JW Kids
JW kids grow up learning fear and cult-speak. Their minds are numbed with Watchtower falsehood. And much more...much worse. We won't mention rampant sexual abuse.
Here are some things JW kids grow up with:
- Never enjoy a birthday, holiday, Christmas
- Can never speak honestly with a friend out of fear of "report what is bad" (being snitched on by friends
- Door to door preaching every Saturday and sometimes Sunday
- Always judged by the elders
- Not allowed to date (can sort of have chaperoned time)
- Non-JW friends not allowed
- Trying to make sense of ever-changing made-up doctrines
- Never say "God bless you" when someone sneezes (it might have some obscure pagan origin)
- Grow up with no privacy. Learning "secrets" about others is a "gift from God."
Comments
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Any truth to this?
"Scientific literature documents that the rate of mental illness among Jehovah's Witnesses is considerably above the population norm. Bergman, who has participated in this research himself, explains how the Watchtower teachings and subculture adversely affect the mental health of those involved."
Has anyone seen this? I don't have it. -- CM
Source:
- "Paradise Postponed...and Postponed: Why Jehovah's Witnesses Have a High Mental Illness Level" by Jerry Bergman
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It's broadly known.
The Bergman study is here: https://www.jwstudies.com/Paradise_Postponed_Jerry_Bergman.pdf
An NIH study is here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1174772/
More JW documents worth a look here: https://www.jwstudies.com/jehovah_s_witnesses.html
More JW mental health related info here: https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/mental-issues.php
You probably know that despite the tragic massive incidence of mental health issues among JW's that the Watchower repeats over and over and over that JW's are in fact the Happiest people on earth. This is a statement @BroRando would be required to repeat at considerable risk of refusal.
https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/jehovahs-witnesses-happiest-people.php
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There is much more I could share, and I really didn't want to share this, but decided to anyway (Present standing Watchtower / JW policy statements regarding blacks): https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/black-skin.php
Post edited by Truth on -
Thanks, @Truth, for the resource on JWs' Mental Health. The information should be read and taken seriously by all. People of goodwill must warn families of the Dos and Don'ts within the JW Organization. Below is a list compiled by former JWs that could help explain your findings above. I can live with some of them, but many of them are mental illnesses waiting to manifest themselves destructively in homes and society.
If anyone has information different from these facts about the average JW, please, let it be known. The list is pretty long. I understand that there are quotes from the WTS publications for any disagreements on the rules listed below. Do's and Don'ts for all JW's everywhere:
1. Do pioneer
2. Attend all meetings and assemblies.
3. Get out all of your assignments.
4. Clean the Kingdom Hall.
5. Generously make donations to your local Hall and WTS.
6. Love one another.
7. Marry only in the Lord.
8. Do not associate with non-witnesses.
9. Do not overindulge in food or alcohol.
10. Do not look at the opposite sex in an unclean way.
11. Love your neighbor.
12. Husbands love your wives. Wives love your husbands.
13. Children, be obedient to your parents.
14. Pay your taxes.
15. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
16. Do not associate with apostates, even on the Internet.
17. Do not lead a double life.
18. Obey the Faithful and Discreet Slave.
19. Do not pursue a higher education.
20. Do not store up riches on earth.
21. Honor your parents.
22. Do not take blood.
23. Do not be critical.
24. Do not murmur.
25. Do not slander.
26. Do not gossip.
27. Make your home look like a paradise.
28. Do not wear very expensive clothes or have very expensive cars or homes.
29. Keep recreation at a minimum.
30. Put the kingdom first.
31. Keep you homes, cars and your person clean.
32. Give your employer 100%.
33. Do not steal, lie, and cheat.
34. Love Jehovah with your whole heart.
35. Respect and obey the elders.
36. Elders shepherd the flock the way Jesus would.
37. Do not be egotistical.
38. Do not curse any human.
39. Do not fight.
40. Do not be angry for over a day.
41. Be forgiving.
42. Do not associate with members of the congregation that are not spiritual.
43. Best not to have children in this system.
44. Best not to marry in this system.
45. Best to marry someone from the same culture.
46. Marry only a spiritual person.
47. Shun all that are disfellowshipped or disassociated.
48. Limit association with relatives that are not Jehovah’s Witnesses.
49. Best not to attend funeral in a Church.
50. Best not to attend a funeral of a disfellowsipped person.
51. Be satisfied with sustenance and covering.
52. Hate what is bad.
53. Do not listen to rap music, hard rock, or sexually suggested music.
54. Do not watch R, X rated, pornography, or violent movies.
55. Do not play questionable video games.
56. Dress and act modestly.
57. Do not fornicate with anyone, including children.
58. Keep automobile in a clean and safe condition.
59. Do not call down evil on your brother.
The WTBS literature is the source, information, and guidance for all JWs, even over their Bible (NWT). What parent would subject her children to this environment? CM
PS. The Bold items alone can drive a person nuts. It's not that the others are all "bad," but any slip-up, one is disfellowshipped. In short, too much control in the lives of people. An infraction of any kind is more punitive than redemptive. Sad, sad, sad! Maybe @BroRando can provide the documentation and update this extreme control into people's lives. CM
For further reading on JWs Mental Health:
- Hicks, Markus Issac, Psychological Warfare: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the African American Experience. University of California, Los Angeles, 2022, 42 pages
