Reasons behind disfellowshipping over 'worldly divorce'

by needproof 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • needproof
    needproof

    Hi guys and girls,

    Something came to me whilst I was cleaning this morning. I was thinking about the JW tradition of disfellowshipping those who seek a 'worldly divorce'

    This has already been noted, but I believe that this is their way of keeping the stats up regarding 'good, working, Christian marriages'. If one decides to get a divorce, the whole 'look how good our family is in Jehovah's organization' thing goes out the window.

    If they get rid of all those who seek a divorce, then such people will not make the borg look bad.

    Well that's my take on it.

  • blondie
    blondie

    I have never seen anyone df'd just for getting a divorce. I have seen people though start dating and staying overnight with someone of the opposite sex or remarrying. Then they are df'd for adultery since they are not considered "scripturally" released from their marriage.

  • needproof
    needproof

    You haven't? Twice in my old cong. the couple ended up getting a 'worldly' divorce and then being disfellowshipped.

  • metatron
    metatron

    Here's one that helped me quit as an elder: using divorce, remarriage and dfing as a means of increase!

    Sister Messedup dumps her Witness husband and remarries Joe Worldly. She gets df'd - and compels him to attend meetings and become

    a Witness. The C.O. looks at this as an acceptable way to get another publisher - especially because it keeps happening, again and

    again thruout the circuit.

    I was appalled.

    metatron

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut
    I have never seen anyone df'd just for getting a divorce. I have seen people though start dating and staying overnight
    with someone of the opposite sex or remarrying. Then they are df'd for adultery since they are not considered
    "scripturally" released from their marriage.

    I agree with Blondie's statement. If a DF occurred, there had to be something else involved- adultery or
    strong disagreement with the Borg.

    I was involved in a case where a JW woman sought a "worldly" divorce from a JW man who was a total
    bum who physically abused her. The cong. wanted her to stay separated, but she had legal reasons for
    divorce (property, pension, etc.) She loved her privileges and was told that she would lose them if she
    did this. I was virtually out the door as an elder, so I still carried weight, but had different thoughts.
    I told her, if you really think this is necessary, you cannot be a pioneer and you cannot be assigned to
    your position on the regional building committee's list of workers. You still can [preach] (recruit) as
    much as you want to, you just cannot attend the pioneer meetings. You can still volunteer for the same
    group to work at quick-builds. They just cannot list you as a permanent named volunteer for the
    RBC, you can't count the time on field service. If you aren't a pioneer anyway, you don't need the time.

    She was getting the divorce anyway, no matter what I or others said. She did feel better after speaking
    to me.

  • Finally-Free
    Finally-Free

    I remember several couples from prominent JW families, children of elders, whose marriages fell apart. There was never any announcement of anyone being DF'd. They would move to a different area and we'd hear nothing about them for a couple of years until they eventually moved back with a new JW spouse. Raising a question about the "status" of these people got me counselled a few times. I'm convinced there are completely different sets of rules for members of popular, prominent JW families.

    W

  • 5go
    5go
    I remember several couples from prominent JW families, children of elders, whose marriages fell apart. There was never any announcement of anyone being DF'd. They would move to a different area and we'd hear nothing about them for a couple of years until they eventually moved back with a new JW spouse. Raising a question about the "status" of these people got me counselled a few times. I'm convinced there are completely different sets of rules for members of popular, prominent JW families.

    Ditto except for the consel part. I shut my mouth and waited cuase I knew jehoober would fix it of course. Something did happen most of them got divorced and remarried again. Then I started to rethink especialy when one of these elders sons found his expioneer wife stripping and a caboret in the city. Quess how ? Nothing happened to him other than maybe private consel. He doesn't come to meetings anymore though and his parent moved out in shame. To go elder and elderette in a new cong.

  • owenfieldreams
    owenfieldreams

    I know from personal experience that you cannot be df'ed strictly for obtaining a legal divorce without scriptural grounds. about the worst that will happen is the person will receive strong counsel against it and may be the target of a "marking" talk from the platform, and will lose all privileges in the cong. Other than that, there's not much the elders can do to you. Besides, as many of these divorces that are happening now in the org, their numbers would really start to plummet if they started expelling people just for doing this or separating without proper scriptural grounds.

  • aniron
    aniron

    Many years ago we had a brother and sister disfellowshipped for adultery.

    On the basis that were both had both divorced from their husband/wife on grounds other than adultery, it was irreconcilible differences.

    Whereas adultery was the only scriptural grounds the WT would accept.

    This couple later met and decided to marry.

    But according to the Elders "scripturally" they were still married to their former partners.

    Therefore in the JW mindset when they married they committed adultery.

    So they were disfellowshipped.

    You figure it out???

  • DannyBloem
    DannyBloem

    As far as I know people are not disfellowshipped for only a worldly divorce.

    I know of many examples that people stayed in the cong as accepted by marked member. They will get a hard time but no df

    DB

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