Jehovah's Witnesses and Race/Culture (page 2)

DesirousOfChange

One poster yesterday talked about how the Watchtower attempts to whitewash or force everyone to conform to white western cultural norms.

Isn't that because once attaining perfection everyone in the New World will be caucasian Europeans?

Just like Adam & Eve and Jesus? (And, BTW without beards.)

The curse against Ham &/or Cush will be removed and their coloured decendants will "turn white"?

Doc

(Yeah, I know this sounds ludicrous, but I think it really was early JW doctrine. Someone can set the matter straight.)

problemaddict

KHM,

While not black myself, my congregation was very mixed, and I moved to Long Beach at one point and was in a predominaltly black congregation for years.

So I empathize with your statements. There is a sub culture within the JW culture that is the black JW culture. It is distrustful of leadership, but takes care of its own. It secretly rejoices when Sam Heard is appointed, or Ralph Walls gets more responsability. Black men of oversight in bethel pick out black applicants, and white pick out white. All of this I know first hand although of course it is not universal.

Remember, every "celebrity" JW of note, is black. Why is that? About 24% of the org in the USA is black. Way higher than population %. In fact that is the highest percentage outside of southern baptist traditionally black churches (like the one your family goes to no doubt).

So to me the really important question is, what is it about his religion that is so appealing to black men and women.

Thoughts?

WTWizard

There is no culture within the jokehovians, except give up all identity so you can pious-sneer. This is equally disrespectable for black culture as for white culture, destroying both. While they claim they respect everyone, they in fact disregard everything.

Band on the Run

I thought that mostly black women were Witnesses. The figures shock me. What can attract black men? Perhaps the ability to play leader without much eeducation. I don't know a single black male who would last one meeting. There are so many vibrant black churches in this area. I would attend lectures by civil rights leaders. The churches had beautiful architecture and were well-maintaned. Windows existed.

HeyThere

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/black-skin.php

Watchtower 1904 February 15 pp.52-53

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin?” “What the Ethiopian cannot do for himself God could readily do for him. The difference between the races of men and the differences between their languages have long been arguments against the solidarity of the human family. The doctrine of restitution has also raised the question. How could all men be brought to perfection and which color of skin was the original? The answer is now provided. God can change the Ethiopian’s skin in his own due time. Prof. H. A. Edwards, Supt. of Schools in Slater, Mo., has written for the public press an elaborate description of how Julius Jackson, of New Frankfurt, Mo., a negro boy of nine years, began to grow white in September, 1901, and is now fully nine-tenths white. He assures us that this is no whitish skin disease; but that the new white skin is as healthy as that of any white boy, and that the changed boy has never been sick and never has taken medicines”

Proper food at the proper time

jam

The freinds I knew in the borg race was never a problem as

for as I know. The first two years as a JW I severed in a

predominantly black congregation, the rest of

the time I served in a predominantly white congregation.

I viewed all my brothers as brothers, and I would have died for them.

I learn a lot about race relations. I knew a brother that was in the

KKK, we talk for hours, he still had some issues (blacks not in borg).

I knew blacks that still had issues with the white brothers, some

were Elders.. For me I cherish the time I spent with the white, native

Americans, Spanish brothers (I stayed with in mexico),Maya brothers

and their sadistic jokes (LOL), the brothers is Belize that faces the

same issues with different cultures in that small country.

As a result of our time in the borg my sons had a difficult time

making the adjustment from JW world.

In our house the kids had no idea who was staying the night,(what race)

race was never an issue it didn't matter, I really believe we were brothers.

Focus

Wasn't always that way, jam. The quotes from Russell are well-known, and conduct under Rutherford and Knorr revealed that very often, scratch the skin and one found a racist, even by the standards of their times.

For the last 40 years, it increasingly suits the WTS to be positively pro-black, pro-Hispanic, pro-other as these communities (due to relatively poor access to the internet and thus information) yield it the greatest number of victims.

__

Focus

("True Understanding" Class)

HiddlesWife

WT's WHQ (especially in Wawick, NY) is still presently teeming with a great amount/number of Caucasian brothers and sisters. During a very recent tour there, I noticed approximately 6 African-Americans, 3 Latinx and 2 East Asians; everyone else who was identified as part of the Bethel Family was white.

It seems like no matter whatever the amount of R&FOC (which is a big amount) in the BORG, the GB still has their personal picks of who works within and alongside them at WHQ.

https://jwfacts.com/images/governing-body-watchtower-2013-july-15-p26.jpg

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20151015/helpers-governing-body-committees/

fulano

The jw is a white and AMERICAN religion, many things are even considered weird for us europeans, but god is american, not a DJ.

Simon

It's not just the Watchtower though is it? Black churches seem to be much livelier places than many of the white ones which tend to be more "conservative". Is it because black churches are baptist and rooted in gospel choirs etc.. while white churches are based on protestantism and general disdain for anything with a beat?

I don't know - I just know I'd rather attend a gospel show than sit through some dour pastor droning on.

Jehovah's Witnesses and Race/Culture

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