Do you think a JW childhood is abusive?

Konrad West

I had a long discussion the other day with my new flatmate, who it turns out has studied with JWs and thinks they're wonderful, about my view that being raised a JW is psychologically abusive. Being indoctrinated with the concept of Jehovah killing people who don't do what he says and being scared of losing your friends and family if disobedient is, in my view, a very unhealthy thing for a child. Any thoughts?

outbutnotdown

Agreed!

But it does make you appreciate simple beauty when you do leave.

Brad

cabasilas

You might share some of the quotes from this article from freeminds.org:

http://www.freeminds.org/psych/growinup.htm

Witness youths lose out on the normal preparation for life.

Konrad West

There's some good stuff there at freeminds, but I was hoping for some personal experiences rather than WT quotes.

outbutnotdown

There's some good stuff there at freeminds, but I was hoping for some personal experiences rather than WT quotes.

Well dude, I know that I didn't like being told that all of my school friends were gonna die any day..... and even though, deep down, I knew it was bullshit, it still messes you up.

And yeah, the shunning thing is fucked. Google cognitive dissonance..... that pretty much sums it up.

Brad

EAGLE-1

Yes....Like the Hitler youth with a little of God thrown in.Mind control etc.

jwfacts

What a bugger, flatting with a JW sympathiser.

Abusive? Well, JW child beaters and pedophiles exist as they do amongst society in general, no better, no worse.

However I personally feel that the fear of Armageddon, the fear of worldly people. the fear of becoming tainted with the world through birthday parties and Christmas, and finally the fear of being shunned by family for no longer holding to their views must result in long term psychological damage.

magoo

............"spare the rod, spoil the child"...........need more be said?

i can remember being "beaten" for smoking as a teenager, after mother would smell smoke on my hands, by a father, who was "secretely" still smoking himself!.............abusive?..........the "loving" jw family?...........no way!

magoo

Hellrider

Being indoctrinated with the concept of Jehovah killing people who don't do what he says and being scared of losing your friends and family if disobedient is, in my view, a very unhealthy thing for a child. Any thoughts?

I used to sit in the classroom looking around at my classmates, thinking about the fact that according to what we believed, they would all be massacred in Armageddon.

Of course the JW-religion is unhealthy for children.

zagor

Agree, but is still depends who your parents are, i.e. if they are religious fanatics or more libaral in their views anyway. If former, chances are they are less educated have come from some completely screwed life to become JW (hence, attribute absolutely everything "positve" happening in their lives to the cult). If they are more liberal chances are they are coming from well off rich family with family business or alike and father possibly being very infulential elder who can explain his way throuhg anything.
Of course, there are fewer of those fortunate ones so majority of them are from the first class of dumb screw-ups.

Do you think a JW childhood is abusive?

Share this