why do Jehovah's witnesses get a bad reputation for raising their children as Jehovah's witnesses?

I was raised as a Witness and I'm raising my two children as Witnesses. I don't really understand the problem that people have with it. To me it is mainly that

(1) they think our kids miss out because we don't celebrate birthdays, christmas, easter and all that sort of thing. To be honest, as a kid I couldn't have cared less about not celebrating them. I didn't feel as though I missed out, we always got presents and my parents did stuff with us all the time like going to the beach, camping, bbq's. I had a pretty good time as a kid. I sometimes felt sorry for my friends who had to wait till their birthday or christmas to get something they wanted. If ever there was a specific time where we got cool stuff it was tax time when my dad got his 'free money' from the government! (we thought it was free, till we got to understand the whole tax system but a return is a return and its great!)

(2) the blood issue. People are so adamant that blood saves lives. It has been beaten into peoples heads for years that blood transfusions are somehow magical and will save your life. When I do research (and for the record, not just in JW publications) I become more and more convinced that blood transfusions are overrated and actually downright dangerous. I don't want that for me or for my children. I would hope that any medical teams would use their expertise in doing everything they could, bar transfusion, to save me and/or my family. Evidence is showing that bloodless treatment and surgery is safer, quicker recovery times and more cost effective. I want the best for my children and blood transfusions are NOT the best. Many non-JW's are also taking the stand against blood (from a health standpoint) and also many doctors would not want blood for themselves.

(3) Ignorance and fear - they don't know who we are, they believe that we are some wacky cult and that somehow our children are in danger from brainwashing and whatever else cults do (I wouldn't know because I'm not in a cult). Truth is we are normal everyday people leading normal everyday lives however doing so in accord with God's laws and principals as set out in the bible. our children are not in any danger and have as much freedom of choice as anyone. They can choose whether they want to continue and become witnesses themselves or not. Whatever the outcome, they have been raised with good principals and the tools to live a good, clean and moral life. What's wrong with that?

PS for the answerer below - Hi! just wanted to let you know that nowhere does it say that if you are a witness you cannot have non-JW friends or that once you get baptised you can't continue friendships with non-JW friends. What it does say is that we must use discernment in these friendships. If you have made a dedication (and I mean YOU have decided that you WANT to be a witness) then the most important thing to you must be your relationship with Jehovah. Any friendship either outside or inside the congregation should be supporting this friendship you have developed with God. If it doesn't it is not a good friendship to be in. A non-JW friendship does not necessarily have to end just because you have been baptised.

Some parents are more protective than others in this regard. Balance is a good thing. If you feel that this aspect of your life growing up as a witness was overbearing and restrictive it was not because of witness teachings against having anything to do with non witnesses, as there arent any. There are only the guidelines of watching your associations so that they don't break your faith or lead you astray. Yes, sorry, that 1st Corinthians15:33 scripture! (yes, I used to hate that one too! But it is so true. I know from personal experience in letting certain friendships continue too long and too deep. Only meant trouble for me) Your parents simply loved you so much that they wanted to protect and shelter you. Maybe they went overboard but if you can overlook that and look at what they were wanting for you, you will see that all they wanted was for you to be safe. Many non-JW parents do the same thing (won't let them out of their sight, won't let them attend functions or do things with their friends etc) and their kids are also (for want of a better word) bitter for what they missed out on, and blame them for not having a greater knowlege of the world and the way it works. Honestly, half the experiences due to not listening to bible principals I have had in my life I would gladly give back. Causes me nothing but shame looking back and could easily have killed me (mostly drinking too much) and a lot of it was from 'friends' trying to introduce me to the 'fun' that I was missing out on. Gotta be careful.

I would agree with Jen in that there are many "shades of grey" in this area. The fact that they were never baptized, calls into question weather they ever really came to fully appreciate what the truth really is, or understand the thoughts and feelings it conveys in the minds and hearts of all true, zealous, loyal witnesses. For example i was raised around the religion, but never came to *really* appreciate it untill recently, i was lukewarm, if that. If they decided to become another religion, theirs a 99% chance i wouldn't even *have to* ignore them, because i'd never come into contact with them anyway. However, if for some reason i did still come into contact with them (perhaps i work with them or somthing) I would still talk to them, probably about their beliefs, ask them why they chose to become that religion, perhaps conversation would draw them out a bit more then sitting there at a meeting (probably not paying attention,... in their case) I would though be cautious about becoming friends with them, if for example they were to invite me over to their house or somthing to hang out with friends, i'd politely decline.

