To further get into the Society's 'mind set' on race, consider the following 1954 Wt article. Could any Africans present (if any) tell us how much things have improved over the past 47 years?
Nic'
*** w54 6/1 349-50 The Mind of the African ***
The Mind of the African
By a Watchtower Society missionary in South Africa
TO a certain extent it remains true that a European is unable to fathom or understand the mind of the African. In the Union the subject becomes further complicated by the fact that the natives vary so much in environment and extent of civilized education. The three major divisions, aside from various tribes, center around environment (1) in the cities and towns, (2) on the Europeans' farms, (3) in the native reserves.
In spite of the European colonization of South Africa since 1652 it is remarkable how the African culture and mind, even "town Africans," have resisted change to and acceptance of the white man's mind. Several factors have thwarted real changes: (1) the Europeans' "segregation" policy has isolated the African from social intercourse; (2) deeply rooted heathen customs and superstitions; (3) loyalty to their patriarchal society; (4) antipathy to and suspicion of the conquering and exploiting white masters; (5) growing African nationalism.
All of Jehovah's ways are love. Love in completeness has marked all God's dealings with his creatures. Love among the members of the New World society is what will bind them to Jehovah the Theocrat and to all fellow men gaining everlasting life. Truly, then, the mental outlook or "mind of Christ" must be searched out and adopted. This requires all of Adam's condemned and selfish children to "make their minds over." Just as the Israelites of Jesus' day had certain advantages over men of the nations outside, so, also today Christendom has had some advantages over heathendom, in that she has had greater access to Jehovah's written Word and from time to time has been witness to the acts of faith and love on the part of sincere God-fearing men. While the African may have started with disadvantages of this kind, in this humble, childlike way he is now progressing rapidly in Jehovah's undeserved kindness and mercy.
The great disadvantage the African has faced is that love has been quite unknown to him. An accurate knowledge of God's existence, and how he 'becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him,' has been lacking to him. The Africans have been victims of demonism, and the religious side of their mind viewed supernatural matters and spiritual things in a way that never inculcated love. Satan's immortality lie exerts a deep and wholly misleading basis for their belief in the departed "spirits of the forefathers," who can help them or punish them, depending on the suffrages of the living. Moreover, there has been a mind to "do business" with such "spirits," not on a basis of love for them, but based on fear and gaining a material advantage in exchange for prescribed animal sacrifices. Cruel witch doctors have been the unloving agents.
Just as the preaching of Bible truth enables the African to 'renew his mind' concerning the true and living God, so also it leads him to view in a Christian light his moral obligations toward fellow man. The family relationship that Jehovah set up and that his Son expounded and Jesus' disciples put into operation among early Christians is difficult for the African mind to grasp, because it is based on proper love. Instead of cherishing and loving each other, the binding tie is mostly a material bond. The man, or rather the man's "village," bought him his wife or wives. The dowry or bride price among the Zulus is lobola. Educated Africans try to apologize for this basis for marriage and family relationship, but the fact remains that lobola effectively numbs the expression and cultivation of true love. The motive for having and rearing children is mainly a materialistic one. The daughters will be "sold" for lobola, and the sons will, through purchase of wives and rearing of children, "build up the village" numerically.
With the breaking up of the restraint imposed through the harsh retaliation under the patriarchal social system, the African has been thrown into the twentieth century without any part of "the complete suit of armor from God." The breakdown in African morals is quickening toward complete chaos. Most municipal areas for Africans are overcrowded, unsanitary, poorly lighted and filled with immorality, vice, sickness, housebreaking, fighting, drunkenness, riot and political agitation. The policy of the present government is to resort to strong-arm methods of cruelty, more police, heavier sentences.
The New World organization, thanks to Jehovah, is provided with the "weapons of the light" and has the only successful program for renovating the mind and clothing its subjects with a changed personality conformed to Christ Jesus, the Head. Secular education, admittedly, has failed to inculcate love. False religion, likewise, has failed to teach and follow true Christian principles, and the African has not been deeply impressed by what is so often hypocritical and partial. True religion, which does not make distinctions but which operates on the basis of love and abounds in the "fruitage of the spirit," wins his approval, respect, sympathy and co-operation. The African mind has one obvious characteristic: it is childish and imitative. The visits of African circuit servants are doing much to set a good example. What could help much would be for African brothers to mix socially with the European brothers. This is ruled out by the strict segregation arrangements in South Africa.
All of Jehovah's slaves in South Africa rejoice to do what he commands toward assisting men of good will there to come out of darkness into his marvelous light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://communities.msn.co.uk/altJehovahsWitnesses
