Has anybody ever gone to school with the child of a Jehovah's Witness?

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  • *Sparkle**Sparkle* Posts: 10,957
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    There was one in my class at high school. To be honest, I didn't even notice until he came to the door.:o

    If he didn't go to assemblies, it wasn't obvious, but ours weren't particularly religious, so I'm not sure if he'd have been stopped from going.
  • Philip DaltonPhilip Dalton Posts: 312
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    housegirl wrote: »
    Do you have children have you sat and listened to them, I worked with children for 15.

    I've never had any children, I'm a single man living at home with my mother.
  • housegirlhousegirl Posts: 6,017
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    I've never had any children, I'm a single man living at home with my mother.

    well I had the class shift in the morning, I would read the JW's a story I was asked why can I not go in the hall I said because mom/dad or both had said you can not go in sad really I always thought do they really understand but my job was just to keep them entertained
  • Philip DaltonPhilip Dalton Posts: 312
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    I got bullied at school sometimes, it happens in some cases, got picked on because I didn't swear etc. The person that picked on me the most was a prefect, used to call me a 'Bible basher' etc. He was a typical immature teenager really. I saw him later when we were in our twenties and he perfectly civil towards me.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,934
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    I went to school with the daughter of a Jehovah's Witness. She went to PE, assembly and school dances, where she snogged any boy she could get her hands on.
    She was also the only girl taken away from school in an ambulance when she drunk herself unconscious during our leaving party.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 765
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    I went to school with a couple of JW's, they attended all the classes and assembly- the same as everyone else. They just didn't celebrate birthdays or Christmas.
  • Philip DaltonPhilip Dalton Posts: 312
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    flobadob wrote: »
    I went to school with the daughter of a Jehovah's Witness. She went to PE, assembly and school dances, where she snogged any boy she could get her hands on.
    She was also the only girl taken away from school in an ambulance when she drunk herself unconscious during our leaving party.

    I don't know if what you are saying is true or not, but even if it were she was only the daughter of a Jehovah's Witness.
    We've known many families who've had similar problems with their children, if not worse, during their teenage years.
  • droogiefretdroogiefret Posts: 24,117
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    Philip, I have a question.

    I used to work with a JW who played a saxophone. I play guitar so I suggested we get together and have a jam sometime. But he seemed to get a bit flustered and made some excuse.

    Well, it could have been me of course, but I suspect he felt he was constrained with who he should socialize with. He would never come on work socials either.

    Do you have any light to throw on that?
  • cahcah Posts: 24,689
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    There was a couple of JW in my class in the infants/Junior school in the 60s and they never went into morning Assembly ,but used to spend the time standing outside the hall doors
  • Philip DaltonPhilip Dalton Posts: 312
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    Philip, I have a question.

    I used to work with a JW who played a saxophone. I play guitar so I suggested we get together and have a jam sometime. But he seemed to get a bit flustered and made some excuse.

    Well, it could have been me of course, but I suspect he felt he was constrained with who he should socialize with. He would never come on work socials either.

    Do you have any light to throw on that?

    The answer was that he didn't want to get too close to you socially because you weren't of the same faith as him.
  • droogiefretdroogiefret Posts: 24,117
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    The answer was that he didn't want to get too close to you socially because you weren't of the same faith as him.

    That 'because' rather begs the question though doesn't it? It's not self evident to me that people of different faiths should not mix socially - in fact for me that's the main point of us having a multi-cultural society.

    I was rather hoping you might shed some light on why he would have that attitude. For instance, is it a common attitude amongst Witnesses? Is it an encouraged attitude? And what are seen as the dangers of socializing?

    Apart from this guy at work, the only time Witnesses have ever talked to me is when they are evangelizing. Until you. You are just socializing. I suppose, with respect, I should just confirm that. You are just socializing aren't you?
  • tellywatcher73tellywatcher73 Posts: 4,181
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    My best friend at primary school was Jehovah's Witness. I used to sit in the class with her during services in the hall and when the rest of the school went to church. I can always remember that we didn't really understand and gave her cards at Christmas and she gave us thank you cards back. Her dad was really strict until she tried to kill herself at 14 and it came out that he had been abusing her. He went to jail, she went to hospital and the last I heard she had given up religion completely.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 24
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    My parents became Jehovah's Witnesses when I was 8. That was the end of Christmas, Birthdays and Easter for me. I didn't go to RE or assembly. My mum wouldn't write notes to school so we could give a 'good witness'. On my first day in High School age 13 we had RE, I told the teacher I couldn't do it. He sent me to sit outside in the corridor. A load of 5th formers came past and thought I'd been sent out, I've never felt so mortified. It's a nasty, selfish, divisive religion that has destroyed my family.
  • Terry NTerry N Posts: 5,262
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    I did in primary school. They sat outside during assembly and read a book.

