To be upset with dd1 teacher.

[lisad123]

I know this is likely to kick off because it's about religion, but hopefully it won't.

We a family we don't celebrate Xmas or birthdays ect. Both dds have been brought up this way and it's never been an issue to anyone (beside PIL but that's another thread)!

Dd1 is 9 and at Xmas her teacher kept making comments about Xmas being the most wonderful time ever, if you don't celebrate your missing out on something special and wonderful and no child should miss xmas. I let it wash as we were taking girls away over Xmas so dd1 wasn't fussed.

Yesterday, someone in her class was giving out birthday sweets. Dd1 refused as she knows we don't join in celebrating bdays. It's never been an issue, we have plently of sweets. Her teacher made a comment and told her it was ok, she should have one and I would never know! dd1 still refused and told me what teacher had said.
When she came out today she told me her teacher had put sweets in her tray, and told her they weren't bday sweets so she could eat them.
Now Friday is the only day we have sweets because she is a sugar addict and gets ratty and obsessive if we allow too many sweets.

So I spoke to the teacher and he said he felt sorry for her and didn't think it was fair. I explained that I understand that but this is our choice and he told me in future he would try not to say anything but he did feel sorry for her
She wants for nothing and I'm very proud of her for standing up so well to her beliefs.

I'm wondering if she was a religion that didn't eat meat if he would have such a problem.

So am I unreasonable to be upset with him?

I hope no one is confusing JW with orthodox Christianity. It is really nothing more than a cult. That's why they build their doctrine on tiny snippets of scripture and not see the big picture. It is a way for the hierarchy to control their adherants. This is so far from true Christian faith.

When you think the school was wrong, imagine the child was in the Branch Davidians, or something like that (probably a bad example as those children would be imprisoned).

I believe that if a family wants to remove itself from mainstream society, perhaps mainstream school isn't such a good idea.

And OP, enjoy being persecuted for your beliefs. You are not alone.

I don't agree that jw's indoctrinate their kids with their beliefs any more than any other devout follower of their religion who takes their young kids to church/bring them up in the religion etc. Parents will always pass their beliefs onto their kids religious or not and there's not a lot that can be done about that. But when it comes to tangible ways in which a childs needs are being neglected - such as restricting medical treatment - whether maliciously or not - the cloak of religion is no excuse imo.

And I also find the fact that a child given a blood transfusion against their will is considered to be akin to rape extremely distasteful! You really have to question the grass roots level morality of a religion that puts life-life saving treatment and serious sexual assault on the same level. But then I also think that the 'all sins are equal' stance of other religions has no basis in the real world either - murder versus adultery for example.

david oh no, definitely not confusing JW with Christianity. But I disagree with removing children from mainstream school. This is the best chance society has to save them and break the cycle of indoctrination of minors.

SMR oh definitely. All religions are guilty of this not just JW. Most other religions will tolerate half in half out people though, which means that kids are exposed to a range of views from orthodox 'it's all true' to 'well it's just my cultural background'. I think the religions that do not permit contact with even family that do not tow the line are the dangerous cultish ones.

I agree with you there, entropy. From a parent's point of view, perhaps they should consider home-ed or a cult school. From a child welfare (and therefore, society) POV, then mainstream all the way.

op you might not be familiar, but JW'S used to celebrate Birthdays & Christmas. Until that is, someone at Bethal decided not to anymore. Check out your Proclaimers book!

You need to research what will happen to your daughter, when someone decides to change the rules again. After all this 'system' was due to end in 1968!

I have a many JW relatives , I was not raised in the 'truth' nor have I been dis-fellowshipped...so I am not coming from a bitter perspective...You might like to do a bit of research in your own faith, not from the Watchtower/Awake though.

YANBU to have thought it was wrong for your dd to eat some b'day sweeties, it is all you know ....but YABU if you let this continue.

belgian I think the thread is approx the same as it was last night?

Also what is illegal about it? Noone is advocating hate or violence against anyone?

It is people who are due respect, not their unfounded belief systems. (which is the same for all religion/atheism/spagettimonsterism).

The worst anyone has said of the op is that they think she is unreasonable for allowing her beliefs to interfere with her daughters childhood and education.

I

I was curious about the alleged legality issues of the thread too. If anyone has a concern, they should click the report link PDQ.

Legality issues? Have I missed something?

You actually take your dd out of school for the last week before Christmas because neither she nor the teachers can "cope"!!!!!!
That is seriously, scarily, over the top.

Davida I am surprised OP actually posted here.

This a secular site, JW'S are discouraged from even posting about their faith in places like this.

In fact OP I think you actually know that most 'worldly' problems can be left to your own conscience. That is actually the advice given by the Elders. It would have been alright for your YR4 DD to eat a sweet, and you could have reiterated why (at home) you don't.Many Jw's deal with similar things that way :)

Maybe it was a cry for help, feminine. The OP perhaps wants out of her cultdenomination and needs our encouragement.

That is a possibility Davida.

There is a huge difference between education and worship though.

A JW would learn about other religions but not take part in the worship of other religions.

JW's are not a cult.

They take all their beliefs from the Bible and look at the bigger picture. Do you think they love going round preaching from house to house? Do you not think they are terrified at meeting some people? It is not the most natural thing in the world to do and yet they follow the command that Jesus told them to do and preach the word of God.

I think they should be praised for having a strong faith and wanting people to come to an accurate knowledge of God.

No GossipMonger - they take their beliefs from the bible and then make up a bunch of stuff on top which prevents their children (who are not old enough to make up their own minds) particularly fully in their community. There's nothing praiseworthy about that

participating, not particularly. Aargh!

'make up a bunch of stuff on top which prevents their children (who are not old enough to make up their own minds) particularly fully in their community. There's nothing praiseworthy about that'

Actually that is completely inaccurate too as is most info on this thread

Gossipmonger, JWs meet every definition of a cult that there is.

Define a cult then.

Go somewhere like adherants.com if you want to know.

• adherents.com

nah, not that interested really.

But it is not a cult.