by Riley 8 Replies latest jw experiences
Yesterday was remembrance day/veterans days in Canada. We had a couple younger half wits in the cong in field service yesterday. Both are trying to climb the ladder with the entire elder body ready to die in the next 10 years.
I just of thought it was a dick move to go door to door about the merits of fighting for freedom or not fighting on such a sacred day. Remembrance day/ Christmas/ Easter.............just leave people alone. It does more harm than good.
IMHO.
A lot of these days are paid public holidays that JWs feel no personal obligation towards. Perfect conditions for getting car groups together and finding people at home. A dick move, for sure, but perfectly logical for a contrarian group who have issues with mainstream churches and government.
Historically, it wasn't just about public holidays. In 30 Years A Watchtower Slave, Schnell says that they would deliberately have field service on a Sunday at times when the mainstream churches would be holding their services. That way they could find the disillusioned churchgoers (American society was much more church orientated in his time) and persuade them to give the JWs a chance. I think they held their Kingdom Hall meetings at non traditional times on the Sunday, such as during the afternoon.
Here's a quote.
WT 10/15/1958 p. 624 In the United States it is a custom for mourners to decorate the graves of loved ones on what is known as “Decoration Day,” May 30 each year. So Jehovah’s witnesses made it a point to visit cemeteries on that day with the comfort of God’s resurrection hope, as contained in special issues of The Watchtower and Awake! (US Memorial Day now)
Over the last year or so I have got to know some Ukrainian refugees and their stories are just heartbreaking. I don’t for a second blame any man with a family for fleeing the country. Anyone with children who goes off to war is just unbelievably heartbreaking for me.
every time a Jehovah witness gives me that holier than thou song and dance about not going off to war I point to them what happened to the watchtower in Russia and what will happen to the watchtower in the Ukraine if they are, they are conquered. All I get and return is some talk around that really never addresses this issue. It’s just blah blah, blah, blah blah blah blah..
after getting to know these Ukrainians, it makes you realize how disrespectful the watchtower really is.
So Ukrainians are fleeing the country and seeking asylum in safe countries.
We have some here in Australia that we have made welcome. And JW’s preach peace and refuse to join any army and take the lives of others. I find that stand admirable, if only everyone else had the same resolve we could live in peace!
Such a firm resolve makes JW’s true Christians! And there are other Christian groups who also take Christs command to love his neighbour also.
The JW approach is that Jehovah will fix everything one day (very very VERY soon!). Thus, they do not need to try and fix this world, as much as they need to inform everyone of how to get to the next one.
If everyone took the JW approach, the world would devolve into relatively small and isolated groups, and the population would decrease significantly. There's just no reason to try and keep things running on even a national level, and there's no reason to keep doing important scientific and medical research-- Jehovah will take care of that so soon that it would be a waste of time.
The world would be run by mail clerks, basically.
The Russia Ukraine war really highlights the fact, the watchtower and Trax Society can only exist in free and secular democracies. This seems to be lost on most Jehovah’s Witnesses. You are only free to attend the kingdom hall because of the blood in sacrifice of others. That’s the reason I find it kind of despicable to go door-to-door on remembrance Day..
Riley, you reminded me of a quote often attributed either to Churchill or Orwell: "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
JWs can conduct their business safely in societies where peace has been won by the military and police forces, but they are forbidden to join either one to contribute towards that safety.
Tonus OH makes an interesting point - If everyone took the JW approach, the world would devolve into relatively small and isolated groups, and the population would decrease significantly. There's just no reason to try and keep things running on even a national level, and there's no reason to keep doing important scientific and medical research-- Jehovah will take care of that so soon that it would be a waste of time.
This can be summed up in one word - Inshallah Arabic-language expression meaning 'if God wills'
Hence Islamic society is so broken and backward.
RB
