Hi there, new to the board. I was raised a JW but as I got older I started thinking for myslef and now I am at the point where I need to figure out what I believe in. Sorry the intro is so short(kinda busy) Please help! Thanks!
Why cant JW's be police officers?
by pepperdoodles 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Purza
Welcome pepperdoodles!
I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong -- but I think it has to do with carrying a gun. Life is sacred and you cannot take someone's life -- even if it is in the line of duty. My memory is poor, but I thought there was a WT article about it in the 70s and they gave the JW cops at that time a certain amount of time to find another career?
Purza
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pepperdoodles
Yeah I found that article, it says 6 months. It this biblically sound teaching in your opinion?
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pepperdoodles
Wouldn't I still be blood guilty for not preventing a suspect from killing an innocent citizen?
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Spectre
If someone breaks into your house and threatens you, you can protect yourself. To take a life though is supposed to be a last resort. I remember that just the act of carrying a gun shows that one is ready to take a life. There was a big push in the congregations that I attended to not even own a gun.
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pepperdoodles
Well as a police officer, of course taking someone's life is a last resort. I hope I never have to do that. True, by carrying a gun that would indicate that I am "ready to take a life", but if someone were to break into my home and I felt threatened, I could use a number of things as a weapon. I just don't see why they look down on it so bad. They are always telling my wife that I should still go to meetings even though I am a police officer. They never bring up why it is "bad" though.
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unclebruce
Rutherford hated cops more than anything else
In the early 1980's there was Watchtower article prohibiting JW's from owning firearms.