Angry letter to my nephew and his wife (page 2)

LittleToe

Confused:
Great letter.
The only thing I wonder is whether or not leaving it totally at the emotional level, by leaving out the last two paragraphs, might help.

Regardless of whether or not you send it, it's cathartic, huh?

You may or may not want to mention what the WT views are in the education brochure and that your daughter will not be promoting any religion which should make her even more desirable as a playground friend.

*** ed pp. 24-25 Moral Values That Merit Respect ***

Religiously Divided Households
In some families, only one parent is a Witness of Jehovah. In such a situation, the Witness parent is encouraged to recognize the right of the non-Witness parent also to instruct the children according to his or her religious convictions. Children exposed to different religious views experience few, if any, ill effects. In practice, all children have to decide what religion they will follow. Naturally, not all youths choose to follow the religious principles of their parents, whether Jehovah’s Witnesses or not.
Children’s Right to Freedom of Conscience
You should also know that Jehovah’s Witnesses attach much importance to the individual Christian conscience. (Romans, chapter 14) The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989, recognized a child’s right to “freedom of thought, conscience and religion” and the right “to express his or her opinion freely and to have that opinion taken into account in any matter or procedure affecting the child.”
No two children are exactly alike. Therefore, you may reasonably expect some variations in the decisions that young Witnesses or other students make when it comes to certain activities and assignments at school. We trust that you also subscribe to the principle of freedom of conscience.

bikerchic

Confused

I think it's a great letter and if I were you I would send it. Heck reading it took me waaaaay back to the days of dub-dom and exact situations like that with my kids, if only I had written or spoke to those who would shun my kids simply because, because, because.......we never really understood. We went to all the meetings and yet my kids were shunned by a certain family who hardly ever attended.

Send it and encourage your daughter to get on with her life and choose nice worldly friends to have. She is at an age where we usually make the friends we keep in our lives forever.

confusedjw

Thanks everyone. Yes, it helps just getting it off my chest.

Shotgun: That is really worth considering. I'm going to look at putting some reference to that and also perhaps where the WT official website says that "former members are not shunned"

Again thanks all and any thoughts are welcome especially as I can get a tad nutty when it involves my sweet pea.

shotgun

Hey...the world can always use more loving fathers and mothers.

Besides, even Popeye got nutty when it came to sweet pea....ack..ack..ack

Jez

Yes, send it! Great letter.

One suggestion, the last sentence implies that you are moving on, that you are going to accept that their daughter is shunning yours. If you are wanting the shunning to stop, I would not add that last sentence. I would say something like,

"Perhaps we need the school counsellers involved with the 2 and find out what is wrong because shunning at school is tantamount to bullying and I WONT have it" (Try to get the cousin into counselling at school, bring it to the schools attention, they will act! Religious bullying at school???? a major no-no)

"We need this ressolved" (Act like there is a solution, if they refuse to try, the responsibilty is on them)

Hugs, Jez

confusedjw

"Perhaps we need the school counsellers involved with the 2 and find out what is wrong because shunning at school is tantamount to bullying and I WONT have it" (Try to get the cousin into counselling at school, bring it to the schools attention, they will act! Religious bullying at school???? a major no-no)

How interesting. I'm going to have to contemplate that since it is for "religious" reasons.

Jez

We always have the mind set to not expose. I do it myself bec it is deeply engrained in me. EXPOSE them and what they are teaching their child to do. Hating/shunning someone due to religious beliefs is not tolerated at our school systems and I would think it is the same at yours.

Maybe do not even tell the parents, just approach the school with the problem and let THEM pull the parents in or even just the little girl. Wouldn't that be embarrassing for them to have to explain why they are encouraging their little one to shun? Make it serious to the school though, "she just doesn't like my daughter" is not good enough, it has to be "due to religious beliefs....bullying via shunning...my daughter is tramatized by this....they use to be very close....until we stopped going to JW meetings...etc." Insist they talk to your girl at least and hopefully the other girl and really hopefully, the parents.

Best case: the little girl will get to see another point of view and will never forget it.

Don't underestimate the inner pain that this shunning can cause your little girl! You know as adults how hurtful it is to US let alone a little one that does not even understand really WHY they are doing it! Shocking! She may doubt herself and whether she deserves to be shunned on some level. So bringing it to the schools attn and standing up for her rather than refusing to do the JW 'sweep it under the carpet' will show her that you and OUTSIDERS believe that this is inhuman and very immoral in our society.

iiz2cool

"Perhaps we need the school counsellers involved with the 2 and find out what is wrong because shunning at school is tantamount to bullying and I WONT have it" (Try to get the cousin into counselling at school, bring it to the schools attention, they will act! Religious bullying at school???? a major no-no)

Good points Jez

They are promoting religious intolerence and hate in school. If the JWs want their beliefs respected within the school system then they must respect the beliefs and/or disbeliefs of others.

Religious freedom is NOT only for Jehovah's Witnesses. It's for everyone. They're very quick to forget that.

Walter

Angry letter to my nephew and his wife

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