AnneB:
Emotions aside, what they're saying is don't push someone past his or her limits. Makes sense and there's nothing wrong with it.
AnneB, I've gotten to know you oer the years, and I truly admire you as a thoughtful, intelligent person. But on this point we'll have to agree to disagree. No one should feel fearful of physical abuse for any reason and especially so ith their spouse.
Undercover:
sir82 is right, this is revolting - even for the WTS. They've always maintainted that wives need to be long suffering with tempermental and prone to fits of anger husbands, but never (that I can remember) to the point of actually enduring and excusing physical abuse.
Undercover, the Watchtower may never have put it in writing, but in my personal experience, jw wives are expected to stay with abusive husbands, period.
I endured terrible physical abuse from my jw husband for almost seven years, and the elders never suggested I leave but instead encouraged me to be a better wife and wait on Jehovah. In our first congregation, an elder uncle of my husband at the time, interviewed his "fleshly" sister about her opposed husband beating her and holding a gun to her head. This little presenttion was done not long after I went to the elders about my jw husband hitting me. I got the message loud and clear. It was STFU...at least he's not threatening to kill you.
Near the end of our marriage things had progressed from bad to worse. He was beating, kicking, and strangling me on a regular basis. My jw husband's threats on my life were overheard by one of my co-workers Despite the fact that his own psychiatrist and a judge ruled him dangerous and worthy of forced committment, the elders still tried to bully me back into the marriage. This was in our second congregation in a different state. One elder tld me point blank that if my husband did kill me, at least I was guaranteed into the new system.
This article needs to be exposed to every agency and watchdog group that deals with battered women. Watchtower doctrine on this and many other matters should be made criminal!
