by Quarterback 40 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
SirNose586 - NAAAAH. Let's just keep doing what we're doing and hope it gets better.
I think you should be a prophet for the WTBTS, SirNose586! At least your prediction of what the WTBTS has planned for the talk is probably more accurate than any prediction that the WTBTS has made.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
We have had a few talks about the problem of some committing adultery to get a scriptural divorce, and re marrying usually the one they committed adultery with. It has become an epidemic for JW and a growing problem, there are so many divorces in the religion, and not always scriptural. Some are so desperate they will violate Gods law to gain a divorce, or some just walk out, and yes it is usually the women that leave, but usually the brother that commits the adultery.
Another growing concern is the amount of brothers marrying very young sisters, some widowed no longer than six months taking up with sisters half their age.
Its a mans world in the JW religion usually.
The expression 'Just Another Day In Paradise' comes to mind.
Just this past week I learned of a young JW couple who we've known for many years who are calling it quits. The brother has been a ministerial servant for a number of years now and doing his job well in serving the congregation.
Lately I noticed he's been coming to meeting with his four little ones in tow. I asked brother so and so if sister so and so is sick and his reply .....nope! She left him and the kids, two girls and two boys. The youngest is not even one yet, still in daddy's arms. Mommy just up and left, walked away, turned her back on the family and hubby.
This weeks' service meeting part 'What Is The Christian Standard For Marriage, Divorce, and Separation?' came a tad too late for this family. Not that it would have helped much!
In my congregation I've seen more than my share of families breaking up in the past and recent. Just another day in paradise!
Isn't being one of Jehovah's Witnesses so wonderful? Its' the best way of life! Its' the best place to raise a happy family.
Thank you WTBTS and your Governing Body for keeping our families in tack!
We had this item last night, a really bland talk that most people seemed to sleep through.
The elder said that there are problems with marriage today, EVEN in the truth. There are several in the congregation that are divorced and some of these have gone through the 'get D/F then reinstated marry a new gal' process, so I suppose he had to choose his words carefully.
Completely out of touch with reality!
George
When I was growing up you would hardly ever hear about a JW couple splitting up - now it is quite commonplace. A couple I am friendly with told me that of the dozen or couples about their age who got married roughly about the same time 10 years ago, only 2 of them are still together (all JWs). Another couple I know have just called it a day after fighting for many years - he has had to give up his eldership because of not having "freeness of speech". (He is actually more upset about this than his marriage breaking up , which tells you something.)
Statistically divorce rates are higher amongst JWs than the population at large - http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/table-status-by-tradition.pdf. There are just too many of the teenage marriages just fizzling out after a few years.
Mind you , it is ironic that the WTBTS feels they have the authority to give advice on marriage - the leaders have hardly had a particularly good track record. Russell's wife divorced him after he hit on other women - a real scandal in Victorian times when divorce was rare. Rutherford was separated from his wife for most of their marriage. Knorr was single (and insisted that Bethelites remained so) until he married a much younger woman.
It has been a growing problem here in the U.K for many years, even older JW's are giving up on crap marriages, and often divorcing on grounds considered not "scriptural".
To do this they have to stretch the truth about their problems in some way if they wish to stay in the religion, if they then marry they are DF'd.
I don't believe that the GB/WT.Writers are overly concerned about "Happy families", they have noticed that for every breakup they lose at least one paying member, and the other is not in a position to contribute hardly any time or $$$ either.
They are a hard hearted cynical lot, who by their rules and regs. cause a lot of marriage breakups .
Their main concern is $$$
"Another growing concern is the amount of brothers marrying very young sisters, some widowed no longer than six months taking up with sisters half their age.
Its a mans world in the JW religion usually."
KatP- it's so interesting you should say that. When I was 19 an elder came on to me (in his car as we were alone for field service, no less) barely three months after his wife died. I declined but was made to feel very uncomfortable.
Two years later, another elder did the same after HIS wife died.
The other elders knew about this, and they also knew I was 'struggling' with lesbian feelings and they did nothing. No support. The elders did not lose any of the priveleges and instead interviewed me as if I was the one who had started it all. Thinking back, I just meekly kept my head down and carried on to do my best as a publisher but thinking about it, I should have got so mad and exposed them all for the way I was treated.
Another thing that made me so angry was that one of the sisters in the hall was a professional counselor, and I went to her for PAID counselling due to past trauma in my life. She TOLD an elder that I was having therapy with her, and lo and behold, it was the original elder who had propositioned me in the car. So not only did he make me uncomfortable, he also became privy to my having professional treatment. The sister completely trashed the patient confidentiality rules. And did I say anything or object? Did I balls.
I have learnt this is a religion that says a lot about having high moral standards but the realiy is the policies of the society are driving bad marriages that end in divorce.
Children marry too young before they are ready for the responsibility and before they really know what they need in a husband or wife. The number of marriages I have looked at and thought that they are doomed and lo and behold they do not last. Because there is pressure to give up on education and careers people marry too young since that is the only ambition allowed them. Outside the organisation people are in education longer and want to pursue various avenues of self development meaning marriage is postponed.
This idea that sisters must be married by 20 or be deemed undesirable leads to a mad scramble to marry anyone without giving it any thought. The number of people who marry the first person who asks is criminal. Brothers are led to believe they are Gods gift and sisters that they are a commodity. It is sickening to see giggling girls clustering round shallow self centred brothers at assemblies.
The idea that you only date someone you intend to marry means that once you start dating it is almost impossible to walk away without being accused of leading someone on. The pressure to marry is also made greater as young ones are told that it is better to marry quickly so they do not give in to sexual desires rather than give time for the relationship to develop.
The marriages in the organisation also always take second place to the organisations wishes and desires since everyone is married to the organisation first. Elders and MSs have to put the congregation ahead of their families and husbands and wives do not have freeness of speech because they are either keeping the congregations secrets or secrets about their own doubts.
It is a wonder any marriages survive at all in this situation.
You can't wank.
So get married already.
JW Wedding-A young JW woman's version of "The Prom".
