by ozziepost 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
G'day all,
Over on the Weekend Poll thread, something interesting (to me!!!) has come up, the matter of dubs serving on juries. Check out the comments of Blondie, Mulan and myself on this thread: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/71933/1.ashx
It seems that in the USA the situation is that jury service is 'OK', but it certainly isn't downunder.
So how's it in your area?
Interested Borg-watchers would like to know!!!
Cheers, Ozzie
I have been told it was a conscience matter... and so some I knew refused to participate and others felt it was ok...
so far I have never had to do it. Once I was called to be on a jury but when they were interviewing us... turned out I worked with the wife of the detective on the case and so had to admit to know him when we were asked... so I got 'off'.. actually I think it might have been an interesting case..
That was in MN.. I am figuring I'll get called to do it in Cali now that I registered to vote.. I thought I'd get hit when I got my drivers license.. not sure if there are cases I want to be on here.. I'd hate to offend the wrong people..
my dad once got called to do jury service when we were kids, he was a ministerial servent at the time, he was disturbed by the government letter and that he had been called on, but i think he was going to do it, that was until he went ice skating and jehovah made him fall over and break his leg. so due to medical reasons he got out of it.
I know several witnesses here who have sat on jury's and here have been no repucussions for them in the congregation.
I served on a jury while being a JW when I was 22. I was told that it was a conscience matter. I decided to do it. No one gave my any problems over it. Fortunately, I was in a liberal congregation at the time, and the elders weren't so rigid. The congreagtion that I had been in a couple of years earlier would have tried to make the decision for me, and I would have been in trouble if I had served.
Maybe it depends on the personality of the elders/cong. as to whether or not it's acceptable.
Rita
I know many who have served on juries. One is the PO in a congregation North of us, the son of one of my friends. Her husband was called a few weeks ago, and went but wasn't picked.
They call you randomly here, based on your Driver's license. It used to be done based on voter registration in our State. Relatives in California, who were JW's (not anymore) were called about 20 years ago based on driver's licenses, and they could do it there too, as long as it was a civil matter and not something like a murder or a more serious crime. The one my sister in law was on had to do with a tax lawsuit as I recall.
It seems some things really are "matters of conscience" and others are just called that for PR. How do you tell the difference? Mabe because if you do one thing as a "matter of conscience" they'll leave you alone, but if you do something else they'll say you have "disassociated" yourself?
