One statistic that I haven't seen talked about that was contained in the pew forum research poll was Divorce rate. I was kind of shocked to see that when it comes to the percentage of members who are divorce JW's pulled an extra 2% over the national average.
JWs have long promulgated a number of myths regarding divorce rates throughout the world. Their magazines are full of articles that talk about divorce rates in other religions, provided as proof that such faiths have "lost their way" and are suffering for not following Gods standards. In this research poll Only three groups come in higher than JWs and two of them go under the categories of Other Christians & Other Faiths.
Lets take a look at the numbers:
% of Divorced or separated
National Total: 12%
Catholics: 10%
Mormons: 9%
Orthodox: 9%
Jehovah's Witnesses: 14%
Other Christians: 19%
Muslims: 9%
Buddhists: 12%
Other Faiths: 15%
Unaffiliated: 12%
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I didn't put all of the categories up that were in the poll, just a sampling of what was there. I found it interesting that divorce rates were higher for JWs than Catholics, being that the JWs never cease their complaints about how immoral they think they are.
So even if this isn't a big enough sampling to have exact figures, I think the main point is that JWs certainly are not better when it comes to the rest of the country when it comes to divorce. While JWs may want to say that they are morally superior in this regard, this study shows that they are at the very least equal to the divorce rate of other religions in the country and could possibly be higher.
JW divorce rate higher than adverage - pew forum
by drew sagan 16 Replies latest jw friends
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drew sagan
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Priest73
I can confirm. I'm one of those 14%-ers
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drew sagan
Priest73, are you still considered a JW? I believe those in the survey who said they were divorced were also active members of the religion. If you left the faith then I don't think you would be counted in those numbers ;)
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Save My Soul
I am sure they will start DF any that participate in these surveys.
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Gopher
Here's what it might say in the May 1, 2008 Watchtower:
Jehovah's Witnesses: 14%
Other Christians: 19%See, Jehovah's Witnesses do have a lower divorce/separation rate than "Other Christians" !!
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Hope4Others
We had 3 couples who 2 divorced, 1 couple who seperated. They all kept going to the same hall. Two of the couples married the others mate's and they all then hung out together.
It was pretty sick. They could not get along enough to be married to their original mates but now can hang out as best buddies in a 4 some.
Strange!
Hope4Others
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Maddie
It kind of makes a mockery of the way the JW's go on about the sanctity of marriage
Maddie
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new boy
Great thread
I remember being an attendant and looking at people sitting there in the hall and noted about 20%+ of the people had been divorce at one time.
Urban myth Jehovah's Witnesses "Good" marriages.
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shamus100
If one wants to go to endless committee meetings, and jump through the hoops and go through being publicly reproved, even JW's can get divorced. IT's something that I found endlessley odd at Kingdumb halls - get divorced and not DF'd.
Somehow, they always spun it that it was the unbelieving spouses fault in the case of split beliefs. There was a lot of stories that went around about those divorces.
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nomoreguilt
Please don't get me started on the number of jw that I have known that are now divorced. I tried counting them one time, it got very depressing.Last count, in the hundreds that I KNOW PERSONALLY!
Myself included.
NMG