What is the general lifestyle like for Jehovah's Witnesses?

Question

My 6 year old step - daughter is being raised as a JW and her mother refuses to communicate with us. As my step-daughter is only six i'm interested to know their day to day routines.

My fiance and i recently spent 12 months going thru the courts just to see her as my fiance had not seen her for four years. She tells us little snippets of what she does but its still hard to gauge exactly what her life is like.

Would there be a lot of meetings and studying of the bible involved? Also we have just discovered that she she has missed a ridiculous number of days at school - is this a practice that is encouraged?

I'm not critical but i am interested if there is anything that i can do to make life easier for her as my fiance and i do not believe in the religion.

I should add that the mother had left the faith when she had her daughter and then went back when she was three months old. She then made it harder and harder for my fiance to see his daughter - hence why he didn't see her for four years and why we had to fight thru the courts.
Also we just rec'd a report from her school saying that she has missed 42 days of school in eight months - not even half of those the mother said she was sick, the rest were unexplained.

Answer 1

I am a minister of Jehovah's Witnesses. No, this practice is not encouraged, from the circumstances that you ware describing. There is also no reason for one of Jehovah's Witnesses to have their child out of school, as our religious celebrations are much less than average. We only have one per year, and this does not require them to leave school, as it is held after sundown on Nisan 14th of the old Jewish calendar. And no, when I was a child, I never missed or felt left out of Christmas. I got plenty of love and presents throughout the year, so I never even gave it a second thought. I will say what made Christmas hard for me, even as a small child, was the persistant urgings of adults to get me to do something that I, even as a first grader, was uncomfortable with. Just as I'm sure a Muslim child would be uncomfortable if you tried to get them involved in communion, etc.

As a minister of the congregation, I would urge ANY parent in the congregation to make sure that their non-Witness parent has plenty of time for their child. The non-Witness is that childs parent too, unless there are other legal or associated circumstances that I am not aware of. It's hard to tell from a webpage. I'm not saying that I disbelieve you, but it's hard for me to know all the in's and outs, and how best to answer your question without knowing the situation personally. I would recommend talking to the elders in her congregation.

But to answer your question as to lifestyle? We try to be as social as possible, to raise our children to be honest, to never lie, to be open with non-Witnesses. I've been known to have a beer on occassion. I enjoy baseball games (Go Tigers! 8^), and volunteer my time for my community. I will be honest and state that we do not encourage close, close association with non family members who may ask us to do something that is contrary to our beliefs. But I go to dinners with my wifes workmates, I have many acquantainces who are not witnesses. We believe in having a good time, enjoying life, in learning, etc. There is much Bible study, but for Children, we primarily try to focus in on how the Bible teaches them to be a good child, to listen, etc. We do have a culture in and of ourselves. We form fast friendships with many other Witnesses, and try to, well, enjoy the life Jehovah God gave us! :^)

JUST SAW YOUR ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

The best advice I can give, is find out what city the fiance' is living in, and then what congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses they attend. Then call and ask to talk to the elders about the issue. Speaking as one, they will *not* be able to get involved and tell you what to do, what the other person *has* to do, or anything like that. But 1) It's good for them to be informed as to what's going on. They may be able to talk with your fiance's ex, and reson with them scripturally, as the Bible teahces that a non-Witness parent has rights to see their child.

As to sites that come from ex members of Jehovah's Witnesses? Please try to keep in mind that such ones agreed to a certain standard of conduct, due to extensive studying, and took a vow to keep to that standard. They then lied to their vow, and much of what they say has instantly lost it's credibility. Heck, I can find a bunch of anti-Catholic, anti-Baptist, etc, sites out there. Doesn't mean what I find on them is true.

The wikipedia site on our beliefs I have found to be rather accurate in almost every respect.

