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.

They do tend to have other celebrations though...

The thing is, most religions date back centuries and were used as a way to explain creation and the world because no Science

I am even more sceptical of 'new' religions.
JW was invented in 1870 and made up to suit the founder's view. And now we do have Science

I have a good friend who is a JW. I don't think she is hugely strict as she has a lot of non JW friends and enjoys popular culture etc (which I have hard done strict one avoid) but she does attend meetings and has done door knocking. Her and her family seem to celebrate other things in the year eg anniversaries and milestones like the end of the school year are a big deal.

JW is a cult. The bible they follow is not recognised and the Norwegian government had taken them to court to take away their charity/religious status. To say they are like other Christians is false.

The JW organisation is mainly a book publishing company. The followers of this cult have to go door knocking for number of hours per month and the time is monitored. So if you are down a few hours you will be spoken to.

There is no childrens service or activities such as Sunday School.

Please a Google search will tell you that JW is a cult. Many are harmed mentally and emotionally - this was part of why the Norwegian government took them to court. JW is a cult.

Here’s something I’ve heard about JWs and that’s that only a finite number of people are allowed into heaven. So why knock doors and try to recruit? Or is that nonsense? Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply.

They believe 144,000 will go to heaven and rule with Jesus over earth.
Everyone else (JWs) will live in paradise on earth forever. The rest of us will be destroyed at Armagedon by Jehovah

Having a holy book and being aligned with an established religion doesn't preclude something from being a cult. JW has all the hallmarks.

My male cousin married a JW female,and had children. My lovely auntie, and her husband, were cut out of his life. Very sad.

Thank you for clarifying. Sounds a bit grim!

I want to add on to this. Another thing is that women are not allowed to lead prayer - only men. This means if a father is away or has passed away the eldest son (if there is one) would be the one to lead prayer... ahead of the mother.

JW is a cult whichever way you look at it.

Very grim

That's why I got out.

The thought spending eternity with JWs beyong grim.

I'd rather spend eternity in hell with all the interesting people

Not quite true! They follow their version of the Bible - the new world translation which has been changed and adapted many times. This has been changed to fit in with their false beliefs opposed to changing their beliefs to fit in with accurate translations of the bible. Do JW not also follow the watch tower which tells them how to live, and place more importance on this than the actual bible?
JW believe so many false doctrines and are probably the biggest cult of our time!

Don't disagree with that.
Father Christmas is a fairytale, makes you tell lies and puts lots of pressure on parents.
We tell Children not to lie and then we do it to them.

Another religión where women are treated as second class citizens then.
Men and women are equal. Why dont they stand up to the men and change it?

@Ponoka7 I wish Mumsnet would reply to you - I don't believe that this thread is being allowed to stand just because it's about JW and that if it were about any other religion the posts would be removed. There is a whiff of conspiracy theory here!

Do your homework. JW are not the only pacifist branch of Christianity. Quakers are Christians and pacifists and unlike JW they never ever force their beliefs on other people.

I don't understand why posts would need to be removed.
What is being said that should be removed?
What on earth is wrong?
There are facts being stated by ex witnesses.

Or do you mean the lies being spouted off those posters who apparently have researched the JW religion.

As an ex JW, I still don't take offence so am happy to discuss. Why should any of these posts be removed.

If any of you don't like it, go elsewhere

@Horrace did you watch Everyone Else Burns, the Channel 4 comedy series based on a family in a religious cult? I loved it, so much was relatable. 😂

I did. The writers must have been inspired by our lot 🤣🤣🤣

How can Christmas & Easter be completely pagan ???

It's cruel.

I'm not sure you understand what slander is. In this country we enjoy the (very hard-won) right to speak freely about religion and oppose practices we find harmful. Jehovah's Witnesses meet the criteria for a cult. Their beliefs are extreme and their behaviour is a pernicious nuisance. I would be very worried about any child being raised that way.

I went to school with a JW girl. Not only was she not allowed to join in anything Christmassy or celebrate her birthday, she wasn't allowed to go to anyone else's party either.
she cut all contact with her parents abs the JWs at 18 because she resented her upbringing so much.

Do they call their followers to kill? What harm do the leaders tell their followers to perpetuate?

Really? All religions? Do we really get to speak freely about our concerns and oppose aspects of their beliefs? Even on here we can't do that.