The Watchtower Society strongly condemns the world and its commercial, political and religious systems.
Described as part of Satan's system, these are said to be shortly devoted to destruction.
"Indeed, consider what the situation will be the day after God brings this system of things to its end. Satan, his demons, and his political, commercial, and religious systems will be gone-every one of them! Satan's entire propaganda apparatus will be gone too. Thus, after the great tribulation, there will never again be printed a single newspaper, magazine, book, booklet, or leaflet that supports this wicked world. There will be no corrupting influences broadcast from worldly television or radio stations. The entire poisonous environment of Satan's world will be cleared away in one mighty stroke!""
Watchtower 1993 April 1 pp.17-18
Witnesses are warned away from involvement in these systems. Voting, jury duty, working in the military or religious institutions or joining related clubs are either conscience matters or forbidden.
Something as simple as painting a Church roof as a contractor can be grounds for being disfellowshipped.
In Malawi, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were tortured and killed because the Watchtower told them it was
unchristian to hold a political card as required by the Malawian government. (Yearbook 1999 pp.149-223)
The Watchtower Society as an organization, however, does not held back from political involvement and lobbying when considered beneficial for its own means.
Of recent years a number of people have left the Watchtower Society on learning of its application and involvement as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Associate Member of the United Nations Department of Public Information. This is detailed at United Nations NGO
It is not only acceptable, but beneficial for people to be actively involved in this world's commercial and political religious systems.
The Bible is filled with examples of faithful servants of God that were exceptionally rich or involved in politics. Mordecai and Joseph were influential, high-ranking politicians in worldly governments.
Jesus said to render leaders their due. At Matthew 17 there is the example of him paying tax and at Matthew 5:41 he recommended, "if someone under authority impresses you into service for a mile, go with him two miles." Paul said to be subject to superior authorities at Romans 13:7 and even recommended that we pray for earthly governments.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 "I therefore exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, offerings of thanks, be made concerning all sorts of men, concerning kings and all those who are in high station; in order that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life with full godly devotion and seriousness."
Voting is an important way to ensure that governments most beneficial to the people (and organisations such as the
Watchtower Society) are selected.
The purpose of this section is less a criticism of the Watchtower involvement in these areas and more a highlight of the hypocrisy of an organization that has different standards for the leaders than for the layperson.
"False religion’s involvement in the affairs of the political nations will lead ultimately to her own devastation." Watchtower 1985 March 1 p.13
Despite the above scathing attack on other religion, the Watchtower is actively involved in political affairs. In representative democratic politics, the legislative process can be influenced through voting in elections or lobbying. Lobbying by pressuring decision-makers is least democratic and yet least objectionable to the Watchtower. Most Witnesses are unaware of the lobbying being carried out by Watchtower leaders. Direct examples are its involvement with organisations such as the OSCE. (It is also likely that the real reason for joining the United Nations as an associated NGO was also for political influence.)
A name you will see repeatedly below attending these political events is Mr. Marcel Gillet. A search on the Watchtower’s media web site shows his prominent status within the Organization, working on Public Relations in Europe.
OSCE
The goals of the OSCE run contrary to principles the Watchtower prints in its magazines. The OSCE goals are political and include.
Legislative reviews for governments, on request, to help them bring their legislation into line with international standards;
Publishing Guidelines for Review of Legislation Pertaining to Religion or Belief, which were drafted by members of the Panel of Experts in association with the Council of Europe's Venice Commission;
Development of new legislation intended to foster improved relations among religious groups, including in post-conflict societies;
Promoting dialogue between governments and religious groups, as called for in OSCE commitments.
http://www.osce.org/odihr/20056.html 25th Apr 2010
That the Watchtower sends representatives for attendance at these events show a different set of standards apply to the leaders as opposed to the lay Jehovah’s Witness.
2004
In 2004, Jehovah’s Witnesses attended the OSCE conference alongside a colourful group of other attendees including the Sudanese Solidarity Group, Baha’is and American Jewish Committee.
A photo from the 2005 OSCE Human Dimension event shows the truly political nature of these conferences with a medley of political flags framing the attendees.
