Would American Witnesses Really Die For Their Beliefs?

by Dune 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Dune

  Back in March 2002, right after 9/11, a few elders took me and some other congregation youth to a March Madness game. As with any American sport, the national anthem is played before the game starts. Growing up, i've been to school pep rallies, assemblies, games and I never stood up for any of the anthems/pledges (nothing ever happened, my friends just called me a 'commie'), so i was suprised when the elder gets up, leans over and says that I should probably stand up, which i did. Later on, he did some damage control and told me that because of the state that the country was in after the terrorist attacks, it wouldn't have been wise to continue to stay seated.

  At the time, this got me thinking, If an elder would stand up because of fear of being attacked by a mob of basketball fans, what was the difference between foregoing 'christian neutrality' because of circumstances and preserving your life through a blood transfusion or signing a sheet of paper that says you will no longer be consider yourself a jehovah's witness?

  I don't want to single out American Witnesses, but as one, i always heard 'encouraging' stories of brothers & sisters in far away lands perservering after being persecuted for their beliefs. But when i REALLY thought about it, if push REALLY came to shove, i would have taken that blood transfusion, i would have signed that sheet of paper if it meant that i wouldn't get hurt, jailed or killed. Granted, there are hundreds of witnesses who've been killed, jailed or attacked for their beliefs, but I always thought that if you suddenly took away the rights and the priviledges that we as Americans enjoyed and we learned that we simply had to renounce our faith, i along with many other witnesses would have left in a heartbeat.

  What do you guys think? Am i going somewhere with this or was my faith just that weak and i was bound to end up on this forum?
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  leavingwt

  When I was a JW, I would have refused blood and died. I was more fearful of being dead forever, than just being dead until the resurrection into the Paradise Earth.

  -LWT
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  sir82

  I suspect that if "push came to shove", many many Witnesses would not become martyrs. There is a ton of anecdotal evidence, from people in and around the healthcare industry, of JWs who secretly pull the doctor aside, just before surgery, and say "listen, if things get really serious in there, go ahead and administer the blood...just don't tell anyone."

  I don't think it is an "American" thing, however. I think, at least subconsciously, all JWs are becoming more cynical toward their religion's beliefs, and would have no problem compromising if no one else would ever find out. I think it is a factor of time (no Armageddon for 130 years and counting) and background (most JWs today are "born-ins" - who I suspect would be less fervent than someone who was converted from outside).
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  Homerovah the Almighty

  Many do, some wont, thats the fact of the matter and a sad one.

  Its been estimated that @ 100 JWS die needlessly every year due mostly to not taking a blood transfusion.

  There are many of these medical situations that do not make it to the media around the world.

  Even more dismaying is parents are with holding BT from their sick children causing them to parish.

  And no the parents have made that choice not the children, contrary to what the WTS. has proclaimed.
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  Kosonen

  Well, many witnesses do not want to be disfellowshiped. Even when they have seen in the Bible, that the Watchtower-society do not teach the truth in all matters. They rather stay in the lie, than expose it and to avoid facing persecution from the congregation (get disfellowshiped). I think every witness has found something that is wrong in the Watchtower-teaching, in direct opposition to what is written in the Bible. But mostly they just quietly sit and wait, without saying a thing for years. Is that not cowardice? I think the elders are best in this. They have the ampliest knowledge. But they do nothing to correct matters.

  No wonder that today's elders fit to the picture about bad shepards that only think about themselves. And how to please the govering body. No wonder that Bethel more often has a bad connotation in the Bible.
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  BurnTheShips

  Would American Witnesses Really Die For Their Beliefs?

  Many are true believers, and would die for their beliefs.

  BTS
• 

  blondie

  Notice how the WTS just adjusted the story in their favor.

  *** w82 7/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

  In TheWatchtower of April 15, 1982, page 26, paragraph 19, it states that in the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Gbarnga, Liberia, in March 1963, a few compromised but the majority maintained their integrity. However, the Yearbook for 1977 states that the majority compromised their faith. Why this discrepancy?

  The statement in TheWatchtower for April 15, 1982, is in error. Actually, according to the Yearbook of 1977, pages 176 and 178, there were about 100 Liberian Witnesses who went through the Gbarnga persecution maintaining integrity, while approximately 200 compromised their faith.

  Of course, if we were to take the combined, worldwide picture of the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it will certainly be established beyond doubt that by far the great majority have proved faithful under persecution, and only a relatively small minority have compromised their faith.
• 

  jaguarbass

  I've even know one personally, a brother in law a new recruit of less than a year

  who refused treatment for lukemia because it would involve some sort of transfusion.

  He died within a week of being diagnosed.

  There is something about our wiring as sheeple to die for causes and to sacrafice ourselves

  to be heros in the eyes of other dingbats.

  It's not just religion look at all the young people that have died in the millitary in the

  last 8 years because Bushy Boy was too stupid to know that he was to stupid to understand his

  intelligence briefing.

  These soldiers think they are dying for some grand purpose.

  They are dying because there dumb young and fulll of cum,

  and the man is thining the heard.
• 

  shopaholic

  Personally if it came down to it, I would have taken the transfusion or bought the party card or signed the religious resignation letter even was I was active JW. I figured if Jehovah was such a loving God he would forgive. When reading the life stories of folks dying because they didn't sign a letter resigning from the JW, I used to think they should have signed it and the oppression was over, just go back to the KH.

  I do believe Americans are less likely to die for their beliefs than other countries. That's why JWs in other countries are always praying for their American "brothers".
• 

  Nathan Natas

  I find this elder's conduct to be revealing of a spinal deficiency on his part.

  During the first and second world wars, Bible Students and JWs were beaten, tarred & feathered and killed. A few even killed their persecutors. Many went to prison for their beliefs. The AWAKE! published a special issue about children who died for their parent's beliefs about blood.

  As was said, the JWs are a "true believer" breeding ground.

  I faced the possibility of prison during the Vietnam war, but pioneered and was "blessed by Jehovah." Many of my brethren here were not as lucky as I was. I'm glad I didn't have to face any life-or-death issues when I was a JW, because I would have chosen to die rather than yield my integrity to the Universal Sovreign.

  What a misguided and unfortunate waste that would have been!

  Today's Witnesses are pussies, and Rutherford would have spat them out of his mouth.