I was raised a JW, my father the P.O. of a congregation and mother a pioneer, and they never made me unduly scared of anything like that. I can't say that it didn't happen to you, or other people, but I wouldn't characterize it as if WTBTS makes this part of their 101 on raising children. It was made clear to me at a young age that this world is unpredictable, and that persecution for any reason could arise at any moment (I also happen to have a Jewish family background). Considering humanity's history, and not even being a generation away from a time that the Nazi's did what they did to half the population of Europe, I believe my parents teaching me this lesson to be a shot of reality. Perhaps living in a state of privilege in this westernized society can give people a false sense of security about the future. I often wonder how far or close we could be to a situation that would lead to a social breakdown here in North America. It happens all over the world all the time, yet even though I realize we are more insulated against this sort of thing, it is not without merit to consider how quickly things can become bad - that is the nature of the world we live in....AND THAT IS SCARY to think about for anyone. I am sure the children of Darfur, Kosovo, Iraq, and Bosnia would greatly prefer being scared by their parents with stories than the actual reality they face daily.
