Did You Know? (Having Children)

…Jehovah’s Witnesses were told not to have children?

As far back as 1938 the Watchtower was urging Jehovah’s Witnesses not to marry and rear children because of the “urgency” of the witnessing work. Hence, many Witnesses from that era did not marry or have children. (The Watchtower, November 1, 1938.)

Less than 40 years later a 1974 Awake! magazine clearly stated on page 11 that since the evidence that destruction of this entire system of things was “now imminent,” many couples are remaining “childless so that they would be less encumbered to carry out the instructions of Jesus Christ to preach the good news of God’s kingdom earth wide before the end of this system comes.” (Awake!, November 8, 1974)

Once again, during the 1987 District Assemblies of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a lecture was given entitled, “Responsible Child-bearing in This Time of the End.” Watchtower speakers encouraged young brothers and sisters to stay single and married couples to remain childless because of “the nearness of Armageddon.”

In the provided audio presentation below you can hear exactly what the attendees heard on Day 2 of those conventions during the summer of 1987. Watchtower district and circuit overseers read the exact, word-for-word talk to audiences in the United States and Canada. Similar talks were given to international audiences of Jehovah’s Witnesses that same summer and later that year. Most of what those speakers presented in the following talk was reinforced by articles published in The Watchtower for January 15, 1988 and the Awake! for January 22, 1988.

 [Click on Play/Pause button to listen to audio presentation…]

Many JWs missed out on ever having children...
Many JWs missed out on ever having children…

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Lisa Elizardo

Lisa Elizardo

I’m a Witness. This pisses me off to no end. It’s completely true. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2000565 That’s a 2000 article. I have 4 kids. In 1994, I was told by a prominent elder in my congregation when I was 2 months pregnant with my first that I was making a bad decision. The System was going to end any day, this system is evil and we are having times hard to deal with. “Why would I want to subject someone to this cruel world” in shock I walked away. I was told this again by another elder. Then two other sisters. I felt shunned in my congregation because my husband and I were not towing the line of “dedication to field service” instead of “pursing a worldly life an career” I did this 3 more times happily!
Fast forward 22 years later. There are NO SINGLES for my kids to date. They’ve had to travel endlessly in search of other Witnesses their age to date. It’s a missing generation. I can go on about this for hours.
This is completely true and dangerous.

Alice

Alice

Thank you for your input. I am trying to understand this form of brainwashing but am failing at the attempt.

Nathan Woke

Nathan Woke

Fools, thy’re all fools. Following blindly to the rinse and repeat information. Everyday deeper indoctrinated (brainwashed) by men who are to ignorant to realise there spreading anothermans ideas and nothing more than that.

Walter R .

Walter R .

Currently this regime persuade Asus adepts to follow this procedure.

Actualmente este régimen persuaden Asus adeptos seguir este proceder.w

KH

KH

Thanks for posting this. This talk was the summer I was engaged. This definitely influenced me to wait to have kids. Biggest regret of my life. WT doesn’t discourage children anymore, they know their increase in numbers is mainly from kids getting baptized.

Lisa Elizardo

Lisa Elizardo

Are you still a practicing witness? For years I tried making comments during meeting and in service to try and counter this thinking. I finally realized all I can do is save myself and my family. I still very much love Jehovah. Pray regularly. But I’m a non denominational right now. I see that every single Christian faith has some things incorrect. So why stay a Witness thinking I’m in “the truth”? Especially with the harsh controlling dogma. Jesus said HE is THE TRUTH. I feel all Christians are my brothers and sisters. Christ came to set us free from dominating religious authority. Witnesses make their Organization a mediator to Christ. Believing they represent Jehovah on the earth today you can’t disagree. I have no mediator than Jesus 🙂

KH

KH

Hello~ no longer a JW mainly because my husband is a CSA survivor & the thinking of this org adds to trauma. Glad you are out too, yes we don’t need 8 men to be our mediator