Growing Up Jehovah's Witness’

[Peter]

Has anyone seen the video on u-tube 'Growing Up Jehovah's Witness' its in three parts.

Just type 'Growing Up Jehovah's Witness' into the search engine.

<span style="font-family:Calibri">I have mixed feelings about this video and a few things I don&#39;t agree with, but one thing I agree from the outset is being out in the field service on Christmas day is an invasion of people privacy.

She indicates that she wants to be part of the norm and do the things that normal kid do such as celebrate worldly holidays. However, it would prove impossible for Jehovah&#39;s witnesses to bring their children up and allow them to celebrated worldly festivals that are clearly offensive to Jehovah. </span>

She does make one interesting observation that JW&#39;s are among the most self-righteous and judgmental people on the planet today. (Of course that&#39;s one of the reasons that Jehovah will bring them low during the time of the end)

This girl has been clearly stunted by the Watchtowers prophecies that the end failed to manifest itself respecting the 1914 dogma and this generation. She has though been trip up by the mindset of so many parent who suffer the Watchtowers moral panic that if their daughter has worldly friends they will be pregnant by the end of the week, or become cocaine addicts.

Her asking questions at such a young age concerning Jehovah&#39;s omniscience&#39;s and being branded an apostate for doing so is rubbish, its not the fault of the Watchtower here, the fault lay with here parents.

The video gives the impression to the outsiders that all JWs behave in the same way towards their children, even though this is her personal experience. There are thousands of Jehovah&#39;s Witness children who don&#39;t go to meetings and are not cast out by their parent for doing so. In fact the Watchtower has never encouraged this kind of behavior (at least directly) to tell their children that they don&#39;t love them any longer because they no longer attend the kingdom hall. (There is however a social stigma that parent face when their children leave, that they didn&#39;t get it right, others can prove somewhat smug and take the moral high ground as their children are still walking with God. )

She says that she looks forward to a future and wouldn&#39;t be able to do so if she was a witness. Maybe she should visit that on line &#39;hopeful atheist&#39;, because without God there is no future.

In all the video is a sad reflection of a state-of-affairs that some youths who have been brought up in the Watchtower society get in.

[Sketch]

Maybe she should visit that on line &#39;hopeful atheist&#39;, because without God there is no future.[/b]

Technically, I&#39;m "inactive"... but my dad... hes been an elder for 30 years or so... tries to preach to me - but just like my childhood, he won&#39;t listen to my questions or opinions. He literally stops talking or changes the subject. and he wonders why I&#39;m not active (one reason anyway).

My favorite atheist out there is Pat Condell (http://www.youtube.com/patcondell)... he&#39;s so funny... he speaks the truth about religion in general.... i think anyway... but then again, I have a "thing" against organized religion...

[Alex]

Although I feel some use Youtube to vent off their frustration and exaggerate their opinions for the amusement of others, sadly there is a measure of truth in what former JW&#39;s say about their childhood.

Only recently I have heard adult JW&#39;s reflect on their childhood, &#39;growing up in the truth&#39; only to express their dissatisfaction at the way their parents forced them into the &#39;Watchtower&#39; way of life, i.e. meetings, extended time in field service, rushed mealtimes for the sake of meetings and field service, Bible study without addressing the need of the child, many prohibitions and a stifling of character development.

There are a number who feel betrayed by the Watchtower&#39;s slant of anti-further education, the distorted view that the only purpose in life is &#39;door knocking&#39; and distributing Watchtower literature, limiting their pursuit of enhancing their other skills and talents. Others have put their life on hold, waiting for Armageddon to come, only to feel disappointed as they discover the many u-turns the Watchtower has made in its teachings.

A number of youths just cannot cope with the demands of study, limited association and a stifling environment of uniformity which now exists in the congregations and organization. The meetings are often stale and labourious for young ones who observe the fast exciting pace of a world full of entertainment and endless possibilities. Is it any wonder we lose so many each year?

The religion which the Watchtower and its leaders has formed can prove detrimental to the growth, emotional stability and outlook of its young ones. Parents too have a duty to their children, which includes not to follow blindly every direction of the Governing Body without first giving attention to the needs of their families and children, and how any directive from the FDS measures up to the scriptures and the welfare of the family.

Personally, when I was very young, the Service meeting items held at the beginning of each year regarding the use of the &#39;No Blood&#39; directive would make my stomach churn. There was very little alternatives to blood 35 years ago, therefore parents would express their preference (understandably) for no blood even if their child faces a life threatening situation. Can you imagine what emotional effect that would have on a knowing young one who noted their parents and others would let them die as a consequence?

