I bet you didn't know that the WTS allowed male jws to keep the wives they had before being baptized, but no more after baptism....but only in countries where the government allowed polygamy legally. I wonder how the scripture that says a Christian man should only have one wife? September 1, 1995 WT p. 25-26
It was in 1947 that the first three Gilead graduates arrived in Nigeria. One of these brothers, Tony Attwood, is still here, serving at the Nigeria Bethel. From that time on, we saw great changes in Jehovah’s organization in Nigeria. One of the big changes was our view of polygamy.
I married Olabisi Fashugba in February 1941 and knew enough not to take any additional wives. But until 1947 when the missionaries came, polygamy was common in the congregations. Polygamous brothers were told that they had married more than one wife in ignorance. So if they had two or three or four or five wives, they could keep them, but they should not take any more. That was the policy we had.
Many people had been anxious to join us, especially the Cherubim and Seraphim Society in Ilesha. They said that Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only people who taught the truth. They agreed with our teachings and wanted to convert their churches into Kingdom Halls. We were working hard to bring this about. We even had centers to train their elders.
Then came new direction concerning polygamy. One of the missionaries delivered a lecture at a circuit assembly in 1947. He spoke about good conduct and habits. Next he quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, which says that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. He then added: “And the polygamists will not inherit God’s Kingdom!” People in the audience shouted: “Oh, polygamists will not inherit God’s Kingdom!” Division resulted. It was like a war. Many of the newly associated ones stopped associating, saying: “Thank God, we have not gone very far.”
It was in 1947 that the first three Gilead graduates arrived in Nigeria. One of these brothers, Tony Attwood, is still here, serving at the Nigeria Bethel. From that time on, we saw great changes in Jehovah’s organization in Nigeria. One of the big changes was our view of polygamy.
I married Olabisi Fashugba in February 1941 and knew enough not to take any additional wives. But until 1947 when the missionaries came, polygamy was common in the congregations. Polygamous brothers were told that they had married more than one wife in ignorance. So if they had two or three or four or five wives, they could keep them, but they should not take any more. That was the policy we had.
Many people had been anxious to join us, especially the Cherubim and Seraphim Society in Ilesha. They said that Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only people who taught the truth. They agreed with our teachings and wanted to convert their churches into Kingdom Halls. We were working hard to bring this about. We even had centers to train their elders.
Then came new direction concerning polygamy. One of the missionaries delivered a lecture at a circuit assembly in 1947. He spoke about good conduct and habits. Next he quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, which says that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. He then added: “And the polygamists will not inherit God’s Kingdom!” People in the audience shouted: “Oh, polygamists will not inherit God’s Kingdom!” Division resulted. It was like a war. Many of the newly associated ones stopped associating, saying: “Thank God, we have not gone very far.”
It was in 1947 that the first three Gilead graduates arrived in Nigeria. One of these brothers, Tony Attwood, is still here, serving at the Nigeria Bethel. From that time on, we saw great changes in Jehovah’s organization in Nigeria. One of the big changes was our view of polygamy.
I married Olabisi Fashugba in February 1941 and knew enough not to take any additional wives. But until 1947 when the missionaries came, polygamy was common in the congregations. Polygamous brothers were told that they had married more than one wife in ignorance. So if they had two or three or four or five wives, they could keep them, but they should not take any more. That was the policy we had.
Many people had been anxious to join us, especially the Cherubim and Seraphim Society in Ilesha. They said that Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only people who taught the truth. They agreed with our teachings and wanted to convert their churches into Kingdom Halls. We were working hard to bring this about. We even had centers to train their elders.
Then came new direction concerning polygamy. One of the missionaries delivered a lecture at a circuit assembly in 1947. He spoke about good conduct and habits. Next he quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, which says that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. He then added: “And the polygamists will not inherit God’s Kingdom!” People in the audience shouted: “Oh, polygamists will not inherit God’s Kingdom!” Division resulted. It was like a war. Many of the newly associated ones stopped associating, saying: “Thank God, we have not gone very far.”
The majority of the brothers, however, started to mend their ways by setting their wives free. They gave them money and said, ‘If you are young, go and look for another husband. I made a mistake by marrying you. Now I must be a husband of one wife.’
Soon another problem came up. Some, after deciding to keep one wife and release the others, changed their minds and decided they wanted to take back one of the other wives and release the one they previously kept! So trouble started again.
Further direction came from headquarters in Brooklyn, based on Malachi 2:14, which refers to “the wife of your youth.” The direction was that husbands should keep the first wife that they had married. That was how the question was finally resolved.