WTBTS Downplays Marital Problems Among JWs

by JW GoneBad 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  JW GoneBad

  The Jan 15, 2011 Watchtower Study Edition has a study article that will be studied on March 7-13, 2011 (RESPECT MARRIAGE AS A GIFT FROM GOD). In it the WTBTS tries to minimize and distort the high rate of divorce among JW's.

  In paragraph 4 it says in part:

  'At times, even some of God's people lose clear sight of Jehovah's view of marriage. Some Christian couples decide to separate, or divorce without having Scriptural grounds to do so.'

  The word, some, in both sentences is an out right distortion of the facts. Many, in fact of God's people lose clear sight of Jah's view of marriage. Many Christian couples decide to separate, or divorce with or without having Scriptural grounds to do so.

  In our congregation alone we have 3 divorces in progress. And others in the making. I just got off the phone with a friend who mentioned to me of another couple in our congreation going thru some really rough waters.

  Our entire circuit is like that. In fact the 2 day circuit assembly that I attended alluded to the high volume of marital problems several times thru out the program that most congregations are apparently having. The C.O. in his 'Needs Of The Circuit' part commented on that very thing. He had a skit where he had a 'miss goodie two shoes' give counsel to a sister/wife having marital problems (to no avail). Both gals walked off the stage going their separate way! Talking about a picture worth a thousand words!

  The organization is going MAINSTREAM even in the internal problems it is having!
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  Mad Sweeney

  I've have never been in a congregation where there wasn't a current marital issue going on at any given time. It is constant.
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  OUTLAW

  Watchtower World is a GraveYard..

  Of..

  Broken Familys and Marriages..

  ...................... ...OUTLAW
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  miseryloveselders

  My father who is entrenched within this religion always told me as I was growing up that some of the worst marriages are amongst JWs. Now that I'm a man, and am privy to the going ons within the congregation, what he told me all those years I've found to be true. Some of most contentious relationships are in this religion. I've been in situations in field service where couples have gotten into it. You talk about awkward too when it gets to that point where a couple doesn't even attempt hide their troubles. As a kid I recall sitting in the auditorium during the lunch break of a circuit assembly, and a couple in their thirties were sitting down several rows ahead of me. They got into it, and as a child it was shocking to me. I could tell they were trying to keep their voices and demeanor incognito. She was ripping him apart in a discreet way. Nowadays stuff like that is nothing to me. I expect marriages in this religion to be troublesome. Few years back a brother's wife was paralel parking the car, and he was standing outside with me. He started yelling at her to cut the wheel harder, and she went ballistic in the car. It was like she was having a seizure. I was dang near paralyzed looking at it because it was so awkward. This religion can be rough on marriages I think. Its difficult enough to maintain a relationship. Then to try and do such all the while doing the WT enforced hamster wheel just adds to the stress.
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  ziddina

  Misery, don't forget the second-class status of women in the Watchtower Society...

  That destroys more marriages than anything else, I suspect.

  Since JW women aren't totally isolated from the world - behind a veil in the 'hareem', as it were - the typical JW woman can see how much freedom OTHER women have...

  It must really grate... Remember Brother Dan's wife?? I suspect that was a large part of her anger and problems - at least, until BroDan went all weird on us...

  Oh, and don't forget the serial adulterers... I've known at least one, personally...

  The one I knew, was male. I think that's probably typical within the Jehovah's Witnesses, since there are SO many more women than men.

  This guy went thru three wives - at least, he was on divorce #3 by the time I moved away and lost track of him...

  And to think - at one time, I thought he was cute!!!

  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
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  Snoozy

  Upon getting in touch with some witnesses via facebook ( I haven't had contact with them since the middle 70's)I am surprised how many have been divorced and remarried!

  Snoozy
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  nolongerwaiting

  Yeah, in my old KH I can't even remember how many people were divorced. The ones who weren't were unhappy and sticking it out. Yeah, there were a few happy marriages but they were the lucky ones. Heck, NLW and I were one of those lucky ones. Being a JW just makes you stick it out longer in an unhappy marriage until one of you snaps.

  NLW"s wife
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  BluesBrother

  I cannot say that I have noticed this in my experience, but I guess that Nolongerwaiting is right when saying " Being a JW just makes you stick it out longer in an unhappy marriage until one of you snaps.".... Often they do not snap, just get stuck in a rut of unhappy home life and figure they are too old to up sticks now...[and Armageddon is too close ]

  Although.....I have noted several older widows who did not seem very unhappy when husband died ....a blessed release ?
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  SlipnSlide

  This has been prevalent in my KH and in my own family. The worst being when a sister was married to a brother who became an elder. It went to his head the title "elder". He used to disrespect her in public and would not let her have any say in financial and marital matters. He got caught up with another sister and she went darned near crazy.
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  Curtains

  In the past year I have seen 2 marriages break up. Two brothers split from their wives and left the witnesses. Rather than framing these as marriage failures they were framed as that the brothers left Jehovah. But the organisatoin is aware that marital problems were a huge reason for the break ups.