SCHEMING TO END YOUR MARRIAGE NOW AS BAD AS APOSTASY

by raymond frantz 21 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  raymond frantz

  https://youtu.be/-YvYKw37Rzo?si=vWokohRdQ2B53Fmh

  By now, it should be painfully obvious that we live in a post Tonny Morris era where the floods of organizational changes have become possible and a new version of the religion, some have called it Warchtower 2.0 is emerging with a soft approach to disfellowshipping practices across the board for all those sinners. Nevertheless 3 groups of people will still be targeted for harsh excommunication, we know the first two well :CSA perpetrators and apostates. The reasons are obvious, the first group has cost the Organization millions in settlement cases and the second, the apostates are the ones exposing the Watchtower for the toxic cult that they are, but the third one caught my attention "the ones who scheme to end their marriage".Whatever this is? And why is the Watchtower so concerned with this 3 group of people? Before I delve into the reasons why, here is the direction that was send to all elders only a few days ago from the Organization as regards disfellowshipping:

  By skillful use of the Scriptures, the committee should try to reach the wrongdoer's heart and lead him to repentance. If through your efforts Jehovah gives the individual repentance, this is a cause for rejoicing. (Luke 15:7; 2 Tim. 2:25; 2 Pet. 3:9) In such cases, appropriate restrictions will be temporarily imposed. If the wrongdoing is widely known or likely to be- come known, a brief announcement of the reproof can be made to the congregation. Restrictions should be viewed as temporary and should be removed without delay as the individual makes a spiritual recovery. Of course, with certain kinds of wrongdoing—such as child abuse, apostasy, and scheming to end a marriage—restrictions will need to be in place much longer. (sfl chap. 12 pars. 10-12; chap. 14 pars. 22-24)

  The SFL book,2022 edition has this to say about those "scheming to end their marriage:

  Whether or not a divorced Christian remarries, if he deliberately committed adultery in a scheming way so as to end his previous marriage or he pressured his innocent mate to reject him so that she eventually agreed to a divorce, he has dealt treacherously with her. (Mal. 2:14-16) He would not qualify for special privileges for many years.—See 1:2.8; 2:4; 8:7-8.

  Also a recent internal memo to elders over a year ago had this to say:

  So this group of sinners have now joined the apostates and CSA perpetrators. This is not an accident. Here is what a think.Over the past decades due to a relaxed attitude towards divorces that left the door open for one or both marriage mates to invent new ways in getting a divorce this has created a toxic environment in many kingdom halls for the following reasons:

  1. First, the divorce rate among Jehovah's Witnesses is way higher than previous years. In my congregation alone of 120 publishers I counted 25 divorces or over 20% rate.

  2. Usually in the world people get divorced and remarry and disappear from the radar BUT in the Jehovah’s Witnesses they tend to stay in the Witnesses and many times stay in the same congregation creating a toxic environment for them and all the families involved.

  3. Most of the times the innocent married parties get stumbled and leave and the congregation is then left with the rotten eggs that schemed in the first place to end their marriages.

  4. Some brothers or sisters having realised they can get away with murder because of the loopholes the Watchtower created in the first place they turned divorcing Jw style into a cottage industry. I know off a sister who got away with 3 Scriptural divorces having accused her husbands for fictitious and yet Scripturally valid reasons to end her marriage.

  The Watchtower has finaly realised that long term this attitude towards divorce has left them with congregations full of legally accepted adulterers who schemed their way our of Bible based marriage. This has created a void and a reducing in contributions from all those who walked away over the years because of this reason.

  That is why in 2024 , this group, those who scheme to end their marriage have now become top priority target for long and harsh disfellowshipping, as severe as those who are accused for apostasy.

  What do you think? Have ou witnessed that in your congregation? What does the future hold for jw divorces?
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  stan livedeath

  it happened to me--and i fell for it.
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  Balaamsass2

  Watchtower invented the entire blueprint. The original "Family book" added "Spiritual endangerment" as a reason for "scriptural" divorce and re-marriage.

  What is spiritual endangerment? Well, it was a nebulous excuse...that became whatever people and a couple of elders decided it was.

  Perhaps someone yelled. Missed meetings. Rolled their eyes about "new light". Want sex a particular way...or frequency? Didn't earn enough money? Worked too much or too little? Was not a spiritual leader?

