JW's and Patriotism?

c.dawn

Hi,

I posted this earlier but can't find the post. Don't know if it got lost in cyber space or I'm just blind. But, I can't find it.

My sister is a JW from around 1985. I was studying on and off with them, at the same time, but asked to many probing questions and wasn't getting satisfactory answers.Then felt God led me elsewhere, where I have continued to grow in Biblical knowledge.In my church you are encouraged to prove everything the minister says to you. You're allowed to discuss, debate and disagree with any doctrine or scripture point in question.

Anyway, we are also Patriotic in our congregation. Not to the point that we put it as more important as God. But, we feel he has blessed (Here in America) us by giving us this land. So, we're thankful for it and we do love our country, although maybe not agree with all the polictics.

Some of our hymns have patriotic themes. "God Bless America" etc.

BUT, my religion also stresss that God is first in all things. But , we also know he allowed the Israelites to be patrotic towards their country, as long as they didn't adopt pagan practices to show it.

I know JW's stay out of politics and don't salute the flag etc.I can understand that they feel that's what they should do. But, when I so much as mention my love for my country, my sisters lip curls up in disgust and she says SHE has no love or loyalty to ANY country, only God. as though I put my country over God if I have a deep fondness for it. After all, it's been good to me, ( who was born here) and also my husband who was born in a third world country. He said even the middle and poorer classes here live like kings, compared to people of middle and lower class in his former country.

My sister says she doesn't consider any country to be her country . That Gods going to "smash em" all up at Armagedden anyway.

I wanted to mention to her that my other sisters son in the military, is risking his life, just so she can have the freedom to trash talk and disrespect the place that was so good to her.( She was also born on the fourth of July).

I know not all JW's are like this, but before she got in with them, she was kind, compassionate, loved her country and fellow man.

Now she seems kind of knowing and arrogant. as though "We know the truth and youuuuuu don't". Her kids are behaving the same way.

Yet, when she sufferred her nervous breakdown and her husband lost his job.They were behind in all their bills. It was I and my husband, the lowly, non JW's, who were the ones who sent her money, paid for her medication and bought her children school clothes. And took the four kids to stay with us and fed them for weeks at a time when she was ill. Few, if any helped her from her congregation. At one point when it got too much for my husband and us to handle I called her congregation and asked them if they could assist her in anyway. We lived two hours drive away.

Anyway, back to the Patiotism thread. I told my sister how I felt after she turned up her lip in disgust at my mentioning love of country ( It was around Thanksgiving) and I saw her eyes flicker in anger, but I was just not going to listen to it anymore.

Why do JW's think you can't love your country and love God too? Are all JW's taught to despise ones country? I understand not putting it before God, but why despise it?

Please explain.

dawn

Valis

cdawn...click on your user name and you will see a link to your Topic history and your Post history.

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

Big Tex

I posted this earlier but can't find the post. Don't know if it got lost in cyber space or I'm just blind. But, I can't find it.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/81605/1331363/post.ashx#1331363

blondie

Hi dawn, you might be interested in how from 1991 to 2001 the WT Society was associated with the UN as a nongovernmental organization (NGO).

This defintely showed that when it suits them they can support the goals of governments and similar organizations.

http://www.sassquatch.com/SYN/UN_NGO_Letter/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,565005,00.html

http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm

googlemagoogle

why would someone love a country? and why would god bless america?

garybuss

The Witnesses say they do NOT participate in politics, but is it true? Do they participate in government? Do they lobby? Yes! Do they go to court? Yes! Do they criticize (other) governments? Yes! Have they ever joined a political organization? Yes!

The Witnesses are hypocrites by profession. Do they lie? Yes! lol

M.J.

This was one of the aspects that angered me about JWs the most upon my initial contact with them as well, but I've since become more tolerant . You have to understand that they only parrot the attitude that is fed to them. They feel that the nations are basically under Satan's power and that true followers of Jehovah should have nothing to do with government, or express any loyalty to it. Yet it's interesting to read about Daniel's involvement in the Babylonian/Persian governments, the adoration of conquering king Cyrus by both Isaiah and Jehovah, the administration of Egypt by Joseph, John the Baptist instructing soldiers to be happy with their wages, etc.

Really it has its origin in the personality of one of the Watchtower Society's founders, Joseph Rutherford. He was just a guy with a grudge against the Government, probably after being thrown in jail for printing anti-patriotic material during WWI, and especially after Prohibition was imposed, as he really liked to hit the bottle pretty hard. You can trace many of the WTS's distinctive doctrines back to Rutherford's personal prejudices, and of course in such a controlling system one can convince followers that the Bible supports anything they want it to.

c.dawn

A poster asked why would someone love a country and why would God bless America.

It's natural to have fond memories and even love for the place you grew up. Unless you had horrible memories of it. My husbands Chinses and grew up in Vietnam. he was in Saigon during the war. he hated the war. but has such fond memories of his childhood.

Why would God bless America? Well, maybe he isn't much anymore, since we are shedding alot of our morals that we we used to have.

But, I feel in the past God did bless us. And many other God fearing countries also Not just us.

For a country to be so young ( as far as being settled) and to have risen so high in such a short time. We didn't do that by our own might alone. Our forefathers realized this.

Sometimes people from other countries will make comments about US arrogance or us being so different in beliefs then them. Some" wierd Americans". I think they forget that America has alot of their nations people living here too. Except for the Native Americas, every person here had an ancestor that was from another country. They brought over their attitudes and cultures and beliefs. I guess we are different then many other nations since we have so many nations living under one "roof" so to speak.

googlemagoogle

it maybe is natural to love the place you grew up. but not the country/nation as such... patriotism and it's bigger brother nationalism are probably the root of the world's problems (along with religion). and what the heck is a god-fearing country?

JW's and Patriotism?

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