by yourmomma 449 Replies latest watchtower bible
Thanks Gayle - please everyone check it for spelling mistakes. For some reason I can't copy and paste in this browser, so I needed to type it out manually while reading the email back to myself.
Hope it gets us somewhere if we each do our bit!
Cedars
They need to fire the writing commite, or outsource it to some group that knows the Bible and has some brains. How do you sisters listen to this trash which is mental abuse. You do not have to respect a man who beats you up (Maybe she might be trapped economically and has no skills in some third world country?)? Since the elders are afraid to speak out against wife abuse, they qoute the wise old sister who tells Selma to turn the other cheek? Does she live in Iran or Pakistan or some backward country where women have no rights? Sisters are not to have emotions are feel sorry for themselves when they are treated like a doormat. I am sure this kind of wisdom was shared with victims of sexual predators, "hey kids, stop feeling sorry for yourself, ok!". What a crock!
The bible tells us to love our neighbours as ourselves. It is right for us to love ourselves, it is natural and the order of things.
An abusive partner slowly destroys the spirit of their partner in their aim to get total submission. There is a downward spiral as the victim begins to feel worthless, loses their self confidence and helpless.
If a woman finds herself falling into the depths of despair then she has every right, according to God's order of things to do what she can to get away from this abuse, both for the sake of herself and her children.
agonus: I have a feeling I'm giving them exactly the kind of response they crave.
It also strikes me (no pun intended) that the GB/Writing Committee are coming out with more of these kinds of eye-popping statements in order to provoke a negative response from 'the world.'
I've been reading more of the comments on here and last night I started working on a letter I'm going to do to some Women's Rights groups here in Canada. I'm going to make a lot of photocopies of the article in question (and the WT can kiss my ass if they try crying 'copyright infringement') and send them out in the mail. I'm wondering too if sending some copies to other churches might be beneficial since the Borg loves to denounce other religions for their 'non-Christian' practices.
Emotions aside, what they're saying is don't push someone past his or her limits. Makes sense and there's nothing wrong with it.
Actually Anne-B, I dont' get that from the article at all. What they're saying is that a woman should put up with an abusive husband who is "hot-tempered", where you have to "walk on eggs shells" lest to set him off, and who apparently hates his wife "making a point" so much so, that she'll get a beating for her efforts. There was absolutely no indication whatsoever in the article where they condemned the husbands' actions, there was no indication that this should be reported to the police, or that the wife could benefit from medical attention, counselling or that she simply should'nt put up with this shit. Incredibly, the article shifts the blame at least partially to the wife because she's not 'submissive enough' and not 'acting like a Christian'.
And unfortunately, we all are too well aware of Witness women who have (JW or non-JW) husbands who beat them and where it is totally ignored by the elders and everyone else, lest they upset the applecart. Your assertion that they're really saying "don't push someone past his or her limits or bad things can happen" is ridiculous and appalling. For all you know, the wife didn't do his laundry or didn't buy him a 40 oz. of scotch and he went nuts on her. Are you insinuating that wife is to blame for that?
Ever read The Burning Bed?
The Article should be sent to several Women's Abuse Survival Groups and have them contact the Society.
It also strikes me (no pun intended) that the GB/Writing Committee are coming out with more of these kinds of eye-popping statements in order to provoke a negative response from 'the world.'
I thought the same thing yesterday. I can't but think that they're trying to create a bigger "Us vs Them" mentality within the ranks. They've seen the numbers slipping. Elders burning out. Youth leaving in record numbers. Obviously the isolation isn't great enough. They need to put more distance between themselves and the real world.
What do you do? Make comments that are revolting to the average, sane person but basically flys over the head of the zombie drone dub. But when an outrage is publicized, like the "mentally diseased" comment, the R&F see it as persecution and are pulled slightly closer in to the fold.
This WT comment is sure to create a buzz, even more than the "mentally diseased" comment. This isn't just a group of ex-members crying foul at being libeled; this is improper, and possibly deadly, advice to women who live in violent households.
This is so disgusting - it has made me literally sick.
Why do they insist on picking on women who are already beaten down, humiliated, broken?
How many women are sitting in the KH, trying to hide their bruises and their shame, praying to Jah constantly to save them, praying for direction...
How many women will take this article as a sign to keep their heads down and keep taking it?
And what of their children, who will be irreparably damaged by growing up in this house.
I grew up with a close family member who's non-believing husband beat her and her children senseless.
I saw him kick her like a dog right in front of me. I remember my family helping her and her children hide because she was afraid he was finally going to kill them.
After years, she finally left but the damage was done. Her children were destroyed. After she left him, he became a JW. She took him back, because we know most abuse women look for reasons to forgive their aggressor. It's part of the mental programming.
Guess what? He continued beating her, he just took a break to attend the 5 meetings this time around. I remember seeing her teenaged son throw himself on top of his mother to protect her, and watching him getting kicked over and over again, but he refused to move. He took the beating to protect his mother.
Her children are now grown. One killed himself (the one mentioned above) and 2 are abusive alcoholics.
I pray to God my family reads this and wakes up.
AnneB: Don't push people past their limits. ... if you don't learn to respect someone's limits bad things can happen.
While that's true, explain WHERE in this ridiculous made up example there is ANYTHING indicating the wife "pushed the limits"?
Selma said, "Steve had hit me as I tried to prove a point ..."
It doesn't even imply she pushed any imaginary limits. And even if it did, which again it doesn't, physical abuse would still not be justified. It's notable that the husband's abuse is never condemned in the article.
Steve sounds like the WTBTS: If you "try to prove a point" by questioning us or disagreeing in any way, we will be justified in HITTING you in the form of Public Reproof or even DFing! You have been warned.
