fundamentalism came into vogue, and several of my friends decided to be full-on Christians. I remember having arguments with them about the Trinity once.

Apart from that episode, I didn't really speak about my religion. I grew up in an area where most were either Catholic or Protestant, and I was simply the odd one out.

paulnotsaul

Only if the situation applied. Like made me look good like I knew something nobody else knew. When really I didn't know jack, just what I was told to know at the meeting. I sure fooled them. I guess in the end the joke was on me. peacejokers paulnotsaul

Iamallcool

Yes I did.

Band on the Run

I hated being a witness with a school full of fervent Catholics. When friends asked, I told the truth. I was confused. Pleasing my parents was my prime directive. I was able to salute the flag b/c no other Witnesses were in school. Junior High I witnessed some. We were studying evolution and I stook up to my teacher for creationsim. I read the Witness books thoroughly to prepare. I was the only who wrote about creation. Next, I went to the adult part of the main library and pulled every book mentioned in Witness literature. The quotes were true.

I usually received A+ as a grade. He gave me a C. All my friends who saw me lug the heavy books at the library and all the itme I did not have fun b/c iI was working on the project exclaimed he was wrong. My grade was bumped up to B+ which left me humiliated. I put in more effort than other kid. He had no business lowering my grade for my religoius beliefs. One year later I was so upset that I did the project.

I was never close to Witness kids. All my friends were Catholic. I would love to write a magazine article describing what it is like as a child grows up in the cult. We lived next to NY so I was exposed to many things. I had plenty of friends during racial riots b/c black people saw me visiting witness friends in the housing projects. I so much wanted to be normal and Normal Rockwell American.

I adored the Beatles and other British groups. Fashion was a strong suit. My JW mom put the desire to go to college in me. I wanted a nice co-op in NY with a Yale or Princeton hubbie and going to events at Lincoln Center.

Soon I started doing a comedy routine about me being raised JW. My appearance and viewpoints was so not JW. I was very refined and proper. Friends and acquaintances would be in stitches as I said can you believe I knocked on doors......

The tension between the larger world and cult, if written well, could shed light on Witness culture for many. It would apply to any minority.

My Jewish friends have told me what school prayer was like for them. The Lord's Prayer is mostly a Jewish prayer. They told me Jewish people pray standing up with their arms raised high. Bowing your head, closing your eyes, and intertwining your hands is crazy to them. Just like me, they wanted to blend in yet remain loyal to their families.

I became the antiWitness. Today I only raise it if I see someone is interested and I only lightly raise the cult issues.

exwhyzee

I usually avoided any discussion of the JW side of my life at school and felt very guilty about it. One time in high school after there had been a big campaign at the hall or one of the assemblies about public school being like untapped,unassigned territroy and what a unique priveledge it is for scool aged "ones" to proclaim the "Good News" etc. In my writing class, we were asked to write a paper about what we expect to be doing in 5 years. This was in 1974 so the end of the world was supposed to arrive any day so naturally I wrote about being in the "NEW SYSTEM". The paper came back with a big red F scratched across the front and a violently scrawled comment from the teacher written in red pencil "THIS IS COMPLETE NONSENSE AND THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF ANY OF THIS HAPPENING !!! "

I felt like an idiot...it all seemed to make sense in the meetings where everyone else nodded in agreement but when held up to the light of day by an unbeliever, it all seemed so feeble and based in fanaticism.

InquiryMan

I most definitely did. Gave speeches, witnesses to teachers and fellow students. Had a magazine route at school.

Handed out literature (one friend of mine got so mad when he got to chapter 4 in the red youth book, so he threw it in the wall).

Studied with a fellow student at grammar school.

She became baptized and a pioneer. But got out of the organization before I did and resettled and doing fine now.

In my yearbook at grammar school it was stated somewhat humerously... XX is a Jehovah´s witness, but sometimes he forgets!

(But I always behaved properly, the only things I guess they refer to was when I did a solo cosack-dance in the classroom...

mummatron

NS, I was pretty much the same as you..... Spoke about it at Primary school and studied with 2 classmates. Then at Secondary school I was so embarassed by it I tried to hide it as much as I could and didn't even feel guilty about hiding it.

InquiryMan

I guess i was a true believer and not only because mom and dad told me so...

transhuman68

I never mentioned it to anyone at High School, and the issue never came up, as there was no flag salute. My parent's marrige was breaking up at the time, partly due to the Witnesses, so I was fairly disillusioned with everything. A girl at school threw the magazines at me one day; I have no idea why- someone must have left them at her house- I hardly never went out in FS. I avoided the other Witnesses at school- they were in a different year level to me anyway.

Did you witness at school?

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