Broken family

Phil

I have a question. I know of a couple that were both JWs and the husband was dissatisfied with the organization and wanted out. Is it possible for a marriage like this to function? Would she be obliged to shun her husband, particularly if he is disfellowshipped? What would the organization think of the husband having parental rights and want the children on weekends and vacations?Would the org intervene in such a situation?The couple did divorce.

Gadget

bttt I think there are a few on the board who have been/are in this situation.

chezza

Hi, i was actually married to an elder and were disfellowshipped and we divorced... The elders during my judical case were actually concerned that my husband had not been a good husband, but that went no-where.

Anyway we had shared custody and i have weekend access and the congregation has never tried from what i can tell to stop that, i am their mother and alwasy will be no matter what they say or try to do, hope this helps to answer your question.

Special K

I too know that there are some more here on the forum who may wish to comment on this topic.

so

back to the top (bttt)

sincerely

Special K

Mulan

My husband was an elder for 25 years, and he was the one who started to research and doubt, and it almost ended our marriage. It wouldn't have been required that we divorce, but I couldn't have lived like that. I loved the life we had, and knew he would resign as an elder and leave the JW's in time, which would end that kind of life. Ultimately the things he told me started to sink in and I did my own research to prove him wrong, but you know how that goes. He was right.

morty

I dont know too many marriages that survived when one was d'ad or d'fed.....How can people make their marriage work when one spouse is not speaken or communicating to them? If anything, the jws make it hard for marriages to work when they are mediling in their own private issues that need maybe some outside couceilling...just IMO....The jws suggest jw coucelling,but look downward toward outside help....

starfish422

It seems to me that in many cases, the "believing" spouse leaves the "non-believer" on the basis that their spirituality is endangered, and often does so with the elders' support (although if a spouse's life was endangered by an abusive but still "faithful" spouse, trying to leave would result in a cut-off from the congregation...hmmmmm). They are allowed to divorce but the believer can't remarry unless the nonbeliever commits adultery.

Piph

As far as I know, dubs aren't required to shun df'd ones if they live in the same household with them. I don't have research to back that up, sorry. :) But I'm sure the active dub would do all they could to bring the other one back...wouldn't exactly make for a strife-free existance... :(

chezza

Here is a paragraph directly from the Watchtower library:

What, though, if one of the parents is disfellowshipped? Should the Christian parent make the child available for visitation? The disfellowshipping process of the congregation only alters the spiritual relationship between the individual and the Christian congregation. In fact, it severs the spiritual bonds. But the parent-child relationship remains intact. The custodial parent must respect the disfellowshipped parent's visitation rights. However, if the noncustodial parent poses an imminent and substantial threat to the child's physical or emotional welfare, then the court (not the custodial parent) may arrange to have visitation with the child supervised by a third party.

Hope that helps.

Waymores Ghost

: Would she be obliged to shun her husband, particularly if he is disfellowshipped?

In an instance like this the JW wife will be obligated to render the "marriage due", and tend to normal household responsibilities, which in the WT world means that she will only do what is necessary and otherwise treat him like the plague. He will eventually get tired of the furnace kicking in whenever she walks through the door. this marriage is doomed unless she follows him out.

Wg

Broken family

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