by badboy 31 Replies latest jw friends
I doubt that they will have that much impact, because of the nature of the chinese culture. It is a culture that goes back thousands of yrs, despite upheavals like communism and the taiping rebellion. Jws do better in disrupted or new unstable, immature cultures. People w more solid bases are less easily swayed by new crap like wtism.
S
did anyone hear that urban legend years ago, about how big Chinese business men came over to the US/NY and toured bethel and were impressed with the way they ran things and they asked the bros to go over to China and set up their amazing printing stuff. The bros said they would only do it if they were allowed to preach during that period of time there were there and they were planning on being there for a year. The business men got their government to agree and there was a small group allowed over there and they were preaching in small groups.
As for whether China will open up to the religion. GOD LET'S HOPE NOT!
I think before we open our encyclopedias and think of fortune cookies and tight-knit family ties, and how these would be obstacles to the WTS tentacles, it is worth remembering that Hong Kong has a good JW base. Have you seen one of the WTS videos where they featured a district convention in HK? Not exactly a tree-house size club over there you know.
I know JWs have been able to establish themselves over there before the 1997 Handover, but we're not talking from the political angle anymore. I'm talking about how the Chinese culture does not necessarily give Chinese people immunity towards religion. Doesn't matter if their families have closer ties or that they respect older people more or that they have a friendlier view of religion (which isn't true for all Mainland chinese cos I've met staunchly atheist Chinese who feel religion is just a gimmick), I don't perceive culture as a strong defense against the twisted reasonings of the WTS.
INQ
What has been the strong defense so far - it is 2006 but they dont appear to have had any significant impact?
unlikely --- but any success at all will be highly touted and blown out of perspective by the WT promotion machine. -Eduardo
As far as I know Chinese people have a conviction even though most of them are raised as communists. Their belief is that you should not reject any God that might be there. I mean, if they come into contact with a new religion (for example JW oder other) they are friendly against this 'new' God because they want to show respect for this God.But this attitude is shown everytime they get to know a new religion. So they are willing to hear the 'good news', but they are not willing to become Jehovah's Witnesses.
That's a good point Ivy. I've found the same when talking to chinese friends.
My grandmothers congregation has quite a large chinese percentage which are mostly students from the local university. They have a special chinese group study and many of the cong are learning chinese and some have gone to missionaries in china. From what I can gather though the interested chinese attending are constantly changing and they go for a few months and then stop. The in-joke is that they just go to improve their english. I don't think that's true though, I think they are genuinely interested in learning something new about the JW god and are also enticed by a friendly face and the prospect of being part of a large group of friends in a foreign land.
As for China itself I think JW's could make inroads in some of the large cities but not in the countryside as that's a different world altogether. There are a lot of chinese disillusioned with their own govn't and religions and would probably swap one authoratative regime for another quite happily. The caveat is that this can only happen if they receive a state mandate for preaching and practicing their religion (which I very much doubt will happen) as vitually everything is state controlled and has to be ok'ed by the local communist party representative in every town and village.
The Chinese seem resistant to anything that is American - apart from the dollar, which they are stockpiling billions of.
Any attempt by the American inspired Watchtower Society to challenge the authority of Chinese power would be resisted.
The chinese seem resistant to anything American
Resistant to anything American apart, of course, from Backstreet Boys: Chinese Backstreet Boys
They have a history of targeting the poor. China has a large poor population. 1 billion plus people all looking for something better.
Makes me sick!!
Thank You for welcoming me, Serendipity.
When I was still in the cong (in the 90s) I heared that the chinese government has implemented christian religion into the school schedule. And for this education they use the book "My book with bible stories" (the yellow one, I do not know the english title).
Some weeks ago our chinese interpreter, a girl of about 23 years, was visiting our company and my parents (dubs) told her about Jehovah and Jehovah's Witnesses. She knew the name of God is Jehovah because she had learned it from this very book. I emphasize, she is NOT studying with JW, but she has used this book in school.
Can anyone confirm, that the WTS has furnished China with this book?
Ivy Walker
