Indiana Families Find Solutions to Bullying From a Surprising Source

“My world stopped!” said Heather when
she learned that her 6-year-old son’s
classmate had threatened to shoot her
son. “This was certainly a case of bullying.”

As millions of children head back to school
this year, more than one in five of them will
have a similar experience, according to the
National Center for Education Statistics.
And in a national study by the
Cyberbullying Research Center, nearly
21% of tweens said they had been a
target, aggressor or witness to bullying
online or by other electronic means.

As parents search for ways to protect
their children, a growing group of families
are turning to an unlikely source for
practical guidance: the Bible.

Jacob and Heather had talked with their son about helpful scriptural principles that they had
learned through their faith as Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Because of his age, we only had a limited
discussion about bullying prior to the incident,” Jacob said. “However, this really opened our
eyes and enhanced our appreciation for advance preparation.”

They also went to jw.org, the Witnesses’ official website, where a search for the term bullying
brought up a wealth of free resources including videos, articles, worksheets and other online
activities on topics young people face at school. Those resources include a whiteboard
animation entitled, “Beat a Bully Without Using Your Fists” and an animated cartoon about the
powerful effect of prayer for those who are being bullied.

Jacob and Heather’s young son said, “It makes me feel sad when I see kids getting bullied.”

“If I would get bullied again,” he said, “I would apply the Bible principle to return evil for evil to no
one. My parents have always taught me to be loving and to speak kindly to others.”

Madison Bechtle, of Clifton, New Jersey, also turned to the Scriptures when a cyberbully started
harassing her in the eighth grade with dozens of disturbing notifications on her cell phone. “It
was really crazy. He was sending me pictures of my house. I was really paranoid all the time,”
she said.

Reading the Bible and praying calmed her anxiety. “It’s just you and God, and you’re just talking
one-on-one,” she said. “It’s very comforting, and it works.”

She also followed the practical steps outlined in the jw.org whiteboard animation “Be SocialNetwork Smart” to protect herself. She told her parents and teachers about the situation and
deleted the social media account her bully had targeted. “I still don’t have that account to this
day,” said Madison, now 21.

“Not every situation resolves so easily. But applying the Bible’s advice and focusing on the big
picture can help individuals cope and maintain their sense of self-worth,” said Robert Hendriks,
U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“The Bible has proven to be a practical resource for many families to navigate difficult situations
in life,” said Hendriks. “The principles found in this ancient book can help adults and children
resolve conflict and maintain peaceful relationships with others.”

Principles like the so-called Golden Rule of treating others as you’d want to be treated, showing
love and being slow to anger are tools Heather said help her family in many circumstances. “We
continue to inculcate these principles in our son. They are inseparable for success and
happiness at school amid bullies and for whatever challenges we may face in life.”