They were an NGO, duh.
Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT "Neutral'
by metatron 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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d
They view politicians as corrupt so in many ways they are not neutral.Many watch the news which also does not make you neutral because many do have thoughts on certain issues.
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Band on the Run
The Witnesses are not truly antigovernment. They freely avail themselves of every benefit a nation state can grant. The UN NGO status proves it.
Can you imagine JWs would be neutral if Rutherford were sitting in Berlin rather than Brooklyn? They adore tax exempt status. An org. that truly hates government would not be so full of lawyers. Lawyers are a tool of the government. Somehow all those JW lawyers did something that was similar to taking an oath to defend the Const'n of NY and the US Const'n with their lives. What they did is a mere formality. Lawyers are inherently part of any nation-state
I assume they have powerful lobbyists in Albany and DC. Hiring a lobbyist to influence govt is not a neutral act..
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metatron
I appreciate the points you made - although, classifying them as parasites rather than neutral isn't much of an improvement.
It needs to be understood that there are no real 'neutrals' in total war. At one point, Nazi Germany had enough soldiers but needed more industrial production or farming to supply their economy. You end up supporting the war effort, one way or the other. Even if you just shave SS officers or take care of their children, you are helping the overall effort, like it or not.
metatron
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St George of England
During the time of the Falklands War (1982) on the map in the Yearbook, the Falklands were labelled as the malvinas by the WTS showing exactly whose side they were on. (Losing side actually)
Some time later they returned to labeling correctly as the Falklands.
The WTS never use the term GREAT BRITAIN, it's always just Britain.
George
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slimboyfat
On JW "neutrality": have you seen the new article by historian Zoe Knox? It talks about the Watchtower's presentation of the political situation during the Cold War. Here is the abstract:
The Watch Tower Society and the End of the Cold War: Interpretations of the End-Times, Superpower Conflict, and the Changing Geo-Political Order
Abstract
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania professes to be politically neutral, concerned not with secular affairs, political ideology or worldly authority, but only with Jehovah's divine plan. This article examines one explicitly political state of affairs that featured prominently in the literature produced by the Society from 1946 until 1991: the Cold War. During the Cold War years, the dominant narrative of superpower relations was of the two kings in the Book of Daniel. According to the Society, their historic rivalry would only end with the onset of Armageddon. The demise of Soviet Communism necessitated an entirely new interpretation of the rival kings. The subsequent attempt to reconcile the spiritual and the secular in the modern world indicates that the organization is adept at recasting (and resurrecting) failed narratives and adapting contemporary events to reaffirm Charles Taze Russell's interpretations of biblical chronology, first expounded in the 1880s.
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ilikecheese
What I wonder about this whole not being associated with governments thing is this... How do they explain the fact that God used people in governments? There was Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, Matthew was a tax collector, etc. Do they even consider this, or do they choose to ignore it? Or do they think Joseph, Daniel, and Matthew were serving Satan?
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Splash
ilikecheese - Not to mention the military personnel.
Splash
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gorgia2
Plus their little letter to Hitler.
gorgia