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.

@PassingStranger

Do you stop your children from joining in with their class mates when making xmas cards or singing carols or watching the school nativity and berate them if they were to receive a Christmas card. Do you put up decorations or ake your kids feel guilty if they look at Christmas lights.
That's what JW kids have to put up with.

It's all very well with your flippant remarks about not giving your children presents at Christmas. But there is a lot more to the celebrations than presents that JW children feel so left out over and get bullied for at school.

Sounds exhilarating.

I did exactly the same with my DC and my DPs (spontaneous gifting), but the difference is, I ALSO celebrated their birthdays and Christmas with gifts and special meals. I feel sorry for JW children.

All this rubbish about JW following the Bible. Its heavily editted.

My JW gran used to quote Bible passages from her JW Bible, my RC dad used to point out that the King James Bible passage was different. My JW gran would check and compare (she had a King James Bible for various reasons) and had to admit the passages were different.

It was difficult as a child explaining to people that I never got birthdays and Christmases acknowledged by my JW grandparents, it must be so much harder to explain when its your own parents.

There's a difference between 'not bothering' with something, and purposely alienating and depriving children of cultural celebrations. The Muslim family that live next door to my parents always pop round sorry a card, a beautiful curry and box of chocolates, they always get a gift returned to them too.

Saying 'nah, can't be arsed as it's an inconvenience' is just lazy, and so sad for those children wondering why they don't get the Christmas magic and everybody else seems to.

It's always been the same. And it's not your business.

Please do tell so the likes of @Green777 and the other culty advocates can listen!

Well it sort of is when they're trailing over to your property and even barging into your garden because they can hear people that aren't answering the door..

And when it's wasting courts time trying to get a negligent set of parents to overrule a lifesaving blood transfusion for their sick child.

Or when children are forced to live with these cruel conditions or they faced being shunned at 18. Or when someone commits suicide because they can't come out as gay to their community.

Nah, let's stand back and turn away ay.

But there are examples of that in every religion. And of abuse. And of misogyny. That doesn't make them all cults. It doesn't make everyone in them abusive or bad. You can disagree with religion (I'm not religious) but the OP saying about how awful it is not to celebrate Christmas- that's true of most religions!

Interesting that this thread and some of the posts have been allowed to stand. If we were discussing other religions in the same way, post after post would be being removed. If we were questioning the dress code forced onto little girls, or the split in the place of worship (including at funerals) , the posts would be removed. As for the post about the man dying from Aids being shunned in the JW family, there are a lot of religions which would do the same. In some religions his Mother or sister can't attend the funeral anyway. There's religions that will let women die, rather than be properly examined by a male doctor. There's communities that will stay silent when women (and girls) are beaten and murdered. Really interesting the difference in how MN has allowed this thread.
@Green777

You know that the King James Bible isn't the original text too, right?

Your post will probably be deleted now.

But you do know the answer. Christian religions don't take offence.

I will probably be deleted for saying this

But they don't forbid eating black pudding or rare beef, they just focus on blood transfusions? That's why I find it confusing?

The Mormons approach people directly to try to recruit them although they don't knock at doors,

Nope! The Mormons go door to door as well - always in same sex pairs, usually in suits. The Witnesses don't mind mix sex pairs when on ministry and aren't as formal of attire, which is how you can tell from the Ring doorbell before getting out of the bath opening the door as to which type of evangelicals they will be.

I used to live within a mile of both a Kingdom Hall and Mormon Church. We had a LOT of people at the door over the years.

@CheesecakeTheCapybara

They actually don't touch black pudding either.

It's just that you wouldn't hear about that as avoiding food with blood in it doesn't take life and therefore doesn't make the news.

I still couldn't bring myself to even try to eat black pudding. It's so drilled into me.

But I absolutely would accept blood if I needed it. And i donate blood.

I couldn't wait to donate blood when I left the cult.

@Green777

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.

What a bizarre comparison.

Alcohol and drugs are not good for you.

Prohibiting pork isn't going to kill you.

Not having a blood transfusion if you're deemed medically in need of one is hugely dangerous and life threatening.

Parents refusing for their child to have life saving medical treatment isn't remotely compatible to not letting them have sausages or encouraging them to abstain from drugs and alcohol.

@Green777 some religions prohibit the use of recreational drugs, yes . That's not the same as medicine which is not forbidden in the bible and can save lives. Blood transfusions save lives, so not the same as getting high.

JWs have their own translation of the Bible, The New World Translation. There are some quite fundamental differences from the Christian Bible.
It’s worth doing some research if you are interested.

Jwfacts.com is an excellent impartial source of information on the JW religion

When I was a child the family next door to me were Jehovah's Witnesses. The daughter was my age and my best friend through junior school and early years of secondary. They had a lovely childhood and I don't think they really missed out on much at all. My friend sometimes had parties for her friends, they just weren't birthdays. They had present days that coincided with their annual (or more?) JW "assembly". They had holidays, days out etc just like anyone else.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER when we moved to our present house 20 years ago, we noticed JWs, at least monthly, going up and down the road. I recognised them from our last road. They never, ever came to our door. The woman we bought from was, according to our neighbours, an old dragon. Our house must be on an avoid at all costs list!

But there are examples of that in every religion. And of abuse. And of misogyny. That doesn't make them all cults. It doesn't make everyone in them abusive or bad.

Two (hundred, thousand, maybe million) wrongs don't make a right. A religion - or groups within one- and also some non religious groups may to varying extents exhibit cultish behaviours. That applies to more mainstream branches of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism...
I've already made the point that the followers are likely to be sincerely good people. The leadership though... not so much.

Contack your local Kingdom Hall ( I think its called ) and ask to be put on the do not call list.
I did this for a client and myself, In both cases it worked.

I contacted the local kingdom hall and told them if they carried on calling at mine I would consider it to be harassment. I also have a sticker saying ' no religious bodies' on my door. Despite that the Mormons called recently. I did point it out to them and asked them, firmly, not to call again.
I used to give the JWs the quote from Buddha about why evil exists, but they weren't impressed.

Actually I don't give a duck what you or anyone else thinks. Christmas and easter have been laid over original pagan festivals anyway.