My husband will not let me be a Jehovah Witness.?

Question

My husband will not let me be friends with a Jehovah Witness nor attend any of their congregations. He also said when we have children, I am not to tell them my beliefs because he feels they should decide their beliefs on their own. This is not only about the Jehovah Witnesses, but anything to do with God as well. I am worried that by the time I do have children, and they grow up, they will already be influenced by the world that it will be harder for them to be decent in God's eyes. It is already hard for me because I have not always been raised a Christian. My husband is cautious of my beliefs in Jesus and God, and feels they are a threat to him sometimes. He is upset if I do not celebrate is birthday or other holidays because he feels I do not love him. I treat every day as a special day, and buy him gifts and do special things everyday. Yet, even on holidays and birthdays he becomes upset. He also said he wants our children to celebrate these days. I don't want to lose him.

Answer 1

This matter is perhaps easier to resolve when the wife is one of Jehovah's Witnesses; the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses continually reminds its adherents of the plain bible teaching that a Christian woman must be submissive to her husband (whether he is a believer or unbeliever). Showing godly subjection can itself work to "convince" a husband of the goodness in true Christianity (such as is practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses).

(1 Peter 3:1,2) You wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, in order that, if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, 2 because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct together with deep respect

(Romans 7:2) A married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law of her husband.

(1 Corinthians 11:3) The head of a woman is the man [that is, her husband]

(Ephesians 5:22) Let wives be in subjection to their husbands as to the Lord


How is the "problem" resolved? By submitting to any reasonable direction of the god-appointed family head: the husband. However, it is not reasonable for a Christian wife to submit herself to a practice she knew to displease God; she knows that she must answer to God for her deliberate acts.

(Galatians 6:4-5) But let each one [male or female, married or unmarried] prove what his own work is, and then he will have cause for exultation in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. For each one will carry his own load.


By contrast, a Christian wife would have to accept the husband's right as family head to make such decisions for his children; she would recognize that the relative "guilt" for any god-dishonoring practice would fall on the husband rather than on the minor child. Mercifully, the Scriptures plainly teach that as long as a minor child has at least ONE faithful Christian parent, that minor child has valid hope for salvation despite any and all failings of the unbelieving parent.

(1 Corinthians 7:14) For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in relation to his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in relation to the brother; otherwise, your children would really be unclean, but now they are holy.


Of course a godly parent would work incessantly to train her children to gain spiritual maturity so that the child could himself choose to one day (perhaps by his early teens) make it clear to the unbelieving parent that the child now intends to "obey God" when any human command seems to conflict the child's growing sense of his own responsibility to godly standards.

(Acts 5:29) We must obey God as ruler rather than men.

(Matthew 10:35-37) For [Jesus] came to cause division, with a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a young wife against her mother-in-law. Indeed, a man’s enemies will be persons of his own household. He that has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me


It probably makes sense for husband and wife to learn more about the Scriptural underpinnings for each other's faith. It may be that they find fewer differences than they may initially have assumed. At the least, they can both work together to build faith in the bible and encourage their children to "Follow the Christ"!



Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/19971208/
http://watchtower.org/e/19980715/article_02.htm
http://jw-media.org/beliefs/family.htm

Answer 2

The bible does say that wife's should obey their husbands, but with one exeption: That their demands do not put them first than Jehovah himself. If you like to attend meetings contact an elder to help you in this situation and having a sister as a friend helps alot too. Don't give up and let your husband rule you for he is not the one who will give you everlasting life once Jehovah brings destruction to this cruel system of things.

Answer 3

Headship is relative.

Eph 6:1 Children, be obedient to YOUR parents in union with [the] Lord, for this is righteous:

The principle 'in union with the Lord' applies to all obedience.

The apostles told the high court of their day:

Acts 5:29 In answer Peter and the [other] apostles said: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.

Get with some older sisters at the Hall who have / are living the life you are going thru now and learn how they managed to stay faithful to both their God and their husbands.

Answer 4

I do not follow the ways of the Jehovah Witness', I attended some of their meetings as a favor to a friend that I adored ... but couldn't buy into their beliefs. That said .. I worry that your love for your husband and your spiritual beliefs will not allow for a warm, loving relationship. Don't bring children into that at this point. You must sort out these differences before you add other little beings to it, otherwise, they will become pawns between the two of you and thats not fair to them ... no matter what you believe.

Seek counselling through a non-religous related source .. and see what you can do to make your relationship work ... or not. Bless you and good luck.

Answer 5

Careful, dear. There is a very good reason you need to get away from the Jehovah's Witness thing, but your husband doesn't know the reason because he seems to be avoiding God altogether. But God knows the reason. Regardless of your husband's "letting you" or not letting you, you need the truth. The truth is that the spirit of Jehovah's Witness is not the spirit of God. If it were the spirit of God, the Jehovah's "bible" would not be so tampered with compared to the original Holy Bible. The Holy bible (e.g., King James Version) warns against those who add to or subtract from the words of the book, and warns against those who preach a different gospel than that of Jesus and the disciples. Therefore, what should this say to you since the Jehovah's "bible" isn't the same as the original Holy Bible?

Clearly you know that Jesus is the son of God and has been sent to the world to save us (if we repent). But the Word is clear that the road to Him is narrow, but wide is the way to destruction; all you have to do is change the gospel a little here and there, and new believers won't know any better because they've been given a Revised gospel ("Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" Matt. 7:13). Please, please, please, find a church that uses the REAL bible, the real Word of God. If you don't, you will have a bigger problem than a husband who is skeptical and upset. You will have been deceived into thinking you are Christian, but if you don't abide by God's actual Word, at the judgment you would call out "Lord, Lord" and He could say "I never knew you."

Please seek out God's Word for real -- the actual Bible, not one that has been tampered with. Jehovah's witnesses followers can be aggressive and cajoling, but start learning the Holy bible and then you will have the armor of God on to know what is True and what is not. Holy Bible -- New King James is good.


1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Answer 6

Good for him!!! He is the head of the house and is trying to keep you from being tainted with heresy. As you know, Jehovah's Witnesses are false prophets because they predicted so many things in God's name that never came to pass. The Book of Deuteronomy tells us not to have anything to do with these people.

Answer 7

your husband is a lot like me brother and my dad. my dad always wants me to celebrate all these holidays and my brother is always yelling at my mom on christmas because there's no tree in the living room. tell your husband that those kids are YOUR kids too and thus you can help raise them as YOU want. he can't do all of the raising of the kids on his own, can he? he's an adult so he should act like one. people who convert to jw's who are married usually do get in fights with their spouse over it but many times the one who disagrees with the faith starts easing up and going to meetings and everything. he'll get used to the idea that you want to go to meetings. he's not your father and he can't tell you what to do :]

Answer 8

Seems that before one gets married, we should know how each other feels about religion and politics. These, and money are two of the greatest wrecker of marriages. I certainly wouldn't want to have a wife who believes differently than me in these important aspects of my life. We are so starry-eyed when we are in love.

Answer 9

Make up your own mind, and allow him to make up his...
Do not pressure, or argue.
Your situation is not entirely unique...
Consider what others have gone through down through the ages for their beliefs. Things are no different today...

Answer 10

You should go to counseling. Why does your husband get to "not let you" be anything. That is nuts girl. Seriously, marriage counseling, before you even consider having children.

Answer 11

(Acts 5:29) In answer Peter and the [other] apostles said: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.