The Society's View of Women

minimus

The Watchtower Society has regularly spoken about the role of women. The publications have given strong hints that women are to be considered inferior to men.Showing special consideration to a female has been expressed as "from the Devil" Tipping one's hat toward a female in a respectful gesture was viewed as wrong.The May 15, 1952 Watchtrower stated the following: "We can be sure [Jesus] did not get in any line to kiss the bride either-- SO WE LEAVE SUCH WOMAN-EXALTING PRACTICES BACK IN THE CREATURE WORSHIPPING WORLD, WHERE THEY BELONG".......Did You feel that women were treated as equals or lesser ones in the congregation?

berylblue

Miminus, are you joking?

Of course we were treated as inferiors...everything about the WTS publications encouraged this.

Take, for example, the weary analogy of a man being a "cast iron pot" and the woman being a "delicate vase". Ostensibly, this seems as though the WTS is saying, "Treat women as precious and fragile". But there is a more insidious message there. Men are strong, durable...women will crack under any kind of pressure, so watch out.

minimus

I've heard many women in the organization say that they felt privileged to be a woman in God's organization. My mother is the type of person that would always defer to the elders as her "head".

Odrade

And I've heard plenty more women say that they had fought headship for years, but now that they finally learned submission, they are much happier. But their body language tells another story.

Most JW women will tell you they are grateful for the way the WTS treats women. Here's an interesting thought on the conflict between what is said, and what one truly feels:

"..."their nonverbals communicate the truth. The look in the eyes and the tone of voice shout one's nonacceptance so loudly that the verbal expression of acceptance is drowned out. The person feigning acceptance ultimately communicates nonacceptance." -People Skills by Robert Bolton, Ph.D

I think the fact that so many women, when freed of the WTS imposition of "submission," so strongly state how held down they felt, is much more credible than the words of a woman still under the thumb of the WTS.

And YES! I felt like a second class citizen in the Org.

Odrade

**edit to credit quotation**

blondie

I've heard many women in the organization say that they felt privileged to be a woman in God's organization. My mother is the type of person that would always defer to the elders as her "head".

And what would happen if she really said what she felt? What would happen to any JW who stated what they really felt about policies and doctrines of the WTS? BTW, a married woman's head is her husband, JW or non-JW. If he should die or they be divorced then her head would be Christ not the elders*. Any single woman in the congregation has Jesus Christ as her head thanks to 1 Corinthians 11:3. "The head of every man is the Christ; in turn the head of a woman is the man." (1 Corinthians 11:3)

w96 10/15 p. 13

Single sisters, not having a human head to consult with and confide in, may be more apt to ?throw their burdens upon Jehovah.? (Psalm 55:22; 1 Corinthians 11:3)

*Single, divorced, or widowed sisters would view Christ as their head and only submit to the elders in the same way that men in the congregation.

(but not being in a congregation I don't have to play the WTS games for women)

Blondie

Panda

Minimus, Don't toy with us weaker vessels. It's not polite. No one listened to women. SadPanda

Odrade

Single sisters, not having a human head

???

minimus

Regarding my mother, she ALWAYS accepted and sought the elder's counsel. She wouldn't talk vs. the "truth" because she believes God uses the "slave" and elders. since she did not have a husbandly "head" , she went to the elders regularly for opinion and direction. Blondie, the 96 WT. is good on paper but not in practice. Many "widows and orphans" think of the elders as their spiritual mentors and "fathers".

blondie

Blondie, the 96 WT. is good on paper but not in practice.

But min that is true of everything the WTS has on paper. The written and the unwritten, the unwritten is what prevails.

I take it that your mother is the same age as my mother. Women were trained in those days that they were not as smart as men and the men knew best. Your mother bought into it, mine did not, in fact the women in my family kiss no elders' feet.

Most true believers male or female abdicate their personal responsibility to the mass movement they join. I'm not surprised. Most brothers run to the elders too.

Blondie

So did she listen to you when you were an elder?

Pistoff

Not a woman but increasingly saw the stupidity of neglecting half of the congregation; my experience taught me that many women had more patience, compassion and eye for detail and perception than most elder bodies. The sad thing is that Blondie and her sisters are the exception; most women in the org would have to get used to being consulted as equals, due to their believing the stupid things the WT has said about them for so many years. My own experience with elders ultimately did me a favor; after seeing the lying, scheming and simony in my congregation's elders and with our CO, I realized that they were quite a bit more human than I had thought. And when they just shrugged their shoulders and disfellowshiped my clinically depressed son, my connection to the organization was over. It is not that they are human; they are untrained and unqualified to be good shepherds. When a person thinks they know it all and are appointed by holy spirit, how can they be humble enough to learn anything?

The Society's View of Women

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