In the town of Ingelheim am Rhein this week there is a "Week of Creation" (Schöpfungswoche). There are exhibitions, discussions and other things happening. One of the organizers is the Workgroup "Religious Communities" (Arbeitskreis Glaubensgemeinschaften) of the Local Agenda 21, which is part of a UN programme. All the churches of Ingelheim, including the catholics, the evangelical church, the mosque and the local Kingdom Hall, are represented in the workgroup.
The local Kingdom Hall participates actively in the Creation Week, alongside with the churches and the mosque. The Jehovah's Witnesses have an infostand at the town square, yesterday they organized a public debate on intelligent design, and they are arranging tours to Bethel in Selters and the JW Congress Centre of Bingen.
For those who understand German:
http://www.allgemeine-zeitung.de/region/objekt.php3?artikel_id=3304098
http://www.ingelheim.de/Schoepfungswoche.schoepfungswoche.0.html
http://www.readers-edition.de/2008/06/01/schoepfungswoche-in-ingelheim-die-zeugen-jehovas-machen-mit/
German WTS cooperates with other religions within UN program
by dust 15 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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dust
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hamilcarr
Darunter war auch ein religionsübergreifendes Jugendprojekt von Katholiken, Protestanten, Türkisch-Islamischer Union und Zeugen Jehovas.
Hard to imagine how this works when catholic and JW youth join forces on the theme of creation(ism) (don't catholics embrace theistic evolution)?
So, how should we interpret this? Aren't they actually going more mainsteam in Europe?
Da müssen wohl viele schlucken und sofort taucht die Frage auf: Warum beteiligen sich die Zeugen Jehovas in Ingelheim an der Schöpfungswoche? Bereiten sie so wieder eine Änderung der Lehre vor? Sollen die Schreckensbilder weich gezeichnet werden, wie die totale Ablehnung von Bluttransfusionen und Militär aufgeweicht worden ist?
Valid questions. Are they preparing the next big new light? Weakening the ban on ecumenism?
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Witness 007
Rubbing shoulders with Babylon the great and the U.N Beast..the Watchtower orginisation will be destroyed for sure...stick to door knocking Franz and Knorr would be furious.
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Superfine Apostate
(don't catholics embrace theistic evolution)
at least austrian arch-bishop schönborn openly supports creationism.
this is really unbelievable. i mean, it's kinda positive to see them open up a bit and go more mainstream. but i wonder if this is an initiative of local jehovah's witnesses or if it's supported by the branch. -
Quandry
It is O.K. for the WTS to engage in interfaith activities, but for the rank and file: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME
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hamilcarr
The thread title may be somewhat misleading, this is not about the WTS joining forces with other confessions, but about the R&F --- local youths and congregations --- engaging in ecumeny.
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flyphisher
This is absolutely unbelievable. I cant get my head around it;-)
An Austrian pop singer sang: Zwickts mi, i man i dram...
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dust
The thread title may be somewhat misleading, this is not about the WTS joining forces with other confessions, but about the R&F --- local youths and congregations --- engaging in ecumeny.
Quite right, and I am the guilty one regarding the thread title.
Still, it is rather strange that an entire congregation would do this. Such activities need planning, and I imagine the circuit overseer would have noticed something. Also, for the public debate yesterday the congregation used a scientist from the Max Planck Institute: Wolf-Ekkehard Lönnig. He is a Jehovah's Witness, and not just any Jehovah's Witness. He has served as an elder for approximately 30 years, and was even referred to as an authority in Awake! Sept 2006.
Which means that not only has the local Kingdom Hall of a small town done some very unorthodox things, but a prominent elder from a larger city (Cologne) has also participated.
The tours to the Bethel in Selters and the congress centre in Bingen could of course have been ordered just as unspecified tours. But if a local congregation is naive enough to participate in a Local Agenda 21 workgroup and in the Creation Week, then it would be somewhat surprising if they didn't also mention this while booking the tours.
But I guess we won't know until one of us phones the German Bethel and asks. This does indeed seem too unlikely. -
sspo
The GB can do anything they want and no one will question them. They will always be excused by the rank and file just like the UN affair.
You try this at home and see how the elders will react.
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GermanXJW
The GB has tried out several things in Germany before rolling them out globally: Public Affairs Office, the distinction between WTS and JW were all firstly introduced in Germany. Working together with other churches could be another test. And the branch office is in the know: a visit to the German branch office is part of the "Creation Week".