Cross religion mariage (page 2)

NeonMadman

Here's the most relevant reference I could find on the topic:

*** w82 3/15 p. 31 Questions from Readers ***
Finally, in the Christian Greek Scriptures God repeated the counsel: Do not marry someone who is not serving the Lord. The inspired counsel was not, ‘If you find a clean, decent person, it is permissible to court and marry that individual with the hope that he or she may eventually become a Christian.’ Rather, God’s Word clearly says: "Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers." (2 Corinthians 6:14) To marry someone who is not already a baptized Christian would be to disregard that serious counsel.
Because Jehovah’s Witnesses as a people view this counsel as wise and serious, they do not want to contribute to anyone’s going contrary to it. For example, if because of weakness a spiritual brother or sister began to court or date a person who is not a witness of Jehovah, the others in the congregation would hardly want to encourage that by socializing with the unbeliever. They agree with the Bible that the non-Christian is not a good associate. (1 Corinthians 15:33) But they should continue to display interest in their brother or sister. They might be able to offer tactful and encouraging admonition to help the straying Christian to avoid the sad path that Solomon followed.—Compare 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 15.
But what if a Witness planned to disregard God’s advice and to marry someone who was not a baptized Witness? Unless there was some exceptional reason, brothers in the congregation would not want to solemnize such an unequal yoking. Nor would the Kingdom Hall be available for the wedding. It is available for marriages of two baptized Christians who are marrying "only in the Lord." Or it might sometimes be used by two persons who are regularly serving God as part of the congregation and who will soon be baptized. By not allowing the Kingdom Hall to be used by a Witness who plans to ‘become unevenly yoked with an unbeliever,’ the congregation elders can underscore the seriousness of God’s counsel to marry "only in the Lord."

concerned mama

Hi 2K,

Welcome to the board. I 'm not JW either, and looking into the JW world is just fascinating....although somewhat bewildering, isn't it.

I have encountered the same "They won't do it to me" mentality in a young man I know. He tried very hard to convince my daughter that marrying a non-believer is no big deal. Fortunately, they were far too young for it to have been a serious issue.

I remember him saying to me "I could never be disfellowshipped. I have good morals." He honestly believed it, and he does have good morals. The interesting thing is, he completely blocked out all the other issues that could get someone disfellowshipped.

Best Wishes to your friends, maybe this will be enough to open her eyes.

cm

Joker10

She must be a very spiritual weak JW to marry outside the faith.

robhic

Just to be argumentative here, JWs say to not be "unevenly yoked." Isn't that sort of a judgement call? If you are a Christian -- raised as one, don't observe pagan, muslim or other non-Chrisitan beliefs -- isn't specific denomination splitting hairs? Wouldn't 2 Christians be, technically, evenly yoked despite what the JW want to think?

I know JWs feel they are the one and only but just for the sake of pushing things, a few years ago (1998) they took out a full-page ad in the New York Times whining about the government of France unfairly taxing the "third largest Christian religion in France." For purely financial reasons the WTS was admitting to being one of (at least) 3 Christian religions. That has a non-exclusive sound to it. So if they are one of 3 Christian religions in France, wouldn't that make them evenly yoked in some way?

There was an article written somewhere (I have a copy) that laid out the whole case. I have a copy of the NYT ad also. (It helps to have a friend at the Library of Congress...) Seems like if someone wanted to make a case for Christians being evenly yoked even though one wasn't a JW, they would have fairly good backup.

I'd be curious as to former (or current) JW thoughts on this matter. Anyone wanting copies of the above mentioned article and/or pictures of photocopies of the NYTimes ad can let me know. It might be helpful. In fact, this was the reason I got these copies in the first place -- I was (and still possibly may be) involved with a fairly new JW and there was a time when marriage was considered (but that's a whole other different story!).

Robert

Carmel

Our oldest son married a Muslim. We never have any dissagreements with her family as they are in a village in NW Pakistan. Our second son married a Sikh girl. We attended the wedding in New Delhi and we get along with the family famously. Never any conflict and fond feelings shared over 12,000 miles of ocean and two continents. Our daughter just married into a Christian family. They can just barely tolerate us even though we are eight hours away.

It must be that Christians are the least tolerant of the whole world!

caveman

kgfreeperson

Christian as in Christian, Carmel/caveman, or Christian as in Jehovah's Witness?

figureheaduk

I nearly ended up marrying someone who is basically a JW, even though I've never been one myself. When me and my JW ex girlfriend finally split a couple of months back, she admitted to me that even if we did get married it would never work out between us, and this would have been due to her commitment to the bOrg. However, when she was going for the whole marriage push months before, she used to tell me that there were many in her congregation who's spouses weren't JWs (i.e. trying to make out that marriages between witnesses and non-witnesses work out......). I don't know if it's some kind of strategy that the WT uses to gain more ~~slaves~~ members by saying that JWs and non JWs can be happily married (and therefore having a potential convert ready to join uo), but at least what she said when we split confirmed my suspicions about how things would have gone if we did wed.

I don't know if that's what will happen to your friend, I'm only speaking from my own experience here. But, as others have said here he may find that her loyalty will always be toward the bOrg, and not him and their marriage. I hope he is willing to understand that.

Cross religion mariage