This will not be considered as the same situation in a court of law. In the Dateline mother's case it was simple negligence, in the Witnesses' case it is a carefully thought over religious decision that results in the death of the child. I know, it's the same result, but in the case law so far it is sometimes justifiable for parents to make decisions based on this kind of thing because their religion is "real to them". Now that I'm out of the Org, it makes absolutely no sense to me how a parent can be allowed to make that kind of decision, the law should protect the life of the child above the parent's opinion. But the older the child is the more complicated it gets. Save their lives now, let them work out their conscience and their beliefs when they are older and hopefully more sane.
Sentient
JoinedPosts by Sentient
-
13
parent murder due to medical negligence: Dateline
by Thegoodgirl indid anyone see the dateline special tonight: a mom was accused of murder because her diabetic daughter died, and the mom wasn't controlling the girl's blood sugars at all?
(the mom was taught and literally said "don't tell me how to take care of my own daughter.
") the girl dies at like age 9 or so, and her hemoglobin a1c was 16.1. normal is about 6.5, and 12 would be really high, 16.1 is astronomical.
-
-
-
29
What proportion of JW kids stay Witnesses? How about in your cong?
by jwfacts inthe wts is currently growing at about 1.3 % which is similar to the global propulation growth rate.
if all the jw kids stayed as jws then the religion could grow as quickly as it is now without any door knocking.. if in 2005 1.2 billion hours witnessing resulted in the religion only growing at the rate it should be naturally it suggests a lot a kids are leaving, or doorknocking is not having very good results.. of about 100 people born into the wts that i can remember in my congregations in australia about 3/4 of them have left.
is that the same in your congregation?
-
-
Sentient
In the four different congregations that I regularly attended in my life, I would say very roughly at least 75% left at some point with probably less than half returning and staying. I also think that the new wired generation is going to spell the end for this organization as we know it in 1st world countries...unless a kid is raised in Amish country or something, eventually the information control ends and help in moving on is more readily available now. There is definitely a momentum, an exponentially growing awareness taking place.
-
35
In love with a JW, HELP!!!
by secretlove in14 years ago i was a sophomore in high school and fell head over heels for a senior (we'll call him mike) who wasn't really in to me.
i was raised catholic and he, a jw.
i wrote him lots of notes, sent him teddy bears and tried to win his heart.
-
-
Sentient
Don't let anybody tell you what you must do or must not do, it is your own damn life. I wouldn't listen to anyone who would say, "You MUST stay together for the sake of the children!" If you're miserable the children are probably miserable too but don't imagine (with all due respect) that Mr. Hero will come along and save you. Be willing to listen to the advice of others about what it is that you might actually want or what it is that actually exists in terms of love or who the other person is. You could end up being just as unhappy with this guy you've idealized for so long. If he's a JW, he has some serious emotional and reality issues to deal with that you don't understand nearly enough. Maybe try spending more time reading on this board if you want to understand his world better and what you might be in for.
Whatever you do, listen to TallTexan about not joining, you don't know what you're in for. Take your time. Breathe. -
62
Marriage - Why bother?
by Spectrum inyet another friend's marriage has broken down(5th), this one i did not predict at all.
it came as a shock to me.
they got married after 10 years of living together so it's not like they didn't know each other.
-
-
Sentient
Some of my thoughts about relationships so far:
Don't do things because they are *right* or because you feel it is what a *good* person does, only do things you want to do that make you feel fulfilled in life. Avoid lifetime contracts because you don't know how well you know yourself yet. Realize that you have many options. I think most people in general could use some good reprogramming, not just Witnesses. Don't look down on others because they don't choose commitment, and don't look down on those who do. The beliefs and LABELS we have about what we should or shouldn't do or what arrangement works or doesn't work are made up in our own minds, what works varies by the individuals and where they are at in life! It's your life! Society is not going to crumble to pieces, people are still going to love each other and children are still going to be made and some of those children will end up healthy and some of them will end up less healthy. Stop the crazy judgments of things and just figure out for yourself what works best for you where you are at in life and genuinely listen to other people's opinions and experiences without judgement. If you're going to live with somebody, be a real FRIEND first and a lover second. Learn how to talk about your feelings. You can't confuse romantic love for genuine deep friendship, that's the #1 mistake that I can see. Heal your relationship with YOURSELF. Then you can be open and totally honest about who you are and what you do with others. -
28
HOW MANY ARE REALLY TRUE TO ORGANIZATION TEACHINGS???
by chuckyy inmy experience since leaving the jw's, knowing certain ones who still have contact, is that many jw's in good standing have done, or are doing things that could merit expulsion.
celebrating new year.
agreeing to blood transfusion.
-
-
Sentient
Note: Nobody's perfect. Judging other people based on whether they live up to a certain holy standard or not is insanity.
