To ask about religion (JW)

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I know it’s never good to discuss religion and I’m respectful of all people’s religions and choices but I’ve read a few things about Jehovas witnesses lately, from Witnesses themselves, that have surprised me.

I’ve read a few things on here where people have said they were bought up as JW’s but are no longer practising as adults and feel they missed out as children. This really interests me as I’ve never heard this before with other religions.

I’ve known Witnesses, who have grown up and also raised their children as witnesses and are very happy with their choices. But that isn’t the impression I’ve gotten on here.

Is there really that many people that feel that way, and why?

Generally people stick with what they know and how they were raised and that is how religion works.

I’m not religious at all so genuinely interested.

My dad ex partner was a nurse. A young woman (JW) who was recently married had cancer and required a blood transfusion. Due to that choice she died shortly after. Such a waste of s life that could be avoided.

My mother converted when I was a young child and then promptly proceeded to suck all of the joy out of our lives. No Christmas, no birthdays, not allowed to watch certain cartoons etc. I stood out like a sore thumb because as well as being quite poor so scruffy she made me wear 'modest' clothes to school so every thought I was especially weird and avoided me.

Its extremely patriarchal too so was basically told I would be expected to obey my husband and not really have a voice. In addition to that there were hours upon hours of meetings every week with no kid friendly alternative which were mind numbing. Most religions have their own festivals etc too but JW's only have the memorial service which is the most depressing thing you could ever attend. I'm aware that some congregations had fun days for the kids but not ours.

Also they were the most judgemental people I have ever met whilst also ignoring horrific things (my friend was sexually abused and they didn't disfellowship the guy, my friend had to move to a different congregation).

Well, if lots are leaving once they've grown up they must be getting new converts from somewhere ... isn't it said JWs are one of the fastest growing religions?

Maybe all that door-knocking is more effective than many think?

The growth is mostly in developing countries as I said upthread.

Not entirely but mostly.

IME they tend to sucker in the depressed and those that have been in abusive relationships unfortunately. They are very good at providing the initial support they need and the idea that there is something better and that the world will end to is quite appealing to those with little hope. Not true of every case but was true of my mother and most of her friends.

A school friend of mine and her 3 sisters were raised as jehovahs witnesses. As soon as they reached 16 they stopped being jw. They didn't agree with the way the religion operates and didn't share its beliefs.

It makes me laugh when people of other religions criticise JWs. Have a look at your own religion, they're all bonkers.

Oh, do give it a rest, Craft1905, nobody's biting - and it is Christmas after all!

i'm curious. if only 144000 are going to heaven doesn't door knocking limit your chance of being one of them if you convert others?

as an aside though, we had some knocking at the door recently, and when i ssent them away they stood in my garden talking what a shame it was as i could have been saved if only i'd let them pray for me and now i'm doombed. i went out and ordered them from my property.fwiw i am an atheist, however imo any religion which allows a parent let their child die in the name of"belief deserves special questioning and criticism.

It makes me laugh when people of other religions criticise JWs. Have a look at your own religion, they're all bonkers.

Oh, do give it a rest, Craft1905, nobody's biting - and it is Christmas after all!

I don't care if people bite or not, but they need to have some self awareness. People are not in a position to mock JW beliefs while they continue to believe in original sin, people rising from the dead, talking snakes, water into wine, waves being parted and a whole host of utter drivel that never happened.

A few miles from us there's a Kingdom Hall. Three houses nearby have signs saying No Jehovah's Witnesses like most of us have No Free Papers signs.

There were JW brothers at my DCs primary school. @They had to have their own TA and sit in an otherwise empty classroom so that they weren't "contaminated" by all the Christmas festivities which the other (Christian, Muslim, Hindu etc) children were enjoying. They always looked so sad.

@floodypuddle I could have written your post word for word. My mum converted when I was 10, about 6 months after her dad died. My dad (they’re still married but he has no time for the JWs) is totally convinced that they preyed upon her at a vulnerable time.

If you had just lost a loved one and someone started telling you that you’d be able to see them again someday soon it’s easy to see how you could buy into that through your grief.

Personally, I don’t think I know anyone who has blindly followed the belief system they were brought up in.