Just my thoughts.

Brotherly affection, Alex

[Candace]

I just finished watching the videos. Her story reminds me of all the things I did right, all the things I did wrong, and all the things I regret about raising my two oldest daughters in the truth.

I can be happy that I taught my kids about Jehovah, and that I tried to show them why Bible principles were the best guide for their life. I recall all the parties we had....Bible character parties....talent shows....ice cream parties....clown parties...princess parties....ethnic themed parties....pizza parties....I think we partied more than the neighbors. :o

We had a Family day every week. I remember when my daughters&#39; friends were envious because I did so much stuff with my daughters, and their parents didn&#39;t. Mostly, the kids at school got dropped off at the mall...the bowling alley...the movie theater....the beach. Their parents had a separate life.

One year my oldest daughter&#39;s class had to make Christmas wreaths. She asked her teacher if she could do something different, which was okayed. She made a beautiful Hawaiian-themed wreath. The other kids in her class were jealous because all they had to work with were red and green, and they had to stick with the Christmas theme. I&#39;d like to see some You Tube videos complaining about that! :lol:

Some of the best conversations I had with householders occurred on Christmas day. Sometimes it was the only time of year you would ever catch them at home. Many people appreciated that we talked about Jesus&#39; role as King, and the future blessings we had to look forward to. Those that didn&#39;t got us out of their hair in pretty short order. We were not there to ruin their day. I wouldn&#39;t have been offended if Mormons had come by for a visit on Christmas day....back when I still celebrated it....I probably would have associated their visit with them doing something special for Christmas.

I do feel bad about any way I may have stifled my daughters&#39; development....but in spite of that they both turned out pretty good. Maybe when Nancy (the girl in the video) has kids of her own, she&#39;ll be able to reflect on and appreciate the good things that her parents did in raising her.

I did feel funny about asking people for money for the magazines....it made me feel like I was selling them, no matter how the Society explained it (25 cents to cover the cost of the paper and ink, remember that?). When it changed to a donation arrangement I hardly ever asked for a donation, preferring to cover the expense myself. It does seem pretty weird asking total strangers to support a religion they don&#39;t even belong to. Most of the people I knew didn&#39;t ask for donations either.

Acquaintances...I remember a C.O.&#39;s wife who taught my daughters to call the kids at school "acquaintances" instead of calling them their friends.....must be a worldwide teaching. :huh: I think the toughest job a JW parent has is being balanced in regard to what kind of friends their kids have. Looking back, some of the kids at the hall were worse association than some of the friends my daughters gravitated towards in school.

It&#39;s too bad the JW religion evolved the way it did. Back in the Fifties there weren&#39;t a whole lot of JW&#39;s, so most JW kids were allowed to play with the kids in the neighborhood. Their parents instilled in them Bible principles, and that&#39;s what protected them....not putting up a fence around them and telling them, "Don&#39;t go outside that fence!" Kids back then were allowed to learn from their mistakes....kids nowadays are expected not to make any mistakes in the first place. I think it&#39;s a whole lot harder for the kids of today to grow up in this organization. The bar is set too high and the expectations are unrealistic.

One of Nancy&#39;s comments from Part 3, "People leave the organization because they grow a brain." I think that with the popularity of You Tube, and other file sharing services, it&#39;s going to be impossible for the WTS to insulate people, young and old, from the truth about the truth. Perhaps this is one reason why the annual report is no longer going to be published publicly, and will only appear in the Kingdom Ministry and Yearbook.

Nancy&#39;s story really touched my heart. There is devastation on both sides, not only in Nancy&#39;s life, but her mom, step-dad, step-sister, and all the friends she left behind. This scenario is being played out in congregations worldwide. There are a lot of broken hearts and broken families. Our only hope is in Jehovah.

(Haggai 2:4-9) . . .And be strong, all YOU people of the land,is the utterance of Jehovah, and work.For I am with YOU people,
is the utterance of Jehovah of armies. 5 [Remember] the thing that I concluded with YOU people when YOU came forth from Egypt, and [when] my spirit was standing in among YOU. Do not be afraid.� 6 For this is what Jehovah of armies has said, Yet once it is a little while and I am rocking the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry ground. 7 And I will rock all the nations, and the desirable things of all the nations must come in; and I will fill this house with glory, Jehovah of armies has said. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, is the utterance of Jehovah of armies. 9 Greater will the glory of this later house become than [that of] the former, Jehovah of armies has said. And in this place I shall give peace, is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.