It sounds good to me. The WT article was pretty clear that it's a conscience matter. Even if they did caveat it to death. I hope they clarify this in print so that the friends with doubts will once again see the hypocrisy. As long as it's not in print most dubs will do what the WT says and use their conscience. If a dub get into trouble over this they could get really stumbled after reading the WT article and seeing one viewpoint and getting chewed out by the elder body with a different viewpoint.
i called bethel RE: voting...
by in a new york bethel minute 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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in a new york bethel minute
STILL not a conscience matter...
Is that a quote? How exactly did they say it?THAT part is not a quote... but the jist of what he was trying to tell me. he noticeably beat around the bush about it, but he quoted john 17 or something about jesus and his followers (although i have a feeling it's not in John but he sounded a little nervous) being no part of the world etc... so christians would not want to go this route etc...
i wonder if he was counting his time???
bethel
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Marvin Shilmer
Translation right from the lips of a District Overseer to an entire circuit of elders at a Circuit Assembly a few years ago:
"Observing a JW go to a voting station and caste a ballot is no longer sufficient evidence for congregational judicial action. The only evidence sufficient to bring judicial action for breach of political neutrality is confession of a JW that he or she voted for a secular official to fill a political position."
The WTS has taken a serious look at the US military's don't ask don't tell policy!
Marvin Shilmer
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Jourles
Folks, whenever you call into the "help desk," you should try and record the conversation if at all possible. It would be pretty cool to put up a collection of recordings on the web. HQ would probably stop taking calls if that happened...
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undercover
Here's where the ole "we only apply what the Bible says and we don't go beyond what's written" bullshit is just that...bullshit.
The WTS admits that the Bible does not mention voting itself. Right there that should end the discussion. The Bible doesn't discuss it, so it becomes a conscience matter.
But, they DA/DF people for voting, something that isn't even mentioned in the Bible as wrong. So aren't they going beyond what the Bible teaches? How can they justify this action?
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Legolas
THAT part is not a quote... but the jist of what he was trying to tell me. he noticeably beat around the bush about it, but he quoted john 17 or something about jesus and his followers (although i have a feeling it's not in John but he sounded a little nervous) being no part of the world etc... so christians would not want to go this route etc...
Why didn't you ask why did you join the UN then?
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blondie
The WTS just wants a good front in the countries where voting is required. They don't want the governments to think that the WTS is interfering with individual choice and the government's authority.
Of course, did they address the problem if other JWs saw this JW going into the polling booth; wouldn't they be stumbled?
If Jesus had a running mate, it would have to be the Bride of Christ.
Blondie
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sir82
Perhaps its just my mind playing tricks on me....
Does anyone else remember a discussion, many years ago, either in a WT or a CO visit or assembly, or anything, along the lines of..
"Of course, we are politically neutral, and do not vote persons into political office. But if a JW were to vote on a non-politcal issue (examples: should a school levy be passed? vote for bonds to pay for an new park?), that would be OK. The vote is to determine where money is allocated, and has nothing to do with neutrality (i.e., not voting and in effect saying "I place my trust in this elected official")"
It also could have been the personal opinion of a particular elder. This would have been (too many) years ago, when I was quite young.
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RunningMan
Old policy: Voting is wrong. If you do it, God will kill you.
New policy: Voting is up to your concience. Your concience bloody well better tell you that it is wrong. If you do it, God will kill you. -
in a new york bethel minute
THAT part is not a quote... but the jist of what he was trying to tell me. he noticeably beat around the bush about it, but he quoted john 17 or something about jesus and his followers (although i have a feeling it's not in John but he sounded a little nervous) being no part of the world etc... so christians would not want to go this route etc...
Why didn't you ask why did you join the UN then?funny you should ask that... that was my next question. he said that the Organisation did not go against their neutrality by joining the UN's "library" because as soon as they changed the stipulation for being an NGO to something that the watchtower couldn't conscienably (i don't think that's how you say or spell that word) agree to, they disassociated themselves. i said, "oh so the UN changed their requirements for being an NGO in 2001?" he said, "well i don't know what year it was, but when they changed it, we left."
bethel