by terafera 26 Replies latest jw friends
Let me add that one the biggest misconception that they live by is the following:
"It is better to be with the worst JW than with the best worldly"
In other words, to them, it is better to hang out with a JW pedophile or criminal than with a honest, law-abiding worldly.
U.2.K,
Actually I did understand your post, and I fully disagree. The concept that you have to have the god of the bible in your heart mind and soul makes no sence (I do not mean that in a drogatory manner) The "Christian" nations lead the world in divorce violence and such (well I know the muslims have a problem with violence too) But in family situations the "pagans" and "Athiests" (that meaning China and such) have a much lesser problem and lesser rate of divorce. So it is not the bible it is really a mind set and education. Now I agree the bible does give great council on the subject, but it is not the bible and it is not the reason that people stay together. I am pagan, my wife is Assembly of God, we have a wonderful marrage, and I do not follow the bible in anyway (well I mean I do not accept the bible as my guide, as I suppose many of the things taught in the bible I do follow), but it is not the bible, it is the values set by each individual.
We always had talks on how wordly folks could not keep their marriages together with citing divorce rates and such. JW held those divorce rates up like proof that we were better than everyone else. Well from what my mother tells me divorce is exploding within the JW community up here in WA. Now she should have left my step father 20 years ago as his only interest in being a JW was to control my mother and the household. Since all the kids have moved out she is taking a more serious look at divorce. I agree with Seedy on the point that the bible is not even remotely needed for a happy marriage. Since I've dropped the JW baggage and put down the rule that no bible enter my home my marriage has been great.
I live in a christian nation yet the divorce rate is unreal so what does that say about the bible? Nothing, because the bible is only relevent if you make it so. There is a ton of misogyny throughout the bible so I think that other than common sense it is not a good guide.
Dear Lord, please save me from your followers.
gsx1138, this is such an interesting point - because I don't think this generation of JW women are putting up with the crap that their mothers put up with. I don't think the men have changed, but the women have. Many JW men are autocratic and abusive, but fortunately JW women have the means to get out now, when they didn't before. I think the JW view of headship is garbage - I always have done.
terafera,
I think your reading into her statement in a different direction. She may have been saying that her own marriage has been difficult at times and if it weren't for their beliefs they may not be together. The fact is that divorce is common in society today and people do get divorced because of minor issues. She may not have been making a judgmental statement about you. It sounded like she was revealing something about her own marriage.
Seedy you can't compare China, they are only allowed one child per couple. Their government has severe penalties if they have more than one child and this can be a contributing factor fro them not divorcing as much. In our society it is too easy fro men to just pick up and start new families when they tire of the old one.
Crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
One must never forget with JW there is an irrational explanation for every conceivable situation.
-When a "worldly person" succeeds = they are evil and "Satan is blessing their wicked path in the last days of this system to try and entice God's Servant's to turn away."
-When a "worldy person" fails = this is a testament that "the world is a lonely, dark, corrupt, wicked place and that any JW who stray from the flock will suffer a similar fate."
-When a JW succeeds = very simply a matter of "Jehovah is surely blessing their efforts."
-When a JW fails = this is an example of "persecution and trials a loyal servant of God was prophesied to endure in the last days of this wicked system of things" OR, if the JW was fringe and subject to gossip.. they turn on themselves and say secretly "this JW was spiritually weak and deserved his/her fate"
There is no rationalizing with a cult. They have an indoctrinated mindset and will provide an explanation, no matter how illogical, for EVERYTHING.
Just my 2c from experience.
It is not religious persecution for an informed person to expose publicly a certain religion as being false, thus allowing persons to see the difference between false religion and true religion.
WT 11/15/1963 page 688 paragraph 3
U2K,
You might be interested in knowing that Muslims have 1/10th the divorce rate of christians. So much for following the bible, huh?
carmel
Carmel says:
You might be interested in knowing that Muslims have 1/10th the divorce rate of christians. So much for following the bible, huh?
Muslem women have absolutly no power. They can't easily divorce. If their own families feel they have discraced them, they will murder them. They never get child custody and they only get to take their personal property in dicorce. This is why they buy all that jewlery with their dowery money. Note all the gold jewlery they wear. It's the only thing they get to take with them if their husbands decide they want wife number 5. Since men may have up to 4 wives. In some countries they can have 5 wives. So, I guess that blows your theory!
Crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Muslims have 1/10th the divorce rate of christians.
Of course, the fact that women are by and large prohibited from exercising any free will and are poorly educated may ALSO have something to do with that little statistic. Hell, I wouldn't divorce my husband if he was gonna tie me up and beat me like a goat, either.
Lisa
No fan of *any* religion Class
(PS Reborn, great logic)
One of the most pervasive myths that comfort JWs is that ``out there in the world'' there is nothing but darkness, self-interest and despair. They see everything outside their walls as a monolith of negativity, aned really believe they have a monopoly on decency, morality, honetly and industriousness.
This is one of the reasons that it can be so hard for those of us who were raised in the JW religion to leave and adjust. We were raised with irrational fears and hatreds and as a result we can have a difficult time trusting "worldlings."
