More things the JW kids are missing out on.

by Dawn 4 Replies latest jw friends

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  Dawn

  Many of you already know that I started going to a new church 2 years ago. It's very focused on kids and has lots of activities for them.

  This year they started up an additional program for the grade school age - it's open to everyone from the public. Every Wednesday night from 6:30-8:30pm they meet at the Church for a sort of "camp" - they're learning some songs & dances to perform for the Church, they do crafts, play bible games, and learn a new bible verse each week.

  I decided to sign up as a helper. It was a TOTAL BLAST! We have 80 kids so far that show up each week - and they're learning so much but in a fun way. Tonight they played a maze game to help learning a verse from John and they made T-shirts to take home with the bible verse. Next week they'll break up in teams to play a sort of tag race putting together another verse, etc. etc

  As I watched these kids, learning about the bible, developing a love for Jesus and meeting other friends - I couldn't help but compare it to what the kids in the "truth" got. I can remember being so excited the few (very very very few) times that the society actually put out a book just for us - and it was so cool to be special enough (the right age) to sit in a reserved section at the assembly to receive that new cool book. Only to wait years before any other crumbs were thrown our way. And learning the bible........well.......all we had was to sit through the boring meetings that were totally over our heads at grade school age. The only thing we really learned was to behave, sit quiet, follow the rules, or else you'll get a beating in the back room.

  Tonight - when 8:30 rolled around and parents came, there were kids begging their parents to let them stay for one more bible game, or to sing one more song, even kids who wanted their parents to start attending Church because they want to come on Sundays too. Did you EVER see a JW kid begging their parents for the KingdomHall talk to be just a few minutes longer?!

  Not only are they having a blast - but they're learning. And they're learning A LOT - these kids know as much about the bible as I did at that age. It's amazing - they know ALL the stories, can quote scriptures, can apply them to modern day situations. The major difference is that these kids will grow up with fond memories of Church, and the knowledge that someone up there loves them - they won't grow up with fear of Armageddon. And I'll bet that the majority of them will grow up to be Christian because it's what they WANT to do - not because it's what they HAVE to do.

  The JW's are loosing their young ones left and right - yet they still don't get it.

  PS - after hangin' with 80 kids tonight it's time for a Bud Light!! After all.......I do need to "regroup"
• 

  Swan

  Yes, but those churches are spoiling their kids! Kids don't really appreciate a book of Bible Stories or a Great Teacher book unless they have to wait 10-15 years for it. If you want to want to keep their attention, what you really need to do is make them sit in those meetings for hours and hours, and threaten them with the rod of discipline if they fidgit. That gets their attention, believe me. Then you really look forward to the assemblies because you can get a pudding once in a while!

  Tammy
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  Perry

  The plain fact is that the WT is cruel, and uncaring about its youth. I've seen the same thing in local churches.... on a week night, crammed to the gills with tenagers being taught moral values in a fun way. What they do with it or how they apply it is their own business, not the concern of a judicial police force.
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  LyinEyes

  That is one reason I have thought about joining some local non denominational church, for the younger kids. My 15 yr old was used alot in our hall since there was a shortage of speakers and MS servants,if he would have stayed he would have been one soon. I kept holding this one elder at bay, he kept asking him his spiritual goals, as to baptism. I knew Jake was not emotionally ready and still had something I couldnt quiet put my finger on.

  When we left, we sat him down and told him all about everything we learned about the lies of the Wt, he sighed and said he knew something was up with us. And thank God, he knew it was all a bunch of crap before we did, even without research. The things he told us , the reasoning, my hub and I looked at each other with jaws dropped. We thought this kid has been feeling this way for a couple of years....... wow,,,,,,,,, talk about out of the mouth of babes. He was so logical and tolerate of others , and made alot of sense, I thought damn,,,,,,, wish I had my head out of my ass like he did , when I was his age. But he tried, and wanted to do what we wanted and figure what to do along the way.

  The younger two kids always wanted to participate in activities around town, art classes, camp, softball, just all kinds of things, but they were all sponsored by the church. So they never got to do anything with the other kids. My kids were the only kids in our little hall. They missed out on alot and had to do it alone. I am not saying I will get involved in another church, but if a church sponsors something now, that will not necessarily effect my decision to even consider letting them particicpate as it did before. Again Freedom is priceless.
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  Jesus Christ

  Hey, look, I'm the son of god. I'm perfect and way more spiritual than all of you put together after all, I am Jesus Christ. Not only that but people had a lot shorter lives back when I was visiting you all. If you'll read that book about dad and me called the bible that I didn't get baptized until I was 30. The thought that teenagers somehow think they're more advanced than I was is rediculous.