Comments You Will Not Hear at the 4-1-07 WT Study (RESPECT HUSBAND)

by blondie 44 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Mad

  Blondie, I fear you went thru Christendom's "Hell" with a past husband- but that doesn't justify your view. The VAST majority of marriages I see in our congregations are, at least, REASONABLY happy- some struggling to keep it that way. I've seen endless marriages by unbelievers, in all faiths, fall apart over the silliest things- and most very quickly! You can't have a marriage survive long with opposing wills & authority! Women are usually SMARTER than men- you appear to be shooting my opinion down, on that!

  Agape,

  Mad
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  The VAST majority of marriages I see in our congregations are, at least, REASONABLY happy

  I'm sure the elders, MS's, pioneers all want to appear reasonably happy. That often means the wife knows her place.

  Even if there are tons of genuinely happy marriages among JW's, even if you agree with the man as head-
  you don't have to agree that women put up with abuse in order to respect Jehovah's marital arrangement.
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  Justitia Themis

  Despite that fine beginning, a movement called women's liberation--an attempt by women to break free from male domination--began in the early 1960's in the United States. At that time, some 300 husbands abandoned their families to every 1 wife who did. By the end of the 1960's, the ratio changed to about 100 to 1.

  100:1 is equal to 300:3. So in the beginning of the 1960s, 1 woman for every 300 men were abandoning their families(300:1). At the end of the 1960s that ratio had changed to 3 women for every 300 men(300:3)...or an increase of only 2 women for every 300 men!!!!!

  IF Womens' Liberation was to blame for this slight increase, why didn't they use figures from the 1970s since the movement was even stronger then? Because the number of abandoments plummeted in the 70s for both men and women.

  In 1970, California adopted the "no-fault" divorce, and it spread quickly across the US. Before that time, there were only a limited number of reasons for divorce, such as adultery and ABANDONMENT. In order to obtain a divorce, people would falsely admit to abandoning their families, which means the 1960 numbers are unreliable.

  Regards,

  Justitia
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  Doubting Bro

  Good point Justica.

  It was interesting today to see the responses. Many were from sisters who had failed marriages to non-JWs. It seems the ones who had failed marriages to JWs were either 1) silent or 2) not called on by the conductor (which is a very big possibility).

  I found the tone very insulting and as the other posters mentioned, no provision for a wife to remove herself from an abusive situation that could threaten both herself and her children.

  The congregation I spent most of my elder time at really didn't have many marriage problems, so its difficult for me to comment on the extent of abusive realtionships among JWs as a whole. However, in speaking with others, I do know that its very real. I think society in general has become less tolerant of such behavior and more willing to do something to stop the abuse.

  As OTWO mentioned, I know for a fact my wife wouldn't stand for one second of such treatment and I appreciate being married to such a woman who will not "toe the line" as the bookstudy this week stated. Boy, what a week for JW women. First, having an opinion lables one as a Jezabel and then this joke of an article.
• 

  Gill

  Divorces in the JW congregations, from my own experience, tend to come after 15 to 20 years of miserable marriage.#

  The women finally 'grop up' and decide there is NO WAY they are going to tolerate the abusive and insulting behaviour of their husbands any more.

  I can think of at least 7 off the top of my head where the women walked and did not look batter , no matter what the Elders said.

  Experience of my parents and other relatives is that they have had very miserable lives.
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  Collegegurl

  I must say this was one of the worst watchtowers I've sat through. I can't believe some of the comments I heard.

  One sister said that "Womens Liberation is one of the worst things to have happened to this country. You can see how much worse things have gotten since the 60's and many of the problems we have can be traced back to womens lib"

  Another sister said "People today have an unnatural view of women, women today want to be treated as equals, and we know that is not how we are made. As Christian women we have to be careful not to hold these worldly views." WTF? At that point I went to the bathroom. Many of the comments yesterday went beyond the article and beyond what the watchtower even teaches, and naturally most of them were made by women.

  "Many people in the world would consider a person to be weak if they stayed with an abusive husband, but truly it is a sign of strength. We have heard many examples of husbands coming into the truth because of their wives conduct." I can't stand hearing women being told to stay with abusive husbands. I was so mad by the end of the study.
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  carla

  I see in our congregations are, at least, REASONABLY happy-- Mad, how would you really have any idea of this? When most jw's put on their face for the cong? You have absolutely no idea what their marriages are truly like, very few do, even if you live in the same house. You are making an assumption simply because they arrive together, make a good show of things, and see no visible bruising. Me thinks you doth protest too much.
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  Gill

  Collegegurl - Women have to deceive themselves in the way you describe with their answers at the WT study, otherwise they would not be able to stay in the WT society.

  They have to say the nonsense they believe and believe me, the ones who say it the loudest are probably the ones who deep inside believe this BS the least!

  The same abuse you describe against wives by some husbands, is the abuse that all Jehovah's Witnesses have to endure as long as they remain JWs from the WTBTS organisation. The disrespectful and arrogant way the sheep are treated by the Elders, CO's, DO's and the GB are just the same as any abusive spouse. JWs are told to ignore this behaviour and 'wait on Jehovah', the exact same phrase that is used to keep abused wives with their abusive husbands.

  Well...nothing is going to change. Wives continue to be verbally, emotionally and physically abused. The Elders, CO's etc continue to beat the flock!

  Children continue to be abused by abusers in the cong and the WT society continues to brush them off with a cash 'shut up' payment.

  The whole organization is abusive and this twisted article is just an attempt to make it acceptable to the foolish and confused sheep who are forced to study, sit, listen and comment on this.

  The article is a representation of Jehovah's Witnesses at their most mind controlled.

  Who in their right minds sends an abused person back to their abusers?

  Why do the flock continue to return to the abuse they receive from the Organization?

  In the end, it boils down to Fear, Mind Control and Abuse at its very worst.
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  jgnat

  Blondie, I fear you went thru Christendom's "Hell" with a past husband

  Wrong. When she married, she married the best. The misery she suffered was at the hands of her father, a non-JW. She suffered also in the hands of a JW mother who did nothing to prevent it.

  The VAST majority of marriages I see in our congregations are, at least, REASONABLY happy- some struggling to keep it that way.

  Blondie has probably attended more congregations than anyone else on this board. I would judge her obserations on the proportion of happy marriages to be spot-on. If you want to see what is REALLY going on in the marriage, check out their behavior in the parking lot, before and after. I haven't attended nearly as many halls as Blondie has, but I've seen lots of cruelty in the parking lot.

  I've seen endless marriages by unbelievers, in all faiths, fall apart over the silliest things- and most very quickly!

  Perhaps they saved themselves years of misery.

  You can't have a marriage survive long with opposing wills & authority!

  Opposing wills, yes. Authority, why? Whatever the bible may say on the matter, it is the partner who holds the assets who has the power. Due to the opportunities in our modern culture, the power holder is often the woman. A smart man will recognize that and adjust.

  Women are usually SMARTER than men

  And in the case of the wise men who are married to them, they know what is good for them!

  - you appear to be shooting my opinion down, on that!

  That all depends on how reliable your observations are. I've met Blondie. I'll put my money on her.
• 

  Justitia Themis

  no provision for a wife to remove herself from an abusive situation that could threaten both herself and her children

  I used the paragraph that mentioned Abigail to address this issue. I commented that the servants came to Abigail because they feared for their lives. She knew it was a life/safety issue and acted immediately. I brought out the scripture that said she purposefully did NOT consult with or tell her husband of what she planned to do. So this "shows that when we are involved in a life/safety issue, Jehovah gives us the right to proctect ourselves."

  Justitia