Can a catholic marry a Jehovah witness and remain catholic ?

[Shin]

Hi, I know my answer is late but I only joined up yesterday.

Jehovah’s Witnesses only baptize children who are able to make their own choices anyway (eg, teens) so you’ve already decided (perhaps unintentionally) to raise your children in the JW tradition.

I have a feeling, from this fellow’s lack of knowledge about his own faith (who would not baptize his own children???) that they’ll take him to a few meetings, give him the magazines and convert him zippity quick. Those magazines are aimed at Catholicism, dead on, and it takes hard work to respond to them given the number of references you have to look up to properly deal with each point.

 

[Australis]

I have a feeling, from this fellow’s lack of knowledge about his own faith (who would not baptize his own children???) that they’ll take him to a few meetings, give him the magazines and convert him zippity quick. Those magazines are aimed at Catholicism, dead on, and it takes hard work to respond to them given the number of references you have to look up to properly deal with each point.

You might be surprised how many protestants don’t believe in infant baptism. Anyway the writer said he wants to teach their kids the Bible and let them make their own decision. I wonder if he realises that the JWs only use the NWT and this could cause issues when it comes to choosing a translation for their children to learn.

 

[mangy_dog]

I have been trying to find resources on interfaith marriages especially between a catholic and JW. I contacted my priest and actually had a sit down conversation with him, but he didn’t seem knowledgeable enough.

Here is the dilemna; my girlfriend, a JW has not agreed to marry in the church, saying her only condition will be if it is a neccessity to allow me to keep receiving communion and participate in other sacraments.

I currently live in houston, TX and so will appreciate if there is a number or person or online resource that deals on this particualr subject : Interfaith marriage between a catholic and JW.

Thanks

Ben

Can a catholic see a loaded bear trap and step into it, knowing that it will hurt very badly?

Yes! he can! And yes it will hurt.

 

[Fozz]

WOW…Really wow. For the people out there who replied…ty…but wow. And this is why I pre-empted the whole thing with

I never claim to be a good catholic and I’m not what I refer to certain people as die hards. I have my faith and I try as hard as I can to be a good person, which is what I interpert what Jesus want’s from us in the first place.

I’m not a die hard catholic and never have been. I believe what I believe and that’s it. There is a lot of corruption in the catholic church…hell…in all religions in my opinion there is some amount of corruption. You have your followers who are borderline atheists and just go through the motions and you have your zealots who are borderline psycho in their faith. I fall somewhere in between. I believe in The Holy Trinity, Immaculate conception, the creation of the universe by God…I just believe it differently from others out there.

I looked all over the net and book stores to help me with how I felt and came to a conclusion. JW’s and Catholics are so similar in the way they view each other is funny. There are anti JW sites that call them a cult and there are pro JW sites that say they are the true religion. Same goes for the Catholics…anti sites say we’re a cult and pro sites say we’re the real thing. It all comes down to our own personal points of view. Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view, and just because what you say is right, does not make me wrong.

To Shin and heathernoel…for you to say what I feel in my heart is not right and to give a sarcastic comment about me having a lack of knowledge in my own faith is really unfair to say. It’s those kind of attempted hurtful comments that make me resent the church all the more. I’m really holding back here with not giving you a hearty GFY, but that would really make me no better than you and your attempts to hurt me.

So I will leave it with a simple agree to disagree. I asked her to marry me and I have never been happier. It was not a mistake and I feel in my heart that it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m sure they’re are gonna be some follow up comments about how God isn’t gonna bless it or how I’m making a mistake, but to take a line from the master wordsmith Bon Jovi…It’s My Life!

 

[Australis]

I didn’t mean to offend. All I said was that JWs don’t baptise children anyway and they use their own translation of the Bible which might cause issues. In fact I have some complimentary things to say about JWs - they are often ardent, very friendly (must be all the door knocking) and try to live what they preach. They also have a very strong sense of brotherhood. Someone from Kingdom Hall in a Sydney suburb told me they built their Kingdom Hall in three days! How’s that for team work?
Unfortunately there is a downside though. They practice shunning which given their strong sense of community can be devastating (look at You Tube vids about JW shunning). It is widely recognised as a cult, a doomsday cult in fact. Read up on the founder, an ex Presbyterian who prophesied the end of the world and his prophesies didn’t come to pass. They believe the archangel Michael is Jesus, that Jesus was a creation of God etc. There are some difficult areas in which to find a middle ground.

 

[Yerusalyim]

I have been trying to find resources on interfaith marriages especially between a catholic and JW. I contacted my priest and actually had a sit down conversation with him, but he didn’t seem knowledgeable enough.

Here is the dilemna; my girlfriend, a JW has not agreed to marry in the church, saying her only condition will be if it is a neccessity to allow me to keep receiving communion and participate in other sacraments.

I currently live in houston, TX and so will appreciate if there is a number or person or online resource that deals on this particualr subject : Interfaith marriage between a catholic and JW.

