Jehovah’s Witnesses is a globally recognized religious group with over 8 million faithful.
Most religious groups have rules that every follower who proudly associates with the congregation must observe, and JWs are no exception.
Whether a new or old member, you must strictly adhere to the JW’s established laws, including moral or bedroom laws.
JWs bedroom laws are rules that the married, dating, and youth faithful within the church should observe.
If you have a crush on a JW follower, or about to date one, or are interested in becoming a JW faithful, you should familiarize yourself with their bedroom laws to make an informed choice.
The JW church has several bedroom laws that adult faithful should strictly adhere to, such as follows:
1. Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Forbidden from Engaging in Premarital Sex
Youths and adults in the church are warned against engaging in sex before marriage.
The JW’s doctrine encourages them to shun immorality until marriage, backing this law with biblical teachings prohibiting fornication.
To achieve this, they should avoid friendships or online materials that may lure them into premarital sex.
The church teaches young adults to cherish virginity and view it as the ultimate gift for their future spouses.
2. Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Forbidden from Masturbating
Whether married, dating, or single, JW faithful are cautioned against masturbating because, like fornication, the practice renders one impure or unholy before God.
The church forbids the married from masturbating by terming it selfish and leading to perverted desires.
Those hooked to masturbation are encouraged to pray to God for deliverance from the practice and to seek guidance from a trusted and knowledgeable church member.
3. Dating Outside JW Confines is Discouraged
Jehovah’s Witnesses faithful are discouraged from dating people who are not JW followers.
The church elders are against a church member dating outside the congregation because they fear the individual may be influenced to abandon the church’s teachings on relationships and marriage.
Faithfuls are advised to date and marry inside the church to avoid being distracted and influenced into immoral practices like premarital sex.
Anyone who dates outside the church should first succeed in persuading their love interest to join the church.
4. Dating Jehovah’s Witnesses Should Not Spend Time Alone
In ensuring they maintain sexual purity before marriage, a man and woman who are dating are not allowed to spend time alone.
They should be accompanied by a chaperone wherever they go to prevent them from sexual temptations.
The presence of a chaperone ensures they do not break dating boundaries like engaging in premarital sex.
5. No Spending Nights or Spending time Alone in a House Belonging to The Opposite Gender
Dating or not, unmarried faithful are shunned from being alone in secluded places or spending a night with the opposite gender.
This law also discourages come-we-stay marriages, and a couple is only allowed to live together after tying the knot.
Doing so may lead to immoral temptations like fornication that the church does not condone.
6. Jehovah’s Witnesses Married Couples Are Warned against Practicing Oral and Anal Sex
Married couples belonging to the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group are advised to shun oral and anal sex as it goes against God’s intention for sex.
The church maintains that sex performed in ways other than instructed in the bible goes against the teachings and is unholy.
Married couples should, therefore, disregard perverted sexual practices such as anal and oral sex.
7. Homosexuality is Not Allowed in the JW Church
Homosexuality and lesbianism is a highly shunned sexual practices among Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The immoral practice is shunned because it goes against Christian moral principles outlined in the Bible, and the JW church wants all its members to disregard it by all means.
8. Making Out or Awakening Passion through Heavy Petting or Breasts Carressing Is Prohibited
Engaging in any physical activity that arouses sexual needs, such as caressing the breasts, goes against the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ moral principles.
Unmarried church members are forbidden from activities that may lead to sex, hence the condemnation of heavy petting or caressing breasts.
9. Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Forbidden from Watching Pornography
Married or not, watching pornographic content is deemed immoral by the church, warning its members to avoid accessing it as it corrupts the mind.
According to JW, unmarried couples may be tempted to engage in premarital sex after watching pornography, and married couples may be tempted to engage in unholy sexual practices like oral and anal sex.
10. No Dating Transgender People
Jehovah’s Witnesses have the same moral stand they have for homosexuals and lesbianism for transgender.
They classify transgenders as homosexuals or lesbians.
The church encourages those battling gay feelings to pray to God for redemption and seek counseling from church elders.
11. Married People Are Forbidden From Extra Marital Affairs
Marriage is sacred, and couples within the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious practice are forbidden from participating in extramarital affairs or committing adultery.
If a partner can prove that their significant other has committed adultery, they are advised to file for divorce.
The partner who committed adultery is excommunicated from the church if they do not repent.
12. Pregnancy outside Marriage is Looked Down Upon
Jehovah’s Witnesses follow the Bible’s teachings on getting children into marriage.
This means those who get pregnant outside the wedding are frowned upon and may face severe punishment, such as being disfellowshipped.
13. Sex during Menstruation is Forbidden
Married couples should not engage in sexual activity when the woman is in her menses because she is deemed unclean.
The couple should wait until the wife has stopped menstruating to engage in intercourse.
14. Incest is Highly Discouraged
Sexual relations between members of the nuclear or extended families are forbidden in the church according to biblical teachings.
Only unrelated married couples within the church enjoy sex privilege.
15. Divorce Is Only Allowed on the Grounds of Adultery
A Jehovah’s Witness believer can only seek divorce if their partner commits adultery.
Even then, they must provide proof of their partner cheating.
Other reasons, such as falling out of love or domestic abuse, are rectified through counseling and do not reach the threshold for divorce.
Consequences for Faithfuls who Disobey Jehovah’s Witnesses Bedroom Laws
Now that you have gone through the bedroom laws, you could be wondering about the consequences faced by those who disregard them.
The JW church has two approaches to dealing with bedroom lawbreakers. They include:
I. Counseling
This approach applies to first-time lawbreakers whose offenses do not hold much gravity.
The offender should show remorsefulness for their actions before the church council and undergo a counseling session to help them overcome the temptation of breaking the law again.
A chaperone closely monitors the offender’s behavior to ensure they return to law-abiding believers.
II. Cast out of the church or disfellowshipped
In caseswhere counseling is not an option, the disgraced members are cast out.
Being disfellowshipped applies where the congregant engages in shunned practices such as premarital sex, resulting in pregnancy.
This punishment also applies when a faithful does not repent or show resourcefulness for their actions.
Disfellowshipping is a severe punishment because the offender is shunned by the church, friends, and their families.
Also Read:
15 Jehovah’s Witness Wife Rules You Probably Didn’t Know
9 Jehovah’s Witness Dietary Restrictions You Probably Didn’t Know
50 Questions Jehovah Witnesses Cannot Answer
How to Navigate Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Disclaimer:
The information in this post is provided for informational purposes only. It aims to offer insights into the faith’s impact on family life and intimate relationships. Readers are encouraged to approach the content with an open mind and respect for diverse interpretations and practices. The post does not impose judgments or dictate beliefs but rather fosters a respectful exploration of the subject matter. Individual interpretations may vary, and readers are urged to consider these differences and seek further guidance if needed. This post does not replace specific advice from religious authorities, and consulting appropriate sources within the Jehovah’s Witness community is recommended.
