Last night my mate and I read three articles from the July 8th Awake on Adolescence & Puberty. I vasilated between laughing my ass off and being apalled.
The first article is only a one page intro to the next two articles, it is entitled, The Joys And Challanges of Adolescence It basically says that we are "living in critical times hard to deal with"(2Tim 3:1) so this adds to the pressures on youths.
They quote a female editor of a Teen Magazine.
(I was thinking of how we were not allowed to read those evil teen magazeens because of the bad association, loose morals, and idolism promoted in in them, hmm, I wonder who at Watchtower is reading Teen Magazines.It's so loving of them to risk their spirituality and morals to get this important info to us?)
Anyway she describes the adolesent experience as "Walking on a tightrope without a net" she is also quoted as saying that adolescence is like being "caught between childhood and adult hood" "teens are left holding the worst attributes of each world"( This editor probably has no idea that a pedifile protecting Org is quoting her.)
The next article is entitled , "What's Happening to me?"
( LOL,I wish you could see the photo, It's a teenage boy lying in a twin bed under a sheet, fully clothed in jeans, t shirt, oh and socks! Who goes to bed like that? Someone was up on this boys ceiling and photographed him from a birds eye point of view. His hands are on the outside of the covers, clinched, and he has a very guilty and unhappy look on his face. I believe if you look at the sheets real closley you can see that he has a hard on !)
This article attempts to explain puberty, starting with the age it usually starts for both sexes,hormone changes,being clumbsy, how girls should not fear menstrual periods, gross description of what periods are,cramps, irritability, starting to care more about appearence,how your body "betrays" you by sweating , how you should shower, use deoderant, and wash your clothes to combat this pesky problem, Acne,emotions, & lonelyness,
LOL. by the way, the best way to combat loneleness is to reach out to othersby visiting the elderly and doing chores for them acording to Awake.
Then they talk about boys voices changing, They quote a boy by the name of Bill as saying " I didn't even realize my voice had changed, except that people stopped thinking I was my mom or sister when I answered the phone" They advise boys not to dispair about this because the voice will settle down in time.
The last article is "Keep Your Creator in Mind"
The quote Eccl 12:1 from The Contemporary English Bible
It says, "Keep your creator in mind when you are young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, "I don't enjoy life anymore"
What a positive message! The photos encourage adolescents to give up their joy in their youth by sacrificing their time to read the bible, go in service, avoid bad association, and sit in your living room visiting with your parents, thus assuring that you don't enjou any of your life!
Then they try to sell you the book, Questions Young People Ask....Answers That Work
That book brings up a whole slew of hilarious and appaling conversation subjects!But I won't go there now.
The longer I am out of the Org the weirder their teachings and behaviour become. I was just thinking of how weird and out of place these articles would seem to the typical person who happens to agree to accept these religious magazines. I