If a government requirement is imposed, Jesus said do more of it. Stop defending your evil organisation! They now allow service in lieu, but sent people to jail and gave them criminal records before they changed their idiotic minds.
JWs and Conscription/ Military Service
by NotFormer 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
Earnest
NotFormer : How do the JWs get around this?
Earnest responds.
NotFormer : Stop defending your evil organisation!
-
Anony Mous
@Earnest: That’s anal? No, that’s fact, read the Elder handbook. The WTBTS wanted to get a more corporate friendly image, they implemented lots of rules that copied other large corporations in the 90s and quickly wanted to forget the image they had built for themselves in the 1940s-1980s. Having former criminals which were already seen in the community as traitors as their leaders, they feared would ‘bring reproach’ on the organization.
Note that people in Mexico were actually allowed to bribe the officials, which was another debacle that came to light later.
You claim the principles have not changed, I challenge you to explain that, the principle before was that you could not do any demanded service for government either in service of the military or in civilian duties except if you voluntarily went into civilian service. Now it is a matter of personal decision. How is ‘NO’ to ‘do as you please’ not a change in principle? It was clearly claimed to be a matter of scriptural mandate, you can read the articles that told people not to do it, then later, as you correctly say, the WTBTS blamed these men that made the sacrifice for ‘misunderstanding’ them. I lived in that time in a country that still had mandatory service, I was trained from a young boy to refuse and go to jail, with articles from the WT publications and scripture, this would be a matter that was brought up during ‘local matters’ and people were disfellowshipped for not going to jail.
-
Earnest
Anony Mous, I was not suggesting your claim (that someone with a criminal record due to refusing military service was barred from serving in certain capacities) was anal, but that doing so was perverse. I would appreciate a reference in the Elders book if you happen to know it.
I also lived in a country that had mandatory service, and agree it was expected you would refuse any demanded service unless a court sentenced you to it. I remember arguing that I could pay a fine instead of imprisonment as I was guilty of the charge (refusing military service) but was told we (JWs) needed to present a united front. However, although it is now treated as a matter of conscience whether one accepts civilian service, the principle that a Christian cannot support the armed services (or any nonneutral organization) has not changed. The principle is not that you cannot do demanded service for government in civilian duties, that is what Matthew 5:41 is about. The implementation of the principle was that you could not do civilian duties in lieu of joining the armed services. It is an important distinction. What has changed? I suggested that since the '70s and '80s the variety of government responses to conscientious objectors has clouded whether compulsory civilian duties are in lieu of military service, and so it becomes a matter of conscience.