2017 Kingdom Hall in Chile with Flag with Meeting

by ILoveTTATT2 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  keinlezard

  Hello,

  Don't understand... chile congregations didn't have 400$ for a fine .. but WT has 4000$/day for his own ??

  But , in congregation the fine is "for neutrality" , and the WT fine is for pedophile listing ..

  I think the WT has a very strange definition of "high morality" :(
• 

  smiddy3

  That's because they're only supposed to put up the flag on September 18 and 19, their Independence Day celebrations.

  Thank you for elaborating on that ILoveTTATT2 ,so it`s not something they need to display all the time .

  When you think about it is it such a big deal ? According to Rom.13 ,Christians are to be in subjection to the superior authorities ,the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God.

  And displaying a flag should no more be a problem than standing for a judge in a court of law .

  Its just a matter of showing respect for the office in question.

  The first "KH" I ever attended was a rented hall in Melbourne Central congregation that had a picture of the queen in the room.

  I was only knew then and as far as I know their was never any problem .this was in 1960 .

  
  
• 

  UnshackleTheChains

  At this week's clam meeting, we were shown the picture below and discussed the item 'loyalty to Jehovah brings rewards'

  In the case of Chile, loyalty to Jehovah can be exchanged for 400 dollars. 🤔

  
  
• 

  UnshackleTheChains

  And displaying a flag should no more be a problem than standing for a judge in a court of law

  Smiddy3- Yes you are quite correct. There is nothing wrong as only showing respect for the nation you live in. It's also the same when standing for a national anthem, but not singing.

  However, watchtower continuously practices double standards. For example the UN debacle. This was meant to be the image of the beast according to their teaching. Yet they were a member for 10 years as an NGO. It hypocrisy!! It shows that the interests of the Society ie money/property will always come first before Jehovah!
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  Diogenesister

  There is a fine in Chile when public venues don't didplsu the national flag. A letter from Jw organization leaves it up to individual congregations in Chile to decide whether or not to display the flag and avoid the fine. There have been a couple of other threads on this topic.

  Steve2 it proves to all That financial deterrents work best! $€£ is what they think of first!
  
  
• 

  Drearyweather

  
  

  As employees, JW's are allowed to raise and lower the flag on public buildings (offices, schools, etc) where they work if no ceremony is accompanied with it.

  
  
  
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  UnshackleTheChains

  As employees, JW's are allowed to raise and lower the flag on public buildings (offices, schools, etc) where they work if no ceremony is accompanied with it

  So what it all comes down to is a matter of personal conscience. Wow.

  Now why don't the GB allow for a matter of personal conscience when it comes to the blood issue or birthday's??

  Ah hold on a second, I feel an enlightening coming on. 💰 and 🏚 are not at stake. Ah I see!!i it all makes sense now. The light certainly is getting brighter 😇. Proverbs 4:18.
• 

  ILoveTTATT2

  When you think about it is it such a big deal ? According to Rom.13 ,Christians are to be in subjection to the superior authorities ,the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God.
  And displaying a flag should no more be a problem than standing for a judge in a court of law .
  Its just a matter of showing respect for the office in question.

  That's one way of looking at it. But, for the Watchtower, putting up the flag in the Kingdom Hall is absolutely wrong according to their own standards. Here's why:
  
  *** w87 6/1 pp. 21-22 ‘My Cup Has Been Full’ *** I must confess that it came somewhat as a surprise to us that our children took a stand in school as they did. Of course, we had taught them respect for the country and the flag, and we had also taught them God’s commandments about not bowing down to images and idols.
  
  *** w76 3/15 p. 184 par. 8 Reconciliation Through God’s Mercy Before Har–Magedon ***In modern times, opposition to worshiping anything idolatrous was demonstrated by the remnant of spiritual Israelites, whom Jehovah used his Messiah Jesus to release from Babylon the Great in 1919 C.E. They have striven to render exclusive devotion to Jehovah as their God, even to the extent of refusing to salute the flag of any nation. (Ex. 20:1-6; 2 Cor. 6:15 through 7:1) They just will not contaminate themselves with anything that looks like Baal worship.
  *** w76 11/1 p. 655 Insight on the News ***The Flag—“A Living Thing?”● Rules governing the use of the American flag have been revised for the first time in thirty-four years. The new legislation affects when the flag may be displayed and its authorized location on automobiles; it also deletes the hand-over-heart salute requirement for women. The revised code also adds: “The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.”If the flag is officially considered to be “a living thing,” can it be said that Christians who respectfully decline to join in the flag ceremony are unreasonable in citing as their basis the Bible’s command to “flee from idolatry”? (1 Cor. 10:14) Author Whitney Smith, director of the Flag Research Center and considered America’s top expert on flags, advocates flying and saluting the flag. Yet even he recently admitted that “we’ve turned the flag into a civil religion.”
  *** w74 1/15 p. 62 Questions From Readers ***It should be kept in mind that a national flag is more than a piece of cloth. It is officially viewed as a sacred symbol of a nation and is treated with reverence. When worn out, for example, the national practice often rules that the flag is not to be disposed of unceremoniously, but is to be ‘destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.’ There are also regulations governing the hoisting, lowering, folding, flying and displaying of flags. Saluting or pledging allegiance to the flag is considered as a reverent act, an act of sacred devotion, and since the flag is an image of the State, such an act constitutes a form of idolatry.—Compare Exodus 20:4-6; 1 John 5:21.While not discouraging others from saluting the flag of any nation, Jehovah’s Christian witnesses feel that they can give such worship only to Jehovah God. They have due respect for the flag of their respective countries, but for them to idolize the flag of any nation and engage in acts of worship to an image of the State would be an act of unfaithfulness toward God and disloyalty toward the kingdom of God’s Son.
  
  Etc etc... there are plenty more quotes like that.
  
  The flag is considered to be an idol.
  
  Would the witnesses accept to "just place" or "just display" a Virgin Mary statue in the Kingdom Hall if it was a law? Wouldn't every single witness say it's definitely a case of "obeying God rather than men", and would be glad to pay the fine?
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  ILoveTTATT2

  Daytime and nighttime footage combined, plus an explanation within the video.
  
  PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

  https://youtu.be/Ym-5ggVJN7I