Question on Headship

by insearchoftruth 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  JimmyPage

  I believe there is a Bible verse that says the reason women's feet are so small is so they can get closer to the sink to wash them dishes.
• 

  halcyon

  I actually used this to hide behind when I went inactive. Back when I was single and would miss meetings, I got phone calls and knocks on my door. Then I married a weak JW. He "lets" me stay home (he's rarely there himself!) and there hasn't been a single person bothering me. I guess they figure I'm my husband's responsibility. Yay for me!
• 

  insearchoftruth

  Another question, are the wts publications then written to just gloss over the contributions that women have made throughout the Bible to point only to the areas where they are oppressed and subservient to men???

  The more I learn, the more amazed I am that a woman with any ability to think or act for herself stays involved in this organization.....is the appeal built in 'friendship and love', maybe a sense of acceptance??

  I feel that my wife reaches out to the org whenever she is out of class and she is bored and all of her friends are either working or have other things to do...the appeal to the jws to her I believe is that they somewhat kiss her tail with the darn lovebombing, outside of some of the dubish comments she makes, she always says they are so nice....gag!
• 

  DJK

  Could an unbelieving husband with two witnesses request a JC for his wife if she isn't obedient?
• 

  Bonnie_Clyde

  A sister with a UBM in our congregation decided to help her DF'd (married) daughter out who is about to deliver her first baby. The elders got wind of it and counselled her that it would not be appropriate and would be setting a bad example. The UBM raised a ruckus, and the sister is going ahead with caring for her daughter and soon-to-be grandson. At first Clyde and I thought she would knuckle under. Now we wonder what kind of restrictions the elders will put her under for disregarding her counsel. She likes to pioneer a few times a year--maybe they will restrict her from that.
• 

  WTWizard

  The whole thing is highly abused. Men will often beat up on their wives and make them do things in ways that are blatantly not going to work, just because they say so. Very often, such wives have little or no freedom to make any decisions whatsoever.

  If the husband is not a witless, the wife is supposed to do as he tells, except when it conflicts with what the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger orders them to do. Usually, this leaves almost no freedom. And abuse often results.

  I don't buy the headship crap at all. Any husband that regularly initiates the use of force, threat of force, or fraud against his wife does not love her and deserves to be dumped. It is much better if the husband guides the wife by doing research (and preferably with independent sources) together, and allows dissonent opinions. That will allow disagreements without splitting the couple, and could educate both partners. And, if the wife learns to think in more fully integrated ways, both benefit.
• 

  insearchoftruth

  I guess I am amazed at the amount of authority the wts gives the UBM with respect to headship.....so a husband who is a ubm pretty much can direct his believing spouse to do anything, as long as not against the wt doctrine (which of course they would say is the bible).

  Women who are born in may not know anything any better, but my wife makes comments about the oppression of the women in the mideast and how awful that is, not even seeing in many respects how similar it is to what the wts does to women.

  Would it make a difference if my wife's point of reference was the congregations in California, are they a bit more liberal towards the issue of headship that in the southeastern states??

  Thanks again for all of your great insight, I feel that the issue of headship is a non starter, there is no way a loving God would 'curse' half of the created......
• 

  M.J.

  Official doctrine aside,
  the reality is that even this org IN PRACTICE has its share of henpecked husbands out there. Plenty of domineering wives that won't stand for a lot of lip from their husbands. They just know that when it comes to certain congregational stuff there are limits they need to adhere to. But really in everyday home life it doesn't necessarily make a JW couple much different from any other couple.
  
  Don't get the false impression that every JW husband has his wife "in check"...Ha ha.
  
  Also, regarding the "power" given to UBM husbands. You can thank Paul for that. He addresses what a believing wife must do for her husband and the JWs, to their credit, try to follow this.