A list of registered NGO's for the OSCE's 2005 conference on Anti-Semitism and intolerance appeared at http://osce.usmission.gov/Cordoba/Cordoba_NGOs.pdf (April 6th 2007 - no longer active). Page 3 listed as a registrant The European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses as registrars and page 7 listed the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania. On the registration document the Watchtower appeared alongside Church groups such as Scientology.
It appears however from the list of participants that the Watchtower representatives did not show up.
2006
The main goals for the US at the 2006 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting were clearly at odds with Watchtower doctrine, promoting democracy and political will.
U.S. goals for this conference include:
To demonstrate U.S. commitment to human rights and democracy, and to show support for NGOs working in these fields.
To generate political will among OSCE participating States for implementing OSCE commitments in the Human Dimension.
http://www.usosce.rpo.at/HDIM/hdim2006.html (as of April 25, 2010)
The 2006 participants yet again include Mr. Marcel Gillet representing the European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses.
In 1999 the Australian Bethel sent their lawyer, Vincent Toole and Don Maclean, one of the branch committee to the Hansard Committee for religious tolerance. Toole and Maclean both contributed to the conversation, requesting tolerance towards Witnesses, particularly in regards to the issue of blood transfusions, with little effect. The result may have been far more significant if the political parties knew 80,000 Witnesses would be voting to supporting their requests.
World Health Organization
Each year on the 7th April World Health Day is celebrated by representatives of the World Health Organization, NGOs, and high ranking government officials. Jehovah's Witnesses participated in this celebration in 2000.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2001/WHO_BCT_01.03.pdf (April 6th 2007) contains a 140 page souvenir brochure of the event. Page 7 shows the theme for the year 2000 was regarding blood.
"This is why blood safety was the theme of World Health Day 2000, but also one of WHO's priorities for the future, with the launch of a long-term programme aimed to assist national health authorities, especially those in greatest need, to establish and maintain well-organised blood transfusion services with appropriate infrastructure and trained personnel."
Page 53 says "Of note was the presence of Jehovah Witnesses at the Congress."
Witness school children endure embarrassment and humiliation having to stand outside the class or sit whilst other students stand during remembrance days, anthems and flag salutes due to their political nature. Yet at the same time the leaders are actively involved in influencing and lobbying the political systems.
The Watchtower Society holds associated NGO status with political organisations and sends representatives to political enquiries. If the Watchtower Society can send attendees to influence government on matters of religious tolerance why are individual Witnesses forbidden from voting or holding political cards, at the risk of torture and death?
This is yet another area where illogical Watchtower doctrine has created unnecessary suffering for members, and shown the hypocrisy of the leadership. Political neutrality is at odds with the long-term prosperity of the Watchtower organisation and will no doubt be another area in which the rules loosen over coming decades.
The Watchtower Society is proud of its extensive use of the world's court systems, claiming it has benefited the preaching work and freedom of speech for people in general.
"Legal cases involving the Witnesses have numbered many thousands, and hundreds of these have been appealed to higher courts. This has had a profound effect on the law itself and has often fortified legal guarantees of basic freedoms for people in general. But this has not been the main objective of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Their principal desire is to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. Legal action that they take is not because they are social agitators or legal reformers. Their objective is to 'defend and legally establish the good news,' even as was true of the apostle Paul." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p. 678
It is interesting to examine the lengths the Watchtower is prepared to go.
Jimmy Swaggart
In 1988, Jimmy Swaggart was taken to court in the case Swaggart Ministries v. California Board of Equalization. This regarded paying tax on profit derived from sales of religious material. (http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1989/1989_88_1374/argument/
April 6th 2007) Realising a ruling against Swaggart could result the sale of Watchtower publications being taxed the Watchtower Society filed a Brief of Amicus Curiae (friend of the court) for United States Supreme Court Docket # 88-1374. This was to support Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
With the decision looking likely to go against Swaggart, the Watchtower Society initiated the 'voluntary donation' arrangement in the United States before the ruling.
Click Here to view a copy of the Amicus Curiae that the Watchtower submitted for the Jimmy Swaggart case.
