You have to get baptized even if you were baptized in several other religions so why don’t they require you to remarry your spouse, especially if you were married as a Mormon or Muslim and had multiple wives. Some countries legally allow polygamy so you couldn’t necessarily just go by the laws of the country right? These problems probably never come up though because I bet not many FLDS or Muslims become jws.
Why don’t couples have to remarry when becoming JWs?
by enigma1863 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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tresdecu
All the Witnesses care about is that it is a legal marriage (you have a marriage license registered with the city/county etc) It doesn't matter what priest / rabbi / shaman / imam married you, or what religion it was...as long as it's a legal marriage.
** not sure what they'd do regarding your other ?s.ex: If it's a guy who had multiple wifes etc...in that case you'd probably have to pick a favorite wife, and re do the marriage legally in that specific country.
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Diogenesister
If it's a guy who had multiple wifes etc...in that case you'd probably have to pick a favorite wife, and re do the marriage legally in that specific country.
Watchtower did an article about such a situation. You have to remain only with your first wife, and you don’t have to re-marry her since it’s already the only legal marriage, as far as Watchtowers western-centric eyes are concerned. Which is funny, considering how focused they are on the polygamous Old Testament and it’s “principals”.
Indeed It’s not that uncommon, or at least it wasn’t back when watchtower was making converts in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
You’d Probably imagine it would be relevant to converts in Nigeria or Mali, but actually western “polygamists” are told the same thing....ie people who divorced their first partner and remarried before they became JWs. Because I’ve known people who were told they couldn't be baptized UNLESS they asked their first spouse if they wanted them back. Fortunately they never did. But it they had, the poor publisher would have had to leave their current partner and remarry their ex (first) spouse!!
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BluesBrother
This looks a long read but it tells well the story of the dubs and polygamy in Nigeria. ( long after the Mormans had renounced it)
WT 95 Sept 1 p22
"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"
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Overrated
Craziness of WT! When I was divorced from my first wife. According to the elder body ( 3 dumdasses) I could not remarry unless I go back to my wife. WT does not except the second marriage. Not legal in their eyes but ok with the state!?!
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OnTheWayOut
They don't rent out the hall for weddings and funerals, so why would they want a bunch of newbies using the hall for free to have a wedding.
Plus, they probably have some hang ups about people already living together (in a legally recognized marriage) perhaps with children, and then denying that they are married in God's [Watchtower's] eyes.
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Vanderhoven7
If there would be some financial or control advantage to the WTS, remarriage would be a must.
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enigma1863
https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/438957
imagine if these people became JWs. Would they claim they were married in the eyes of god?
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Drearyweather
You need to be legally married before getting baptised as a JW. My uncle and aunty became JW's when they were in their 60's. Before heir baptism, they had to go to the government office to have their marriage registered legally. They were married as Roman Catholics, but had not registered.
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Vidiot
Amazing what an ultraconservative authoritarian high-control group will require of its members, all in the interest of appearing more virtuous than anyone else.