    Also, when they got old enough and left home they went a bit wild with booze, hairstyles and clothes etc. while the rest of us had got most of that out of our system already.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,934
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    I don't know if what you are saying is true or not, but even if it were she was only the daughter of a Jehovah's Witness.
    We've known many families who've had similar problems with their children, if not worse, during their teenage years.

    She was actually very pious.
    When she was sober.
  • ViridianaViridiana Posts: 8,017
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    Yes, several actually.
    There were absolutely no exceptions for them, they attended everything like all the other students. We knew they were Jehovah's Witness because they did not cut their hair, all the girls had one long braid, and dressed in long skirts. Sometimes we would see them going door to door with their parents. But for the rest there was no difference.
  • Tamryn29Tamryn29 Posts: 607
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    My boyfriends parents are JW. He was banned from assemblies and RE etc and wasn't allowed to participate in anything Christmas related whatsoever and so on. He remembers having Christmas once as a very young child and then his parents converted and it was no more, along with birthdays and everything else. it became the worst time of his childhood apparently, Christmas as all his friends celebrated and had nice presents and time with their families and he was completely left out of it. The first year we were going out together on his birthday I woke up early and blew up loads of balloons and his face as he came downstairs was a picture :) I'd made a cake the day before and made a kids type party with loads of party food and jelly and Ice cream and stuff and loads of (not extravagant) gifts, and we did whatever he wanted all day, watched films he liked, went for a drink. I made him a special meal in the evening too. 4 years on and he still says that was the best day of his life, and is even looking forward to Christmas this year :) not technically on topic maybe, but posting all the same.
  • radiofan4radiofan4 Posts: 370
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    Philip are you going to use this opportunity to discuss why JW's don't do certain things or did you make this thread to give people an opportunity to piss about your religion
  • purplelinuspurplelinus Posts: 1,515
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    I worked with a JW, nice girl but she lectured me for ages about poisoning my body through smoking - whilst she sat there drinking a large whiskey. She couldn't see why I had an issue with that!
  • CroctacusCroctacus Posts: 18,294
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    Me and my sister worked with a JW girl. She went out drinking after work like the rest of us and her and my sister went on holiday together to Portugal. She married another JW later we hearx after she'd left our place.
  • AmberPandaAmberPanda Posts: 461
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    I used to live opposite JW's, they had four children and several grandchildren and they saw none of them.
    I didn't ask why but I guess it was because of the childhood they had.
    I thought this was very sad, no way would I EVER not speak to someone because of religion let alone my own children.
  • TheSilentFezTheSilentFez Posts: 11,103
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    Well, the question is at 5 and 7 years of age, are they old enough to make up their own mind?

    Given a choice between death or receiving someone else's blood, I think it's fairly obvious what most rational people would choose. It's not exactly a difficult decision so I don't see why even a very young person would not be able to make up their own mind.
  • Philip DaltonPhilip Dalton Posts: 312
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    Viridiana wrote: »
    Yes, several actually.
    There were absolutely no exceptions for them, they attended everything like all the other students. We knew they were Jehovah's Witness because they did not cut their hair, all the girls had one long braid, and dressed in long skirts. Sometimes we would see them going door to door with their parents. But for the rest there was no difference.

    Many Jehovah's Witness females have haircuts, it's the Plymouth Brethren religion or something like that who don't allow female haircuts, probably something to do with the Bible saying a woman's long hair is a glory to her.
  • Philip DaltonPhilip Dalton Posts: 312
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    radiofan4 wrote: »
    Philip are you going to use this opportunity to discuss why JW's don't do certain things or did you make this thread to give people an opportunity to piss about your religion

    I can tell by your choice of words that you're not a Witness.
  • radiofan4radiofan4 Posts: 370
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    I can tell by your choice of words that you're not a Witness.

    I used to be one and thought about coming back, but your certainly not one, no JW will come on a forum like this and post a subject like this in effect allowing people to take the mick of their faith
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