What will happen if you are pregnant and your boyfriend is a Jehovah's Witness?

Answer 1

This is something you'll have to ask and discuss with him. Now that your pregnant the child is yours and it's your choice on what you choose to do. Most religious groups would hope that you took on their faith and married as quickly as possible. But different strokes for different folks, and you really need to tell him if it's his but make sure your own family know first and understand that you haven't told him yet as you may need their support in making any decisions. Please remember that the child is yours and it's your responsibility to decide what your going to do. Nobody can force you or insist you do otherwise if you don't want too.

ANSWER FROM A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS:

One of the basic things that are stressed at the Kingdom Hall, is the resposibility that parents, and in particular, fathers have for providing for their children. The scriptural admonition at 1 Timothy 5:8 is "Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith."

So the direction that your boyfriend would receive from those at his place of worship will be to take care of his responsibilities toward his child to provide for it. Of course, since you have not stated your age or his age, there may be hinderances to his being able to take care of these things if he is too young to have a job.

You have stated that he is a JW, but it must be noted that attending the Kingdom Hall does not make one a JW. He may say that he is a JW, but unless he is actually baptised as a JW, and active in the congregation, the congregation will not regard him as a JW. Being a "meeting attender" is not being a Jehovah's Witness, nor does simply having parents who are JW's make one a JW. Since he has gotten involved with pre-marital sex, which is not condoned by the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, he may not neccessarily be an active member of the congregation. That being the case, I would suspect that his actions toward you and your child may not be very different than anyone else's would be.

If, however, he is an active member, and a baptised witness, then the congregation elders will no doubt meet with him privately to give him counsel from The Bible on God's view of pre-marital sex. They will try to determine how he feels about what has happened, and they may actually restrict him for a time from engaging in certain congregational activities. They will also counsel him on his responsibilties toward you and the child. They will focus on the scripture I stated above, and how he now has an obligation to take care of and provide what is needed for his offspring.

As far as your religious beliefs are concerned, if you do not want your child to go to the Kingdom Hall, that is your right. I would suspect that your boyfriend probably won't push the issue anyway. But if he does push the issue, you will have to work that out between yourselves. I assure you, that no one at the Kingdom Hall should be telling him that he needs to make the child become a JW. If anyone does try to influence your boyfriend in this way, for instance, his parents, then that is their own ideas that they have conjured up. That will not be at the direction of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, nor will it be because a tenant of our faith. We believe that one's choice of their faith HAS to be a conscious decision of one who has reached maturity.

If, by chance, you decide to allow the child to go with him to meetings at the Kingdom Hall, or even go yourself, that will not make you or your child a JW, nor would anything be expected of either of you by the people in the congregation. Nobody would try to force something on you or the child. Someone may offer to study the Bible with you privately to answer any questions you may have, but it will not be in an aggressive way. It will be nothing more than a cordial invitation, to which a cordial "no thanks" will suffice, if that is your wish.

Just as your rights and beliefs should be respected by all concerned, when the child reaches maturity, if he or she chooses on their own to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses, you should also repect your child's right to such a decision. Faith is a decision that everyone makes, whether it is even to believe in a god or not. Everyone makes a choice. For a time, the parent(s) set the standard for the child, but at some point, the child takes over and does it by themselves.

Answer 2

The question breaks down simply into one of two routes - either abort the baby or bring it to term. Keeping it results in a further decision tree of putting up for adoption, raising it alone or marrying someone who will help raise it.Your boyfriend's religion is not a consideration in any of these concerns, neither are the opinions of your friends, parents, religions or anyone. You might want to discuss the matter with medical professionals and social workers. Know where you want your life to go. It is all up to you.