by Marvin Shilmer 31 Replies latest jw friends
This is a direct quote from the article and it summarizes the Borg hypocrisy nicely. Excellent article, Marvin.
The religious position taught by Watch Tower to Jehovah’s Witnesses is not all it seems to be. When leaders
need a passport it is acceptable for them to pledge the oath of allegiance to the United States. When young
children are in school it is unacceptable for them to pledge the oath of allegiance to the United States.
This has a certain similarity to the United Nations scandal - the elite high end of the organization is plainly caught doing something forbidden to the ordinary members.
There is a second similarity - the act forbidden to the ordinary members is clearly NOT really a biblical sin! It is a "sin" only because the Watchtower told people it was!
Can any sane person actually say that it is some kind of sin to pledge allegiance to your government when you apply for a passport for foreign travel? Can any sane person actually prove that the United Nations is prophecied in Revelation as Satanic, and that it is a sin to cooperate with them as an NGO for foreign charitable or educational work? I cannot see any case that either one is some kind of vast sin -
But, for the Watchtower Society - doing either thing is a major scandal - because of the problem of hypocrisy. The elite of the WTS have never learned their lesson on the danger of maintaining dual standards on following the rules for themselves and for their followers.
When young children are in school it is unacceptable for them to pledge the oath of allegiance to the United States.
Isn't the technicality with the oath and children in school that it is an oath, not to the United States, but "I pledge allegiance to the flag", an idol, therefore idolatry?
Thanks Marvin. I remember your article a couple years back. Barbara Anderson posted it on her watchtowerdocuments.com site.
I seem to recall that there was a Questions from Readers article that addressed this issue. the article was in the 1970s or early 80s, I think. If I remember correctly, the rationale was that in democratic countries, these "loyalty oaths" incorporated their constitutional free speech/religion protections and thus the JW making such an oath was not agreeing to anything that would violate his neutrality.
Perhaps someone with WT Library could pull this article. I think it uses the term "loyalty oath" so that may help in finding the article.
Isn't the technicality with the oath and children in school that it is an oath, not to the United States, but "I pledge allegiance to the flag", an idol, therefore idolatry?
That may have been a Watchtower argument, but wasn't Ceaser's image on the Roman coin also an image? Jesus said to render it to Ceasar.
It is really impossible to make a credible argument that the United States flag salute is an act of religious worship to an idol. For example, why would a witness kid stand "at attention" for idol worship, if that is what it is?
Reality is that this is a political anti-american control mechanism to make the U.S. witnesses "different" for WTS purposes.
Thanks Marvin.
Bangalore
"The religious position taught by Watch Tower to Jehovah’s Witnesses is not all it seems to be. When leaders
need a passport it is acceptable for them to pledge the oath of allegiance to the United States. When young
children are in school it is unacceptable for them to pledge the oath of allegiance to the United States."
Well... see... this was the forerunner to the 'new light' that they now have... similar to the acceptable 'blood fractions'.
Since the Passport pledge of alliegence is taken only once every 10 years - it is acceptable - unlike the pledge of allegience that kiddos do every morning in class at school - which is unacceptable.
Don't you see the difference? Sheesh! Any 'discerning JW' can.
<tongue firmly planted in cheek>
Regards,
Jim TX
Marvin, thank you for the .pdf link.
I think it is a very interesting, visual journey when you start putting all of these pieces of the JW puzzle together, just how wacked out their beliefs and policies truly are. They in no way resemble anything close to 'The Truth'.
Ah, you just gotta love the hypocrisy.
