Can a divorcee remarry scripturally?

rootofallevil

Hello to all.

I have been visiting this board for the last six months and it has OPENED my eyes!. I feel like I was tricked into this religion - since 1975.

I would like to say THANKS to all who post on this forum. The information has been extremely valuable. I have shared everything that I have read with my best freind who also has OPENED his eyes and my family, wife and son who are more and more accepting all this.

I beleive there are a great number of "visitors" to this board like myself, who just read and become informed, without ever posting.

And now to my question.

The WT teaches that someone who has gotten an unscriptural divorce (no adultery committed), may not ever remarry. If he/she does, they will be DFed.

Does anyone have any scriptural proof (bible verse) or scriptural reasoning to prove that this is wrong? I am insisting on "scriptural" because the freind I want to help will only listen if this is through the bible.

Thanks for hearing me out, nice to be here!

stillajwexelder

yes - if the divorce was scriptural - that is to say on the grounds of porneia

stillajwexelder

welcome to the board by the way

rootofallevil

Thanks for the welcome.

The individual has not gotten a scriptural divorce. There was no porneia. His wife decided to leave him after many years.

He did not initiate the divorce, and neither of them have comitted porneia after divorcing.

Hoe can he scriturally remarry?

LittleToe

In the JWs it is not permitted. In a number of Christian denominations it is not permitted, either.

Some permit "Pauline Privilege", based on a reasonable (IMHO) understanding of 1Cor.7:15 (see also Ezra.10:3), but the JWs don't.

Scully

JWs weasel around this rule all the time. It all depends on who you are, and who you know in the Organization™.

There have been plenty of people here whose marriages were wrecked when they stopped being active JWs. The elders usually start the scaremongering to the believing mate (the wife usually) that the no-longer JW spouse is a terrible threat to their spirituality - they call it Absolute Spiritual Endangerment™ - and eventually the JW wife is manipulated into thinking that their spiritual safety requires that they leave their spouse, get a divorce and get custody of the children.

Once the divorce is final, even if the no-longer-JW partner has committed adultery or fornication, the elders often assume that it has happened and the believing spouse is free to remarry. Sometimes as a matter of formality, the elders will try to find out if there has been extra-marital sexual activity to make the divorce "scriptural", but the cases I have seen it was automatically assumed to have happened to give the JW divorcé(e) the blessing of a Scriptural Divorce™.

greendawn

The JWs don't recognize a divorce unless based on adultery by the spouse. A person can divorce and remarry for many reasons as far as the state goes but not the dubs. IMO having a very violent mate is also a valid reason for divorce.

Sheepish

Welcome rootofallevil! Glad you decided to come out and play!

My understanding is as Littletoe's. ( If the wife is an unbeliever and leaves he is no longer bound. Also if a believer remarries he is free.) More importantly for your friend, if he believes in the authority of scripture, he really ought to do the work and read up on it for himself. Secially for something this serious. Different denominations have different clubhouse rules, but if he's concerned with God he should go straight to the Word and not take anyone elses interpretation or conscience.It should be the first step to getting free from oppresive religion.

serendipity

Hi root, welcome to the forum!

AlmostAtheist

Does your friend believe the Watchtower, or are they just trapped in it? If a little subterfuge wouldn't be above them, they could get a letter from their ex-spouse admitting that sexual intercourse has occurred since the divorce. If the letter did not actually originate with the ex-spouse, well, who's to know?

That is, if the ex-spouse wouldn't be finding out, that is. Could get ugly if they got caught in this little bit of Theocratic Strategy.

Dave

Can a divorcee remarry scripturally?

Share this