I like this particular Bart Simpson prayer... it's what I've thought my entire life:
Prayer with my son before lunch. Your advice / experiences needed!
by Daniel1555 20 Replies latest jw friends
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Billy the Ex-Bethelite
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Vanderhoven7
JWs who have come to my home do not want me to pray as I may" be praying to a false God" i.e. the devil or worse - Jesus. I point out to them that Jesus never invoked the name of Jehovah or even Lord when He addressed God...not once...even in their corrupted NWT. The name Jehovah is very occasionally forced onto the disciples lips in the NWT (speculatively added throughout the New Testament 232 times by WT conspiracy theorists)
I would say don't major in minors; let your parents be free to have their beliefs and to pray as they see fit. Rise above restricting their harmless prayer. Just don't say "Amen" (i.e. Let it be so Lord).
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whathappened
You are a full grown man and you are this little boys father. You responsible for bringing him up. Do not abdicate this responsibility to cult followers. Tactfully and lovingly let your parents know that the indoctrination is not something you will passively permit. The boy should be your number one concern. He needs a father who will look out for him and protect him throughout his childhood. Be that father for him.
Tell your parents you love them dearly and treasure the time you spend with them. Tell them that you are taking full responsibility for seeing that your son grows up to be a good man that believes you can be good without god.
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Awakenednow
Congratulations on maintaining your relationship with the folks in spite of "corporate policies and procedures". I'm blessed my elder father and mom, both baptized since 73 at Dodger stadium mass baptism and very active, still talk to me and my kids although technically I am dissociated . My story would take an hour to type and maybe I'll post another time, but I'm living with my "worldly" fiancé, with my 2 teens very happily and my folks come visit from time to time and share a meal. When they do, i ask my dad if he'd like to say prayer, which he gladly and graciously does and offers a blessing on my family. The name he prays to is not an issue to me as I know in his heart he is praying to a loving creator and not to the man made version of the God of "the truth". Praying a loving blessing over a meal has been proven in some scientific circles to have a positive effect on the participants in the quantum field and so my advice is to let go and just go with the flow and realize with gratitude that your folks love you enough and are awake enough to carry on a familial relationship. As your little one grows up, let him ask the questions and use the prayer differences to highlight spiritual truths as you see fit. Children are amazingly perceptive and your best teachers. There are many videos and TV shows etc, where people of different beliefs pray in different names and if you can simply show that people of all backgrounds pray in different ways including grandma and grandpa it shouldn't be that big of a deal as he grows up. It'll be for him, just the way his grandparents pray and dad does it a little different. Actually it's modeling independent thinking and finding your own spiritual path and a good thing. I would encourage you not to worry about it and just do you! Your little one will learn from your example more then the name of the god his grandparents pray to. And, you will maintain a loving and peaceful relationship with your parents that shows them you respect their beliefs as they've respected yours. Your children as they get older will see that you respect them even though you agree to disagree and it models an excellent example of mutual respect and tolerance. It's all good! God bless! -
Daniel1555
Thank you so much for you great advice and experiences.
As some of you have suggested I will take it easy and show my son in the future that people also in our family have different ways of talking to their creator and that we can't say this certain way is the truth.
I thought of a different way handling this prayer situation.
When I will be alone eating with my son, I'll tell him. "Honey, today we won't say a prayer. We will say something really funny." Then I will do a funny table saying with him. He loves funny stuff and he just loves to laugh and giggle.
Then another time when my parents will come, he will maybe ask, that we do the funny table saying.
Then another time I will let my father say a prayer and so on. By doing this, he will see the differences and I can stimulate his independent thinking and also tolerance for different views.
Thanks so much.
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Giordano
My whole family will be coming for my daughter's graduation and I will have non witnesses there including my "not really boyfriend", my df'd friend (with whom they have associated with in the past) and some of my daughter's old friends from before who aren't baptized and some of her school friends...about 20 people. I do not want my dad to pray before the meal I am preparing in my own home but I too have no idea how to avoid it.
Well this is a special occasion not a private meal family meal where you are happy to make allowances for his and your Mom's beliefs out of respect.
Since your guests come from very different religious traditions no one will be asked to pray aloud. However you don't mind if he and Mom move to a private location before they eat and share a prayer between them.
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Awakenednow
Daniel 1555
Good plan! All the best to you and yours.
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Daniel1555
Awakenednow:
Thanks so much for your good wishes and your experiences and advice.
I wish you all the best with your situation too.
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problemaddict 2
I think you got great advise. I am sorry things are working out with your wife the way that they are. Your greatest weapon in court, and you should not shy away from it, is the open ended question of weather or not if a doctor required her son to receive a blood transfusion, she would allow it, or not.
Don't tell them what she would do, make her say it. Some people find it so unbelievable that they don't take it seriously. This should get you all the visitation you want, and even custody if you really felt like it.
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Doltologist
Daniel1555
Just seen this. Hope you are still around to read it.
You and your wife are old enough to do what you will. It's a pity that some people can't get along but such is life.
I'm concerned about your son. He is innocent in all of this.
IMHO, he needs to be kept away from that horrible abomination (Jehovas Witnesses). They are evil people who pretend to be nice. They are spiteful, horrible people - not loving and kind as they claim. If your son grows up mostly with his mother, he will become another puppet for the Jovies to manipulate. For the sake of your son, you need to go for complete custody so that their influence is minimised.
I hope it all works out for you.