Actual statistics show that 11 out of every 12 people identify as the same religion as their parents. Of course they may be more or less orthodox but in general, only 1 in 12 actually leave the religion they had inflicted on them by their parents.

...while they continue to believe in original sin, people rising from the dead, talking snakes, water into wine, waves being parted and a whole host of utter drivel that never happened.

So what about those of us who have different religious beliefs that don't believe in the things listed above?

So what about those of us who have different religious beliefs that don't believe in the things listed above?

I haven't come across any religious beliefs that don't encompass supernatural claptrap, lots of impossible stuff and believing stuff for which there is no evidence,. or worse still, that is contrary to the evidence.

But please educate me if I've got that wrong.

There’s a very interesting article here about how JWs hushed up child abuse and made it impossible for children to blow the whistle because two witnesses were needed for anything to be believed. Obviously children could then be abused in private with no witnesses apart from themselves and the abuser. If a child made an allegation and no second witness could be found, the child would be punished for false allegations.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/02/jehovahs-witnesses-silencing-techniques-child-abuse

I know a family who were ultra committed JWs who left. They had two small DC and were sent abroad to do missionary work in a country where inoculations are usually required to travel. They were hugely pressured not give their children the inoculations. When they arrived at the destination their younger child caught a disease inoculations could have prevented. That DC ended up with profound disabilities. JWs blamed them and said it was their punishment for not believing in God enough. They left, with one profoundly disabled child and another emotionally scarred child who had lost every friend they had when the JWs shunned them.

It was very difficult for them to leave, as it usually is. The JWs tend to be completely enmeshed in the organisation. So leaving isn’t just like stopping going to church, frequently it means loss of jobs, homes, properties, assets, relatives and friends. It’s not easy.

Even loyalty to the org isn't a safeguard. They've just turfed out most of the Brooklyn bethel (old headquarters), folks who had worked there and lived there forsaking all other things are now out on their ear with no safety net at all.

As PP have said, it's a cult, like lots of religions it's aim is to control the 'flock', restrict/eradicate independent rational thought, and self perpetuate. In the 21st century this should be seen for what it is and avoided at all costs - hopefully to die out.

I went to school with a girl who was being brought up as a JW.

She definitely missed out in school - birthday sweets, Christmas parties, birthday parties, making Christmas craft etc. She was not allowed to attend assembly or RE lessons - heaven forbid she should learn about other religions!

She was a nice girl and ditched the JW thing as soon as she was old enough to. Moved as far away as she could for university and hasn't had contact with her family since because they shunned her due to her choice.

While I try to be tolerant of everyone, I just admit JW is one I find very difficult to tolerate. Luckily, I live in the sticks so they don't come bothering me.

A friend of my mum's worked in A&E and a young JW child came in and needed a blood transfusion (not sure what for), the parents refused and the child died totally needless death and how anyone can stand by and let their child die when they could be saved is utterly beyond me.

Awful religion!

I don’t know why you find it so strange I haven’t encountered it. I wasn’t brought up in religion so maybe that’s why. As I said there are not many people that I’ve know from childhood right the way through to adulthood but the ones I have generally bring their kids up the way they were brought up, be it religious or not. That’s my experience, that’s why I asked the question.

@MoorMummy

That's so sad, I'm a nurse and have had a patient who was a JW and needed a blood transfusion before, they consented to having the blood transfusion done, but we had to lock the ward down for the few hours it took because they were so terrified about an elder walking in and seeing it.

In the film, one of the main characters dies as she can’t have a transfusion.In the service , they have some sort of ‘bible’ where children who have died due to similar are celebrated. It was creepy. Wondered how true it was.

I have taught a JW brother and sister for years. They suffer huge mental health problems at the hands of this cult to the point that they cry in fear about the armagedon and are scared of their own shadow incase the put a foot wrong and don't get to paradise. It is hideous.

@moormummy they regularly parade stories particularly of faithful youth who have died rather than accept blood at regional meetings and in their magazines. :(

I work with a jehovas witness, his dw was one from birth and he converted in his twenties.

I find it a very strange religion and couldn’t imagine bringing a child into the world and not celebrating their birthday and being willing to watch them die if a blood transfusion was required.