J W Beliefs would breach the Geneva Convention

by BluesBrother 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  BluesBrother

  I came across the words "collective punishment" in the news today, in a negative light, and it got me thinking about what the WT teaches. They say that everyone, man woman and child are bloodguilty for the worst excesses of this system, of which we are a part. Therefore we all deserve to die.

  WT 1995 11/15 p15

  Stay in the “City of Refuge” and Live!

  A feature of the Mosaic Law will help us to see that earth’s billions share bloodguilt. God laid upon the Israelites a joint responsibility for bloodshed. If someone was found slain and his murderer was unknown, judges had to measure the distance to surrounding cities to determine the nearest city. ............................................................................................
  4 Yes, there is such a thing as joint, or community, bloodguilt. Consider the immense bloodguilt that rests upon Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. Why, she is drunk with the blood of Jehovah’s servants! (Revelation 17:5, 6; 18:24) Christendom’s religions claim to follow the Prince of Peace, but wars, religious inquisitions, and death-dealing crusades have made her bloodguilty before God. (Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 2:34) In fact, she must bear major guilt for the deaths of millions in the two world wars of this century. Therefore, the adherents of false religion as well as the supporters and participants in human warfare are bloodguilty before God.

  5 Some people have caused human death willfully or through carelessness. Others have taken part in collective killing, perhaps persuaded by religious leaders that this was God’s will. Still others have persecuted and killed servants of God. Even if we have not done such things, though, we share community responsibility for the loss of human life because we did not know God’s law and will. We are like the unintentional manslayer ‘who killed his fellowman without knowing it and who did not hate him formerly.’ (Deuteronomy 19:4) Such individuals ought to implore God for mercy and should run into the antitypical city of refuge. Otherwise they will have a fatal meeting with the Avenger of blood.

  6 In Israel the avenger of blood was the victim’s nearest kinsman. To avenge all those killed in the earth and especially the slain servants of Jehovah, the present-day Avenger of blood would have to be a kinsman of all mankind. That role has been filled by Jesus Christ. He was born a perfect man. Jesus surrendered his sinless life in death as a ransom sacrifice, and after his resurrection to heaven, he presented its value to God for the sake of sinful Adam’s dying descendants. Christ thus became mankind’s Redeemer, our closest relative—the rightful Avenger of blood. (Romans 5:12; 6:23; Hebrews 10:12) Jesus is identified as a brother to his anointed footstep followers. (Matthew 25:40, 45; Hebrews 2:11-17) As heavenly King he becomes the “Eternal Father” of those who will benefit from his sacrifice as his earthly subjects. These will live forever. (Isaiah 9:6, 7) So Jehovah has fittingly appointed this Kinsman of mankind as the Avenger of blood.....................

  . Today’s city of refuge is God’s provision for protecting us from death for violating his commandment about the sanctity of blood.

  However, such Collective Punishment for the crimes of the leaders would be a war crime, outlawed by the Geneva Convention...according to the less than perfect justice of "Satan's World" ...according to Wikipedia :

  "Fourth Geneva Convention:.....

  Article 33. No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.
  Pillage is prohibited.
  Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.

  Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions collective punishments are a war crime. By collective punishment, the drafters of the Geneva Conventions had in mind the reprisal killings of World Wars I and World War II. In the First World War, Germans executed Belgian villagers in mass retribution for resistance activity. In World War II, Nazis carried out a form of collective punishment to suppress resistance. Entire villages or towns or districts were held responsible for any resistance activity that took place there. The conventions, to counter this, reiterated the principle of individual responsibility. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Commentary to the conventions states that parties to a conflict often would resort to "intimidatory measures to terrorize the population" in hopes of preventing hostile acts, but such practices "strike at guilty and innocent alike. They are opposed to all principles based on humanity and justice."

  ..............................

  So then according to imperfect man, the WT reasoning paints Jesus Christ as being "opposed to all principles based on humanity and justice." !!