Bulgarian Government
On March 9th 1998, the Watchtower Society and the European Commission of Human Rights brokered an agreement with the government of Bulgaria. For Jehovah's Witnesses to be recognized as a religious organization in Bulgaria, the Watchtower Society had to ensure that "members should have free choice in the matter [of blood transfusions] for themselves and their children, without any control or sanction on the part of the association." They guaranteed that Witnesses are free to make their own choice on the use of blood, with blood transfusions removed from being a disfellowshipping offence. This was quite deceptive, as taking blood became an automatic offence to be disassociated instead, making any freedom of choice quite meaningless.
While using the world's courts to gain freedom of speech for the organization, the same cannot be said for its own members. Open disagreement with any doctrine of the Governing Body is grounds for removal
from the Organization, with members strictly forbidden from speaking to such members.
The Proclaimer's book mentions that Rutherford wrote a letter to Hitler under the context of "facing Nazi oppression", in which the Watchtower Society is made to sound as if they were firmly against the Nazi regime.
"Therefore, on June 25, 1933, a declaration regarding their ministry and its objectives was adopted by Jehovah's Witnesses at an assembly in Berlin. Copies were sent to all the high government officials, and millions more were distributed to the public. Nevertheless, in July 1933 the courts refused to grant a hearing for relief. Early the following year, a personal letter regarding the situation was written by J. F. Rutherford to Adolf Hitler and delivered to him by special messenger. Then the entire worldwide brotherhood went into action.
On Sunday morning, October 7, 1934, at nine o'clock, every group of Witnesses in Germany assembled. They prayed for Jehovah's guidance and blessing. Then each group sent a letter to German government officials declaring their firm determination to keep on serving Jehovah." - Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimer's Of God's Kingdom p.693
It is quite shocking to find the opposite is true. This can be seen when reading the content of Rutherford's letter to Hitler and the Declaration of Facts that later appeared in the 1934 Yearbook.
Rutherford was anti-Semitic and the contents of Rutherford's letter praise Hitler for his anti-Anglo/American campaign and his stance against the Jews.
(Click on the thumbnails to see a copy of the German letter.)
Letter to Hitler 1933
"Dear Reichskanzler,
The Brooklyn headquarter of the Watchtower Society is pro German in an exemplary way and has been so for many years. For that reason, in 1918, the president of the Society and seven members of the board of directors were sentenced to 80 years in prison, because the president refused to use two of the magazines published in America under his direction for war propaganda against Germany. These two magazines, "The Watchtower" and "Bible Student" were the only magazines in America which refused to engage in anti-German propaganda and for that reason were prohibited and suppressed in America during the war.
In the very same manner, in course of the recent months the board of directors of our Society not only refused to engage in propaganda against Germany, but has even taken a position against it. The enclosed declaration underlines this fact and emphasizes that the people leading in such propaganda (Jewish businessmen and Catholics) also are the most rigorous persecutors of the work of our Society and its board of directors. This and other statements of the declaration are meant to repudiate the slanderous accusation, that Bible Researchers are supported by the Jews.
The conference of five thousand delegates also noted - as is expressed in the declaration - that the Bible Researchers of Germany are fighting for the very same high ethical goals and ideals which also the national government of the German Reich proclaimed respecting the relationship of humans to God, namely: honesty of the created being towards its creator.
The conference came to the conclusion that there are no contradictions when it comes to the relationship between the Bible Researchers of Germany to the national government of the German Reich. To the contrary, referring to the purely religious and unpolitical goals and efforts of the Bible Researchers, it can be said that these are in full agreement with the identical goals of the national government of the German Reich.
We are looking forward to your kind approval, which we hope to receive soon, and want to assure our highest respect to you, honorable Mr. Reichskanzler.
