Not celebrating birthdays or Christmas?

[Doglover321]

I was working an agency shift yesterday when one of my colleagues confessed that she doesn’t celebrate her children’s birthdays or Christmas. They are only 8 and 4, and will be hearing from school friends all about Christmas and how many presents they’re going to get, etc. She said it’s because she’s a Jehovah’s Witness and wants to raise her girls as Witnesses also, but I can’t help but feel sad for them.

That's heartbreaking.. a 'good boy' present?

I've no words..

Jeaus was hated for following Gods word and said his follower would be hated for it too

That's a bit of a cultish trait too, of course, it's often quite illuminating which Christians quote it and which dont.

They also don’t go away. I’ve sat in my house ignoring them and they stand at the door for 10/15 minutes. Sometimes they have kids with them, young boys being trailed around the doors dressed up in a suit and tie. I find it very sad, not least of all because I bet some people are nasty to them.

@M340
Again you’re slandering.

No one gets shunned for opting out that’s a bare faced lie, I should know 😂

Shunned is when a baptised witness is sinning unrepentantly over and over, they’re removed from the congregation until they want to repent and come back. It’s a choice the person is making to not be a JW anymore.

Again the definition of cult doesn’t apply.

Abstaining from blood in their view is a direct command from God, as with other religions. Other religions also prohibit pork, alcohol, drugs. It would be extremely extremely rare nowadays for someone to die without blood, due to amazing medical advances.

Their cult status comes not from the basis of their religious beliefs (many cults are rooted in Christianity) but on the governing structure of their organisation.
Outsourcing the agency and decisions to the "anointed brothers still on earth" i.e. the guys at the top of the organisation, qualifies them as a cult. The leaders of the orgnisation dictate aspects of the follower's lives and monitor obedience to the extent that no other mainstream organised religion does. I am secular but I am still allowed contact with my Christian mother. JW practice shunning (albeit their denial of the fact, we have many accounts of people who were shunned).

Yes

I believe on behalf of kids though the hospitals will take the matter to court to force through treatment if it’s in the child’s best interests. Shame this use of resources is necessary because parents won’t do the right thing

@Green777

Are you a JW by any chance???

I was raised JW and baptised in my teens due to parental and peer pressure. Got out in my early 20s. Parents still in.
Shunned by all my friends.

Maybe you should look up the Australian Royal Commission on child abuse in the JW religion where you can watch, yes watch one of the covering body lie under oath about their child abuse policy

Theres something like 9 million JW’s worldwide, all living peacefully

Of course. Members (as opposed to founders and leaders) of cults/cultish groups are typically genuine good people, who sincerely believe they're helping make the world a better place or following the wishes of a higher power.

Disgusting IMO.

@ErrolTheDragon

Youre basically saying they’re a cult for believing in the Bible. You’re also saying Jesus was sus because he preached and told his followers to. He was hated and put to death for being different and actually following gods word and said in the Bible his followers would be different and gated too because actually being a true Christian and loving others, preaching and using the Bible as a guide to living is very unusual now.

You obviously don’t believe the Bible but it’s nice to respect others beliefs I think.

Green, are you a JW?

@ErrolTheDragon

Sorry, I am here to speak up against some of the lies being spouted. You believe they’re a cult, that’s fine. I also think by your standards most religions would be classed as cults.

Going against the grain, I also think this is cruel.
Poor kids.
But then there’s lots about the JW religion that upsets me tbh - may not be nice of me to say that but letting loved ones die for lack of a blood transfusion is so sad.

There are many, many reasons to object to the Witnesses. Lack of Christmas and birthday celebrations are the least of it.

If your work colleague is a Pioneer, she will spend substantial time on evangelism every month. It’s a weird pastime to those of us not involved in evangelical religions/cults, but it’s a huge part of their lives.

I'm not saying any such thing.
I'm saying that the jehovahs witnesses have an organisation and certain behaviours which are cultish traits.

Maybe you need to learn more about how to recognise them. It's got pretty much nothing to do with their theology.

@Doglover321

Alas as I’ve said, I’m one of the few that has worked closely with them, studied with them, and not been shunned for not practicing it. On the contrary

Especially young children. The fact that they will let their children die instead of accepting the blood transfusion!

Would you refuse a blood transfusion if you needed it to stay alive?

it’s nice to respect others beliefs I think.

Respect needs to be earned.
I don't respect religious beliefs which are misogynistic for instance.

@ErrolTheDragon

Please scroll back and read the reasons you’ve given for cults and whether they match up. I think you should do a bit more research than listen to disgruntled melters etc. Ir helps to be a bit open minded as you probably are with other religions you wouldn’t dare to diss with who’s beliefs you don’t agree with

Well, of course. It's because you are a potential convert. Had you been brought up in the faith and then decided to leave, your experiences would have been very different.
I am also saying it as someone who used to work closely with them and was always treated very well. This wasn't the case for my friends who left in adulthood.

Having seen what happened to friends who were Disfellowshipped, Yes, it’s a cult and yes, it’s bloody dangerous.

If Green wasn’t baptised as a Witness, they will be as welcoming as anything. But to reject the Witnesses after baptism, you’re dead to them. Family, friends, entire community cast you out, won’t speak, won’t even look at them.

@ErrolTheDragon

To one religion that’s ‘misogynistic’ there’s another that believes it somehow protects women and Honors them. Down to perspective too and down to whether the person believes the Quran or Bible is truly from God, and they want to obey it and follow it.

Yes you really should respect peoples beliefs regardless. Respecting doesn’t mean agreeing.

You seem very closed minded and decided so let’s leave it there 💐

Our whole village is a "No Cold Calling Zone", but it doesn't stop them !

Rebekah Vardy made a documentary about growing up in a Jehovah Witness family. It sounded pretty traumatic, as it is a very 'high-control' religion. It's pretty hard to leave the religion as people who do this are cut off and shunned by the community.