Were Blacks Treated Differently Than Whites In Your Congregation? (page 3)

wha happened?

The one thing I knew was that among all the MS who were black, only one was appojnted an elder and he was eventually run out. One other brother came over from another cong but he was already an elder. It was a glass ceiling

wasblind

The WTS qoutes the New York Times

" The Witnesses impressed New Yorkers not only with their numbers, but with their diversity ( They include people from all walks of life ), their racial unself-consciousness ( Many witnesses are Negroes ) and their quiet, orderly behavior."_________Reasoning from the sriptures book page 305

This reasoning book was printed in 1985, 1989, out of ALL that diversity, the WTS made sure they printed a qoute that pointed out the Negroes only

I could understand if they fought to end Jim Crow, and pointed that out, but they did nothin' on that behalf

Seems to me the WTS is sayin' "WE" don't know how to behave without the WTS

How can any black person wit good sense be part of such, on top of denyin' us an education and the right to vote

they threaten to take away your privilages in the KH if you do so

minimus

Russell said that the colored brothers were very humble and teachable, didn't he?

finally awake

There weren't any minorities in my hall. There were speakers from other halls that were African American, and they always seemed to be well received from my perspective. I can't say how they felt though.

sooner7nc

I have to say no. The cong. I grew up in had a lot of old timers in it including one big black family that I was very close with. We had a family that was distantly related to them move from South Central LA and I immediately fell in with them (they had a son my same age). The father, Jesse, had played blues guitar in clubs across LA back in the 60s and 70s. He played a metal flake turquoise Fender Jazzmaster through an old brown Fender amp. He was a sweet man and an incredible guitar player.

Well, I digress. Blacks weren't looked on as any different in my hometown cong. The one good thing about the Ardmore, Oklahoma cong. of Jehovah's Witnesses.

DesirousOfChange

We lived in what I would call a racial hotbed of the the Bible Belt. I never saw JWs treat JWs of any other race any differently. JWs saw all JWs as "brothers" without distinction of race or nationality. (" I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.) However, JWs did not look at people or other races who were not JWs in the same way of equality. Just step out of the KH and there was often rampant racism (from all sides) that was no differnt in any other mix of people.

Just my personal observation.

Doc

simon17

No, I didn't see any evidence of racial prejudices during my time.

wasblind

Hello DOC

In reguards to the 1963 " I have a Dream " speech, MLK was refering to that dream bein' realized in this lifetime

Humans were bein'denied basic civil liberties based on the color of their skin under the ( Jim Crow laws ) of the south

In order to have that dream , Caesars law ( Jim Crow) had to be challenged

The WTS considers MLK as "unchristian " because he did so, Scince 1964, many Witnesses today have full advantage

of their civil rights, because of this challenge. We know all too well of the many instances where the WTS has challenged

the laws of caesar. Without "Waiting on the Kingdom"

Here is how MLK is looked upon by the WTS in their own words

" Jesus had been raised by parents who obeyed the law even when doing so was inconvenient."____July 1, 2010 WT page 23 public edition

" Jesus was law-abidding, even paying taxes he did not owe. ( Matthew 17: 24-27 ) He also carefully refrained from overstepping his authority in secular matters. ( Luke 12:13,14 ) we might say that Jesus respected the machinery of government."________July 1,2010 WT page 23 public edition

" So if your looking for the genuine followers of Jesus Christ on earth today, how can you identify them ??? will they be mixing in the politics of this world ???_________July 1, 2010 WT page 25 public edition

The WTS is disappointed that Martin Luther King , Rosa parks , Abraham Lincoln, and many others did not simply " Wait on the Kingdom "

" Jesus Christ commisioned all true Christians to teach people worldwide about that subject. ( Matthew 24:14 ; 28:19,20 ) That incorruptable heavenly government will rule over all."________July 1, 2010 WT page 25 public edition

Just not in this lifetime

.

CaptainSchmideo

If anything, I would say that the older ones would be a bit more prone to pass along an off-color (no pun intended) joke in a whispered voice to another. I remember my dad admonishing, or all people, Marion Dunlap, for stating he was going to visit his "Black Bible Study". My Dad replies "If he was White, would you say you were going to your White Bible Study?". Marion graciously admitted that this was indeed the wrong way to think.

So I guess I could say I saw some minor racist "qualifiers" in my youth. Not so much now, and especially not among the young ones, as the amount of inter-racial relationships in the org seems to be mirroring what is going on among Non-Witnesses. Which is fine with me.

shopaholic

When territories were restructured in one area, it resulted in "mixing" three congregations. The White JWs were not having it. Even those in appointed positions refused to worship with Blacks. The congregations are still split and not even sharing the same Kingdom Hall to this day even though plenty of White JWs live in the territory. It was of no surprise, this particular area is known for its prejudice ways and racial dividing lines. It was decided about 10 years ago to mix the circuits. It took some folks a little getting used to, more so the older generation, but there wasn't as much resistance with that change.

In other areas that have multi-racial congregations I have not noticed a different in treatment. The one exception is if there is one non-black family in a black congregation the family is treated like royalty (especially if they are white).

Were Blacks Treated Differently Than Whites In Your Congregation?

Share this