  'Nuff said..
• 

  quietlyleaving

  Jehovahs witnesses tread a very very fine line between politics and religion. Imo the theocracy that they have is more political than religious and their tactics are remnants of a past era when religion was used to deliver political diagnoses and remedies. I really believe that there is value in discussing these elements with Jehovahs witnesses if they'll let you.
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  villabolo

  As they have judged others so they should be judged. Whenever child molesters are shielded by their policies let the whole organization be considered collectively guilty. Let's see how (un)willing they are to play by the rules they lay upon others.

  villabolo
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  sir82

  Well, what did you expect? The Geneva convention is "worldly", drafted by evil sinful men under the direct influence of Satan himself - at least that would be the JW response.

  Actually, most JWs would likely be quite proud that their theocracy does not conform to such a diabolical document.
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  LucyA

  Tey also breach the 18 artice on the UN declaration of human right ie freedom of religion
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  WTWizard

  This is just another way to force people to stay witlesses. You are guilty of whatever sins someone commits if you do not reach them and Jehovah determines that, by going 160 MPH through a stop sign in a city street and recklessly sprinting to the door, you could have reached them. Or, if you are sick with a Swine Flu (or Bird Flu), and stay home to protect others from getting it (never mind so you can get better), you are guilty of whatever sins anyone commits that Jehovah feels you could have reached had you gone out and worked at top speed while out in field circus. Ditto if a miswording of your presentation prevents someone from joining, you need to go in on time because of work (and Jehovah feels you didn't "need" that work), or you make a mistake that costs you time (like driving past a house that is your call).

  I can think of many ways that everyone in the car group is "guilty". Suppose the driver drives a bit slower--everyone in the car is guilty. If the driver drives past the street and I keep my big mouth shut, everyone in that group is "guilty" of whatever sins the first people we don't reach would commit. The group would also be guilty if a householder deliberately holds up a witless at the door (meaning the first people not reached would be murdered, and the group is guilty of whatever sins they commit), or if the group is a bit sluggish at reaching the territory. Suppose that, because of a delivery error, they run out of littera-trash. Everyone is guilty of whatever sins that those who could have been reached commit, because they didn't take this problem into account.

  They can also extend this with donating your money. Suppose I have $10,000 in my bank account. Instead of donating the whole thing, I leave $500 to pay for my own personal expenses. Because I kept $500 for myself, they cannot quite reach everyone (actually, they can't even with the extra $500, but they could have reached another city). Now, all the sins committed by those in that city that they would have reached, or individuals that could have gotten the Word had I donated that last $500 but did not get it, are my fault. The moral of this lesson is that it is wrong to have money for one's own purposes--even if someone gives most of it and leaves only enough to pay one's own necessary expenses, they are guilty of sins committed by whoever would have been reached but couldn't because of that holdback.

  All this "communal guilt" is nothing more than a scam designed to siphon off every single second of everyone's time, all of everyone's energy, and their money. When in fact, such littera-trash would only create more stagnation (the raw material for most debauched acts), bad instructions, and real moral uncleanness. Every second I waste reaching people is a second spent spreading a moral cancer. If I struggle and reach one more house than everyone else, that is one more act of attempted moral degradation. If I put in even a penny of that $10,000 into their boxes, that is a penny spent on sucking others into the moral cancer abroad. And, the leaders siphon a portion of the money, while degrading society further and leading to more life devaluing, more stagnation, and more stifled hopes.
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  JustHuman14

  Amazing isn't it. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE GUILT that JW's have because most of the World doesn't have a clue, or know their "gospel"? I'm glad that I'm no longer a JW....THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE...
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  nelly136

  5 Some people have caused human death willfully or through carelessness. Others have taken part in collective killing, perhaps persuaded by religious leaders that this was God’s will. Still others have persecuted and killed servants of God. Even if we have not done such things, though, we share community responsibility for the loss of human life because we did not know God’s law and will. We are like the unintentional manslayer ‘who killed his fellowman without knowing it and who did not hate him formerly.’ (Deuteronomy 19:4)

  *** perhaps persuaded by religious leaders that this was God’s will.***

  so where does that leave jws when it comes to the blood issue etc?