Has anyone here been to their services and what did you think?
I've been along to a couple some years ago. I had no intention of joining. The similarities (and the differences) with the LDS were striking. Contrary to popular opinion, there were actually some ways that they were very *different* as well.
I found the dress code very similar though. You could have put the congregation in the LDS and they wouldn't look out of place. A lot of the same clothing and same types.
One of the most striking differences was that all the music was prerecorded, and the musical style was all over the place. Some of it quite contemporary sounding.
They were very tight and strained and always wore plain simple clothes. They often avoided eye contact and tended to be dictatorial about their beliefs.
The kiddies were taught to lecture the class at every opportunity about how bad they were for saluting the flag and doing holiday crafts.
Sometimes it would take weeks to train them to simply quietly not participate in the pledge as they wanted to explain daily that their church didn't allow it and they didn't approve of it.
As a teacher I got along with them but it wasn't always easy.
I quit accepting booklets and lectures about their beliefs. I told them I'd seen their materials and heard their rationale and that we needed to move on to conferencing about their children's academic progress and put religion aside in my classroom.
They've come to my door a few times and I've refused their lectures and reading materials.
"I'm not interested so don't come back. Goodbye." Close the door.
My husband chases them to their cars and says vile things which I don't think of at the time.
I've had better experiences teaching older kids. The kids generally know the rules. The older they are, the more apt they are to follow them. If we have a holiday-themed worksheet for the class, I give the JW kids options. Younger kids will often choose to color the picture, but will then leave it at school. If we have a holiday party, I just call it a "fall party" or a "winter party," and they find that acceptable. Older kids who object are sent to the school library or elsewhere.
I've found them for the most part to be very nice, respectful kids. That's not always the case, but it generally is.
Sometimes parents will give a reminder to me about JW practices at the beginning of the year, which is fine. But my school district has low parent involvement, so JW parents have not been an issue for me.
They'd have had time to work out how they would deal with situations.
By the end of first grade kids stop trying to push the JW point of view so much and some of them do holiday art projects with alternate non-holiday colors or they give the finished products to the teacher or to friends. Parents seem to be able to handle these solutions, especially if they don't have to hear about it and kids become more circumspect as time goes on.
I sometimes had to plan musical performances had to be careful not to include certain songs and dances. If I wasn't sure of something, I had to call home and ask. Some parents were stricter than others. I once pointed this out to a parent and she acted shocked and refused to believe there were differences among JWs about how these things were handled. LOL
One girl's actions did bother me. She was a 4th or 5th grader. Nice kid. But she shared her pamphlets and preached to her fellow students on her lunch break. Students are allowed to do that in their free time, but I didn't like it, and I don't think other parents would have liked it, either. The girl told me that she was aspiring to some role in the church -- "Voyager" or something like that? I think she was putting her proselytizing hours in.
I taught another very bright kid who told me that he wanted to be a doctor when he grows up. I encouraged him in that, but I wondered how long that ambition would last.
One or twice I showed up at a JW service just as payback for how irritating I found their proselytizing. I didn't dress nice and wasn't overly reverent and maybe asked too many sarcastic questions.
They might cool off on their proselytizing if they realize it just attracts people they might not want around. It only takes a few wise guys in the meeting to turn the whole tenor of the place topsy turvy!
I have less than a zero interest, if such a state is possible, of attending a JW meeting. We just spend 2-1/2 weeks in Europe and JW's with their kiosks were everywhere. They were more visible than here in the US as I have traveled recently. Scenic or historic sites had JW's standing with their magazine racks very prominently displayed on the corners. We did not not observe a single individual talking to these folks. At one beautiful garden in Salzburg Austria, a JW walked around holding a Watchtower in front of her and making sure she stood clearly facing you as you entered or exited the garden. It was an unpleasant distraction. I felt sorry for those folks wasting their lives with that cult.
DH and I were able to enjoy Austria for only two days. We loved hearing the singing and seeing an impressive horse show there. We spent one day roaming on our own and couldn't believe the beauty. Loved seeing one garden. Wish I was there now.
Glad you were there a longer time to do it justice, or at least more than we were able to do.
dagny Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think maybe Nightingale could still answer any > questions you have since she was a JW long ago.
Yet it seems like yesterday, watching Ike getting sworn in, and Mamie looking so proud!
10000 times worse. Practice actual shunning. Members encouraged to babysit each other and tattle tale. I had a dear friend in JW church. They make LDS look like Woodstock.
Mormons and jay dubs hate each other due to competing ideologies. Half of my extended family are mormons. The other half are jay dubs. During my family reunions I wait for the fistfights to break out.
Have a close friend of 20 years who was raised JW. She's not active. But I always stayed away from religion in our talks. Actually, it never much came up. Thank God.
lisadee Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As for visiting a KH, hmmm, I might but I'm really > not that curious about it. Plus, I've heard it's > really boring.
Their meetings are pretty dull, but I would rec attending one time. It's a bit like seeing Mormonism reflected in a Hall of Mirrors, and will help you understand your LDS experience.m more fully. I wouldn't recommend it a second time necessarily. Also I rec doing it if you're away from home, so you don't meet the same people on the street.
GNPE Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Excellent excuses to STAY AWAY... > > > just sayin'
I wouldn't go to a local KH, but I think it is worth experiencing once. There are differences, but it's like seeing the LDS from the outside. I think it's a very good way to get a handle on your LDS life, and to process what has happened to you.
One of the things I laughed at was that most people ignored me when I came in, but two or three men sought me out and asked me leading questions under the guise of friendliness. Sounds familiar? Visit any LDS church outside your area and this will happen to you. I told them the truth in most circumstances. They really didn't know much about the LDS. I wasn't rude to anyone or challenged them, I just observed. I didn't give them my details.
I'm convinced the JWs have copied the LDS but that is for another thread.
There are some videos on YouTube of JW meetings interrupted by people protesting something or other. They usually get escorted out pretty fast. Not exactly sure what all the protests are about, probably over abuse allegations or something like that.
anonyXmo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There are some videos on YouTube of JW meetings > interrupted by people protesting something or > other. They usually get escorted out pretty fast. > Not exactly sure what all the protests are about, > probably over abuse allegations or something like > that.
Yes, they have had a big child abuse problem. Like the LDS, they have their own courts, but unlike the LDS, they do not recognize the authority of secular courts at all.