Women as weaker vessel - explain?

by Libelle 68 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  watersprout

  In a nutshell the Jdubs view the woman as the ''lower'' one in the realationship. I know many Jdubs whose husbands use the iron rod on them. When the woman speaks out they are told they are usurping headship....

  My ex Jdub friend's husband used to repeatedly tell her that she shows him no respect, [this was ususlly done in front of others] and that he is the head and what he says goes! Carrot tried to control me because he was constantly being told he had no headship and was under the thumb, he attempted it once before he was slapped down. Lol...

  In the cong i was in an elder told his son [who told Carrot] that wives are like dogs, you need to break their spirit! They pretend they treat their wives like they are precious china cups but in reality they treat their wives no better than the muslim religion do.

  Carrots brother told his wife that with makeup on she looked like Jezebel and that under no circumstances was she allowed to get her ears pierced. Oh yes and her clothes were to cover her legs and chest area. She bought a dress once and tried it on for him, she was soo excited over this dress. She walked into our lounge to show him and his remark was this ''i don't like it, it's tight on your hips and makes you look hippy. Take it back! Well DUH shes a women with curves!

  So in my experience Jdubs DO NOT treat women as equals.

  Peace and light
• 

  Heaven

  Does it offend you that some men still give consideration to women in these regards?

  Definitely not. Consideration goes both ways too. I have often held the door open for a man.

  But to call me 'weak' when I am not ticks me off. The 'weaker vessel' label is a generalization that does not apply to all women but is being applied to all by the Bible and certain religions. 'Weak' has a negative connotation; as if we are somehow 'lesser' than men.

  Men don't have periods and they don't have to pee as often as we do?

  Some women don't have periods, depending on age or other circumstance. I can hold my pee better than my Father and some of my male colleagues.
• 

  notverylikely

  It means get in the kitchen and get me a sammich and a beer and get the hell out of the way of the TV when the damn game is on and what the hell, this thing ain't gonna have sex with itself get your ass over here.

  (I am so so so so so kidding.)
• 

  snowbird

  Some women don't have periods, depending on age or other circumstance. I can hold my pee better than my Father and some of my male colleagues.

  In the context of 1 Peter 3, the admonition seemed to have been directed at more younger women/wives.

  I was just taking a stab in the dark at what he could have meant by "advantages."

  I hope that's how it's being taken.

  Syl
• 

  Heaven

  True, women cannot carry mikes or be elders but dear God, would you want to?

  This argument can go for anything. "Sure, women don't have the vote but dear God, would you want it?" OR "True, women cannot be educated to be doctors but dear God, would you want to?"

  In some cases, the answer is 'Yes I would want to' but more importantly is the freedom to choose whether you want to or not. This freedom does not exist for women in the Borg.
• 

  elderelite

  *sigh*... heaven i understand. Options, choices, are everything. Freedom means a choice to do or not to do, as you see fit. I get it. I also understand everything watersprout was saying and the examples of "control' that all too many men try to exercises. However, none of that is what any of the quotes i posted were advocating. and for every example of equality and not being the weaker vessel etc etc that people post I can post a thousand examples of women looking to men for protection and the like. Hell Mrs Jones threatened to sick her husband on me when she thought i was saying something she didn't like. a 'brother' said something to my wife this weekend that she didn't like and came to me to get him strait (I gladly did)..I am not denying or advocating the denial of rights to women. I LOVE my wife and daughter, there are a some women, including one on this board, who i actively seek out for input and certainly view as my equal. My wife is not now nor would she ever tolerate being treated as "lesser" in our relationship. Far from it, she tends to get whatever she wants, as long as it dosent hurt the family as a whole. Hell i'm painting my bathroom "burnt orange" because its what she wants..

  but i am still the man when its all said and done. I dint ask for it. I just am.
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  simon17

  I always looked it in terms of two things:

  1) On average, women are physically weaker than men. Thats clear and there's no point giving crazy counter-examples like a 6'5" basketball player. In general, this is true.

  2) Child birth obviously takes a lot of endurance, probably more than a lot of men have. IMO, its more that women have a lot of difficult physical/emotional burdens to carry (like child birth, monthly periods, menopause, etc) that is going to tax them physically/emotionally and they may need to draw some of the man's "strength" during those times because the man doesn't have to go through all that.

  I have no issue with the "weaker vessel" part. When you extend that to "a man is head over the women like Christ over the congregation" maybe its a little tougher to explain away as not trying to make women 2nd class citizens.
• 

  mrsjones5

  but i am still the man when its all said and done. I dint ask for it. I just am.

  IMHO you're a mighty fine example of your kind.
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  notverylikely

  but i am still the man when its all said and done. I dint ask for it. I just am.

  True. The idea that being a man somehow makes one special though....
• 

  TD

  The Taliban is about the closest thing today to the historical and cultural context in which the statement was made.

  In that context, it was a very progressive thought. Why look for any meaning beyond that?