The Eclectic Marriage - Gary Busselman

SUMMARY:

The Governing Body has stated they are aware that to have a successful marriage "we must fulfill the need to study God's Word regularly and learn to delight in discussing together Jehovah's thoughts and counsel. Husbands and wives need to pray together. Often those prayers open the heart and lead to frank conversations that repair any breach." And "We must fortify our spirituality." In addition they say "If love may be called the heart of happy family living, then communication could be called its lifeblood. Breakdowns in communication between marriage mates spell trouble; they are equally serious, if not more so, when they come between parents and children."

Now after acknowledging that a successful marriage and family must have spiritual communication and fellowship the Governing Body requires that "the faithful family member must recognize and conform to the disfellowship order." And states, "she can have no spiritual fellowship with him."

This is clearly designed to sabotage the marriage / family and isolate the remaining group member(s). The effect is that a wall is constructed between family members by the Watchtower Society's disfellowshiping order and the loneliness and stress ensuing from the fractional shunning results in the failure of the unit to function as a marriage or family. A dysfunction, or bad function, is deliberately caused. The outcome usually is a breakdown of the unit. The family as it was, ceases to function. Often one or more family members leave the home after being intimidated by the arrogant behavior of the Jehovah's Witness approved group member practicing shunning on family members. Often the family ceases to exist.

Consider again the following statement from the Governing Body: "Jehovah's Witnesses are accused by their enemies of breaking up families. True, there are cases of families that become divided when one or more members become Jehovah's Witnesses."

"If a mixed marriage breaks up, the initiative almost always comes from the non-Witness partner." (The Watchtower, July 1, 1993, p.15)

The importance seems to be which member initiated the break up. Placing blame is more meaningful to the Watchtower writers than keeping families together. That families are being broken up, as they do acknowledge, seems not important to the Governing Body. The issue to them appears to be the loyalty of the approved group members to the Organization.

The stress this "disfellowship order" causes in a family is incredible and it seems a wonder that any of these families survive at all. Is it any wonder that divorce, suicide, mental breakdowns, alcoholism, prescription drug addiction, street drug addiction, and violent behavior is so destructive in this group of Jehovah's Witnesses fractured families?

Consider this last quote from Jehovah's Channel: "It is all right for the faithful members of the family to ride with the disfellowshiped one in a car bound for the Kingdom Hall, but upon arrival the faithful ones should not sit with or associate with the disfellowshiped one at the hall, but rejoin him only when departing for home. (The Watchtower April 1, 1953 p.223)

Written on May 25, 1996
by Gary Busselman.

PO Box 88641
Sioux Falls, SD
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