Jehovah's Witness bogus NEUTRALITY claims during war examined

by Terry 21 Replies latest watchtower scandals

Terry

This detailed article presents a large number of give and take propositions, suppositions and conjectures.
It challenges Ray Franz chapter in Crises of Conscience on JW policy for Mexico/Malawi, et al.
http://settingtherecordstraight.wordpress.com/category/ray-franzs-conscience-not-really-in-crisis/
The important fact missing from the consideration and analysis is that the Watchtower Society PRIVATELY advised draft age brothers who were facing Draft problems.
I was personally taken aside, for example, by the Congregation overseer and his assistant to the Kingdom Hall library.
The imprisonment of Watchtower officials at the end of WWI led to a necessary policy of private counsel so that nothing in writing would lead to another
confrontation with the Federal Government. Back then, letters to and from brothers serving in the armed forces became material evidence leading to the prosecution of Rutherford and the others.
The boiler plate "reason" given for military refusal is one of NEUTRALITY. Neutrality is a fabricated issue for christians. The bible does not discuss, counsel or exemplify such neutrality.
The Early Church between the death of Jesus and the rise of Constantine viewed Roman military conscription as a moral iniquity. Their's was a stand on the principle of "love" and non-violence. What was there to be NEUTRAL about?
If christians are NEUTRAL about warfare it would indicate they DO NOT TAKE A STAND either pro or con.
Be that as it may, when I was about to appear before the Draft Board the congregation leaders made clear to me what the "approved" course of action required.
I was to go AS FAR AS POSSIBLE in complying (which would include going for my Armed Forces medical exam) but I was NOT to report for duty.
Failure to report for duty would violate Federal Law!
At that point I would be arrested and charged with failure to comply; a serious crime punishable by 5 years in prison.
The in's and out's of MANEUVERING were also explained to me by the congregation's leaders.
I COULD NOT accept "Alternate Service" which was the normal provision of Federal law for Conscientious Objectors!
The U.S. law does not require people with religious OR conscientious problems with serving in the military. Did you know that?
Watchtower policy went beyond any neutral position in regard to NON-military participation in civilian hospital duty.
ILLOGICALLY civilian community service was deliberately set up as a NO NO so that the brother JW would be forced to make a public stand.
The crazy logic behind the Society's own "exemption" is mind-boggling.
If the judge SENTENCED a JW to community service they COULD accept!
But, if the Selective Service made the legal provision of directing you to the hospital work YOU REFUSED!
Do you see any difference?
Clearly, "Caesar's things to Caesar" exemplifies the fact the Superior Authorities have the god-granted right to exercise control over christians up to a point. JW's were denied the possibility of rendering community service to Caesar at all!
My copy of Make Sure of All Things at the time still had the WRONG view previously held by the Society, by the way: Jehovah and Jesus as the Superior Authorities instead of what all of Christendom had said all along: Governments, Kings, Secular rulers.
MAKING A PUBLIC SPECTACLE of the "righteous" religious views of the Jw was good propaganda or "window-dressing".
The brothers in Mexico, the brothers in the U.S. and the brothers in Malawi were all Jehovah's Witnesses, but, under different regimes, customs and laws.
NEUTRALITY had nothing whatever to do with their problems versus the local government service. It was OBSTINANCE directed from Watchtower headquarters.
Jesus demonstrated the correct principle to observe when there is a conflict between strict observance of religious code and the practical consideration for life.

Matthew 12:11-21
New International Version (NIV)

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
DOING GOOD was more important than a strict observance of the Law of Moses on the Sabbath!!
A Pharisee would likely want to stone such a man to death for the infraction with no exceptions or exemptions being considered!
So too, the Watchtower leaders clearly were NOT of the same mind as Jesus.
Jesus never counseled NEUTRALITY. Morality is making definite choices. Choices that involve DOING GOOD are principled choices.
Had I accepted the Selective Service requirement of community service and worked in Terrell state hospital instead of idling away my time in Prison I'd have been DOING GOOD.
Neutrality is no excuse for a failure to DO GOOD.
thetrueone

