An upcoming edition of the Watchtower from the Jehovah's Witnesses is recommending that church members should consider staying with an abusive partner, even if they feel their life is in danger. Of course, this flies in the face of recommendations from professional organisations the world over who deal with victims of spousal abuse.

The church's official line seems to be that divorce is only allowable for adultery, but that for other issues a separation may be acceptable. However, they seem to think that abusive partners are likely to stop being abusive over time, and that staying with a partner is a good option for people to take if they're suffering from abuse.

It turns out that this isn't the first time they've recommended staying with an abusive partner (opens new window):

Most domestic violence is perpetrated by a man against a woman, and the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses are exclusively male, so I wonder if the church would benefit from a female perspective on this issue.