Non-practising homosexual JW's

by Quillsky 63 Replies latest jw friends

  • mindmelda
    mindmelda

    I know of a few situations like this, but the elders seem to watch them like a hawk looking for any excuse to DF them as it makes them very uncomfortable. It's very much a "don't ask, don't tell" thing as long as you keep it in the closet.

    I am sure that most Witnesses believe that homosexuality is some sort of choice or mental condition, something like that, and that marriage to a woman can "cure" it. Ironically, I know a lot of gay men,(not JWs or were ever one) and a good many of them thought the same thing and tried marriage at least once to see if that would fix it. It's pretty hard to go against social expectation and American culture pretty much expects everyone to be heterosexual, in behavior if not inclination.

    It reminds me of how we expect everyone to be right handed without really thinking about it. You start to rethink that when you have a left handed child, as I do. It used to drive my daughter to distraction trying to emulate her right handed siblings in doing every day things. But, there was a time in this country when the school system demanded that everyone be right handed for their own convenience. Left handed children were discouraged from using that hand to write with by having it tied behind their backs, something we'd consider barbaric now! (I remember my left handed aunt telling me about how they did that to her in grade school and how humiliating it was...and it didnt work of course...she's still a lefty.)

    I had to figure out how to demonstrate to her how to tie her shoes by learning to do it left handed myself...you just have to rethink things a bit, is all, then it's nothing much. *G*

    In the recent US Religous Landscape Survey, very broad based, Witnesses included, it was noted rather quietly that Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most homophobic religion that claims to be Christian. Even Evangelicals didn't rate as high in condemning homosexuality, which most of them openly do, at least to some extent. Witnesses earned a whopping 78% answering "yes" when asked if God and the Bible completely condemn homosexuality.

    http://religions.pewforum.org/reports/

    http://religions.pewforum.org/reports/#

    One fact I love in the report: "Jehovah's Witnesses have the lowest retention rate of any religious tradition. Only 37% of all those who say they were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses still identify themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses."

    I actually cheered when I read that.

    Also interesting: Only among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon groups (57%) and Jehovah’s Witnesses (80%), which together comprise roughly 2.4% of the U.S. adult population, do majorities say that their own religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life. Most Americans also have a non-dogmatic approach when it comes to interpreting the tenets of their own religion. For instance, more than two-thirds of adults affiliated with a religious tradition agree that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their faith, a pattern that occurs in nearly all traditions. The exceptions are Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 54% and 77% of whom, respectively, say there is only one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion.

    Yes, Witnesses get the distinction of being the most dogmatic of all religious groups. LOL Like we didn't know that.

  • gubberningbody
    gubberningbody

    If you're a gay-non-practicing-closeted-male-ex-bethelite-elder who only lets the Borg push in his stool, you're golden.

    At least that was what I saw.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFLPn30dvQ

  • GromitSK
    GromitSK

    mindmelda. Very interesting facts. There is still a great pressure to conform in society I agree. Your comment regarding left-handedness is an interesting one. I am left-handed, eh JW and gay perhaps it is a wonder can still function at all LOL

  • TheOldHippie
    TheOldHippie

    We have one in the congregation who clearly is a non-practising homosexual, and he is 100 % accepted by all. We also had another, he died in an accident a few years ago, and he was also treated like anybody else. So obviously there are changes in outlook from one congregation to the other.

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