Was thinking about this yesterday on the 4th? Due to the practices, no voting, shunning activities, not getting involved with the community, school, etc, etc. What do you guys think? My brother dislikes President Obama and says he and the rest of the gov't is ran by satan. When I told my parents I vote on a regular basis, they laughed at me, (seriously). Jehovahs Witnesses are the last people that need to be laughing at anymore. In a nutshell, do you guys think that being so anti american is harmful.
Are Jehovahs Witnesses raised to be Anti-American?
by Joliette 17 Replies latest jw friends
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Marvin Shilmer
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Joliette,
That’s a good question and the simple answer is: yes.
But the subject and question is much bigger than that.
The Watchtower organization has constructed it’s own form of nation building. The anti-[State] phenomena among Jehovah’s Witnesses is a peripheral consequent to the community being corralled into it’s own polity.
In a 2012 issue of Black Theology author Richara Heyward did a good job explaining the mechanics of Watchtower’s operation of nation building. You can read more about it and obtain bibliographic information on Heyward’s material in the article Watchtower’s Collective available at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2013/04/watchtowers-collective.html
Marvin Shilmer
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AndDontCallMeShirley
JWs are anti-world.
They believe everything in the world-social, religious, political, economic- is controlled by Satan.
(of course, this doesn't prevent the WT from benefitting from this world. They enjoy the profits made from the financial and real estate markets and the protection they get from the legal/political system).
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Honesty
JW's are taught to treat all authority other than their Governing Body with contempt.
Most JW's are really adept at doing it.
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Simon
Well, I think you need to explain what "Anti American" is. It's a phase trotted out far too often as an excuse for people not to face facts about their country that they would rather avoid. I believe it's been absorbed or adopted from 'Anti Semitism" which is an actual thing but until people can explain why we never hear about "Anti French" or "Anti Australian" etc... I think it's more in some people's minds as an ideological thing.
What you're really describing is disengaged or uninvolved citizentry. Heck, if that makes people 'Anti American" then you must have had a revolution while we were all sleeping - plenty of people do not get involved in things, don't (or can't!) vote etc...
If people pay their taxes and obey the laws but don't vote are they "Anti American"? Wow, the bar is being raised all the time if that's the case!
America seems riddled with controlling groups, special interests, people making money and religion (often combined). Maybe they are just as American as Apple Pie and Mickey Mouse?
... and f you don't like the last two are you "Anti American" too?
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Band on the Run
The hallmark of America is not our might or natural resources. Our identity is our written cons' n guaranteeing freedom and liberty with express written words. Fundamentally, minority religions are the very core of American. They can never be bad American s. On a pragmatic side, JWS would be Hitler writ larger- if they had power or respect.
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Simon
Our identity is our written cons' n guaranteeing freedom and liberty with express written words. Fundamentally, minority religions are the very core of American. They can never be bad American s. On a pragmatic side, JWS would be Hitler writ larger- if they had power or respect.
I think you're in a crisis then - the constitution is being used as a doormat and you incarcerate more citizens than any other country (with a disproportionate number of those minorities) so the "guaranteeing freedom and liberty" rings a little hollow.
It's all words and ideas - that I do believe. It's just an ideology.
The constitution was right to keep religion out of government, especially fundamentalist ones, as that would lead to a very authoritarian regime.
But really, saying individual JWs are "Anti American" seems a little twisted and extreme unless you're also willing to put a lot of other things in the same bucket.
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DATA-DOG
Anti-World, that is the first phrase that came to my mind. The Jw's are so blinded by loyalty to the GB/FDS inc. that they will percieve any punishment from the " Superior Authorities " as persecution from Satan. They really don't even believe what the Bible says about the SA's. How could they? They have flip-flopped so often over it's identity that doing any meaningful study about it is impossible. Pretty sad for a religion that claims to believe whatever God's word says..
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blondie
jws believe that all human governments are flawed and soon to be eradicated along with all those that support them. The WTS also teaches that the US and the UK are the 2 headed-horned beast of Revelation and Daniel. As to the voting, etc., the WTS is an international organization whose tentacles go into every congregation on earth. They train the branch overseers who then train the DOs and COs, etc. to follow their beliefs, doctrines, policies, procedures. no voting, shunning activities, not getting involved with the community, school, etc, etc
*** w12 6/15 pp. 16-17 Jehovah Reveals What “Must Shortly Take Place” ***
ANGLO-AMERICA AND THE TWO-HORNED WILD BEAST
12 Though the Anglo-American World Power is a mixture of iron and clay, the visions that Jesus gave to John show that this power would continue to play a key role during the last days. How so? John saw a vision of a two-horned wild beast that spoke like a dragon. What does this strange beast represent? It has two horns, so it is a dual power. John is again seeing the Anglo-American World Power but in a special role.—Read Revelation 13:11-15.
13 This wild beast promotes the making of an image of the wild beast. John wrote that the image of the beast would appear, disappear, and then rise again. That is exactly what happened to an organization promoted by Britain and the United States, one that was intended to unite and represent the world’s kingdoms. This organization appeared after World War I and was known as the League of Nations. It disappeared with the onset of World War II. During that war, God’s people declared that according to the prophecy in Revelation, the image of the wild beast would ascend again. And rise it did—as the United Nations.—Rev. 17:8.
14 John described the image of the beast as “an eighth king.” In what sense? It is not depicted as an eighth head on the original wild beast. It is only an image of that beast. Any power it has comes from its member nations, especially from its key backer, the Anglo-American World Power. (Rev. 17:10, 11) But it does receive authority to act as a king to carry out a specific task, one that triggers a chain of events that will change history.
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prologos
America ranks big with WT.
they apply Rev.12:16 to the mighty US defeating the totalitarian regimes that would have shut down WT for good, or bad.
The are in NY & Delaware for a reason.
JWs are raised to be single minded workers in the WT beehive that sucks the nectar out of the land.
sorry, that is a bad illustration with bees being such great catalists, facilitators.
WT sucks period.