JJJ-AUSTRALIA

As i am aware , voting as practice is not strange thing to WT Society. History tells us how voting is common way of bringing decisions and resolving problems. Until today. Elders voting on their meetings. Congregants also voting while making resolutions. So, this is not any different from what world doing. Subjects are different. But many things about "worldly" things are not in opposition to Bible. If, people who leaving in one street or area have to do something for common interest, for example, to build new water system or rebuild old one, and it is needed to collect "information" of how many people are ready to contribute with money, or who are ready to and will sign contract (to vote) for that purpose, you need to use this sort of democratic process - to vote for or against something.
I would say how JW's are not against voting inside WT Society, but are against voting in secular life. Many things exists when decision is needed,have nothing with "politics"(state or political party things), but on other hand all in our life is politic anyway. 
Definition of politic
1: POLITICAL
2: characterized by shrewdness in managing, contriving, or dealing
3: sagacious in promoting a policy
4: shrewdly tactful
In that sense, JW as people who know what is good and how to accomplish this same, are in position to mandatory doing good because they know doing good. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. - James 4. JW not need to go voting for new senator, or president, but will doing good to not be so "indifferent", as they are,  in many other secular things in everyday life.
Yes, you are entitled to have such feelings. BUT Until That Time Comes, you have to care about your garbage, ecology, animals, electricity, new urbanistic planes in your place of living, safety or traffic issues in the street, etc. General standpoint of JW's about this is exactly what you called as ...  indifference. 
We are actively supporting only a future government of God .... and with this sentence you presenting what i try to explain. JW's are not active in supporting ... animal shelters or shelters for beaten woman and sexual abused children, homeless ...and so on.   

To quote Arauna  "We are citizens of a future government and learning and adhering to the laws of this future government."
It would seem you are 'citizens' of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, and adhering to the 'laws' of it's Governing Body. 
@Srecko Sostar I like your last paragraph above. 
When Jesus was here on earth he healed the sick and helped those in need, in a physical way as well as a spiritual way.  Jesus has empathy and matched it with action.  Now did Jesus do this just to show what the future 'paradise' would be like, to show that through God's holy spirit he could solve all the problems of the people ? Or, did Jesus do those things because he really cared for the people ? Or both ? 
And thinking on the scripture from James concerning 'widows and orphans', is this action only to be used within the Org or more generally ? 
 

Interesting that people will say the GB will not become like the Pharisees who tried to interpret more than the written word of God... I'm sure you have not read the Secret book of the elders "The Shepherd Book" that secret book itself is a proof how far they gone from the word of God.

Interesting that people will say the GB will not become like the Pharisees who tried to interpret more than the written word of God... I'm sure you have not read the Secret book of the elders "The Shepherd Book" that secret book itself is a proof how far they gone from the word of God.

Well I haven't heard or see anything as yet about voting, but wouldn't surprise me that they will make a public declaration saying is a personal decision and no JW would be deciplined if they do. 
Well I haven't heard or see anything as yet about voting, but wouldn't surprise me that they will make a public declaration saying is a personal decision and no JW would be deciplined if they do. 

You are asking the wrong question, Arauna, about people who have police power (bayonets) to enforce whatever their perspective is .... right or wrong.
The question SHOULD be... the question you should be concerned about is why does the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society LIE to the Bulgarian Government that we do not impose congregational sanctions on those who accept blood... SPECIFICALLY, disfellowshipping, and and extreme shunning.
ANY JW, ANYWHERE, knows this is NOT TRUE.
THIS is what you should be concerned with.
Oh, as an aside, I still do not have my answer about are there congregational sanctions currently against a person voting in a political election.
The answers we get are so weasel worded that they can mean ANYTHING.
If you know better ... please correct me.
What I am looking for is the latest information, in light of Norway's threat to withhold MONEY from the Society, for violating what Norway considers one of the most basic of all human rights... and labeling us us as "extremists".
I strongly suspect because there is MONEY involved, we are soon, if not already, going to be allowed to vote without being censured or disfellowshipped.
 

