Secular authors describing the religion stress that there are too many women. They wonder why women would ever put up with the WT BS concerniing women. It raises questions I am not certain a dedicated feminist could answer. What attracts the women? They are Uncle Toms. Also, the religion is so black.What attracts so many black women to a religion run by old white men with no soul? Your chances of marriage to a suitable mate are virtually nonexistent. This is not merely neurosis among college educated women who want a guarantee of marriage at a ripe age. (moi). There are no men.I remember when I completed my Cinderella phase as a girl. My mom forbid me to marry any Bethelite for moral reasons. I pretended I never wanted to marry. It was pretense. I spent a portion of each boring meeting surveying the single male crowd. Not promising or reassuring.
Mental Health Issues in JW Women
by Seven 33 Replies latest watchtower medical
-
-
Frazzled UBM
Good post Lisa Rose - a neat summary of the organisation's treatment of women.
-
LongHairGal
Lisa Rose:
Your post is good but I wonder what you mean when you say that "a woman can Pioneer, which gives you status, but that is outside the congregation..." When you say outside, I guess you must mean physically outside of the hall but SOCIALLY within the JW network of friends. Right??
Because the "world" doesn't know the first thing (nor do they care) about Jehovah's Witnesses and terms such as "pioneer" mean ZERO or ZILCH to the average person on the street.
But, all in all, the JW religion is certainly a hostile place to women..... Luckily for me I stayed on the fringes because I figured that I'd rather be a stranger than a target. What a hateful place!
-
a watcher
If Sisters would focus on their relationship with God more than their relationships with people, they would be happier.
Jehovah is far more loving and reasonable than people are.
-
Frazzled UBM
Thank you 'a watcher' for your comment - please read my post to the other apologist who posted on this thread. You should actually admit that you have no idea about how to make the Sisters happy and stop regurgitating the hollow words you are taught at the KH.
I am afraid I would have to take issue with your claim that Jehovah is more loving and reasonable than people given his track record in the OT of petty jealousy, cruelty, vindictiveness and mass murder.
I suspect for most Sisters the social aspect of belonging to the organisation is what keeps them in the organisation but it is the organisation (that claims to be Jehovah's mouthpiece) that keeps them unhappy by constantly making them feel inadequate, guilty and lacking in self-esteem.
-
a watcher
Jehovah is an iron fist in a velvet glove. Before Christ, He was an iron fist to those who refused to give Him the respect He deserved as Creator of the universe. Through Christ, He is a velvet glove to Christians, soft and comforting.
If a Sister has a close relationship with Jehovah, she won't care much what 'the organization' thinks of her. No one can make you feel inadequate unless you ALLOW them to. If you're doing the best you can, it's enough. Sisters need to take responsibility for their own spirituality and not ALLOW anyone or anything to interfere with it.
-
Gentledawn
Like Terry pointed out in a different post:
God is love. Love is not jealous. God is a jealous god.
Have fun working that one out.
--------
--------
Romans 16:1 (AMP) "Now I introduce and commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae,"
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Romans%2016:1
--------
1 Timothy 3:11 (footnote in NIV): a. "1 Timothy 3:11 Possibly deacons’ wives or women who are deacons"
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+timothy+3%3A11&version=NIV
---------
translation of the word : "deacon" = διάκονος (diakonos)
translation of the word "servant" = υπηρέτης
----------
A wikipedia entry on "deacon":
-
LongHairGal
A WATCHER:
I feel compelled to comment on the second paragraph of your post above. I know you mean well but your words are trite and meaningless when faced with the actuality of what is really involved in being in this religion.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard JWs say things along these lines. "Oh, you're there for Jehovah, not the people..." or "never mind what people say" or the substance of this, ad nauseam.
The problem is: if you were literally to do this, you'd have to get out of there.
The Jehovah's Witness religion is an all-or-nothing religion. It is not a religion that is like a correspondence course. You are expected to "be there" and participate (comments, activities, service). So, how could somebody (especially a "sister") NOT be bothered by all that is going on around her. You cannot possibly tune all this out all of the time. I know I couldn't.
And, as far as self-esteem is concerned: I never had a problem in this area since I, thankfully, was not raised a JW. I never felt "inadequate". But, let me tell you, too many people there had serious issues about a woman who does have self-esteem, even if she is minding her own business sitting on the other side of the hall.
Bottom line: the religion was an unwholesome place for ME to be.
-
jgnat
It is all fine and good to tell a sister to endure in spite of the people. Very noble and all that. But is this truly the best place for her to be? -
ambersun
All my self confidence was eroded within a few years of becoming a jw as a teenager. I remember one of the first lessons I was taught was that as a female my brain was tiny compared to a male's and I was ruled by emotions instead of reason which is why I would always be inferior. I was grammar school educated and read a lot, and was often asked by my male peers within the congregation to help them with information for their talks but, of course, I could never stand on the platform and give that information in my own right as I was not allowed to teach the superior males.
You only have to watch those dreadful Caleb videos and the way Watchtower depict Caleb's neurotic mother to get an idea of how women are viewed by the Society. Disgraceful the way they are still getting away with this attitude!
It is all fine and good to tell a sister to endure in spite of the people. Very noble and all that. But is this truly the best place for her to be?