Yours faithfully,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Magdeburg"
"Declaration of Facts" presented in Yearbook 1934 pp.134-138
"It is falsely charged by our enemies that we have received financial support for our work from the Jews. Nothing is farther from the truth. Up to this hour there never has been the slightest bit of money contributed to our work by Jews. We are the faithful followers of Christ Jesus and believe upon Him as the Savior of the world, whereas the Jews entirely reject Jesus Christ and emphatically deny that he is the Savior of the world sent of God for man's good. This of itself should be sufficient proof to show that we receive no support from Jews and that therefore the charges against us are maliciously false and could proceed only from Satan, our great enemy. The greatest and the most oppressive empire on earth is the Anglo-American empire. By that is meant the British Empire, of which the United States of America forms a part. It has been the commercial Jews of the British-American empire that have built up and carried on Big Business as a means of exploiting and oppressing the peoples of many nations. This fact particularly applies to the cities of London and New York, the stronghold of Big Business. This fact is so manifest in America that there is a proverb concerning the city of New York which says: The Jews own it, the Irish Catholics rule it, and the Americans pay the bills .
The present government of Germany has declared emphatically against Big Business oppressors and in opposition to the wrongful religious influence in the political affairs of the nations. Such is exactly our position .
Instead of being against the principles advocated by the government of Germany, we stand squarely for such principles, and point out that Jehovah God through Christ Jesus will bring about the full realization of these principles and will give to the people peace and prosperity and the greatest desire of every honest heart .
A careful examination of our books and literature will disclose the fact that the very high ideals held and promulgated by the present national government are set forth in and endorsed and strongly emphasized in our publications and show that Jehovah God will see to it that these high ideals in due time will be attained by all persons who love righteousness
Let us remind the government and the people of Germany, that it was the League of Nations compact that laid upon the shoulders of the German people the great unjust and unbearable burdens. That the League of Nations compact was not brought forth by the friends of Germany."
It may be difficult to understand why Hitler banned the Witnesses after such praise, so it is necessary to recognise the circumstances surrounding this letter.
During the time of Rutherford, Witnesses were known as a religion of hate due to the ongoing tirade of insults in Watchtower publications against other Churches and governments. The Catholic Church come under the greatest condemnation and bought this to the attention of the Nazi government, petitioning against the Watchtower Society. Rutherford's letter and declaration were an effort to appease Hitler, but to no avail.
The result was that Jehovah's Witness suffered unspeakable atrocities in Nazi concentration camps. Many individuals displayed tremendous courage and conviction. It is sad that this suffering was unnecessary and a result of the words and actions of Rutherford.
The Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation (Swiss Banks) CV-96-4849 is a fund to compensate people suffering from the Holocaust. As stated at http://www.swissbankclaims.com/index.asp (March 3rd 2006)
"This is the official information website for the Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation against Swiss Banks and other Swiss Entities. You may have important rights under a proposed $1.25 billion (U.S.) Settlement of a class action lawsuit against private Swiss Banks and other Swiss Entities for their alleged conduct related to World War II and the Holocaust."
In 1999, the Watchtower Society applied for compensation payable to itself. As of Sep 28 2009 www.swissbankclaims.com contains the letter from the Watchtower Society, or Click Here for a PDF copy of the Watchtower application letter. Included is the request they receive a portion of the funds on the following basis;
"Some Witnesses died prematurely and left no heirs to make a claim to the Swiss Bank Settlement Fund. However, the legacy of spiritual resistance that they left behind is of great value in the education of future generations about the importance of standing up for the dignity and value of human life. Representing these individuals, the Watch Tower would be pleased devote any allocated moneys solely to the interests of Holocaust education and the remembrance of the prisoners who bore the purple triangle, according as the court might stipulate."
Though condemning the worlds commercial system as part of Satan's system the Watchtower Society has not held back from utilising it to the fullest, in the process becoming a multi-billion dollar organization. The Watchtower Society owns tens of millions of dollars of real-estate in Brooklyn alone. By claiming religious or charity status the money earned over the last century has generally been tax free.
The Watchtower Society has used stocks, bonds and trusts as investment vehicles. One such trust was the H M Riley Trust, from the deceased estate of Henrietta Riley.
This trust traded in shares in companies such as Exxon Mobil, Coca Cola, Proctor & Gamble and Phillip Morris, one of the world's largest cigarette manufacturer.
- FACTS ABOUT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
(Click on the thumbnails to see a copy of the German letter.)