In the Org, I can honestly say that I was one of the ones who did not do anything that was a DFing offense. I had my struggles but I did sincerely live by the book, and I think this was true of only I and few others in the different congregations I attended, mostly older ones. But as a result I was even more screwed up than the rest of you who had the sense to be defiant and get yourselves DFed! I had to completely learn how to make choices based on what I wanted and believed for myself was right rather than a list of laws and rules...I felt that I needed those laws and rules to survive more than most, but I didn't. -
-
-
Sentient
PaNiCkAtTaCk, What kaput said. Also, ever notice that the more sincere a person is on the sincereness and nonjudgment scale, the less they follow the official rules made by the WTBTS? It's like they're in the wrong group. The more you look into it the more you see that the real glue holding the Org together is not love but judgment, discipline and control. Without those things it would have naturally dismantled on its own long ago. Keep learning, you're in for a rOlLeRcOaStEr RiDe.
-
13
WTS says that JW children are better educated
by Lady Lee ini can't find the quote for this but i remember being told that jw children were way ahead of their classmates when it came to reading and spelling.
both my daughters knew how to read before they got to school.. i remember writing school reports and using the awake!
for my research.
-
-
Sentient
There are so many variables here, but one of the main factors is how immersed you were by your parents or some other Witness influence in the GB's recommended program of indoctrination. If you regularly followed the recommended reading and study and speech training and followed all the suggestions, you would have virtually no critical thinking ability but I think you would surely be in the top percentile in terms of reading and linguistic ability for a school-age kid. It's tempting to react emotionally and ignore the positive aspects of an overall negative experience.
theinfamousone, what you are saying is so important! That is one of the SICK things about the WTS and it's called the destruction of the individual. You deserve full credit for your determination, curiousity, strength of character and intelligence. Your mother is right about the influence the reading and study you did had in your life, but so wrong about how you should see yourself and the WTS. They teach that if you take the credit you deserve for the things you mentioned, you're following the evil ways of the original serpent! When in reality, it is vital for your emotional health to receive full praise and recognition. Stripping you of what is yours and what you need to be a healthy individual is one way they take your identity away and transfer it to the Org. -
23
When was the last time a witness knocked at your door as a friend, not FS?
by JH in.
although i've been bapized back in 1988, and never was disfellowshipped, the last time a jw came over here as a friend, was about 15 years ago.
oh, and i'm not shunned..... the only witnesses who knocked on my door in the last 15 years, were elders, in "uniform" in the field service.. now, imagine if i was really shunned......
-
-
Sentient
As a teenager, I had a couple of Witness friends around my age and we would visit each other just to hang out and do the kinds of things normal things friends do...I'm sure this happens occasionally in the Org as a whole. But as we became older and I became more "spiritually mature" I found myself mentally labelling more and more people as "questionable association", including the few real friends I used to have some fun with. One friend I remember also became "spiritually mature" like myself, but we were both too busy with "Kingdom interests" to spontaneously do things just for fun. We sure did try hard in convincing ourselves that field service was the most fulfilling and fun activity a human being could possibly do.
What could have been real meaningful friendship came to be gradually replaced by the pseudofriendship of the more "spiritually mature" JWs, those of us who saw ourselves more distinctly in spiritual warfare. It's the law of attraction you know...even within the Org you are inclined toward those who are like you. For me it was the kind of people who's idea of spiritual assistance is spying on each other and calling each other only when someone's missed a meeting, or you need them to sub for you on your talk that night or take care of your bible student this weekend because you're going to the quick build. The kind of people who generally you will only ever see at the congregation picnic or your door if they happen to stop by out in service (on a morning you've slept in) or on a sheperding call (when you've been missing meetings). -
5
Do elders get selected because they buy a lot of literature?
by Madame Quixote ini was just wondering today about who buys the bulk of the lit from the jw org.
i got to thinking that the most jw literature i ever saw anywhere was in the kh book store/library, and in our house.
my dad became an elder when i was pretty young; i think it had something to do with all the lit he used to buy at the kh, but can't be sure.
-
-
Sentient
That's what it's about, loyalty and usefulness to the elders, and doing the other minimum things required (such as being "above reproach"...having a good image at the KH). Also, tattling on your fellow brothers and sisters to the elders will get you there faster.
-
24
Letting go of the black and white thinking...
by tall penguin ini think that this is the most difficult lesson in leaving the jw world.
the black and white thinking created such a neat little world where everything was so easily explained and categorized, provided you didn't mind living in a bubble.
i think the one area of black and white thinking that caused me the most difficulty and cognitive dissonance was the question of jehovah's will vs. satan's temptations.
-
-
Sentient
Agreed on the finding the grey areas! Truly, few can understand the extent to which this thinking distorts rational thought and how difficult that can be to overcome. Some people see the outside world as beyond their control, others realize that their life is pretty much created by them. The WBTS' teachings basically create these unbelieveable intense irrational fears, that dictate every aspect of life as you described Tall Penguin. In turns what could have been a peaceful life where life decisions are based on what a person actually wants to do into a life where one is literally in a WAR at all times and every decision becomes a survival-based decision. Anything that could even begin to lead one down the road of leaving the group becomes like death! That is why the symptoms that can be experienced after leaving can be very close to or even worse than the symptoms of having been in a physical war. What a powerful demonstration (to me anyway) of the extent to which our beliefs about our lives and ourselves create our lives and ourselves.