Hi can anyone tell me if it's true the society says parents must take their child to meetings until they're 16 even if they don't want to? My ex is being a pain about me not forcing my 12 year old to be a witness. He doesn't know I'm becoming inactive at moment so i have to be careful how I word things to him
Is it 16?
by Jrjw 36 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Jrjw
I wish I could just Disassociate but my circumstances don't allow for it at the moment
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fastJehu
In Germany you can choose your religion (by law) within the age of 14.
*** w13 7/1 p. 11 He Fills Our “Hearts to the Full” ***
BUT - if parents don't force their children going to the meetings - they will be hounded by the elders - no matter how old the child is.
Paul’s words to the people of Lystra teach us several important lessons about Jehovah God.
Jehovah gives us free will. Note that Jehovah permitted all the Gentile nations “to go on in their ways.” A reference work for Bible translators says that this expression can mean “to go as they pleased” or “to do as they themselves thought best.” Jehovah does not force anyone to worship him. He has endowed us with free will—the ability to choose our own life course.—Deuteronomy 30:19.
I'm a born in JW and was forced going to the meetings. Now, decades later, my mother denies that she forced me. -
Fred Franztone
There's no 16 rule, or any specific age, as far as I'm aware. Parents are encouraged to bring their kids so long as they are living with them, but no parent should ever force their child to do anything against their will unless it is life or death. Unfortunately, JWs do believe that missing meetings means death.
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contramundum
While I was still in, my daughter stopped attending meetings at the age of 14.
A friend at the time told me I should just "force" her to come with me.
I replied that as a single mother, with my daughter the same height and weight as me, "forcing" her to go with me would entail physically holding her down, dressing her, taking hold of her and violently dragging her out of the house, into the car and into the kingdom hall.
Could he explain to me just how I should manage that, and how he considered any part of that scenario would be appropriate, ethical, Christian and not completely abusive?
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Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho
Someone on this forum made a remarkable statement that I will never forget. He said something to the effect of, "if the Society teaches that children as young as eight or nine are ready to make their dedication to 'Jehovah', then they are ready to decide whether or not they wish to attend meetings." That shut his pushy ex up who was trying to get their child baptized.
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scratchme1010
My ex is being a pain about me not forcing my 12 year old to be a witness.
I'm sure there are reasons why he's an ex. Look at the bigger picture. Learn to parent together. The sooner the better.
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stan livedeath
@jrjw---so your ex is still a dub--and you still go tom the same hall ?
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nonjwspouse
Wakeme has a perfect comeback reasoning!
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Jrjw
Scratchme1010 she isn't his daughter