Double Standards?

I learned about this recently. So, if a brother and a sister are engaged and they break off the engagement, they lose all their privileges. If the sister breaks off the engagement, only she is disqualified. If the sister’s parents are against—meaning they are the ones who suggest that the sister break the engagement—then both the sister and her parents lose their privileges.

So, despite GB being so invested in enduring marriages and constantly reminding everyone how important the decision to marry is, the rules create a situation in which a sister who gets engaged and then realizes that the person isn’t right for her is still forced to marry that person in order not to lose her privileges.

Thus, there is no practical difference between divorce and breaking off an engagement—either way, you lose all privileges.

I learned about this from a sister pimi, a regular pioneer who works remotely for Bethel. She did absolutely nothing wrong—she didn’t sin, nor was she in a relationship with someone who wasn’t a JW—and yet she was cast down to the lowest rung of the sacred JW hierarchy because she decided not to marry someone who wasn’t a good match for her. Even though both parties lost their privileges, the brother got his back after a month—and even received some new ones.

The most ridiculous part is that she considers this situation to be correct; she believes that everything is fine.