JW Children Lie in Custody Cases (page 22)

compound complex

At the same time, when the Witness refusing is arrested and brought to trial for his refusal to comply with the draft board's orders, and is found guilty, if the judge in the trial then SENTENCES [emphasis: RF.] the individual to perform such alternative service he may now obey the court order, do the work assigned, and be free from compromise and bloodguilt. The reasoning behind this? The person, having been convicted, is now a prisoner, and hence has not "voluntarily" given up his freedom of action and choice of occupation. In actuality, there was nothing "voluntary" to begin with about the government-assigned service, no more than the payment of money as taxes is "voluntary." It was an obligatory, compulsory service, and that is why the man refusing was arrested in the first place. And it might also be said that he had really given up his freedom and choice when he submitted to the Watch Tower organization's deciding for him that obedience to an order from the draft board to perform hospital work or other such service is wrong. In doing that he allowed his conscience to become a prisoner and removed the possibility of making a choice based on personal conscience.

compound complex

But yet another technicality was introduced. The organization even took the position that if, PREVIOUS TO THE ACTUAL SENTENCE being passed, the Witness was asked by the judge if his conscience would allow him to accept an assignment from the court to do hospital work or similar service, he could not answer in the affirmative but must say, "that is for the court to decide." If he answered, "Yes" (which would have been a truthful answer), he was considered to have "compromised," having made a "deal" with the judge, and thus had broken his integrity. But if he gave the prescribed, approved response already quoted, and then the judge IN SENTENCING HIM assigned him to do hospital work or similar service, he could comply. [See CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE, pages 116, 117, and footnote 10.] He was now not guilty of violating the apostolic exhortation to "stop becoming slaves of men." (1 Corinthians 7:23) Surely such technicalities are truly casuistic and the application of the term "Pharisaical" does not seem too harsh. [ibid., p. 258; emphasis: RF; footnote 32 to follow, next installment.]

pierogi

If I called bethel and asked for a CCB do you think they would give me one even though I haven't gone to the meetings in almost a year and have no children?

compound complex

bttt

An answer for Pierogi - anyone?

compound complex

[footnote 32]:

All of these technical distinctions were worked out from the 1940s on through the 1960s. While final approval unquestionably rested with Nathan Knorr, and while the Society's attorney Hayden Covington was involved during the 1940s and 1950s, the style of reasoning is not typical of either man but IS typical of Fred Franz, then vice president. I believe that the later technical distinctions were designed to moderate somewhat the organization's position, thereby reducing the number of those going to prison (in cases where judges were willing to sentence them to hospital or other work) and yet allow for appearing to be upholding the original position in its basic premise as having been right, God-directed. This elaborate policy remains in effect today. The November 1, 1990, WATCHTOWER, though not spelling out the policy in detail, alludes to it in saying that "when Christians are ordered by governments to share in community works, they quite properly comply AS LONG AS THOSE WORKS DO NOT AMOUNT TO A COMPROMISING SUBSTITUTE FOR SOME UNSCRIPTURAL SERVICE or otherwise violate Scriptural principles, such as those found at Isaiah 2:4." [emphasis: RF.]

compound complex

This is no light matter. During World War II, in the United States alone some 4,300 young Jehovah's Witnesses went to prison, with sentences ranging as high as 5 years, not simply because of conscientious objection to war, but primarily because, in adhering to the Society's policy, they refused governmental provisions allowing them to perform other service of a non-military nature provided for conscientious objectors. In England, there were 1,593 convictions, including those of 334 women. [See JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN THE DIVINE PURPOSE, page 157.] Today, there are still hundreds in prison in various lands, the imprisonment resulting from their obeying the Society's policy. In 1988, in just the countries of France and Italy there were some 1,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in prison for this reason. [AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT FOR 1988, pages 199, 206.]
[ibid., p. 258.]

compound complex

In CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE, when relating the discussion of this issue by the Governing Body in numerous sessions over a period of years, only brief mention was made of a resulting survey taken among all the Branch Committees operating throughout the world under the direction of the Governing Body. The survey was suggested by Milton Henschel since, as he put it, 'perhaps it would reveal that only a relatively few countries had alternative service provisions.' If such were the case, then that would militate against the need for making any policy change. Apparently the fact that men in those "few countries" were in prison and that other hundreds of men would yet go to prison (if the policy continued as it was) would not be of sufficient weight or gravity to make the issue a crucial one.
In the survey the Branch Committees were to be asked whether the Witnesses in their country understood the reasoning behind the policy and its Scripturalness and also what the committee members' own views were of the existing policy. Since the Governing Body assigned me to carry out the survey correspondance with the 90 or more Branch Committees, I have in my files copies of all their replies. The responses received were revealing. [ibid., p. 259.]

compound complex

Before considering them, I might here quote a portion of a memorandum submitted to the Governing Body by member Lloyd Barry. Warning against any change in the existing policy he wrote:

Those who have studied out the matter on the
basis of the Bible and who have been through
the experience, have no question about main-
taining a stand of "no compromise"---unless
someone comes along and tries to plant such
a question. A change of viewpoint sponsored
by the Governing Body would be very upsetting
for these countries and brothers, where they have
fought for so long in behalf of their uncompromising
stand.

What do the facts show as to the ACTUAL thinking of those affected? Does the picture portrayed in the memorandum fit the reality? The information that follows is fairly extensive (though only a fraction of the whole). I believe it merits the space. The reason is that it so graphically demonstrates the power of indoctrination to cause people to sacrifice liberty, years of life and livelihood and family association, in order to obey something that they do not understand or really believe---doing this purely out of a sense of loyalty to an organization. Anything that produces such a blindly submissive state of mind is fraught with potential danger of even greater consequence.[emphasis: RF.]

compound complex

bttt

compound complex

Since disagreement with any position of the organization is generally viewed as indicating a lack of loyalty and even a lack of faith and confidence in God's direction, it is not at all surprising that the majority of the Committees expressed full support for the organization's policy. What IS [emphasis: RF.] surprising is the significant number of Branch Committees that spoke of serious difficulties of Witnesses in their country either as to understanding the policy or seeing any Scriptural basis for it. Not that they were not complying with the policy. Witness men were going to jail rather than act contrary to it. But did they feel as Governing Body member Barry put it that 'there was no question' about the policy that led to their being put in prison? Here are direct quotations from the letters sent by some Branch Committees:

NEXT INSTALLMENT

JW Children Lie in Custody Cases

Share this