  A divorce or separation would follow. The "endangerer" eventually got lonely or horny, dated, was simply alone for a few hours with someone, or had sex...and voila! The one claiming they had been " endangered" became "scripturally free" with the congregation elders and service departments' blessings to remarry.
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  Balaamsass2

  Another Watchtower unscriptural official marital "out"...was the proof of adultery rule: If two people JWs, are seen entering a hotel and not leaving for a couple of hours...the "innocent mate" becomes scriptural free." adultery becomes proven. lol

  What if they are gay (same sex)? What if the WORK at a hotel? lol.

  A Silicon Valley elder tired of his hardworking Holiday Inn, night shift Manager wife, divorced her and re-married claiming he met the Service desk's requirement!!!! She was horrified and denied anything ever happened. What did Watchtower and his elder friends decide?

  So he remained an elder and was congratulated on his new marriage.

  Since she denied everything, and he had not an inch of proof she remained in "good standing". But was now divorced, and the rank and file assumed she cheated...and shunned her.
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  Beth Sarim

  ""Scheming to end ones marriage as bad as 'apostasy' itself"" .

  They have to do everything to close that "loophole".
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  Biahi

  Ok, now I have to share something true that happened to me. I was divorced (scripturally) from husband #1. I was hanging out with some single and married sisters, we went out to restaurants and clubs, etc. One of the married sisters asked me for a favor.

  She had to work on a Friday night, and her husband would be alone. Would I take him out with me and some of my worldly friends, clubbing? Sure, I would keep him company.

  The next day , she asked me, in a half kidding, half serious way if I had had “hot, monkey sex” with her husband. I was shocked. I would never betray a friend like that. So, she dropped it.

  Shortly thereafter, I moved away, and did my sudden fade, I was so done with this crap. My parents told me this sister was having an affair with a single brother in the hall, and she was hoping that I would have sex with her husband, and leave her scripturally free. Since that didn’t work out, the affair came out, they got divorced, and she married the brother she was having the affair with. What a bitch. Interestingly, after they divorced, he called to ask me out on a date. I turned him down flat, I wanted nothing more to do with witnesses. So I guess she is guilty of scheming to end her marriage. 🤷‍♀️
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  Jeffro

  More is being made of these changes than is actually the case.

  The recent changes do single out people who conspire to end a marriage and child abusers along with apostates in regard to not quickly reinstating. However, it is only apostates who cannot be greeted or invited to meetings. (There is also a category of ‘encouraging wrong conduct’ that could apply to any type of sin but is not specifically identified with any particular type of sin.)

  “Extended conversations” and socialising with any disfellowshipped individuals is still explicitly not permitted beyond inviting to meetings and brief greetings at meetings.

  The frequency that elders might visit disfellowshipped individuals (excluding apostates) has increased from once a year to every few months (though it is unclear whether this happens in practice), but elders occasionally checking up on disfellowshipped people also is not new.

  None of the changes mention disassociated people, including those who elders have decided had ‘dissociated by their actions’.
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  3rdgen

  Wow, Baihi!

  What a story!

  Good for you for having enough sense not to get involved in their mess and leaving Watchtower as well.
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  Halcon

  R Frantz -That is why in 2024 , this group, those who scheme to end their marriage have now become top priority target for long and harsh disfellowshipping, as severe as those who are accused for apostasy.

  What do you think? Have ou witnessed that in your congregation? What does the future hold for jw divorces

  Restrictions that may or may not be imposed on a schemer will eventually be lifted. Dealing with restrictions for some time doesn't sound too bad in comparison to pre JW Lite.

  It doesn't seem like JW is trying to zero in on these specific offenses, rather the change in rules is more focused on keeping members. However, it is very clear that it has never been easier to exit a marriage in JW than now, regardless of the reasons.
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  DesirousOfChange

  More is being made of these changes than is actually the case. ~ JeffroM

  Thank you!

  All we have so far is the WT "spin" on dealing with these matters. All to often we see that WT's public policy is quite different to what happens in reality. Do you recall the WT lawyer/elder testifying before the Canadian Court regarding treatment of DF people? We know they were "forced" to make these new changes because it was determined that their original policies violated Human Rights laws/rules and as a result their charity status was put at risk.

  It will take some significant time to see how any of these new policies play out in real life and then we will know "the rest of the story".