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Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses vote?

by Obi-Akpere | June 27, 2008 at 05:15 am

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Because of John 17:14 and other passages in the Bible? In that verse, Jesus declares to his followers: "They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world." Jehovah's Witnesses have interpreted that statement as a call to remain neutral in all political matters. (In some of the sect's literature, members are described as "representatives of God's heavenly kingdom"; they are thus obligated to stay out of political affairs in keeping with the behavior of ambassadors.) Witnesses also refrain from serving in the military, running for public office, and pledging allegiance to the flag. How then should the society be organized without leaders, authority and law enforcement agents, at least the people of Israel in the Bible were regarded as the most organized people because they had the 10 commandments from God, and people to run the state affairs formed?

Serena Williams told reporters at Wimbledon on Wednesday that she's excited about Barack Obama's candidacy but won't vote for him because Jehovah's Witnesses "don't get involved in politics." Her sister Venus—who is also a Jehovah's Witness—wouldn't even comment on the presidential election.

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Obi-Akpere

at 10:36 on June 27th, 2008

Jehovahs Witnesses and *freedom of speech*.

They will extol and preach *God's Kingdom* and this sounds attractive,what they hide from you is their Watchtower society version that Jesus has already had his second coming in 1914 and is working *invisibly* through them.
They have won 37 of their 46 Supreme court cases assuring us all of freedom of speech and assembly and equal protection under the law.

The sad irony is that the Watchtower Society *daily* abuses the human rights of thousands of its members. It denies current members the right of free speech by forbidding them to speak to former members, even close family members.
And it denies former members their right of freedom of worship by refusing to allow them to leave the religion with dignity, should they come to disagree with Watchtower's practices or doctrines.

The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is an oppressive organization that controls every aspect of its members' lives.

Danny Haszard said.

politisite

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:32 on June 27th, 2008

Obi-Akpere, I like this story. It's good stuff. I am a Christian and politically active. Our take is a bit different as other passages can be used to pray for your leaders and be active in working on change. JW have taken a good deal of suffering over the years, still the folks stick to their beliefs. Their work ethic is generally above most. They are also knowledgeable about what they believe and why they believe it. Most Christians could not provide chapter and verse where their beliefs lie.

master_jim2008

at 08:08 on August 25th, 2008

I have had many experiences with the JW religion. My next door neighbors when I was a pre-teen were JW and the girl next door felt so repressed that she deliberately went out and got pregnant at 14 because she knew it was the only way she could be thrown out of the religion and her family home so she could feel free. She also watched her brother die because her parents wouldn't allow him to have a life saving blood transfusion.

I finally got the JW's to stop coming to my door by taking one of their magazines out to the shooting range, blowing a few holes in it, then having my dad lay down on the porch to draw a chalk outline of him, like he had died, and we splattered fake blood around, dropped the watchtower in the midst of it, and strung crime scene tape around the porch. The JW missionaries came, took one step up on the porch, looked, and turn and ran and never returned. I later did the same thing again with a book of mormon to stop the mormon missionaries from coming. It was quite the success!!