I would like to personally thank Marvin Shilmer for having the guts to publish the April 25, 2001 letter to all Elders in the USA from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses on personal viewpoints.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=6063&site=3
I posted this letter with the below following comments in my office cafeteria for all including a "weak one" to see.
My comment went
"A Sad Example of Hidden Bigotry"
The attached is a real letter from the "Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses" (a new corporation that now runs the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's (Witnesses) Service Writing Department). This letter was a response to all Witness Elders regarding a question on what the Watch Tower Society wants and does not want individual Witnesses to say when expressing personal viewpoints about vital religious issues to persons whose intent is to record and document the findings? Note the following quote:
"If a topic is raised that is not specifically covered in the brochure, reference can be made to the Reasoning book, such as the portion on "Races of Mankind". On page 304, reference is made to Acts 10:34, 35 showing God is not partial. So Jehovah's Witnesses do not discriminate against individuals because of race, language, or social standing." (page 1, paragraph 3, sentences 3, 4 and 5)
The language used in the above quote is called an "observational selection" argument (ie. count the hits but purposely forget the misses). What is said in the above quote is true. But the Writing Department seems to have conveniently forgotten about one enormous and hurtful thing.
Remember the "Aryan Nations"? They hung with the Klu Klux Klan or "KKK". Using bible arguments, the leaders get to label African Americans as "Ni__ers" and explain how Africans are inferior to whites. The Aryan Nations calls this labeling "love" and the wishing of God to put Africans in their appropriate place. The only difference between an African and a European is the concentration of vitamin D in the skin. Thus, everyone else with a brain size of a gnat calls this practice bigotry, race bigotry.
Now lets compare the Watch Tower (Jehovah's Witnesses). Using bible arguments, the leaders label any person in good standing as an "APOSTATE" if he/she "openly" disagrees, not with God, but with the leadership's teaching. Just like how Africans are treated by the Aryan Nations, the Witness leadership considers Apostates evil, scum and the worst thing possible on the earth. These innocent people go through a disfellowshipping process, ex-communicated, "named" in front of the entire congregation and are suppose to be shunned by the entire congregation as required by the Watch Tower leaders in its April 1, 1986 Watchtower magazine (Questions to the Readers Section). Apostates lose family, friends and God. The Watch Tower calls this process love too, to keep the congregation "clean" and to help the "dissenter" see the error of his way. Everyone else with a brain size of a gnat calls this bigotry too, creed bigotry.
Some who attend this wonderful organization have explained that they, personally, do not partake in the shunning or will only shun those who are truly evil (ie. murders). Thus, they can rationalize their attendance at their weekly bible studies. This is like saying I like Africans but I still like my bible studies with my Aryan Nations friends. Showing support for and not speaking out against an organization that practices bigotry will allow the hate to flourish against innocent people whose only crime may be finding out the Watch Tower has wrongly predicted the time for the Apocalypse on at least 10 different occasions in the last 100 years.
Bigotry, may it be race, creed or whatever hurts people and wrecks families. The sad reality is that some practice or quietly support this BIGOTRY and with the proper rationalization can also sleep very well at night, too.
hawk (thanks Marvin)