DECEMBER 2018 WATCHTOWER STUDY ARTICLE...Many loyal Christians have remained with an unbelieving mate under very trying circumstances.

by RULES & REGULATIONS 40 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • freddo
    freddo

    The world (in the west) has really really changed in just the last ten years and the WT is lagging woefully behind.

    But ... the GOOD news is that normal women in "the territory" and many "daughters" growing up in the halls will not be attracted to this sort of nonsense. In England, among the mainstream population, if a man raises a hand to his wife nowadays then his derriere will be reported to the police pronto.

    In the 70's and 80's - in the general population - families would close ranks out of shame, some non jw wives would "put up with it" - but especially jw's.

    Now it is so, so different.

    In a congregation I am familiar with, out of 65 publishers there are three "separated" couples where one or both still go to meetings. One couple sit apart, another couple go to different halls, the third couple, one never attends and "listens in" while the resolute husband comes to every meeting. There is no suggestion of physical abuse, just that they can't stand each other, or one can't stand the other and so they live trapped by jw rules - but separate.

    There are no teenage girls/women left. The last few (five in the last four years) reached about 17 to 18 and either "faded" or got announced as no longer an unbaptised publisher.

    I hear four of these five youngsters are career oriented - going to college or University to get better educated. They have boyfriends. One went into the workplace at 16 and has taken night classes and "day-release" to qualify as an accountant.

    The only women who come along now are the mental, desperate and lonely; the older ones are dying off.

  • FedUpJW
    FedUpJW

    Looking back, it seems to me like the only thing that would get the WTS to adjust the rules about this kind of thing is somebody dying, and even then...

    This was my comment on another thread about this: Of course they trotted out the (in my words) "even in the case of extreme cruelty, and the possibility of damage to health or life you should remain with the abusive spouse" bulls--t. Who knows, the abused spouse just MIGHT convince the abuser to become a JDubya by letting him thump her around and walk on her like a doormat, and then he can hide it even better as a "christian" husband. And everyone KNOWS that if he ruins her health she will be magically healed in "paradise" and if he kills her she can be held up as a shining example of JDubya wifely submission, and be assured of being resurrected. That garbage really pisses FedUp off. Excuse me while I puke!

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot
    freddo - "The world (in the west) has really really changed in just the last ten years and the WT is lagging woefully behind..."

    A badge of pride for the loyal.

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    FREDDO:

    Besides whatever family groups that are stuck in, I agree with you that the only women who probably come now are the “mental, desperate and lonely”. The rest of the older women have died off, as you said.

    The problem is that the Witness religion will not alleviate these women’s problems. They will feel more lonely and desperate, sad to say. I’m out over 17 years and so glad I’m not still sitting there!

  • Bangalore
    Bangalore

    Too much misogyny in this cult.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    Amazing that someone can write this in 2018.

    And as someone else mentioned, completely disconnected to actual JW practice. Many JWs get legal divorces simply because they didn’t like each other. Then it becomes a waiting game to see who meets someone else first, and the other can then look for a partner without sanction. Such petty rules.

  • stillin
    stillin

    He might "severely endanger her spirituality." Any thoughts on this little gem?

  • carla
    carla

    "He might "severely endanger her spirituality." Any thoughts on this little gem?"- Basically an elder or I suppose any jw can use the 'spiritual endangerment" thing any time their spouse disagrees with jw's. They tried to get my jw to use that one at one time. It's how jw's can break up families and marriages yet somehow they feel their conscious is clean.

  • TD
    TD

    He might "severely endanger her spirituality." Any thoughts on this little gem?"

    Yes, and none of them are very polite...

    Like you said, the "spiritual endangerment" card can be pulled anytime a spouse disagrees with JW's and is very often a thinly disguised attempt to break up an otherwise healthy marriage.

    Most unbelieving mates are not abusers.

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    He might "severely endanger her spirituality." Any thoughts on this little gem?

    Meaning he might persuade her to leave the organization making it a loss of power and money for them.

    The most important thing to JWS and its leaders is protect and influence loyalty to them, individual heath, happieness and welfare to individuals are a lesser concern.

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