Do JW Children Still Call Adults "Aunt" and "Uncle"?

cofty

When I was young we were taught to refer to other adult JWs as aunt or uncle.

Was this also the case in other countries and does it still happen?

Was it just a custom or has the literature ever commented on it?

Thanks

never a jw

I am Mexican and it's not a JW or non-JW thing there. We call them aunts and uncles till they die or we die. It's not a hard and fast rule, but I thing is the more common thing to do.

LoveUniHateExams

Like you, cofty, when I was young and in the untruth I was told to refer to adult JWs as uncle and aunt. It obviously has to do with the belief that we're all related to each other via Adam & Eve.

I don't remember ever reading about youngsters referring to adult JWs as uncle or aunt in the literature.

Laika

They were still doing this when I was in 2 years ago. I think it's a British thing, in the JW videos and dramas young JWs always refer to older ones as 'Brother' and 'Sister'

Miles

I have never heard of this in my life, this may apply to redneck country in parts of the States where people are all related.

As a child in Scotland it was common to refer to close friends of parents as aunt/uncle, this continued after association within jws but only within the ' clique ' of those who were friends of my parents. Those jws who were of a different clique ( class or status ) were referred to quite deliberately as brother /sister.

disposable hero of hypocrisy

Still happens here in Yorkshire uncle Cofty!

StephaneLaliberte

When I was a kid living in Quebec (Canada), 30 years ago, I would hear uncle and aunt here and there; it was not uncommon. Still, I did not do it myself.

Today, there is only one friend (and his wife) that I let my kids call uncle and aunt. Our parents were friends before we were born and we've been best friends forever, so, I consider him to be "my brother from another mother".

Otherwise, I think it's wrong to let your kid believe there is a bond as strong as blood that ties you up to a complete stranger. Especially if this individual is ready to shun you at any time based on a "star chamber" judicial committee.

SafeAtHome

Agree. ecan6. But the brother, sister thing has the same connotation, maybe more cult like. When I was growing up and even as an adult it was always "brother or sister", never heard of the aunt, uncle thing. Funny how when you are away from it all (I have been out 30 years) and you are around people calling themselves brother and sister so and so, funny how cult like it sounds. A few years back my mother was in the hospital and some Witnesses who did not know me came in to visit her (yes, it was a Wednesday so they were no doubt in mid-week service counting their time). My mother was living in another state with my brother and they were all still "in". Anyway, when they left they called me "Sister ____" using my maiden name. I can't explain how really creepy that made me feel. Obviously my brother hadn't explained to them that I was a raging apostate.

Londo111

I've never heard of this practice...

Of course, I'm in the US.