Thanks

Ben

Ben,
My advice is DON’T DO IT. Speaking from experience being married to a JW is VERY difficult. The issues that come up are numerous and difficult from where you get married, to how you have sex to how you raise children. Send me a private message if you’d like to discuss this in detail…or out here in the public.

 

[Leslie_Polley]

I have been trying to find resources on interfaith marriages especially between a catholic and JW. I contacted my priest and actually had a sit down conversation with him, but he didn’t seem knowledgeable enough.

Here is the dilemna; my girlfriend, a JW has not agreed to marry in the church, saying her only condition will be if it is a neccessity to allow me to keep receiving communion and participate in other sacraments.

I currently live in houston, TX and so will appreciate if there is a number or person or online resource that deals on this particualr subject : Interfaith marriage between a catholic and JW.

Thanks

Ben

Ben…JW if she is really into this faith will not budge when you are married…My friend is a JW and their beliefs are night and day to yours. They do not belive in the Trinity, they believe Jesus was an angel and not God. Just ask her to see the mannual on the beliefs of the JW. Read some of the watch towers. They belive that only 144,000 , of them will be in heaven…(most of which are dead now), can take communion, there is no hell…only the grave…heaven will be here for the remainder of the JW…Think about this. I am sure she is a very sweet person, and you love her very much, but really pray about this union. I would advise against it.

 

[Vasian]

I spent 15 years in the WTS. Rarely did I see a mixed marriage work. Maybe once in my entire 15 years. (?)
First off, any JW that marries outside of the religon is considered to be VERY spiritually weak, and will not get the support of the congregation.
We NEVER married “outsiders” to JW’s in the Kingdom Hall. It just was not done.
The couple would have to find an Elder willing to marry them somewhere else, but most of the time the couple would go to a justice of the peace.
It’s a tough road.

 

[firstmode]

Wow, guys, do not get married to a JW!!

I know, you have fallen in Lust and fallen in Love with that person, but 3 - 5 -8 years down the line, the lust/love feeling is very weak and the marriage will be based around principles and a strong friendship.

My wife and I have survived because we have the same mission in life, which is to serve Jesus Christ and his great commission. To help try and convert every non trinitarian person on this planet for Jesus Christ with his grace and help.

My wife and I agree on our finances, where our tithes and offerings will go. We agree on our fasts, our religious observances, our church observances, etc. My wife and I see ourselves as one flesh in marriage, ordained by God in Matrimony to be brought together for a purpose. These are the things that keep us going in life, we care nothing of possessions, owning a house, nice cars, etc. We have a single purpose that we are unified together for. We are not missionaries, we both work normal jobs and just try and live sparse to ensure we have plenty to give to help others and to spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth.

My point in saying all of this is that your spouse thinks Jesus is some angel. Your spouse thinks that if you are not brought to the true Jehova through their church, then you are going to be soul sleeping until final judgement where your soul will be destroyed.

Think about this, You and your spouse will not share heaven. Think about how important that is. IF you and your spouse died in a car wreck together, you would go to heaven and your spouse would go to hell where the Devil, the False Profit, and the Beast are imprisoned forever.

Think about how important that is when it comes to participating in a ceremony created so you and your spouse will become one flesh. Your spouse will not be in heaven with you for eternity. Think about what kind of stress that can put on you through a long marriage.

Think about the issues with your children! How can you raise your children if you guys do not agree with each other and cannot even go in the same direction with each other, let alone raise kids the right way.

Are you going to baptize your children and send them to Catholic School? Are you SURE you will be able to? What if by doing that you RUIN your relationship with your spouse to where your relationship is pretty much over, WHAT THEN?

 

[firstmode]

Make sure to get this book BTW and read the section on JW.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

amazon.com/Kingdom-Occult-Dr-Walter-Martin/dp/1418516449/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262076405&sr=1-4

 

[Shin]

“Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath light with darkness, or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?”

2 Corinthians 6:14

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thou shalt not give thy daughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son; for she will turn away thy son from following Me; and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled, and will quickly destroy thee.”

Deutoronomy 7:2-4

 

[EmergencyOps]

You might be surprised how many protestants don’t believe in infant baptism.

You’re right, a lot of us don’t.

When my wife and I sat down with a priest to coordinate our Catholic+Baptist wedding, I mentioned how I desired that the kids be raised in both churches (baptized as infants in hers) and when the child is old enough they can make their decision…possibly being baptized as a public profession in my faith. The priest was concerned and believed that it would be hard for the child to make that choice without there being any influence from me. I thought to myself…and the child has free choice when it comes to Catholic infant baptism?!?

But yes, a mixed marriage is difficult, even when both are Christian. I cannot imagine a mixed marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian; however, one poster mentioned the scripture about being equally yoked…very important.

 

[StrawberryJam]

That is not an option for a Catholic.

A Catholic is **obligated **to baptize and raise their children in the Catholic faith.

I was wondering what they will do if one of the children need a life saving blood transfusion?

I think the CCC would require the parents to use normal means available to save them, and blood transfusions are by all non JW’s considered to be normal means.

Sorry if that was already discussed.

Would this fall under raising them in the Catholic faith? Following the rules on preserving life?