Can a marriage between a catholic and a jw work?

by roberto avon 16 Replies latest social family

  • roberto avon
    roberto avon

    scary21, nice reading you. My wife was baptized when we married. From non practising catholic I became bible student of the Jws but after a year and a half I stopped, just because I couldn't believe this nonsense. The first five years of our marriage I usually accompanied her to the meetings and some assembly ( a horror for me ) then I totally stopped going. As our kids grew up they decided that they absolutely didn't want to be a Jw. My son is engaged now with a non practising catholic and my daughter was with a practising catholic. Very curious if my kids will ( re ) convert to the catholic religion or will convince their partners in a non religious marriage. Concerning myself, I became agnostic, however, since Frances became Pope I feel myself a little more involved as I love his messages.

  • nonjwspouse
    nonjwspouse

    I am Catholic and her had a study with a JW. I was fiven some WT to read, after reading them, the material seems so incrediblly dumbed down and strange. I felt right away that there was no reason for me to go to a study, as I was not going to be interested in that. I would accompany hy huaband to the memorial about 3 times before I couldn't do it anymore. I was so uncomfortable feeling like it was a rejectionof jesus. I remember once when our child was still nursing walking to the back and going into that back room, stood there and nursed her. In a little bit my husband walked back there and told me not to go into that room. I was suprised and a little put off. Why not? It was empty and dark with boks every where. At first I left the room then went back as I refuse to nurse the baby in a bathroom. I didn't take the clue at that point at how strict the JW were. The last timem I went here was a friend of theirs (and former neighbor's daughter of mine) who asked to study with me. I refused, but recall having to refuse more than one time.

    It to about 5 years into our marriage before I became aware of the reality of the WT, instead of thinking it was just odd.

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    Hi and welcome roberto avon.

    I'm delighted it worked out for you and your (uncharacteristically liberal) wife.

    Horror of horrors, as an exJW I'm discovering that the deeply loathed and repeatedly criticised Catholic Church is far more liberal, progressive and tolerant than the Watchtower.

    The RCC is also not nearly as hostile to the liberating and healing unabridged gospel of grace.

    Many years ago, as a JW I was shocked to see how many pages were in the INDEX under the heading Catholic Church.

    What an irony.

    After all the RCC bashing the Watchtower turns out to be much, much worse.

    (BTW I now identify as a "Spiritual But Not Religious" or SBNR person of faith).

  • Zana
    Zana

    Yes.

    I am an agnostic married to a modern, well-balanced (her own words) JW wife. Meaning balance between worldly and spiritual things. And I have the feeling that family is first, WTBS only second or third on her list. Of course there are difficult themes/conversations sometimes (blood issue, education of our children, ...), and with some of these topics there is hardly any compromise possible. But we manage. Loving each other helps a lot. If I were catholic, she would probably feel even better. More common ground.

    I imagine a marriage (without children) between a more hardcore JW spouse (WTBS first!) and an UBM could also work out, if the UBM has his/her own no. 1 priority before family, for example a very demanding job or a very time-consuming hobby. But then, what kind of marriage would that be?

  • Wild_Thing
  • EmptyInside
    EmptyInside

    I'm involved with a non-practicing Catholic. He doesn't go to church anymore. And I'm pretty much out of the organization. And I have no interest in organized religion of any kind. So,I see the other side. It would kind of bother me if he starting going to church again. And if he did,I just wouldn't attend another church,Catholic or not. And we don't want kids,if it goes that far,but I don't want my children raised in any sort of religion. When they get older they can decide. I see this as a potential problem with his Catholic family.

    And a hardcore Witness,is always going to, deep down,want their partner to eventually become a Witness. I mean if they really believe in paradise on earth,they want their spouse to be there too.

  • forest heathen
    forest heathen

    My father was Catholic and my mother (though not baptized) was an active JW (approved publisher). My mother wasn't JW when she married my dad, she converted shortly after my oldest brother was born. Her parents and siblings all joined the religion.

    This was hard on my father, who was also hispanic. He was a church going Knights of Columbus Catholic. He did not allow my mother to teach us her new religion. He took all of us to church by himself and raised us Catholic.

    Their marriage did work, for 16 years. They broke up later for other reasons. But I think the biggest reason it worked is because my father truly loved my mother and my mom was not a militant hard nosed JW. Both are non-confrontational by nature.

    ~ Forest Heathen

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