Answer 2

The Jehovah's Witnesses are wonderful people. I know them very well. They respect God's laws as no other people do. So, there's nothing to be scared of. They encourage children to go to school. If your step-daughter missed from school it means that she had problems (health problems maybe). The Jehovah's Witnesses meet three times a week. Two of the meetings last 2 hours and the other one lasts one hour. Their beliefs are based only on the bible which is God's word. They don't implicate in politics, they don't go to war. That's why many times they've been sent to prison even if they didn't do anything wrong. For more information go to www.watchtower.org (their website).

Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses every day life is like most peoples. Work, school, shop, laundry etc.

Since they believe in and endeavor to follow the commands in the bible, their lives are geared around this.

So the Witnesses do not celebrate common holidays such as Christmas, birthdays, Halloween etc, since these celebrations are unscriptual.

They do however do other things with their young ones, such as having gatherings, watching movies etc.

Most congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses have meetings 3 times a week. All Witnesses teach and preach regularly, all according to their own circumstances.

All their teachingwork is volunteerwork and is supported by voluntary donations from themselves and others.

The bible encourages to abide by the law, as long as it doesn't conflict with Gods laws. So the Witnesses endeavor to do this. Their children are encouraged to do good in school.

My experience with Witness' kids, is that they generally are very happy, well-balanced and sociable.

You can find out more at the Witnesses public website at www.watchtower.org

I don't know what the circumstances are in this particular situation (nor is it my business), but maybe your fiance' could write a letter to the mother and express why he would like to have contact with his daughter.

Answer 4

What sugar coating do you advise? i have by no skill performed this and (a million Corinthians 5:9-13) In my letter I wrote YOU to provide up blending in employer with fornicators, 10?not [meaning] entirely with the fornicators of this international or the grasping persons and extortioners or idolaters. otherwise, you should somewhat ought to get out of the international. 11?yet now i'm writing YOU to provide up blending in employer with absolutely everyone suggested as a brother it truly is a fornicator or a grasping human being or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with this kind of guy. 12?For what do I even ought to do with judging those outdoors? Do YOU not decide those interior, 13?even as God judges those outdoors? “get rid of the depraved [guy] from between yourselves.” Are you affirming we are to bypass hostile to God then? If I have a brother it truly is a drugy and that i proceed to spend time with him, will I not get spiritually ill? If my sister is a real social gathering goer and that i connect her, will I not commence that exact same habit? certain, i am going to. you've each and each and every of the right interior the international to leave the dominion hall, you also go away Jehovah, our God. you also comprehend the Scripture that talks about the cooling off of the more advantageous style. you comprehend the way we see it yet you nonetheless don't realize. You made your mattress, you lay in it yet you also comprehend you could continuously come decrease back, hoping this is not too previous due. bypass away devil. Edited: humorous that you're saying "Being a jw you're taking care of non Jws as 2d type truly and that doesn't in nice condition with my morals." i encounter that very staggering as we are those that bypass preaching the coolest information of God's Kingdom to those who, as you're saying, "take care of non Jws as 2d type". you could not have it both techniques on your wondering, it cancels itself out.

Answer 5

I don't know much; I know they are very strict, including with children. I watched a documentary on sects & cults some years ago. JW was not the worst of them, but while adults who joined the sect put some enthusiasm in it, their children suffered a lot (they were older than your daughter though). They were not abused in a physical way, but they suffered because other kids in school had a more enjoyable life, with playtime, toys, TV and cool clothes. The parents (who withdrew from JW after some ten or five years or so) were much more into it, but still felt somehow brainwashed.

My little research on JW:

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Jehovah's_Witnesses

http://www.unicorne.org/Orthodoxy/articles/alex_roman/witnesses.htm

http://www.freeminds.org/othrlink.htm

The last one is a long list of websites where you can find lots of critical info on these guys.

