Does being a JW damage some children mentally?

I ask this question because in the congregation that we used to attent there was a family that had two sons. It became something that brothers laughed about that their mother had been called into school on a couple of occassions because of the things that one of the children had been talking about to his school friends. He was always telling them that they were going to die at Armageddon and Jehovah was going to destroy everyone who was not a JW.

The mother was warned by the teacher that if she did not stop her son talking like this then he may have to be removed from classes and eventually at the other extreme expelled. The boy was six at the time. His school friends, according to the teacher, were becoming very afraid especially when he told them about Satan and what he could do to them if they touched anything that had been owned by someone who read horoscopes.

So, do you think he was damaged and like a loose canon that could damage others?

JustTickledPink

Being raised to believe that everything you do is sinful and

being raised to be feel ashamed of your body, your body's normal wants/needs/desires

being raised to always carry around guilt

being raised to be in constant fear of Jehovah's "wrath" and punishment

being raised to be waiting on death and destruction, and your own if you happen to fall short and sin

Is any of that damaging? I'd say so. Any religion that is fear-based, that constantly preaches death and makes you carry around a world of guilt... how could it not damage your formative years?

iiz2cool

You're getting mixed messages throughout your time as a JW. On the one hand you're made to feel "special" because you're "priviliged" to be one of gods people while everyone else is bird food. On the other hand the JWs do everything possible to destroy your self esteem so that you will be humble before the almighty organization.

Adults who were not raised as JWs don't leave unscathed. I can't imagine what it does to someone raised in it.

Gill

I agree with both of you.

Myself, as a child the occult stories they told in talks and magazines always scared me.

Now I'm a liberated Harry Potter fan. A few years ago i would have run a mile rather than touch a Harry Potter book.

Incense_and_Peppermints

He was always telling them that they were going to die at Armageddon and Jehovah was going to destroy everyone who was not a JW.
His school friends, according to the teacher, were becoming very afraid especially when he told them about Satan and what he could do to them if they touched anything that had been owned by someone who read horoscopes.
So, do you think he was damaged and like a loose canon that could damage others?

yes. irreparably sometimes. that's way too much to put on the shoulders of one so young. he should be talking about nintendo, bugs, pikachu, spongebob and other things normal little boys are interested in. sheesh.

when i was young and thought about armageddon, i used to wonder how we would be protected. i mean, would there be a force field around our house or something? then i started thinking about little worldy babies and how they didn't do anything wrong and they didn't deserve to die and so i asked my older sister about that and she said well they were part of the evil system of things like everything else and so they had to pass away along with it. hmm... i can't help but remember that osama bin laden has expressed much the same thoughts when talking about his "holy war"...

whyamihere

I agree with JustTickledPink!

Living in fear of everything and thinking you are going to die doing something wrong even if it is a minor thing all through your life screws you up. Think of it everyday you think you are going to die and you don't know when. And your parents think Men of no importance to the "Real World" are gods and obey everything they do. Think about it its crazy! Since its crazy its got to make a few people out there crazy!

Brooke WI

Mary

Does a snake crawl on it's belly? I was humiliated every single day that I had to stand outside the classroom for opening exercises. Plus, not being allowed to participate in ANYTHING that was fun, like birthdays, Hallowe'en, Easter, Mothers Day, Father's Day, Christmas or even Thanksgiving did a real number on me. Kids are cruel and I was heckled for being a "Jehovah Nit-wit" and laughed at for not getting anything for Christmas. To make matters worse, I was the only Witness in my school so everyone was "baaad association". As a result, I turned to food for comfort and grew up with very low self-esteem.........it affects me to this very day.

Winston Smith :>D

Does being a JW damage some children mentally?

Think "Rod & Todd Flanders" from The Simpson's

karategirl

Dear god yes!!! I used to have nightmares about Armageddon. Still did even after leaving the organization. Up until about 5 years ago. My self esteem as a young girl was smashed especially watching my mother endure abuse in the name of being a good wife. This was of course part of being a faithful witness. Having to be the outcast constantly was so hard. To this day I have so much difficulty feeling like part of the group and fitting in. It is difficult to maintain relationships because of feeling this way. Took me a long time to think for myself. Always wanted an exact plan or process. Which made it easier for others to walk all over me. Even becoming creative and opening that was difficult for me. Always looked for a formula or needed to go off of an example. It was actually scary to make a decision on my own.

Does being a JW damage some children mentally?

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