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.

I'll diss all sorts of religions, you obviously don't know me😂

And I do 'research' in the meaning it's deployed here - listen to serious academic lectures and podcasts.

You seem to have problems comprehending what other people are saying, and completely misrepresenting them.

Why not tell her? Be sure to tell all the Muslims you feel sorry for their children and the Hindus, sikhs and Jews too

Horrible cult, and not because of the lack of celebrations. I feel sorry for all children raised like that

Are they being excluded from the school Xmas celebrations?

@JustinThyme

Sorry but that’s another lie. Shunned witnesses aren’t dead to anyone and they are welcome back into the fold of practicing the religion whenever they choose as long as they’ve stopped regularly practicing any major sins like adultery.

Such faux concern for the kids just an excuse to bash a religion. I can understand the concern about blood but come on.

Thankfully there’s some balanced minded people that know many religions reject pagan traditions and celebrations

One of my best friends grew up JW but her mother left the religion when she was a child. She did feel that she missed out on birthdays and holidays - and not just that but anything involving 'magic' ie Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings

@ErrolTheDragon

it makes sense that you’re looking at it from an academic stance, it is really hard to understand people’s personal religious beliefs in the Bible etc from that standpoint but I understand and respect that too

Yes but they have other celebrations

JW seem particularly miserable

I’m off to peruse Style and Beauty, much nicer to read 😊

With communism what other wine could you enjoy but red??

@Green777

I would like you to explain the 2 witness rule to everyone please

Absolute rubbish. “Welcome back into the fold” - yes, capitulation is welcomed. Dissent results in expulsion and being cut dead.

As a Witness you can be friends with atheists and people of faith. But you cannot be friends with an ex Witness.

Yes, I feel sorry for the children, not because they don't follow pagan traditions but because they are being raised in a cult. Anyone defending the JW belief system should read up on its history.

The door-knocking is not to try to convert people. It’s designed so that they will experience basically nothing but anger and aversion from people outside of their religion, which strengthens their belief to stay. Us against them. Very clever. So next time instead open the door and say Welcome, ask them about their name or family, favourite food..anything to humanise people outside of JW. Don’t invite them in, but show nothing but friendliness and that it’s possible to have friends that are not JW.

When we my children had a birthday that fell in a school day we kept the day very low key and then celebrated it wholeheartedly on the weekend after.

Perhaps that's what they do, they don't celebrate birthdays but have other days throughout the year which are special .

That's great for YOU, but multiple people on this thread have experienced or seen the contrary.

Do you really struggle to understand that people share different experiences? I can't imagine going through life so narrow minded..

Witnesses shunning doctors who are trying to save a child's life with a blood transfusion as I said is nothing short of neglect and abuse. You say it's 'rare for a blood transfusion to be needed.' More than 2700 children receive blood transfusions each year at Children's National Hospital and specialist locations. 7500 receive red blood cell transfusions, 2000 plasma, 3000 platelets snd 900 cyroprecipitate units.

I think you're very ill informed when it comes to transfusions saving children's lives.
Any parent who refuses this, is neglectful and abusive. The medical professionals have been known to take it to court to overrule the abusive parents, and have won, on many occasions.

What a waste of fucking time, money and resources, all for these people 'spreading gods word' knocking on our doors being a damn right nuisance.

At my parents’ house when dds were still quite small, a pair of them tried the front door, but there was no reply, presumably because we were all in the garden with the children and didn’t hear the doorbell.

This pair of JWs actually had the barefaced cheek to walk round the side of the house into the garden, and then tell us they felt entitled to do so, ‘because we could hear the children.’

My father gave them very short shrift, I can tell you!

it makes sense that you’re looking at it from an academic stance, it is really hard to understand people’s personal religious beliefs in the Bible etc from that standpoint but I understand and respect that too

I've been a Christian, I do have some understanding of how belief works from that perspective. Sorry that doesn't fit the narrative you're trying to put on me.🤷‍♀️

Re being open minded and respecting others beliefs... odd, last I heard, the children of witnesses are excluded from RE classes, so they don't get to learn about other religions other than what their parents/the organisation may or may not tell them.
When talking to JWs I've certainly never got the sense that they were at all open minded, no interest in my beliefs let alone respecting them. I was highly amused after having what seemed like a serious discussion for half an hour or so on my doorstep once when rather abruptly the senior guy said 'it's a pity you don't want to talk to us about this' and walked away ...er, what? More like he didn't want his younger companion exposed to my thoughts!

Mormons come knocking too
Do they get the same treatment?

My mum used to circle through religions. A couple of her sisters were JW and our next door neighbours were too, so inevitably we did spend a brief while ourselves as JW. Thankfully it was a short spell before my mum moved on but it was horrid and we were given toys, but not on our actual birthdays so they counted as presents. The poor boy next door was always miserable. And now all my cousins are grown up, non of them speak to their parents.

What, an attempt at a serious discussion? Sure, why not?

I think this is an easy way to end up with your kids never speaking to you as adults!

I don't think Mormons deny blood or demand 2 witnesses to a child being abused before the elders will investigate or report to the police

My daughter went through a religious phase, she was going to be the first female bishop, and if the JWs knocked we sent her to speak to them they were glad to escape, similarly the groups of young evangelical Americans who would appear at times.