Jehovah Witness

Daddima, they sound like loving parents. Faith can be such a divisive issue.

So, Apostasy and Children’s Act will be today’s viewing, as I’ve done my one hour’s chores for the day!

We had a child from a Mormon family in our nursery in the bad old days when parents used to send in Coca Cola and cake on children’s birthdays. Though they are not allowed stimulants of any kind, the parents said they couldn’t have the wee one excluded, so just let her have what the others are having.

Ahh, I might have to read the book now Iam. It’s not like we all won’t have plenty of time this next month is it?

I read the book maddyone. A great way to show the dilemma faced by Judges in these life and death cases. In real life, the child would either be represented by the Official Solicitor, or by a Children's Guardian, who would have instructed a solicitor to act for the child. The CG's role would involve establishing the wishes and feelings of the child. Judges do sometimes meet the child but never by making an impulsive decision as the Judge in this story does.

A very good book by Ian McEwan and an interesting film.

Did anyone watch The Children’s Act last night on BBC2? It dealt with the problem of Jehovah’s Witnesses and blood transfusions to save lives. It was only entertainment, it’s a film, but was very interesting. I stayed up late to watch it.

Hi Tweedle24. May I ask what you had in mind when you said ‘I won’t criticise it may cause problems’, please?

Fuchsiarose - enjoy your inner calm. It is all we can strive for.

The concept of being "saved" is so loaded. Saved from what I muse?

Meant outfoxed

Thanks Toad in the hole. I can't remember him being there for me ss a child, even though we were sent to church and Sunday school every week. While the social services were outboxed by our father. My time of blind faith ended when I was small. Any beliefs I had back then have evaporated to an inner calm of Now. That's all there is in my world.

That’s sad to hear Fuchsiarose. Jesus wants you to be saved, and the only way is through Him. There’s no name higher...that’s one area the Jehovah’s Witnesses are so off tangent.

As a local election candidate, I canvassed a JW who turned out to be the man who repaired my washing machine. He apologised, saying that JWs don't vote or take any part in politics. I said, 'Well, please pray for me' and he said he would. The day of the election, I was checking the numbers of those who had voted and comparing them with the electoral register and, to my enormous surprise, my washing machine repairer had voted. Sadly for me, neither his vote nor his prayers got me elected. As this was almost 40 years ago, I'm not in danger of a breach of confidentiality.

I am past caring whether I am saved or not. Life gave me lemons, I stopped making lemonade many years ago. Each to their own, I am always pleased to see others have an interest in anything. The spokes came off my wheels many years ago, but I might get an electric 3 wheeler bike. Now I got one and a half feet. Oh. Well

They’re told that it’s incumbent upon them to make converts, and I dare say she’s been led to believe that as a non JW you will be denied entry to whatever heaven they believe in.

Personally, from experience of JWs persistently coming to the door after they’ve been repeatedly - perfectly politely - asked not to, I loathe them. Particularly when instead of accepting that, they’ve made unbelievably patronising replies such as, ‘But we’re concerned about you!’ ??
Sadly I don’t think polite requests work.

I’m afraid to say that my lovely American BiL’s way was probably best! Sadly no longer with us, he was born into a Jewish family but as a teen rejected that faith and was very much anti all religion.

I don’t recall how we once got on to the subject of JWs and their nuisance calls, but having heard that saying you’re Catholic is a good way to get rid of them, I asked why he didn’t just say he was Jewish - surely even more effective?

In his laconic way he replied, ‘I just tell them to get the f#@* out.’

Might add that like a pp, I have known them to target people at a low ebb, especially the recently bereaved. And I’ve heard that they check the Deaths announcements in local papers for likely prey. How true that is I don’t know, though.

Tweedle24 - I am happy to criticise JWs' beliefs - they are nuts.

I was a JW for many decades; no longer, however.
When considering whether to engage your friend in discussion, as some have suggested, maybe the following might help you:
They cannot go door to door right now so it may be they are focussing harder on friends and other contacts; that is their style.
They believe that all mankind is shortly to be destroyed by Jehovah and Jesus - except JW’s.
There is much, much more to their beliefs and practices, but may that suffice.

Thanks Mrsmopp was that not a book too?

Watch the film on BBC2 tonight at 9pm called The Children Act. It’s excellent movie covering these issues. Do watch it!
Recommended !

I won’t criticise JW’s beliefs but, it an cause problems. There was a brilliant staff nurse on my ward who converted after her mother did. Because of their belief about blood transfusions, she gave up nursing — a real loss to the profession

I had to cease contact with an interesting friend (who I met at college) due to her constantly going on about her 'religion' (I view it more as a cult).

I did feel so sorry for her. Due to her JW beliefs, she had:

left work (to spend nearly every day 'spreading the word and saving people'.)

divorced (her husband couldn't cope)

lost her two sons (who left to live with their dad)

distanced herself from other family (who criticised, didn't understand)

In fact, her previous life was destroyed and her only 'friends' were JW. It's easy to brainwash a person if they're isolated. I think a little bit of her recognised that - very sad.

I had a similar problem mrsmopp with a long term friend. Her church got a new vicar who wanted everyone to bring in new church members. C of E mind. I am with a different church but she started every cuppa or lunch with giving me service times and went on and on. I spoke to my priest about it, it was worrying me because I didn’t want to be rude to my friend. I was firm with her. Their vicar lasted 10 months having reduced their congregation with his antics.
The close friendship I had with her has cooled off for now.

TBH Mrsmopp I don’t think your friend will be able to stay friends with you unless you convert too.
My cousin married a lapsed JW and after having 3 of their many children they both became regular members, Sadly their children no longer keep in touch with them, (mainly because they refuse to speak or write back unless it’s an emergency ) and my cousin no longer keeps in touch with the rest of her and my family.
Many years ago I thought I spotted my cousin in a neighbours house, which was odd as she lives in Yorkshire and I was in Hampshire at the time, some months later her sister told me that it was her, she was staying with another member of her JW church and wasn’t ‘allowed’ to pop next door to see me!
Bizarre .....

Telling Jehovah's witnesses who ring the doorbell that you are Catholic or Orthodox Jews works too.

They obviously deem try to convert either a waste of time.

Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons are obliged to convert others.

Do not enter into a religious discussion with a Jehovah's Witness - you will never get rid of them if you do.

Tell your friend that you respect her right to believe as she wants, and will she please show you the same right?

You are happy in your faith, so if you are to continue as friends you need to be able to agree to differ.

I was once accosted by one in town and he told me that whatever troubles I had god would solve - I speculated aloud as to whether he might care to pop round to our place and scrape up my OH's excrement and insert his suppositories. He had no answer to that. I was feeling particularly sad that day and he really caught me on the raw. I am usually more polite.

A JW knocked on my door a couple of weeks after my son had passed away. I was still in shock and incredibly angry with God. The JW told me that because I called God a b*stard I was condemned to Hell and no matter what I did in the future I couldn't be saved. I've been a committed JW baiter ever since. If they knock on my door I'm polite and warn them that I'm happy for them to try to convert me as long as they're happy for me to undermine and sow the seeds of doubt in their faith. What I don't tell them is that I'm pretty knowledgeable about the more obscure OT stuff they tend to quote from. They never take the hint so they're fair game. My claim to fame is when a man turned to his young daughter as they left and told her that they had just met the Devil