Answer 6

Well the question is not easy to answer. I was raised in this religion, and do not practice it any longer. there are bible meeting on Sunday, Tuesday, and thursday as well as a weekly home bible study. Like any religion there are some well intentioned folks here, but one needs to look at the structure that the governing body holds to get a clue as to the overall totalitarian attitudes of the group. There word is not open for debate, what they say goes. So you can imagine this would not be healthy to a young inquiring mind. Many folks can quote verbatim bible versus, but cant question them. The lack of celebrating birthdays, can cause problems too. I mean I grew up feeling very unwanted and that my parents just put the organization ahead of my needs as a child. It is a tough life growing up as a child in this group, you never feel good enough. The fact that many parents would choose no blood transfusion, over saving the life of a child is very confusing to a child, even years latter i struggle with the fact that my parents would rather have let me die than to allow me to have a blood transfusion.

The fact that higher education is not considered important because going door to door preaching, can not be a good thing, to a hungary young mind that naturally has a thirst for knowledge.

Many children feel they are living a double life, one at the "hall" with witnesses,, the other secular, so as not to be ridiculed, so partaking in natural things all kids do as they grow up. This can cause a great deal of stress, and self doubt and can cause one to feel they have to hide there true self from there secular peers and there fellow witness peers.

I would write more and in greater detail, but I think I have painted a picture that answers your question. It is not a nice way to grow up. Growing up and learning about oneself and learning to socialize is not easy at the best of times. Mix that with a controlling, mindset from a governing body, and you have a recipe for many problem for years to come.

I am still recovering from my child hood raised in this religion, and I would recommend, if you can get your step-daughter away from the rigid way of life that is forced upon a child, please get her away form them.

Children raised in this group are expected to be young adults, and in doing so don't acquire the social skills needed for a happy productive adult life. These skills can be learnt latter, but why stop a child from being a child, and growing up at the same time as any other child?


Thank you and good luck.

Answer 7

we have five meetings a week. two hours on Sunday, one hour for the book study and two hours on Thursday. we do alot of studying but you can break the time up. most studies just an hour or an hour and a half. if children are in school, we always send out children to school. the meetings are at night. our conventions or assemblies are on the weekends. the conventions are in the summer so children are out of school. the assemblies are Saturday and or Sunday or both days. I really don't know why the child is missing alot of school. we pay bills and shop just like anyone else. we are in 235 lands and we worship together. the same book study and the same watchtower study. we all have problems and we are imperfect just like anyone else. please look at our website. www.watchtower.org. also when we do what Jesus commanded at Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20, we do not go to anyone's door until after nine thirty not before.

Answer 8

I am not a Witness but I have a couple of friends that are. There is a lot of meetings, a lot of study, then bible study, Door to door contact. The religion takes up a great portion of their day to day life.They are very nice people, some are a bit strange though. Good luck. I can't imagine a child growing up without Santa.

Answer 9

hi I'M not a jehoveh's witnesses? but do work around them Monday thur Friday .8 hrs a day .Where my job tells me to go I have to be there in this case jehovah's witnesses. EDUCATION is very important to them those that I know all have top jobs people from other countries. They are very loving people friendly respectful .They do not take or give blood and in there medical records must say their jehovah's witnesses yes they do alot of bible studies but it depends on there church . Many churches get close cause of remodeling but reopen and the members go to other churches. it 's a very big religion that depends on each other. They have everything from lawyers to contraction workers . the day to day routines depends on there church , just like any other religion . they do not be around to much with those that are not jehovah's . They do drink but it has to be as in a party but with respect towards other members.song with bad words are not allow. I start once taking there bible classes but turn it way it's not my religion but I have to respect there ways it's all in our choices in life to choice what we want but in good faith towards our children as in any other religion we all have our down falls and good will in heart.If your step daughter is in good hands u do not have to worried about it always visit not every religion in a home seems want it is . I can tell u about different jehovah's in thier life in everyone is different .We do not believe always in any religion but only the one our family show us but the people we deal with in our jobs subways ,buildings in our streets all have different religions but we show respect in any thing there do for us . good luck be well god bless .

Answer 10

When I was seven years old, my parents started studying with this group, and I was taken to two meetings at their kingdom hall each week, as well as a bible study (their bible that they wrote). I left home at 16 and it has taken a long time to 'get over' that whole experience.