To Mrsjones5, Freudianslip, snowbird and other folks of color

by donny 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  snowbird

  The secret of the greater intelligence and aptitude of the Caucasian undoubtedly in great measure is to be attributed to the commingling of blood amongst its various branches; and this was evidently forced in large measure by circumstances under divine control.”

  No commingling or intermingling of blood from the other branches of the human family, huh?

  I'll be willing to bet that the no-blood doctrine arose from this teaching. Couldn't risk the possibility of having the blood of a Negro contaminate their divine status, could they?

  Fascinating.

  Sylvia
• 

  BurnTheShips

  I sympathize with the sentiment, but I honestly do not think any of the GB members are racists, and have not been for a long time. They are mostly true believers, and they believe Jehovah loves all people equally. Just my 2 cents.
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  snowbird

  I'm sure Russell would have vehemently denied his views were racist.

  The point is the WT has been hailed as the one channel of truth from God.

  Would God have approved of Russell's views?

  Sylvia
• 

  VoidEater

  Russell was a pandering, paternalistic, patronizing, myopic fool!

  He was also apparently Zionist (in the polticial meaning), and at least curried favor with the Jewish community for whatever reasons.

  Rutherford broke with this tradition, particularly in his pleading with Hitler to be viewed as an ally of the Third Reich rather than be grouped with the Jews. This makes him appear rather pandering and patronizing as well.

  But I had been unaware of these early comments on "Ethiopians"...
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  troubled mind

  When I was a teenager in the late seventies I was counseled by the elders for having a black boyfriend . They pulled some old Watchtower out that advised against bi-racial marriages . I knew back then they did not have God's view on matters . Racial equality seems to be better now a days , but back then congrgations still had some hardline racists.
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  Lady Zombie

  In all fairness, all of society, not just the WT, held prejudiced and bigoted ideals and not only was is acceptable, it was encouraged.

  There were lots of "scientific" (i.e. pseudo) skulduggery adventures where "scientists" presented evidence of caucasian superiority over the "dark" races with things like cranial capacity, facial features, intelligence, etc.

  My now deceased, long time JW grandmother would say racist things (especially when she developed dementia) without a trace of malice (e.g. she would say 'colored,' and 'picaninny'). "It was just how it was in those days" was the explanation. Hell, one of her best little old lady friends was an equally elderly black woman. That doesn't excuse it, but it was interesting how my grandmother could think those things and then have a black woman as a good friend, and not have any cognitive dissonance about it.

  I guess back then people thought that it was rational, and even supported by science, to believe that whites were superior.
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  donny

  I'll be willing to bet that the no-blood doctrine arose from this teaching. Couldn't risk the possibility of having the blood of a Negro contaminate their divine status, could they?

  I guess my pure family line is forever contaminated as my kids are half Mexican, my niece is half African American and I am currently married to an Asian. Am I predestined to damnation?
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  wha happened?

  lady Zombie beat me to the post. Not only backward racist thinking but also medical. Society as a whole back then really had it wrong. Whenever I read the old materials on race, politics, medicine, I know it's just a reflection of thinking by most individuals at that time, Not just JW's. Where I hold them is anything having to do with scripture
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  purplesofa

  wow, thats nuts

  purps
• 

  MsMcDucket

  When I was studying, I remember asking a "sister", who happened to be Black "Why did the Mormons think that 'we' were cursed"? She explained that Noah had a Black son. I can't remember which son (Shem, Ham, or Japheth) was Black??? Anyway the Mormons thought that this son had "laid down with Noah" while Noah was drunk. So Noah cursed the sons whole family. But it turned out that it was Canaan and that's why all the Canaanites were destroyed.

  Years later I was to find out this crap about the Watchtower saying "We were dumb and ignorant" and that "We could not be publishers" because "We were not smart enough to be publishers".

  I was too pissed. How come the "sister" didn't tell me about the Watchtower's beliefs on Black people? Was it because she didn't know? Or because she knew she'd lose a study?