Do Kids Hate Being JW`s? (page 8)

Prisca

AMEN to Waiting.

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Since when did Richard Branson buy my country?

Latte

Pathofthorns,

Thanks Path, I enjoyed your post also. I can relate to a lot of what you said.

It's strange thinking back, as a lot of the ones I went out with, are no longer in the org. I hope that they are all well and happy.

Waiting,

I think the reason that there is this 'blind' faith, is because of FEAR. If one questions anything that the org has published then one is questioning Jehovah himself. It is very difficult to get the person to realize that this is not the case, the person has to be a (dare I say it)……. Yes I will !……a THINKER!! I do believe that this is what Jehovah requires of us - yes to THINK!!!!

Latte

trevor

Children of the Witnesses are forbidden access to many of the self-esteem enhancing activities that are open to other children. They are brought up to believe that they are different and separate from the world. They do not fully integrate with their schoolmates or teachers, due to their resistance to being fully involved with the education process, and their training to avoid forming friendships with worldly people.

More so than other children, their main security comes from winning the approval of their parents. They find that to win this approval they must do whatever the Society and their parents tell them will win Jehovah God's approval. I was told, by my own parents that if I ever left the religion they would never talk to me again. If I were to ever marry outside the religion the same penalty would apply. Although these threats are not always carried out, the Witness child grows up believing that the continuation of their whole world depends upon gaining their parents approval.

In addition to this pressure to conform, is the threat that God himself will kill the child, if he or she should go against their parent's wishes. The child is also puzzled by the parent's willingness to lose them in this way and often concludes that the parents do not love him or her. How can they threaten a child they love in this way, or say that the God they love may kill their child? As a child I concluded that I meant very little to my parents. Not all Witness parents act in this way. Those that do, say that they are practising a form of principled love for the child. Unfortunately children do not interpret threats of his kind as love. Nor as far as I know do most adults.

I am speaking from experience when I say that the children of Witnesses lose out and would far rather be brought up in a norman way. To be allowed to mix with their school friends and learn to be part of a team. The isolation that many experience, makes them withdrawn and lacking in self esteem unless they are among other Witnesses.

Trevor

mommy

Trevor,
AMEN! And thank you for your post.
wendy

Englishman

Trevor,

Yes, yes, and yes again to everything you have said. I can relate to all those experiences that JW kids endure.

Englishman

happytobefree

Trevor,

You are a wise man. You summed up the JW Kid experience.

But the question of how to break that from your childhood pschological damage. I still struggle with self-esteem. Whenever I see myself suceeding, I become afraid and just quit. Throughout my entire childhood whenever I was successful, I was always told I could not accept my reward, because I was a JW.

How in the HELL do you stop telling yourself NO. And just accept progress. Excuse me for venting, but, I have been offered two GREAT job opportunities and I'm so afraid of SUCCESS and I don't know why. I don't think I'm as afraid of Success as I'm afraid of competition, because I still see competition as something bad. Anyone else have this type of problem, and if so, how did/are you cope/copeing.

Happy to be Free (Me)

No matter how far you think you are from the WTBS, it always F***ing haunts you.

TR

Xandit,

I believe that a public ministry is a necessity for Christians but that it must be in balance with all other aspects of the Christian personality, etc.

Do you participate in a "public ministry", and if so, how? And depending on one's personality, does that mean one doesn't have to participate in the public ministry, and if so, what kind of personalities would be exempt?

TR

LDH

Happy,

I am reminded of a scene from a movie where a street merchant was selling birds in an Asian city. He had several in a cage, and as the heroine walked by, he held one in his hands out to her for sale.
She hesitated, but he persisted. So she purchased one and then set it free. The little bird flew high up into the trees singing and chirping. From it's treetop the little bird could hear the call of it's master-- calling it to return to it's cage. So it flew back down into the hands of the merchant and he put her back into the cage.

A wise old sage walked up to the heroine who looked at the scene perplexed. He spoke softly in her own language saying, "The bird returns to the cage, because it is all that she knows."

waiting

Hey Happy,

Lie #6: Women who exhibit strong leadership qualities pose a serious danger to the church.
In some church circles, strong women are viewed with suspicion. While it is certainly not biblical for a woman to be brash or domineering, the Bible calls all believers--male and female--to be bold and strong in spirit. God is not glorified when women are timid or cowardly. In fact, such behavior grieves the Spirit of God because it is evidence of unbelief. Women are to display humility and a gentle, Christlike spirit, but at the same time might and courage. - Lisa

Lisa has started a thread of 10 Church teachings that are used against women. In the above quote, it would be a close thought that women do not compete. Unseemingly for a woman, particularily for a Christian woman. I've worked with men for 30 years, and men have no problem speaking in an interview, etc., about their accomplishments. Women, on the other hand, have a hard time even viewing their accomplishments as accomplishments, let alone speaking about them.

We're taught from infancy to take the back seat to any male, particularily within the congregation. When we step out, is it any wonder it takes a while before we want to fly back to our cage?

Hey Lisa,

Thanks for posting the link to the site on the other thread. I enjoyed the above post, with a side thought.

So it flew back down into the hands of the merchant and he put her back into the cage.

The bird didn't seem abused by the merchant nor it's circumstances. It came back to it's master, as it didn't know how to handle freedom.
Perhaps it just takes time to cultivate freedom and the use of our own wings.

waiting

happytobefree

I don't think I ever bought the men are superior. I have worked in a male dominated field for 15 yrs. (construction) and have succeeded very well. I have found with men, you cuss them out, do your job better than any man, and they will respect you. I am more afraid of the SUCCESS, afriad ist's going to be taken away. It's a feeling I always feel when I'm approaching new terriorty. And I know it's because of my childhood as a JW. I spent my entire childhood trying not to be noticed, but someone always seem to find me. The the teachers, civic organization, etc., would beg my parents to allow me to participate and the answer was always no. So as sad as it may seem As Happy as I am to be Free, many times I want to return to that cage.

And today I just want to feel a little angry about the little trick that was played on my parents, when that nice little lady knocked on their door and offered them paradise.

Happy to be Free (Me)

Do Kids Hate Being JW`s?

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