Witnesses and Voting (in Chile)

by pseudoxristos 5 Replies latest jw friends

  • pseudoxristos
    pseudoxristos

    January 15th of this year, I happened to be in Chile (work related) during the Presidential runoff election. On the day of the election, we could not work and most businesses were closed so everyone would have an opportunity to vote. I was told that it was compulsory that everyone of age vote.

    Today, while reading about Witnesses and politics, I realized that the compulsory vote requirement in Chile could cause some issues for the Witnesses who live there. I looked into this matter a little further and found that only those who are registered are required to vote.

    "Enrollment in Chile is voluntary, however, once electors are registered, it is compulsory to vote in each and every election."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_presidential_election%2C_2005-2006

    Even though this is not as strict as I had originally believed, it seems that it still might present a problem for registered voters that converted to the Witnesses.

    Does anybody know if this really is an issue in Chile, or how Witnesses get around it?

    pseudo

  • blondie
    blondie

    How good is your Spanish? Here is a Chilean ex-JW website/DB.

    http://www.tjchile.tie.cl/

  • valkyrie
    valkyrie

    Incorporating the buzzword currently in favor in the JW lexicon, the Society's spokesperson (in Spain) in this video (the Spanish Tele 2 interview program appears approximately halfway through the file) briefly glosses that voting in political elections is a matter of CONSCIENCE for JWs.

    As has been cited elsewhere on this DB, the current WTS stance allows JWs to make a pretence of democratic participation where this is required by local laws, i.e., lands where the physical appearance of voting (attending a polling station, entering a booth, or submitting a valid ballot paper) is mandatory. The WTS-trained "conscience" of a participating JW would probably inspire the "voter" to fall just short of indicating an actual candidate/political party during this manoeuvre.

    More of interest: the link referred by Blondie has an article ( http://www.geocities.com/pasteda/divorcio.htm) on a Chilean WJ phenomenon: an instrument called "Carta de Promesa de Fidelidad." This is a document which created by the Chilean branch some 25 years ago, and which authorizes/recognizes the illegal extramarital relationships of baptized Jehovah's Witnesses. As divorce was illegal in Chile until recently, the Society took the initiative to ratify (within the congregation/organisation) the "adulterous" relationships and/or "fornications" of its members by formalizing such with the signing of the "Fidelity Promise Card." With this document, members who desired to leave their spouses (surely upon biblical grounds) and enter concubinage with another person could found a pseudo-marriage and remain in good standing within the congregation. Since the enactment of Chile's Divorce Law in 2004, all Ministeral Servants and Elders who previously were covered by the extra-legal (or, rather, illegal) WTS de facto divorce-and-remarriage decree are required to apply for an official divorce from former spouses and a legal marriage to their current mate. The web article relates that the authorities envisioned a delay of 1 to 1-1/2 years between application and grant of a legal divorce. CAN you imagine the number of weekends that the KHs will be booked for marriage ceremonies between Bro. A and his long-time partner, Sis. A... attended by their joint-and-several children?

    -V

  • pseudoxristos
    pseudoxristos

    Interesting stuff,

    Thanks

    pseudo

  • zagor
    zagor

    Same in Australia, here's the link for your research ... http://www.australianpolitics.com/voting/systems/compulsory.shtml

  • observador
    observador

    This is not a issue at all, I don't think.

    In Brazil, it is mandatory to both register and vote.

    Witnesses get around this by going to the polling places and invalidating the ballot, which is something recommended by the Society many many years ago.

    Observador.

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