on page 164- 166 , in the chapter titled " double standards" subheading " two sorts of weights for measuring"
The administration of the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses many decades ago decided that, because of the exsisting law, Jehovah's Witnesses in Mexico would present themsevles , not as a religious organization, but as a "cultural" orginazation. The local corporation there formed " La Torre del Vigia,was so registered with the government of Mexico(footnote). So, Jehovah's Witnesses in Mexico for many decades did not speak of having religious meetings but of having " cultural" meetings. At these meetings they had no prayers or songs, and this was also true of their larger assemblies. (bold emphasis mine) When t hey engaged in door-to-door activity they carried only WatchTower literature (which they said the Watch Towwer Society provided them as an " aid to them in their cultural activity"). They did not carry the Bible while in such activity since that would identify them as engaging in religious activity. A group of Witnesses in a given area was n ot called a " congregation" but a " company." They did not speak of having baptisms but did nthe same thing under the name of performing the " symbol".
This "double talk" was not done because of living in some totalitarian country that took repressive measaures agains freedom of worship. It was done largely to avoid having to comply with government regulations regarding the ownershiop of property by religious organizations. Nor should it be thought that the arragnement was something originating with and decided upon by the Mexican Witnesses themselves; it was an arrangement worked out and put into effect by the international headquarters at Brooklyn. (bold emphasis mine)
It is interesting to contrast the deliberate elimination of prayers and songs at WItness meetings in Mexico with the action of the Watchtower Society in the United States, where they are willing to fight case after case all the way to the Supreme Court of the country other than give up certain practices, such as offering the literature from door to door without a license and without having to register with the police, the right to use sound cars, distribute literature on street corners, and many other practices which are covered by Constitutional rights. The orginization did not want to relinquish any of these things. It fought to hold on to them, even though these particular practices are certainly not things that were done by early Christians in the firest centry and hence cannot be counted as among primary Christian Practices.
But congegational prayer was a primary religious practice in early Christian meetings and has been among servants of God from time immemorial. The Mexcian Governmetn said nothing against prayer at religious meetings. Jehovah's WItnesses , however, were instructed to say that their meetings were NOT religous. (caps mine) Few things could be viewed as more completely related to worship of God., as more purely spiritual , than prayer. When an imperial decree in Persia prohibited prayer to anyone except to the king for a period of thirty days, the prophet Daniel considered the issue so crucial that he risked position, possessions and life itself in violating the decree.
in the footnote to the first paragraph, Ray Franz states "I have a photo copy of the registration dated June 10, 1943 in which the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs authorizes the registration of La Torre del Vigia as a " Non -Profit Civil Association Founded for Scientific, Educational and Cultural Dissemination" This arrangement remained in effect over a period of some 46 years.
my comments:
so this wasnt some " Old history" this was going on in our lifetime i'm bad at math but add 46 yrs to 1943 and thats not too many years ago that this was changed. I find this to be a wrong stance by the WTBS and its inexcusable. It definitely and truly shows the greed of the Orginization. Its main goal is not the salvation of its members but to increase their monetary gain.