A sad and unfortunately story to tell to be sure.
It appears that the WTS. were more concerned about pushing their own prevailing powers on to their adherents and not paying
much empathy or consideration toward these individuals.
You could draw the conclusion that having any of their own followers put in jail, as a presentation of persecution in the end times dogma.
The WTS. leaders at the time were too old to be conscripted into the army, so they had nothing really to worry about.
The WTS. might have partially been using this situation to support their stance on not being involved in any outside government affairs.
(Satan's world rule) but I think it was more about exploiting a situation to purposely highlighting
" god's chosen people being persecuted at the time of the end "
Sort of a self identifying vehicle but they weren't the ones who had to face going to prison for years
How could they they had more future articles to write about the world coming to an end.
Terry

Fortunately, in the U.S. we no longer have a Draft to worry about. But, young men AND women of age are required to register.
Seems to me a bit of Theocratic "Warfare" back in the day would have been to advise privately NOT to register in the 1st place and all the
other considerations would be rendered moot. But, there is nothing practical about any of the reasoning involved. It is Pharisee thinking all the way.
truth_b_known

To add insult to injury, some 20 years after the Vietnam conflict, the Watch Tower Society reversed it's position on alternative service. How many young brother had their life ruined by unnecessarily serving prison terms? 1 is 1 too many.
Further, the whole neutrality thing is a made up doctrine based on a group opinion. You know the typical line of thinking where some how the Watchtower takes a scripture and goes from square one to square four without blinking an eye. That is to say:
1) Jesus said his kingdom is no part of this world so christians should not get involved in politics. Those who claim this also boldy state that Jesus did not start ruling until 1914 and that was only in heaven. They're still waiting for his return.
2) A prophesy in the old testament says nations in the future"will learn war no more" and some how that means worshippers of Jehovah will not "learn war"now.
3) Thou shall not murder is turned into "You shall not kill" which is actually two different things.
From all of that we are to believe christians should not participate in war.
"Well, Jesus said the second greatest law is to love your neighbor. Is it showing love to kill your neighbor in war?" you will most definately hear. In response I say, "Is it loving to let someone be killed when you could have done something to stop it? King David was praised for his military conquests and those praises were recorded in the Bible. If something such as participating in war were so wrong why would Jehovah allow such things to be recorded for generations to read? Why wasn't the nation of Israel punished for this if it were so wrong?"
N.drew

They encourage obstinacy toward the government but if you should show a hint of it IN the congregation YOU ARE OUT.
Terry

Reminds me of the Catholic Church. Generations of Catholics were threatened with Hell if they ate meat and not fish on Friday. Then, one day, it all went away. Too bad, so sad....
Comply. Obey. But, whatever you do; DON'T THINK or ask questions.
thetrueone

JWS are conscripted to not to think, (they) the WTS. will do your thinking for you .
Your responsibility is to act upon their thinking with respectful subservient devotion ,
like you were listening to god himself.
Well that how they've conveniently arranged things for themselves
Band on the Run

I'm confused. What is their present position concerned c.o. status? Where is the principled stance between c.o. as alternative to prison, a conviction, and c.o. to not engage in violence. Personally, I do see that c.o. status backs the military. It frees military personnel to do more military things and less admininstrative.
I must also say that I am curious as to whether J.W. brothers sentenced during Viet Nam had any association with other secular draft resisters.
Personally, I grew up during the Cold War. There was a vast difference between the U.S. and Soviet Russia. Indeed, between the Allied and Axis governments. Americans walked around with a sense of entitlement towards the First Amendment. How could Bethel have existed in Moscow or Beijing? I thought Jesus was capable of seeing the difference. Maybe not a demoted Jesus.
N.drew

according to Luke 3:14 the Bible implies that a person can be baptized and repentent but still be military.
Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, "And what about us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages."
thetrueone

If you read the bible god's chosen people were always killing people from other tribes and yes god approved and sanctioned those very killings.
God himself killed many people as well.
One time he even killed all the human inhabitants in the world with the exception of only one single family.
All for no practical or purposeful reason whatsoever.
And by what you hear from many worshiping followers of this god, he's going to
kill a whole bunch more very soon.
I think he's quite OK with it as long after the killing you kneel and prey to him "Lord I do this in your name
and of your son's name, Jesus Christ" .... Amen

Jehovah's Witness bogus NEUTRALITY claims during war examined

Matthew 12:11-21

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