MONEY .mp4

This will soon be so. Governments will clamp down on ANY organization which enforces biblical law... I see you do not get it.  ..the tide against ALL Christian' laws/principles  is turning.
It will be up to the individual to decide to vote, not take a blood transfusion, or not condone unchristian behaviour,  by cutting association with those who approve LGBT or any other prohibition imposed God.  You do not get it - this is the 'beginning ' of governments enforcing their new moral laws on all Christian's and especially those who stand out for their obedience to laws which other christians do not care about.  In England and Scandinavia people are going to prison or taken into custody for talking against Islam and LGBT - soon it will include voting, blood transfusions and shunning.... and much more........ the world will take away freedom of choice and impose their humanist/satanic laws on us under the guise of human rights.
 
 

If blood is soooo sacred in the eyes of the GB / Org, they why do the GB 'allow' JW's to accept fractions of HUMAN BLOOD ?
I would have thought the mere 'messing about' with / disecting of, human blood would be seen as wrong. That blood has been removed from someone's body. Shouldn't all blood removed be 'pored out on the ground' ? 
On this subject, can someone tell me exactly how many different types of blood fractions JW's are 'allowed' to use ? I have tried to research it but it get confusing to me. 
On a wider scale of things though,it definitely shows that the GB are the GOVERNING BODY, dictating rules of men,doesn't it ?
Didn't Jesus say how wrong that was ? Lording it over the congregation. 
God is going to judge us through Christ, so do we really need to be dictated to by men ? Are we not allowed to have a conscience ?  Guidelines, yes, but man made rules dictated to servants of God, no. Especially as failures of those in charge are easily seen. It seems like some here want to go back to the lie told about the 'Superior Authorities' just to gain more power over the earth wide congregation.. 
 

Wow...  Just wow. 

Each person will have to choose if they will vote. !
its fine to say that to the public but unfortunately that's not really true when you are a JW.
Actually what my wife and I have noticed for the last few years is that the society is happy to portrait a different kind of rules kinda show a different society to the public where we have a choice or is up to each individual to choose about blood, shunning, vote etc but that's not reality.

http://web.archive.org/web/19990129063340/http://www.dhcommhr.coe.fr/eng/28626CP.E.html
Press communiqué issued by the Secretary
to the European Commission of Human Rights
Application No. 28626/95
Khristiansko Sdruzhenie "Svideteli na Iehova"
(Christian Association Jehovah's Witnesses)
v.
Bulgaria
Quote:
As regards the alleged involvement of children the applicant association submits that children cannot become members of the association but only participate, together with their parents, in the religious activities of the community. In respect of the refusal of blood transfusion, the applicant association submits that there are no religious sanctions for a Jehovah's Witness who chooses to accept blood transfusion and that, therefore, the fact that the religious doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses is against blood transfusion cannot amount to a threat to "public health".

They have already lied about blood transfusions and shunning, I'm sure they will managed to lie the way out of this too... Shame shame shame

Each person will have to choose if they will vote. !
its fine to say that to the public but unfortunately that's not really true when you are a JW.
Actually what my wife and I have noticed for the last few years is that the society is happy to portrait a different kind of rules kinda show a different society to the public where we have a choice or is up to each individual to choose about blood, shunning, vote etc but that's not reality.

Well I haven't heard or see anything as yet about voting, but wouldn't surprise me that they will make a public declaration saying is a personal decision and no JW would be deciplined if they do. 
Well I haven't heard or see anything as yet about voting, but wouldn't surprise me that they will make a public declaration saying is a personal decision and no JW would be deciplined if they do. 

http://web.archive.org/web/19990129063340/http://www.dhcommhr.coe.fr/eng/28626CP.E.html
Press communiqué issued by the Secretary
to the European Commission of Human Rights
Application No. 28626/95
Khristiansko Sdruzhenie "Svideteli na Iehova"
(Christian Association Jehovah's Witnesses)
v.
Bulgaria
Quote:
As regards the alleged involvement of children the applicant association submits that children cannot become members of the association but only participate, together with their parents, in the religious activities of the community. In respect of the refusal of blood transfusion, the applicant association submits that there are no religious sanctions for a Jehovah's Witness who chooses to accept blood transfusion and that, therefore, the fact that the religious doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses is against blood transfusion cannot amount to a threat to "public health".

