The no marriage - no children mindset played very well with my unbalanced, fanatical 'dyed in the wool' Jehovah's Witnesses mother. One of her favorite ways to 'mind f*ck' her children was to say, "You don't want to get married until after Armageddon, DO YOU?". Such mental, emotional and spiritual abuse never turns out for the good. My oldest sister (among others in my family) fell for this mind control. She is 71 years old and has never married or had children. And she wants nothing to do with the Watchtower Society ever again.
Want to read a surprising comment/complaint posted on my website about JW's encouraged not to have kids. Who would have thought!
by AndersonsInfo 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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sparky1
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UnshackleTheChains
This is why so many members take what the GB say with a pinch of salt nowadays.
The Societys extreme admonition regarding marriage and children in the past was nothing more than an unnesessary intrusion into people's lives..
The GB have created a micro management culture that has and will continue to back fire on them as time goes on.
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steve2
This is why so many members take what the GB say with a pinch of salt nowadays.
Sound observation! Indeed, perhaps one of the main reasons why JW organization warns so often about the need to shun is precisely because the "higher ups", including the GB, know that growing numbers of JWs are not as stringent in shunning as they may have been in the past. Sure, diehard JWs will always gloat by enacting the shunning policy, but ordinary, rank and file JWs, not so much. This has got to concern those in positions of influence in the organization. Hence the repeated reminders to shun, shun, shun.
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krismalone
Salvation p.325 - "Should these marry (single JWs) and have children? NO is the answer from the scriptures".
The Watchtower cannot stand it when they see people enjoying a normal life like getting married, having children, traveling, hobbies and the most evil.....having a college education.
Every second of the JW's life should be spent slaving for the Governing Body. If you dare to enjoy life, you are selfish and not deserving of eternal life under Watchtower rule.
Its ironic that the only growth in the cult is from 30% of JW children. The other 70% of JW kids want nothing to do with worshipping the Governing Body. The WT should be very thankful that many ignored their orders and decided to get married and bear children as the WT cult would be almost non existent today. Just look at Japan, where the population growth is very low. The cult is hurting there in numbers because of JWs not having kids. Older ones pass away and no one is there to replace them.
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LongHairGal
SPARKY1:
I'm sorry about your sister and don't blame her for not wanting anything to do with the Watchtower society ever again...I want nothing to do with them either. So glad I walked away from it years ago.
I am so VERY sorry for anybody and everybody who put their lives on hold for this religion and who did not experience simple things that the average human being should experience (sex, love, marriage and/or childbearing)..
This is a human tragedy!
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sparky1
Thank you for your kind and understanding comment, LongHairGal.Something I noticed right away as a Bethelite in the '70s was the number of old timers that were unmarried and bitter. These were men in their 60's and older that now had no place to go other than to stay at Bethel but had given their lives over to so many lies and promises. They were stuck in a system that promised them Armageddon any day now going back into the 1920's. Yet, they never were able to lead truly fulfilling lives because they swallowed the poison created by fools like Russell, Rutherford, Knorr and now our current crop of 'ruling jackasses'. This religion sticks it's nose in a lot of places that it does not belong. It is a highly controlling and paternalistic system that does MORE harm than good.
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ToesUp
"The Watchtower cannot stand it when they see people enjoying a normal life like getting married, having children, traveling, hobbies and the most evil.....having a college education."
You got it! When WT see's anything or anyone receiving the attention they feel they should be getting, they tighten the screws. Well...I don't think everyone is listening anymore. This is why the Loyalty assembly and the Don't give up assembly have been designed. WT is loosing it's grip! It's a good thing. It's always fun to watch the enemy sweat.
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ThunderStruck52
This strange admonition given to JW's has always interested me. I grew up in the late 80's and very much remember hearing the advice to not have children when I was a child. I didn't realize the brainwashing effect at the time, but in my 20's I felt that having children was something I could do "in the new system" What a joke. I'm so grateful to be out and to be a mother. I grew up surrounded by so many young people, mostly sisters who are now spinsters in every sense of the word, never married (or dated even) and agonizingly childless. It's heartbreaking really. From what I hear from still-in family, the emotional toll this has taken is tremendous. To say that these women are depressed is an understatement. Every one of them is on some kind of medication. Awful.
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Etude
UnshackleTheChains
The GB have created a micro management culture that has and will continue to back fire on them as time goes on.
I know what you mean. But really, it's not the GB doing this. The whole premise of the JW construct is conducive to this sort of scrutiny and nitpicking. I observed this behavior from the very first day I got into Bethel and was told what I could and could not do. While some of that was reasonable (nailing pictures on the walls, bringing in a trashy chair to your room) a lot of it was procedural, "super-fine" and just petty. For example, while working at the night shift in the "sewing department" (sewing bible signatures) in Brooklyn (1974; before the GB), I had the floor overseer tell me that I couldn't read the Bible during my breaks. When I asked why, he replied that it's because the Society had deemed to give me an opportunity to "rest" and that I should "enjoy it" and show appreciation for that. Yeah, the guy was "super-fine" and didn't think that his argument made no sense even if my intent was to "relax". I think the wanker was suffering from sleep deprivation.
Etude.
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LongHairGal
THUNDERSTRUCK:
I know what you mean about single sisters (spinsters in every sense of the word) who never married or even dated. I came in as a young working adult who was in the "world" and found these types of sisters a curiosity.
I saw that these sisters were usually born-ins whereas I was not. Not only did I work full-time supporting myself but I also traveled overseas. There was no way we could relate...And there was no way I was going to follow in their footsteps doing housecleaning and favors for all the users in the hall including married older women with a cushy life...(boy do I despise these people). This mentality seemed to be the norm but I was not having any of it. Of course, I was criticized and considered "not spiritual" and not invited much.
It is sad that nowadays many of these single sisters are older and on medication and also needy....
Thankfully, I resisted the religion's bullshit and am retired now. A lot of the elders I knew back in the day are retired as well. Some of these elders were pushing poverty for single women and targeting them to do favors. I wonder if any of these men have a conscience or even give a second thought to the sisters they targeted. I'll bet not many.