ThomasCovenant technically of course JWs disavow the term "pacifist", preferring conscientious objector. And they would agree for the reasons you point out, that God and his servants have used violence in the past, and Jesus will wage war in the future. The fact remains that JWs refuse to kill each other, or kill for the state here and now, which in practical everyday terms is what many people understand pacifism to involve.
slimboyfat
JoinedPosts by slimboyfat
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
I must have been off that day when you used an actual argument. "That's ridiculous" has been pretty standard all along.
Now with the even more persuasive variation: "do I really need to tell you how ridiculous you are?"
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
Vanderhoven7 you are right that shunning does not show love. At the same time refusing to kill each other is very good. I can see both sides, and don't feel the need to use a bad to negate a good or vice vera. Each is what it is.
There was a handful of people from other groups who also refused to fight in Nazi Germnay: a few Adventists, Baptists and other pacifists from other groups. These were small in number and generally categorised along with JWs in the camp system.
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
Asserting something does not make it so.
Laika, welcome to Coftyworld, where Cofty saying makes it so, and "that's ridiculous" (argumentum ad lapidem) is the favourite response.
I'd like to be able to "like" your recent posts on this thread about war, but it seems my "like" button has been disabled. I hear it's the same for a number of others too.
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
If Argentinians were pascificts there wouldn't have been a war. It's funny how those who argue against pascifism always insist on a scenario where the aggressors can't possibly be pascifist in order to get their example off the ground. And then insist it's perfectly plausible that all the defending nation could turn into pascifists and invite disaster, in order to make their point. In any scenario that allows for everyone to become pascifist then wars wouldn't get off the ground. And if you don't allow for the scenario that everyone could become pascifist, then why invoke the scenario of a whole defending nation turning pascifist? If it's unrealistic on one side it's unrealistic on the other.
In reality it is healthy in democracies to have some people who refuse to fight. The alternative is not a free society. And in the long run elimination of war and universal pascifism should be the goal. Unrealistic? Maybe, but it's the only real chance humanity has got to survive.
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
In terms of resources and distribution probably not because a worldwide theocracy would probably be quite efficient. In terms of freedom of thought and action then yes.
-
19
I think it's possible for a change of trend in JW growth
by Chook injust like after decades of memorial partakers declining and now reversed.
this information age might reverse the trend of jw membership.
.
-
-
slimboyfat
I agree. I expect to see zero growth or an overall decrease in JWs this year or next. If they still publish the numbers.
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
Cofty I accept it is your opinion that pascifism is wrong.
If everyone acted as JWs there would be no war. And unless humanity copies JWs soon and abandons war it's hard to see how it can avoid complete annihilation because of modern weapons.
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
The single biggest reason JWs have been banned and persecuted in many countries across the world is because they refuse to fight.
That's not to say there are not other things about JWs that are objectionable, such as shunning and dividing families, if that's what you're alluding to.
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
slimboyfat
I don't know anything in the NT about Christians killing non-believers. I was talking about the statement about "having love among yourselves". JWs are the practically only ones who fulfil that since they refuse to kill each other in war. It's amazing when you think about it, nearly 10 million people spread across the earth who refuse to go to war against one another. If only everyone took the same stand.
Because if everyone acted as JWs there would be no wars and no killing. It's a basic question in ethics: "what would happen if everyone acted that way?" There would be no war to start with, that's what would happen. And the world would be a much better place.
Apart from which I think there's good evidence for the early Christians refusing to go to war just as there is good evidence about them using the divine name. So it's another aspect where JWs copy the early Christians and are reviled for it.