by Mad Sweeney 20 Replies latest jw friends
It is a defensible postition only to those who are still mind controlled; they can't see the difference between paying respect for the flag, and those who have lost their lives so the witnesses can still have freedom and free speech, and worshipping a false god.
What can you say to such foolishness?
Here's a link to the case involving the JW children in Kerala, India 1985, that stood but would not sing the National Anthem.
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/prasun/cipe/009.txt
This was also reported on in either the Awake or Watchtower around that time.
The fact the children stood respectfully was the reason they were allowed to return to school & this was mentioned in the magazine article.
However confusion still exists regarding this issue amongst the JW's
The fact remains that saluting the flag or singing the national anthem (let alone just standing for it) has nothing to do with worship or religion.
There is absolutely no NT reference to support these ideas.
Just another example of the WTS making up yet another weirdo rule to make the JWs seem different and odd.
BTW, are these rules a DFing offense, or would they just be personal conscience issues?
Heartofaboy-I remember a story where a school principle or something did a test and had one 'worldly kid come in and one witness youth. He displayed a flag and ordered both to salute the flag. The 'worldly kid did the witness youth refused. Than he told both kids to spit on the flag. The 'worldly kid did and the witness refused. After dismissing the 'worldly' kid the principle asked the witness youth why he did not spit on the flag? The witness youth responded that would be disrespectful and allegedly won over this principle because of his sound principle's.
I always thought we could stand as that would be showing respect. There's a picture in one of the publications that shows a boy standing as his class is saluting the flag. I think it's the Live Forever book but I'm not sure.
LOL Darth Frosty, that is so very, very JW urban legend!
Darth Frosty- And 2 big men (angels) follow all the sisters around in field service. HAHAHAHA
That is a JW urban legend, but its somewhat close to my teenager years. I grew up in the city, and still reside in the city. Not exactly South Central Los Angeles but not quite the Suburbs either. Working class city, with spots of Middle class neighborhoods, Upper Class neighborhoods, and typical bad neighborhoods that are in every major city. I've been out of high school for well over a decade, so i don't know how Black youths are today when the Pledge is to be recited. Especially now since Obama got in, I wonder if the mood has softened. I'm somewhat out of touch nowadays, but back then.........the dudes I hanged with, would have no problem spitting on a flag, or burning a flag. They werent standing for the national anthem, and werent pledging allegiance to anything except their "hoods", or their flags, which was a hankerchief. So at the beginning of the school year, when it came time to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, often times I was the only one who stood. I didnt cross my hand over my heart or anything, but to show respect I stood. Eventually the teachers give up after a few days of arguing with the other students, and as a result I didnt have to stand any more.
There's nothing wrong with standing to show respect. Pledging, or singing along is where the issue lies.
Pledging, or singing along is where the issue lies.
To a witness under radio control from the governing body, yes. But none of this is truly a religious issue - any more than voting, holding public office, or showing up for jury duty is.
News flash to Brooklyn: There is no scripture which remotely applies to this subject to say pledging or singing are wrong.
In high school I became disenamored with this country. In "home room" each morning, we would all have to stand and say the pledge of allegiance. Not being a complete idiot, I did not remain seated, but instead stood and either did nothing, or thought about how stupid everyone else was to be parroting this pretentious 'pledge of allegiance' and what the implications are of even making kids pledge allegiance to a flag. It worked for me.
Also, it occurs to me that to make such a big spectacle of oneself wrt the flag and the pledge, and whether or not to salute it or spit on it, acknowledges it as a valid symbol of power and in fact gives power to it. Just going through the motions without a care in the world about it defuses that power, and makes it into what it is - a meaningless charade.
