neutrality

by enoughisenough 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Terry

  
  
  reply to the post:
  

  TonusOH24 minutes ago

  I think it began as a way of codifying the stance against military service. I'm not sure when or how it was extended to activities like voting or serving on any sort of political body.
  
  ______________Here is my reply to the post:
  
  
  Rome and War went together like forks and knives.
  When Christians were invited to join the feast - they refused!
  
  Constantine must have exclaimed, "I've got the unruly Christian unified by he Apostles Creed, but now I have to deal with their CONSCIENCES."
  
  The solution was the drafting of a theory of war that made it acceptable to Christian boys and men.
  A brilliant fella by the name of AUGUSTINE drafted a lovely "get out of jail free" proposition.
  
  THE JUST WAR THEORY
  I'll keep it dead simple.
  Romans 13 really means: if your government tells you to kill - you must obey but it isn't counted against you as a Christian because God gave the go-ahead to the Gentile Authority.

  
  You see, when the government and religion are both on the same page, it is THEOCRACY.
  The Superior Authority says, "Jump" and you ask, "How far?"
  The Superior Authority says, "Kill." and you say, "Bang, you're dead."
  
  There was no NEUTRALITY ISSUE because no CONSCIENCE was troubled.
  
  Not until Protestants broke from the Catholic authority was CONSCIENCE reborn!
  It was every man for himself once again.
  
  Lots of denominations had run-ins with various governments over conscience. It took many hundreds of
  years to come up with solutions.
  The U.S. came up with ALTERNATE COMMUNITY SERVICE.
  This worked quite well - except for the fake consciences of Jehovah's Witnesses who
  were told they were under a different Theocracy. Do as the GB says - not the Superior Authority.
  
  
  
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  peacefulpete

  Terry has said it well. I'll add 2 cents by reminding everyone that Jewish history is a nonstop record of war. War and Judaism go together like forks and knives as well. Christianity spawned in Jewish waters but was largely a 'Gentile" faith that eclipsed national identity. To the extent that some early Christians refused military service it was out of concern they might kill fellow Christians. Ask, what NT passage forbids enlisting in the military? None

  Ironically it was Christians in the Roman Army that resulted in Constantine's conversion and the worldwide spread of the religion. Even as early as Marcus Aurelius (161-80) Tertullian says:

  "But of all the emperors down to this present reign, who understood anything of religion or humanity, name me one who persecuted the Christians. On the contrary, we show you the excellent M. Aurelius for our protector and patron; for if you look into his letters, you will find him there testifying that his army in Germany being just upon perishing with thirst, some Christian soldiers which happened to be in his troops, did by the power of prayer fetch down a prodigious shower to the relief of the whole army; for which the grateful prince, though he could not publicly set aside the penal laws, yet he did as well, he publicly rendered them ineffectual another way, by discouraging our accusers with the last of punishments, viz. burning alive” (The Apology of Tertullian, tr. by Wm. Reeve, online facsimile of the 1709 text, p. 8,