The Phones Are Ringing from the JW.org folks and Outreach May be Helpful (even if annoying to many)

As tricky as it is to have JWs and such... they have been a helpful model for showing us all that We Have the Freedom to do these things in this country...So let's not throw the JWs out with the bath water.

That said, we could all give a lot more thought to what every person would need potentially because Not Everyone Knows What they need, what's available, how to ask for help. what and who they will really get with some outreach of longterm outreach and interactions. I have been working on figuring these things out with very few intentional inputs for decades, whether in this rural area, at college (Vassar and others such as Berkshire Community College and plenty more...

Maybe some have noticed or even wondered Why that may be helpful or what the point was? Turns out it was for many more reasons than I could imagine...and yes, I have quite the imagination even before starting to watch TV about 8 years ago (occasionally) and had not been to movies in about 30 years, and maybe watched 30 videos in all that time.

There are many people who go to church or some other social group and intentionally do not watch the modern media and maybe are not on thee internet either (something I started doing in the past decade since I didn't have a computer.)

I've had a cell phone for about 5 years and really only used it for...get this, Phone Calls! I learned to text a bit in the past few years and well blog in the last 7 or so (along with emails in the past 12 years or so which helped me document many important matters...)

That said, the JWs were some of the few folks who would visit me when I was 'home alone with kids' in two different locations (my own and a friend's which I then said I wouldn't be able to have them come see me, but I was amazed to see their outreach. I know others who stay home but who do become friends with the one or two folks who come for a Bible study or thereabouts.

The main idea I feel they share is that Adam sinned and Jesus came to pay for that sin and restore the relationship with the Creator (Yes, called Jehovah.) They do not believe Jesus has the Holy Spirit with him or that we are to emulate the healing that the Holy Spirit did ...they feel those were demonstrations of power for that time but that we should not need miracles to take the teachings of Jesus seriously.

They do believe that our human spirit resides in our blood so that is why they do not accept blood for transfusions etc, since that would be a mingling of spirits in a way that is contraindicated from what is in the Bible (or their understanding of it.) I am recalling things from over a decade or even two ago, so don't quote me.

That said they have a clear teaching that all people are equal in the eyes of God in terms of able to learn and accept the teachings (not be excluded based in gender, ethnicity, location, etc, age.)

The allow interracial marriage, divorce and birth control for a couple to determine what they want. That does not include condoning or allowing abortion however. I believe those are the same guidelines for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known previously at the Mormons but they prefer not to have that named used now. That religion started 200 years ago with a vision claimed to be had by Joseph Smith in upstate NY. He then reportedly was shown tablets that he translated but no one else saw them, so the controversy continues.

That said, many people of that faith self-organize with different sects, some allowing bigamy or polygamy and others not in the official church since that was outlawed in the US. Given the times we can now see how all of that played out. Many people find it challenging to have 'just one marriage' yet that is what the Catholic Church and many others had recommended (and Jesus speaks to that as the intention, but divorce was permitted.)

Some Christian Community and religious groups believe one should not marry again if divorced, so the ideas is to stay celibate. That would be until one's former spouse passed or in some Christian circles it's permissible to reunite with one's spouse.

These are all valuable things for youth to consider well in advance of dating or mating (whether having children or not) since that is basically what the terms of marriage recognize in social circles and in the past related to understanding the responsibility of a woman getting pregnant.

About 30 years ago and certainly before that, a man was not legally required to give any support to a child if the parents were not legally married (even if living apart.)

Over time more aspects of these biological, social, romantic, legal, and religious implications are being discussed...but just barely and not methodically with youth and other adults who really would benefit from a better understanding of societal norms and terms for being single, living alone or living with someone, dating, getting more seriously involved, having a child or adopting or raising a child together, domestic abuse and coercive control dynamics (even if living apart and among many types of people,) custody, divorce and post-custody and/or divorce guidelines and realities.

So much to consider and caring about each other whether living in the same town, state, or having more in common in terms of a school or social connection or faith would facilitate communication. The people, planet and resources as well as laws and practices are worth acknowledging in full. The JWs do a lot of that as do many religions, but until the world decides it's worth pondering together, confusion and dismissing the history and value can prevail. Let's take time and talk things over or think then through (which I do in part on Livfully.org) But Thanks for raising the topic!