Minors going door-to-door (page 2)

Quillsky

Life is to short: Exactly!

The kids do not want to even be out service but they just want to hang out.

We would go out and work apartment blocks in groups aged from about 10 to 21, when I was around 16/17. There would be one or two very young Ministerial Servants 'leading' us, and these male 17 to 21 year-olds were considered the adults in the party.

The main reason we'd all be doing this was for the hanging out afterwards, the parent-free milkshakes at some dodgy restaurant on the street below.

I recall once when a 17 or 18 year old girl and I were sitting locked inside the apartment of an older 'householder' and he asked if he could take the two of us, two attractive teenage girls, out for a meal at some other time, without discussing the Bible.

I had a big WTF??!! moment right then. What were we doing there?

Sapphy

I remember going door-to-door with my best friend. I was 9 and they were 7. Obviously our mothers were nearby, but thinking about it now, how dare the WTS take unpaid labour of children!

betterdaze

This image on the Watchtower's official website front page has irked me for awhile:

Your Personal Invitation

Would you like to have a personal home Bible study and increase your knowledge of the Bible?
(Only option: Yes!)

It's not just the shabby Photoshop job — head poorly patched over torso of a different perspective, weird hand proffering brochure and none of these elements ever saw the same camera together — but because of the child exploitation angle. They used to switch out to a less-botched little girl there, but I suppose the pedo's they market to prefer boys?

I admit perhaps I'm overthinking it. In light of recent lawsuits and stories pouring in over the 'Net each day, it seems like a blatant, in-your-face affront to opposers of Watchtower-sanctioned child abuse.

~Sue

Leolaia

I remember lots of teenagers used to go in service without adults.

I did that a lot.

But I guess times have changed. I used to do the MS Read-a-Thon and went door-to-door alone to get donors. I did that when I was 8.

nugget

I started out about 7 with the leaflet work saying "everyone is being given this important information this is your personal copy." My mum started one end of the Cul de Sac and I started from the other. Back then I never gave it a second thought. It was perfectly ok at the time to leave kids home alone on Saturday mornings or send junior school children to the local shops on their own. Children were not as protected as they are now. There were probably as many creeps but people were more trusting.

I am surprised that the trend in the organisation has not changed. I would never dream of letting my children out on their own or with another minor with no adult supervision. I have 2 children and have been out on the ministry with them in the past and was expected to take both with me even when they were 7 and 9. This was fine with me but I was aware it could look a little odd having a mob turn up on someones doorstep. I think children are sometimes encouraged to be independant in the ministry for appearances and to allow parents to work with other adults. Both are stupid reasons to put children at risk.

If the society believes the world is getting worse then they really need to rethink the whole ministry premise and give some advice to parents that extends beyond what to wear.

Minors going door-to-door