Undisclosed policy versus Public portrayal

by Marvin Shilmer 5 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Marvin Shilmer

  Today a reader left this comment on my blog regarding research on Watchtower's position on pledging national allegiance:

  I live in an African land as an elder who has stepped down due to being disheartened that all my life has actually been at the service of con men rather than to God. I also began my search into what was really going on and confirmed my suspicions. Your article is very informative and I hope more individuals within Jehovah's witnesses will come to such knowledge and free themselves.

  To me, one of the most damning aspects of this whole sorry episode of Watchtower hypocrisy is the Alternate Oath that Watchtower officials presented in legal briefs (and in Watchtower publication) that JWs would gladly pledge and without mental reservation. Here's the alternate pledge Watchtower put forth:

  
  “I have pledged my unqualified allegiance and devotion to Jehovah, the Almighty God, and to His Kingdom, for which Jesus commands all Christians to pray. I respect the flag of the United States and acknowledge it as a symbol of freedom and justice to all. I pledge allegiance and obedience to all the laws of the United States that are consistent with God's law, as set forth in the Bible.”
  
  It is striking today to realize this alternate pledge was no more and no less than Watchtower putting one idea in the heads of JWs about the religion's position on pledging allegiance to, in this case, the United States while the whole time Watchtower's top officials were all pledging the usual national oath of allegiance, the same one that Presidents of the United States pledge (and military personnel and other government officials). Oh, and this pledge is made without any mental reservation whatsoever, which is also part of the pledge.

  
  So the national oath of allegiance that Watchtower officials were all pledging themselves to was apparently not good enough for rank-and-file JWs, despite Watchtower officials swearing to this oath with no mental reservation whatsoever! If that does not scream "Let's keep our pledging of allegiance to the United States government secret and feed BS to the membership" I don't know what does.

  
  The reader's comment is available HERE.
  
  
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  DesirousOfChange

  Somehow it seems that if the GB faces the possibility of huge fines, they see New Light that allows compromise. They can even offer "friends of the court" testimony in favor of "false religions".

  I suspect if they ever faced being imprisoned you would see the adjustments coming down the pipeline faster than the speed of (New) Light.

  Rank has its privilege. The GB and other WTS bigwigs are def privileged.

  Doc
  
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  Hold Me-Thrill Me

  It's been a century, it seems, since I've carefully read the "whys" of not doing the Pledge so please forgive a false recollection.
  

  I believe the problem with the Pledge was that it was a pledge to the "flag", which in the minds of the Watchtower leaders was akin to somehow pledging allegiance to an idol of sorts. I remember that we were taught how the flag is officially handled in a worshipful manner with careful rules governing its display and destruction. It was this kind of thing that made pledging to the flag problematic.

  We, as students in school, always respected the flag and it was also taught that we would obey all the laws of the country that did not go against God's laws. The only thing I do not remember is the use of the word, "allegiance" with regard to the laws of the U.S.
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  Marvin Shilmer

  I believe the problem with the Pledge was that it was a pledge to the "flag", which in the minds of the Watchtower leaders was akin to somehow pledging allegiance to an idol of sorts.

  That recollection is not wrong, but it's not the whole story. For example, in schools many JW children were presented the option of not pledging to the flag and, instead, simply stating that they pledged allegiance to the government of the United States. These children refused this option for the same reason that so many adult JWs did the same thing: they thought it was wrong based on what Watchtower put out there for consumption for the general population of JWs. The linked article offers several examples of this.

  So because of what Watchtower was teaching we had JWs refusing to pledge the exact same oath that Watchtower leaders were pledging, and not once did the leadership just come right out and say "Here is the national pledge of allegiance to the United States government, you should not have any mental reservations about pledging this oath of allegiance." Not one time did Watchtower leadership come right out and say this to the community of JWs. Not once! Instead Watchtower leadership put out that phoney-baloney alternative oath, which by itself suggested to JWs that there must be something wrong with pledging the standard national oath of allegiance.
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  Hold Me-Thrill Me

  Thanks for the reply, Marvin.
  
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  Vidiot

  Once again, for the newbies, lurkers and trolls...

  x

  ...if you have to cheat to defend your beliefs, your beliefs don't deserve to be defended.