Malawi Party Card, Scans and comment

by BluesBrother 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  sabastious

  Welcome Igot2bme!

  -Sab
• 

  cofty

  Hi Igot2bme - welcome
• 

  FlyingHighNow

  Welcome I Got To Be Me. Who is your husband. I'm lost with just the initials.
• 

  rebel8

  Fascinating.

  I agree the wording does not sound objectionable, even from a 1970s jw point of view.

  If the meaning of the card was so pedestrian, why kill over it though? Did it actually have greater significance?
• 

  Snoozy

  Would love to see a comparison/copy of the Mexican political party card at that time also..

  Snoozy..
• 

  Snoozy

  I found what I think is a very interesting and question raising article about the card in Mexico..put some questions and doubts in my mind about the statements of ex JW's on the subject. Any further info would be appreciated!

  http://settingtherecordstraight.wordpress.com/category/ray-franzs-conscience-not-really-in-crisis

  The opening statement:

  The Truth About the Mexican Military and Jehovah’s Witnesses

  1.0 INTRODUCTION

  We all know the story that Ray Franz tells and how Don Cameron and friends merely echo the story without ever taking time to even research it for themselves. Whatever anyone says negative about Jehovah’s Witnesses is always accepted by these apostapposers without question. Facts? Research? No way. Lets take the story and run with it. Lets throw out any and everything we hear and see what sticks. Truth is of no importance, only discrediting JWs is important.

  Of course, they have as usual done this with the Mexico military identification card and JWs. Franz says it, and apostates everywhere like Don Cameron repeats it in their books or on their websites or on discussion boards never bothering to research anything about it. Well a little research reveals the truth that they have omitted.

  Proof of what I write here is taken from many sites including these:

  Pull the link up to read more... Snoozy..
• 

  Snoozy

  This is the ex JW view of what happened..according to the JW facts site:

  this is the link to the article:

  http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/malawi-mexico-oath-allegiance.php

  The beginning of the article:

  Malawi, Mexico, Oath of Allegiance

  Religion becomes most culpable when its rules lead to the death of its followers. In ancient times this was as blatant as human sacrifice; in modern times it is subtler, such as forbidding medical treatment. Graphic representation of this in Watchtower history has been the devastating torture and murder of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Malawi during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Most disturbing is that the doctrine enforced in Malawi is misguided and was not applied consistently in different countries.
  
  When reading Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz, chapter 6 titled “Double Standards” disturbed me more than any other. Here was explained how a Watchtower doctrinal principle that lead to the torture and death of 1000’s of Malawian Witnesses was excused for those in Mexico. Malawian Witnesses suffered unspeakable atrocities due to following the Watchtower’s illogical policy forbidding them to hold a political card in a one party state. During the same period, Witnesses in Mexico were permitted to bribe officials for a Cartilla card in order to escape military service.
  
  This article outlines this blight on Watchtower history. It is one of the most distressing aspects of Watchtower leadership and has led many Witnesses to re-evaluate the wisdom of ascribing spirit direction to the Governing Body and following them without question.

  Snoozy
• 

  Spade

  Only a sick minded individual would blame those striving to be politically neutral instead of blaming the totalitarian government. The problem lies with extremist governments that threaten civilians, not with those that choose not to comply with totalitarian governments. Would you also blame Rutherford for Nazi persecution? The United States Holocaust Museum does not.
  
  http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005433
  
  Initially, leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses sought to find a way to work with the Nazi government. In October 1934, the leadership sent a letter to the Reich government, explaining the Witnesses' core beliefs and their commitment to political neutrality. The letter stated that Jehovah's Witnesses "have no interest in political affairs, but are wholly devoted to God's Kingdom under Christ His King." German authorities responded with economic and political harassment. Witnesses who continued to missionize or who refused to participate in Nazi organizations lost their jobs and their unemployment and social welfare benefits, or were arrested.
  
  In response to Nazi efforts to destroy the group, Jehovah's Witnesses became an island of spiritual resistance to the Nazi demand for absolute German commitment to the state. The International Society of Jehovah's Witnesses fully and publicly supported the efforts of its brethren in Germany. At an international convention in Lucerne, Switzerland, in September 1936, Witness delegates from all over the world passed a resolution severely condemning the Nazi regime. The international organization also produced literature denouncing Nazi persecution of Jews, Communists, and Social Democrats, criticizing the remilitarization of Germany and the Nazification of its schools and universities, and attacking the Nazi assault on organized religion.
• 

  Snoozy

  Talk is cheap..do you really think all that did any good?

  In response to Nazi efforts to destroy the group, Jehovah's Witnesses became an island of spiritual resistance to the Nazi demand for absolute German commitment to the state. The International Society of Jehovah's Witnesses fully and publicly supported the efforts of its brethren in Germany. At an international convention in Lucerne, Switzerland, in September 1936, Witness delegates from all over the world passed a resolution severely condemning the Nazi regime. The international organization also produced literature denouncing Nazi persecution of Jews, Communists, and Social Democrats, criticizing the remilitarization of Germany and the Nazification of its schools and universities, and attacking the Nazi assault on organized religion
• 

  dinah

  I remember Malawi and the letter writing going on the late 70's, too. This is one the absolute most upsetting things I learned from reading C of C.

  Me too, Flyin'. I was born in 1968 but I VIVIDLY remember the horror stories from Malawi. I remember going home from the meeting as a pre-school child scared shitless. THIS was what we could expect in the near future! And we might be called upon to stand up for Jehoover in the same manner. THEN to read that the Mexican witnesses could just pay an official and get a military card and avoid prison.

  Remember how many were sent to prison during the WW2 and Viet Nam era in the United States?

  They make me SICK!