Something I've wondered about for many a year.......

TadSexington

O.K..... I've been out of "the truth" for about 10 yrs now....

So when i was in I was still a child, and someting just didn't sit right with my child like mind....

Whats the deal with not having any women elders....?

Did I miss that Watchtower article somwhere....?

Not even just that.... Women don't give "proper" talks either....(or at least that's how I remember it) They all ways seemed to do those... i dunno, re-enactments.... of things that might come up during field service or a bible study or something (please tell me that I'm not the only one that remembers this..!)

Seriously, after getting out and and growing up a bit, it blew my friggin mind that in other religions, there were women pastors and reverends....

Now that I think about it, the catholics do the same thing......

Can someone explain this to me?

Lady Lee

Can you spell misogyny?

Get a bunch of men together that think women should be the slave of man and you wind up with a religion that treats women as second class. Lordy they even think a baptized 8 yr old is higher ranked than a woman.

Flash

Hi Tad and welcome!

Can someone explain this to me?

The GB relies heavily on the 'opinions' of the apostle Paul. They also use selective application when it comes to his writtings. What they like they use as doctrine and what they don't like they ignore ie: Galatians 5: 4, this scripture should restain them from creating so-called 'bible principles' that return the Christian Congregation back to the Law Code.

stillajwexelder

The JWs claim to follow the bible strictly. The bible was written in a patriarchal society . So what you get is a holy book that is very heavily male biased. Whereas anybody with even half a brain cell would realize that some women are extremely intellectual and very nurturing and would make far better elders than most men. Unfortunately if you follow the bible strictly it gives little room for maneuver on the issue.

If I dare throw a grenade into the debate, the KORAN gives even less room for maneuver

MerryMagdalene

1 Corinthians 14:34-35..."...let the women keep silent in the congregations, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but let them be in subjection, even as the Law says....it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in a congregation."

It appears that JWs don't carry the application of this scripture as far as they ought to do, as women are allowed to answer during Q&A and give limited "talks" in the congregation. But maybe I just don't understand what "speak" means or what keeping "silent" means. I would question my husband at home so he could explain it to me but I don't have one.

~Merry

whyamihere

1 Corinthians 14:34-35..."...let the women keep silent in the congregations, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but let them be in subjection, even as the Law says....it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in a congregation."

If that is how they look at it then, why do we answer? Or go door to door, or have talks? ....Doesn't make sense.

Brooke

Sith

The WTBTS viewpoint of women is very severe, but not without merit. The Bible says that the man is in charge and responsible for the behavior of those under his care. This holds true in the family as well as in the congregation. Women don't hold positions of authority because that is the job of men. Sorry ladies, but that is the biblical viewpoint. God is a pig

VM44

Get this! I was told by an elder long ago that women are not permitted to write Watchtower magazine articles, but they are allowed to write Awake! magazine articles!

The reason is that Watchtower articles are STUDY articles, and women are not permitted to teach in the congregations!

--VM44

MidwichCuckoo

1 Corinthians 14:34-35..."...let the women keep silent in the congregations, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but let them be in subjection, even as the Law says....it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in a congregation."

errrrr - surely they shouldn't 'answer up' at the Watctower study then?

hmike

It's probably based on 1 Tim. 2:12-14--

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. Also, Adam was not deceived and came to be in transgression." (NWT, 1984 ed.)

The writer (Paul?) seems to justify his position based on the Genesis account. Apparently Eve was suckered, whereas Adam knew what he was doing. It's hard to say for sure, but maybe this writer considered women more likely to be gullible than men, and that was a bad trait for leadership (consider 2 Tim. 3:6--"weak women" who relinquish control to deceitful teachers). Whether or not a particular church allows women to have positions of leadership usually comes down to their position on the Genesis account--literal truth or myth--and whether they believe Paul was just making a generalization based on what he saw at that time which is no longer applicable today, or is it an absolute truth of creation to be held to under all circumstances.

Something I've wondered about for many a year.......

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