Why GB does not want couples to have children?

faqs7719

I was thinking the other day about this.

I guess you have seen many couples who have not had children . The main reason given is that it is difficult to raise children in the last days . Couples like Franz never had children and when they realized they had no longer the age to procreate . My own sister did not want children for the same reason . I did not get marry younger because they said I had to spend the prime of youth. Now I'm in my 30's , married to a non JW and think I can still have children .
Why the GB does not want couples to have children ?
They want couples not to have children so they can seize their savings and homes ?
What do you think about it ?

darkuncle29

I think you nailed that pretty much; emphasis on the money, property, and time investment of raising children. Good luck.

Mad Sweeney

I feel like the current regime wants JWs to have kids. It is pretty old school for JW elders to discourage rank and file folks from having kids.

I think the change came when they stopped selling the literature. In the past, a young couple with a baby was less likely to be out selling books and mags on a Saturday morning. But since they don't sell the lit anymore, anyway, and since born-ins boost the publisher, baptism, Bible study, and hours numbers, JW kids are a valuable numbers tool for the Borg. Also, because only around 1/3 of born-ins stay JWs for life, it's important for JWs to have lots of kids (and home school them, of course).

besty

I also think its about controlling sacrifice - if you really wanted children but never had them, mentally it becomes much harder to abandon the faith as you have made significant concessions in your life. So it must be right, right?

I don't know if the WTS are smart enough to join the dots to inheriting 'orphaned' property - they might be....

It also impresses the fact that 'we are different' and that the end must be so close - a cheap gimmick to create urgency...

In my brother and his wifes case there is no heirs to the throne, so who knows where their 4000 sq ft home will be going?

Vidiot

It's also partly due to the conservative/authoritarian mindset; with a few exceptions, most would prefer their membership focus on conversion efforts rather than building up numbers in the biological manner, the latter takes too long. At least, it used to; things might be different now.

In addition, couples with kids are obviously having sex. With a few exceptions, conservative/authoritarian leaders don't much like that sort of thing; if its membership is sexually satisfied and contented, they'll be less inclined towards focusing their energies on advancing the leadership's agenda.

OnTheWayOut

I agree with you Faqs. Back when they were building their empire, estates left to Watchtower were probably one of their huge "for sure" assets from childless couples. They didn't need to worry about growing the membership from children because they had a recruitment method that was working pretty well- "The end of the world as we know it" was just around the corner. Members without children did better in the main money-making scheme; literature sales. So WIN-WIN for WTS.

Most of the active JW's are older now and still carry the old thoughts- Don't have kids as it will be difficult to raise them in the end.

The cult is not really good at retaining the children now. Oh, they made a massive effort to do so and have had some success, but it ain't working due to education. I can imagine them getting harder on the old JW's to shun those that leave and/or at least encouraging the old JW's to leave their estates to WTS more and more because their non-JW kids chose the world but Jehovah's organization really needs the money.