Most JWs of today are not aware of what happened circa 1964 in Malawi and in Mexico. The Malawian Government was totalitarian, and all citizens were required to purchase a .25cent party identification card. Keep in mind that if you were a citizen of Malawi, you already were considered to be a member by the government of this one political party, the ONLY recognized political party, like it or not. The Watchtower leaders told the JWs of Malawi that if they purchased this .25cent party identification card, they would be taking the side of Satan, thereby proving themselves to be disloyal to Jehovah, and in such case, the Watchtower would disfellowship them, which, at least back then, meant certain death at Jehovahs hands at Armageddon, and we all believed it, because back then it was pounded into our brains at every meeting and convention and in every study in Watchtower literature that Armageddon was imminent; that it was just around the corner; that it could come any day!!! And so thousands of these sweet, dedicated JWs in Malawi, in obedience to the Watchtower out of loyalty to Jehovah God, refused to buy the party cards and in doing so, they paid a terrible price. They were tortured, beaten, set on fire, children were hacked to pieces in front of their mothers, babies were ripped out of the wombs of pregnant JW mothers, homes and properties were destroyed or confiscated, and the JWs who managed to survive escaped into Mozambique where they sought refuge in crowed refugee camps... My mother would sit us kids down and the details of the horrors that our Malawian brothers and sisters were enduring and we shuddered. Our mother warned us that we all had be ready to face tortures that might come upon us, and that we had to be faithful to the end, or we could lose out on living forever on the paradise earth and die at Armageddon... And what did the Watchtower do??? They told US to write letters of protest to the Malawian Government, and to go out in service more, because the poor Malawian brothers didnt have the same privilege of service as we had... Heres the kicker... When Raymond Franz, Bethel member and nephew of Watchtower President, Frederick Franz, visited the brothers in Mexico, he was met with brothers whose consciences were deeply disturbed; guilt lay heavy on their hearts, and why was this?? Ray Franz wanted to know... The Mexican brothers told Ray Franz that they were deeply troubled over the situation with their dear JW brothers and sisters in Malawi. Ray tried to comfort them with how Jehovah God was helping them to endure their persecution because they refused to violate their Bible-Trained Conscience by refusing to buy the party card. Well, thats the thing, Brother Franz, they replied, You see, while the Governing Body told our brothers in Malawi that they would be showing disloyalty to Jehovah if they purchased the card and would be disfellowshipped and die at Armageddon, and all the while theyve been faithful under all this terrible persecution, the Governing Body has told us that we could bribe government officials here in order to get a signed certificate that says that we have served our mandatory two years in the Mexican Army. Everyone does it, if they have the money to pay the bribes, and the Watchtower told us that it was up to our consciences whether to bribe an official or go to prison for refusing to serve in the army, so thats what weve all been doing, but hearing what out Malawian brothers and sisters are enduring makes us feel that the Watchtower is being unreasonably unfair, and it also just doesnt make sense that it can be up to our conscience whether or not to pay a bribe to an official when the brothers in Malawi cant just buy a card that identifies them as belonging to a party, the only official party, when they are already considered members, anyway! Brother Raymond Franz had not been aware of this situation, and he was deeply troubled over it. How could Jehovah God be so double-minded?? So cruel and insensitive to His suffering people in Malawi?? This troubling situation was but one that became a heavier and heavier weight to bear within the conscience of Ray Franz, who was a very dedicated and deeply humble man who only wanted to serve Jehovah God, until there came to be within the heart of Raymond Franz, what he referred to as a Crisis of Conscience, hence, the name of the book that has set so many free from the bondage of the Watchtower.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 00:25:33 +0000
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