John 15:18,19

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were part of the world, the world would fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world,but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account The World Hates You.

Keep up the great work raising your children to Love Jehovah and his son Jesus. Having a bad rep for being and raising your kids to love Jehovah just proves that you have the TRUTH.

Be strong our deliverance is near.

Because Satan has their eyes blinded, and they think we are sad, and left out. Not celebrating the pagan holidays, the kids don't salute the flag, yada, yada, yada. And the best one of all, we are a cult. But, as I've explained many times, I have 4 children in all, my two oldest are married and live their lives outside the truth. They don't attend any church, know that the true religion is being one of JW's but, they choose the world instead. My two youngest ones seen what they did, and what they are going through now just to live in the world and my son of 18 is studying, and daughter of 22 is being baptized in Jan. They are anything but deprived, and we are anything but sad, and in a cult. Jehovah God gives us a freedom that the world can't even understand or hope to have. I have more fun in the ministry and with my spiritual brothers and sisters than I've ever had in the world. So it is they that I feel sorry for, and it is their kids that I have pity on. As Jesus did with those that were skinned and thrown about like sheep in a wolves den.

Agape and keep up the good work. I to love animals of all kinds.

The simple answer is: they don't.

I was raised by Jehovah's Witness parents, and I made my own decision to become one myself.

I think you're just trying to figure out why the Anti-JW cult promotes their bigotry, and uses double-standards (as you pointed out) to try and attack Jehovah's Witnesses. Don't forget, they're driven by Satan (their god and father) and in imitation of him, they make those claims. (Jason H and spitfire exemplify that well as you can see.)

But Witnesses do NOT have a bad reputation for raising their children as Witnesses.

*** Unsilenced has NEVER had any kind of association with Jehovah's Witnesses before. Don't fall for her claim.

- Catholics and Baptists ignore the Bible's direction to disfellowship unrepentant wrongdoers from the congregation. The Bible doesn't differentiate between an unrepentant family member wrongdoer or another person.

I'm sorry but I don't know about this

My sister is not a witness and she does not allow her children{ I gave her two of mine because she could not conceive} And she does not allow them to have friends outside of her friends with children.} JW's are not the only people who protect their children this way. As a kid i did christmas and birthdays. As a Jw I get gifts from my non Jw family and just say thanks they insist. I give gifts much more often and I do it because they are special to me everyday. yeah, I remember how I felt as a child ,not to get what I asked santa for{too poor} sometimes nothing , no tree etc"{ dad abandoned us early on} heartbroken. Now I look back , wish I had grown up as Jw. Loved , respected, protected , and given attention and instruction, Did not have none of that from mormon parent. The most amazing thing that caused me to think JW's really had something was babysitting{ i was a study and relative of JW sister in law} The kid put a marble in his mouth then spit it out and started to cry and would not stop until mom got home. I asked him why and he said he was gonna lose his marbles because his mom was gonna know what he did, so I said I won't tell Just promise me not to do it again and he said flat out NO! when she got home he ran and told on himself and he lost his marbles. I was impressed, then found out why, his little sister died from running in the house with a peanut and it lodged in her lung and she died. i was impressed beyond words with this 5 year olds honesty.

Because it isn't the best experience in the world. You live a very sheltered life most of the time, and you're never given the chance to see more than one side of the issue. Did baptists ever say that you couldn't have non-baptist friends? Or that after making a dedication, you'd be separated from your baptist friends and they would shun you? Or that you'd have to go preach to other people about it? It's just a much more consuming part of Jehovah's Witnesses lives, which makes it harder on the kids. I enjoyed my childhood though, but that one aspect of it didn't deprived me of holidays and blood transfusions. It deprived me of normal interaction with kids who didn't believe the exact same things as your parents, and you need that experience if you're going to make informed decisions as an adult.

people utter such nonsense out of ignorance and bigotry. They do not understand us, they believe we are wrong to the core and thus they speak blindly and illogically. It is only expected that if one is a JW's or what ever else one will raise the child as such. Nobody goes against what they believe.

As a JW myself all i can say is that this is the best upbringing any child can have.

As Special K brought out, it largely centers on 2 things, the blood issue and the holidays.

Remember what Jesus told his disciples, if we were part of the world, the world would be fond of its own, but we are no part of the world, therefore the world hates us. Also he said that we would experience opposition from the world and our family members because Jesus did not come to bring peace.

(I'm late for work!)