Jehovahs Witness Williams sisters revel in Obama win

by What-A-Coincidence 13 Replies latest social entertainment

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  What-A-Coincidence

  http://www.stuff.co.nz/4753181a10393.html

  The impact of Barack Obama's historic election win has extended to the tennis court, at the WTA's year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in the politically sensitive Middle East.

  As Jehovah's Witnesses, the Williams sisters do not vote - but that does not mean they do not care.

  Nine-time grand slam champion Serena Williams said she walked out for Wednesday's round-robin match against Dinara Safina with her shoulders back and her chest puffed out with pride after the momentous events in her home country. Struggling to sleep on Wednesday night in her Doha hotel, she had watched the results unfold and was "choked up" watching Obama's victory confirmed.

  "It's just a great time to be black right now in the United States," she said. "Everyone's proud."

  Her sister Venus, the winner of five Wimbledon and two US Open titles, had earlier spoken eloquently of her love for a country that nevertheless "since its beginning was supposed to be a place where people were escaping intolerance, [but] became a country that was really intolerant of different minorities and skin colours.

  "So it's interesting, because … my dad grew up in Louisiana, a place where he was called 'Boy' and shown no respect. Where he couldn't say anything. I'm very close to what things were like in the past … So I think it's amazing that America has the opportunity to have someone who is a minority or mixed race, or whatever you want to call it. Hopefully, it will just give more people opportunities and more people will work hard and say, 'Yeah, I can be my best, too, no matter what my background is'."

  Serena, too, spoke of her excitement and her thoughts for her father, back home in Florida. "It's just everything that I think African Americans have been through, I mean even 40 years ago, even 30 years ago, and even today still," she said.

  Serena said she was almost speechless to think of the Obama family in the White House. "I got choked up. I was just thinking about everything - Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and all the pioneers … Althea Gibson, why I'm playing tennis today. All of these people. Arthur Ashe, who led the way for us … it's amazing."

  • • Tennis star Serena Williams, to the New York Times: ''I don't really get involved in political affairs because of the way I was brought up and being a Jehovah's Witness, but it's exciting to see someone like Barack Obama have a chance to lead one of the world's biggest nations.''
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  loosie

  Witness aren't supossed to be republican or democrat they are registered THEOCRATS
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  halcyon

  The more I think about theocracy, the more it repulses me.
  
  God-rule, yes. No problems with that. But God-rule always has to come through humans, which is repugnant.
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  justhuman

  The Williams Sisters need urgently a Bible Study because they ignore basic teachings of the Watchtower Society. Or the generous contributions by them to the WT really "washes"their sins and misconceptions of the Bible "truth"
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  Witness 007

  Jehovahs Angel of Vengence is sharpening his sword for them!.......You don't need a President at all when you can pray to Jehovah to fix things....it really does work try it!
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  undercover

  Back when I was in, it was stressed pretty hard that not only were we supposed to be neutral in political matters, we weren't even supposed to have an opinion. I remember hearing talks that stressed to us about not even referring to "we" or "us" when talking about being a citizen of the nation. We weren't US citizens, we were citizens of God's Government. Any actions taken by worldly governments were to be of no concern to us.

  I remember trying to be neutral and not having an opinion. It was easy when I was young but when I got a little older, married and a homeowner things changed. Everything from the tax rate to interest rates to unemployment was now a concern in my life. How could I not have an opinion in the political strategies that could affect my well-being?

  If a local non-famous JW were to make the statements uttered by the Williams' they'd be hauled in on the carpet quicker'n you can say "judicial committee meeting". I was often "reminded" about "our" neutral stance whenever I "allowed" conversations to spill over into politics or national events.

  OTOH, I'm glad that the Williams' have an opinion...maybe in time their free-thinking will allow them to realize that the JWs are just too cultish and they'll make a clean break. They could really be a good example to other free-thinking people trapped in the organization who see them stand up against the Society if and when they decide to think for themselves.
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  willyloman

  If they were truly good little dubs, they'd be righteously opposed to the foolish notion that man could bring about any positive change in these last days when the end is so very close. They would attribute the euphoria and general goodwill brought on by the Obama victory as a sure sign that Satan is misleading the entire inhabited earth. And they'd remind all their fans that only Jehovah can bring about real change, that the only real hope is in the new system.

  But, hey, they're only human. And showing a little humanity is a good thing.
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  Octarine Prince

  Serena is far from a virgin. She has never even had a judicial committee, as far as I know.
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  sir82

  I don't think the Williams sisters were ever baptized (correct me if I'm wrong). I have a strong hunch they don't do door-to-door witnessing, either. As such, they are at most "inactive unbaptized publishers".

  But they continue to self-identify as JWs, and often pepper their comments to the press with references to "Jehovah" and "Jehovah's Witnesses". The public, who have zero knowledge of the distinction that JWs make among themselves regarding the staus & prestige of "baptized" vs. "unbaptized publisher" vs. "active" vs. "inactive", view them as JWs.

  And the WTS has never, to my knowledge, made any effort to disclaim them. I kind of suspect the WTS tolerates them, because it makes them (the WTS) appear less "cultish" in the public eye ("Look! The Williams sisters are JWs - maybe JWs aren't so weird after all"). And there is precious little that is more important to Bethel than their public image.

  That, and I suspect the sisters make generous contributions to the "worldwide work" to assuage their consciences (all those references to "Jehovah" indicate that their Kingdom Hall indoctrination sessions made a deep impression).
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  minimus

  "As Jehovah's Witnesses, we don't get involved in politics-------but I'm thrilled we have Barack Obama as our new President."

  Huh??/ Somethin' ain't right!