What Does it Really Mean to Be "No Part of the World"?

[John 12.24to28]

1 minute ago, boyle said:

12 minutes ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

The Watchtower makes rules about political party cards, tells people not to get involved in social issues, and not to vote in elections. 

I'm at a loss. Are they wrong or right?

What kind of political empowerment do you want to have? Were you part of the women's liberation movement? 

What makes your activism so important to you?

 

Do you think it's right for them to make rules about stuff beyond what the Bible says, especially if following those rules leads to torture and death?

 

I have never been part of a women's liberation movement, that is distasteful to me.

 

When I was at UMass Boston, for a short time I was the president of the campus PIRG, and went to trainings and workshops on activism. We did multi-campus rallies on topics like hunger and homelessness and environmental issues, also contacted politicians and the media. During one campaign, we were trying to increase voter awareness and I experienced firsthand the backstabbing that goes on in politics. After that, rather than take any classes in political science, I opted for anthropology and archaeology. Dead people were less trouble to work with than politicians.

 

I am not an "activist" in the sense that I used to be. I am not interested in that kind of "activism". I am, however, interested in Jehovah and His Will. I am interested in being "active" in doing whatever His Will is for us. It is His Will that we bear witness. A witness is one who speaks. 

 

"Now because we have the same spirit of faith as that of which it is written: “I exercised faith, therefore I spoke”; we too exercise faith and therefore we speak."

 

 

[John 12.24to28]

14 minutes ago, boyle said:

My eyes are wide open. I just appreciate what I'm seeing, deceit.

 

Yes, the GB is being deceitful. "We love you very much!" They know they're not being loving.  

[John 12.24to28]

5 minutes ago, boyle said:

you keep challenging God's word. 

 

In what way?

[John 12.24to28]

1 hour ago, boyle said:

2 hours ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

"If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you."

Wait, Wait! Paul had political aspirations, which followers of Christ weren't tied to political offices like the TAX COLLECTOR office.

 

Daniel worked in a government office. He remained no part of the world. In what way? Daniel did not corrupt his heart or his body with the false religious practices of the day, and he remained in God's love.

 

Esther and Mordecai worked in government office. They remained no part of the world. In what way? In obedience to Jehovah's Word, they did not bow down to Haman the Agagite. They loved Jehovah and they used their authority to help people.

 

Nehemiah worked in government office. He was no part of the world. He loved Jehovah and did not become spoiled by a desire for prominence over others. He loved Jehovah and helped people out of love.

 

Joseph worked in government office. He was no part of the world. Love motivated him to help all those people, including his brothers who initially were going to murder him and lied to their father all those years about Joseph's whereabouts. Joseph was no part of the world because his Love conquered the world. 

[John 12.24to28]

7 minutes ago, boyle said:

Can you explain this turn of events? Which rules lead to torture and death?

 

Like what happened in Malawi.

[John 12.24to28]

9 minutes ago, boyle said:

Be specific with bible knowledge, not your own words.

 

“Do not go beyond the things that are written,” ...Have you begun ruling as kings without us?"

 

(1 Corinthians 4:6-8)

[John 12.24to28]

5 minutes ago, boyle said:

accept his words written in scripture. ... substance.

 

56 minutes ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

"Happy are the people who know the joyful shouting. O Jehovah, they walk in the light of your face."  God is Love and Light.

 

"“You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing?  And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary thing are you doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing?  You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

 

1 hour ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

"Do not love either the world or the things in the world"

 

"the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever"

 

"See what sort of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. That is why the world does not know us, because it has not come to know him.  Beloved ones, we are now children of God, but it has not yet been made manifest what we will be. We do know that when he is made manifest we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.  And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure."

 

The world does not understand this love of Jehovah, this love from Jehovah. 

"No part of the world" means "Make sure you do things with love" or "Make sure your motives are love". That's what the scriptures show.

[John 12.24to28]

2 minutes ago, boyle said:

9 minutes ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

Daniel worked in a government office. He remained no part of the world. In what way? Daniel did not corrupt his heart or his body with the false religious practices of the day, and he remained in God's love.

What happened to Daniel when he refused to eat the king's food? What are we to take from your illustrations? That people worked for the government, or the faith those people carried, thus receiving God's spirit and blessing? Why do you want to continue to confuse the issues with no proof?

 

The point is that being "no part of the world" doesn't mean "no part of the governments". 

[John 12.24to28]

Daniel was not neutral according to the present definition in the organization. He petitioned the king to save the lives of the wise men. That was a social issue.

 

Mordecai and Esther were definitely not neutral. They petitioned the king on social issues and desired to get someone else out of office.

 

Joseph was involved in issues dealing with hunger, you could say it was his campaign against hunger.

 

Being "no part of the world" doesn't mean "being neutral to social issues."

[John 12.24to28]

4 minutes ago, boyle said:

What happened in Malawi?

 

Well, it looks like he's around, maybe @JW Insider would be willing to give a summary of the political party card issue that happened in Malawi? 😃

[John 12.24to28]

3 minutes ago, boyle said:

6 minutes ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

The point is that being "no part of the world" doesn't mean "no part of the governments".

In some cases, that's exactly what it means. Are you up for the challenge of disproving the Bible?

 

@boyle, I'm not saying that anyone should go be part of the government or that anyone should get involved in social issues, I'm just saying that the specific phrase "no part of the world" is misapplied to neutrality issues when that's not what Jesus meant at all with that specific phrase.

[John 12.24to28]

1 hour ago, boyle said:

1 hour ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

Another thing, the Kingdom didn't start ruling in 1914. So even if someone had a political party card, that wouldn't be a conflict of interest since the Kingdom wasn't reigning yet anyway.

How far back do you want to go?

However, I have no idea what 1914 has to do with voter rights.

1 hour ago, AudreyAnnaNana said:

(It'll be a different story once Jesus takes the throne in heaven, but there is no evidence that's happened yet.)

Yes! You keep telling yourself this without showing a shred of proof to the contrary.

 

Since the Kingdom didn't start ruling in 1914, there was no need for those brothers to feel they were not keeping integrity if they were to get a political party card in nations that required it. 

 

Did you see Jesus come down from heaven in 1914, @boyle? Did anybody? Nope.

 

Getting a political party card was not an act of worship, it was not rejecting Jesus' kingdom rule, because Jesus still hadn't taken the throne yet. People have free will, and they can choose to get a card or not, there are other principles involved to weigh out, but to misapply the phrase "be no part of the world" the way the GB does is unscriptural and goes beyond what is written.