You are welcome, I have found so much stuff the last 6 months is mind blowing.... 😆😆😆

http://web.archive.org/web/19990129063340/http://www.dhcommhr.coe.fr/eng/28626CP.E.html
Press communiqué issued by the Secretary
to the European Commission of Human Rights
Application No. 28626/95
Khristiansko Sdruzhenie "Svideteli na Iehova"
(Christian Association Jehovah's Witnesses)
v.
Bulgaria
Quote:
As regards the alleged involvement of children the applicant association submits that children cannot become members of the association but only participate, together with their parents, in the religious activities of the community. In respect of the refusal of blood transfusion, the applicant association submits that there are no religious sanctions for a Jehovah's Witness who chooses to accept blood transfusion and that, therefore, the fact that the religious doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses is against blood transfusion cannot amount to a threat to "public health".

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. @Joan Kennedy and @Jack Ryan as a JW or exjw we should be free to express our thoughts, if we don't like anything we can always use our ignore button and show more Christ qualities than telling someone to shut up. 

LOL... just heard someone say....."Faster than a JW can cast aside their family!"

I am a woman and have been an active JW since 1942.   I do not agree that “most JW women are lonely and suffering from massive depression”.  You are entitled to your own opinion but you should keep it to yourself and not post on this site. Since you are not a woman, you are not in a position to make such a judgment. 
Henceforth when I see you have made a posting, I will immediately delete it. 

@Joan Kennedy  You sound like a healthy JW.... foaming at the mouth to "delete" someone or something.
JW "Love Never Fails" unless your not a JW. 😎
Why should I keep what I have seen to myself?
Maybe you should open your eyes to the disasters your religion has caused for millions of people?
Why is your perception of JW land somehow more accurate than mine? 
Especially when I no longer live in your televangelist bubble of "truth" that has constantly changed.
Oh.. and don't even get me started on the differences since 1942. Back then disfellowshipping someone was seen as equally as evil as excommunication in the Catholic church (God forbid)
 

One of our RESPONSIBILITIES is to defend what is true.
This forum is an EXCELLENT  conversation starter to do JUST THAT!
I look at the statements of the evil, the misguided, the naive, the agendized, the clueless and the stupid who denegrate the truth as an OPPORTUNITY to set them straight ... and in the arena of ideas the sandy floor should ALWAYS be covered with the blood and gore of dismembered bad ideas.
The TRUTH will set you free.
nothing else will.
Personally, I enjoy a good fight, when you know you are ALWAYS going to win.
..... this requires you to research reality to always be right, or you get scooped up in a shovel.
 

I wonder, how can it be a good fight, when people get “deleted” by TTH or JWinsider to defend people like you to continue misinformation about an organization you couldn’t care less for and remain in this forum subjecting everyone with the same ignorance you just mentioned. How is it fair?
I can understand the need to defend the devils work, but please, don’t use hypocrisy to achieve it.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, some viewing these posts, need to understand, how people are erased for speaking their minds (opinions). Where does that leave that idea, when a selected few are given that privilege. Let's not confuse the situation. Not all of us are privileged to give out an opinion for challenging, questionable and dishonest information by Witnesses or ex-witnesses.
For active witnesses, remember your place before the almighty about a loose tongue. What is the purpose of saying your Christian when your conduct is anything but. Will you be laughing when you sit in judgment?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. @Joan Kennedy and @Jack Ryan as a JW or exjw we should be free to express our thoughts, if we don't like anything we can always use our ignore button and show more Christ qualities than telling someone to shut up. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. @Joan Kennedy and @Jack Ryan as a JW or exjw we should be free to express our thoughts, if we don't like anything we can always use our ignore button and show more Christ qualities than telling someone to shut up.