Hi there, new to the board. I was raised a JW but as I got older I started thinking for myslef and now I am at the point where I need to figure out what I believe in. Sorry the intro is so short(kinda busy) Please help! Thanks!
Why cant JW's be police officers?
by pepperdoodles 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Purza
Welcome pepperdoodles!
I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong -- but I think it has to do with carrying a gun. Life is sacred and you cannot take someone's life -- even if it is in the line of duty. My memory is poor, but I thought there was a WT article about it in the 70s and they gave the JW cops at that time a certain amount of time to find another career?
Purza
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pepperdoodles
Yeah I found that article, it says 6 months. It this biblically sound teaching in your opinion?
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Spectre
Because if a witness was to ever shoot someone, he would be "blood guilty". I remember someone being counceled that they shouldn't take a job as an air-traffic controller because if anything ever went wrong and planes crashed, they would be blood guilty.
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OUTLAW
Police Officers have to arrest "Pediphiles"...OUTLAW
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pepperdoodles
Wouldn't I still be blood guilty for not preventing a suspect from killing an innocent citizen?
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Spectre
If someone breaks into your house and threatens you, you can protect yourself. To take a life though is supposed to be a last resort. I remember that just the act of carrying a gun shows that one is ready to take a life. There was a big push in the congregations that I attended to not even own a gun.
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pepperdoodles
Well as a police officer, of course taking someone's life is a last resort. I hope I never have to do that. True, by carrying a gun that would indicate that I am "ready to take a life", but if someone were to break into my home and I felt threatened, I could use a number of things as a weapon. I just don't see why they look down on it so bad. They are always telling my wife that I should still go to meetings even though I am a police officer. They never bring up why it is "bad" though.
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Spectre
Awww....I see. Of course they want you to go now so they can convert you. Then they would tell you that you would have to choose your job or them.
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unclebruce
Rutherford hated cops more than anything else
In the early 1980's there was Watchtower article prohibiting JW's from owning firearms.