Does anyone know the curent understanding on Chess for JWs?

by BU2B 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  BU2B

  I seem to remember Chess was frowned upon by some JWs. Is this like the Oral/Anal sex policy? Just ignore it and hope it goes away..
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  sir82

  There was an Awake article condemning it for being "warlike" in the early 70's but I don't recall anything about it since.

  I've never heard a JW express anything negative about it, nor about those who play it.
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  Magwitch

  If it is fun then it must be wrong
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  Gopher

  They did have one article on chess in the 3/22/1973 Awake saying chess is a war game and that the readers of the magazine need to be cautious when considering playing it.

  Later (I don't remember the year) they had an Awake article covering games in general, and chess was mentioned in a favorable light there.
  
  As far as I know, they have had no comment on chess since the 2nd article. So their latest word is that it's okay for "Christians". (Of course, they are free to change their mind again and decide to take away another innocent pastime.)
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  EndofMysteries

  Thanks for that, I'll add this to my report on JW control of EVERYTHING. Here are some WT quotes on chess

  "However, pitting one mind against another, with the element of chance eliminated entirely, tends to stir up a competitive spirit in chess players. In fact, chess is frequently characterized as an ‘intellectualized fight.’ For example, dethroned world chess champion Boris Spassky noted: “By nature I do not have a combative urge. . . . But in chess you have to be a fighter, and of necessity I became one.

  The spirit of competition in chess may be stirred to fever pitch, which is reflected in chess players’ attitudes and language. “There’s no comparison in any other sport in the attempt to destroy your opponent’s psyche,” explains chess player Stuart Marguiles. “I never have heard anybody say that he beat his opponent. It’s always that he smashed, squished, murdered or killed him.”

  But, nevertheless, the spirit of competition between players can lead to unpleasant consequences, as the New York Times last summer reported: “Most families manage to keep the inevitable conflicts that arise in games to the chessboard. But in some homes, tensions linger long past checkmate.”

  However, there is something else regarding chess that deserves consideration.
  Relation to War
  This is the game’s military connotations, which are obvious. The opposing forces are called “the enemy.” These are “attacked” and “captured”; the purpose being to make the opposing king “surrender.”
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  BU2B

  This is the game’s military connotations, which are obvious. The opposing forces are called “the enemy.” These are “attacked” and “captured”; the purpose being to make the opposing king “surrender.”

  If this is bad, how can reading about all of "Gods" wars in the OT be ok? The entire OT is full of graphic accounts of warfare. Even still, they talk about suits of armor, closing ranks, fighting a war against satan and his demons... Their whole dogma is steeped in war refrences
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  confusedandalone

  My mother refer to chess as a wargame. Asked us why would we want to emulate war. Remember, anyone loving violence Jehovah hates
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  Londo111

  Chess was frowned upon in my home as well. I learned to play it on my computer, but not very well.
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  Tech49

  Ahhhh, the game of chess. Truly a very unique game, one that I learned early in my youth, played frequently, and continue to cherish.

  Later on in life, I began to really appreciate the way that the game teaches you to think ahead, anticipate your oponent's moves, and to understand the consequences of your own moves...how every action has a reaction that forces another reaction, and so on and so on.

  I dont play much anymore, but the ornate glass set that lives on my coffee table is a constant reminder of critical thinking.

  And the 2 Kings are sporting ENORMOUS crosses. I have had many a JW admire them......And nobody says a word..... just sayin...
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  Gopher

  Couldn't chess be justified by the JW's as preparation for their "spiritual warfare"? After all, they're constantly talking about how JW's are in a kind of spiritual warfare with "Satan's system".