Political volunteers
Carol Forsloff – “I love politics, don’t you,” the woman next to me declared in a Spanish class at a local senior center, while most folks there agreed. But there are groups who find the topic of politics troublesome, and some have been persecuted for their opinions.
The hot topic for news is politics, with even citizen journal sites finding fun in the political arguments that pervade most content on Internet news sites. The writer with a background in science or education often becomes the political “expert” when a news story develops that either directly counters or supports a point of view. While traditional media make some effort in staying above the fray, it is the opinion, not the news, that seeps through in many news articles and commentaries. Furthermore, those publications and writers who do not follow the lemmings in the constant political stream of content and comment, who do not emphasize politics, find their numbers dropping in times of political debate and controversy. But while media struggles with if, when, and how much political discussion the public wants, two religious groups remain distinctive in their withdrawal from those discussions because of their religious principles.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the heaven on earth is coming and that the earth is a place of trial and tribulation that folks endure as good and evil are sorted out for those who will be part of that heaven or the hell that Judgment Day proscribes. Because their kingdom is not of this earth, they do not participate in politics, as they consider Jehovah as their ruler, unsurpassed by any earthly one. For that reason, although they respect the rights of others to honor symbols of flag and country, they do not accord these as having any significance in terms of their beliefs. They particularly walk away from partisan politics and do not vote.
Kevin Jess is a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He explains the belief as this: “ Jehovah’s Witnesses remain neutral in regards to anything political. We look at it as a protection afforded us by Jehovah God. Sometimes people unknowingly try to draw us in to a conversation, asking our opinion on something political, we politely decline. We respect the laws of the land but we recognize only Jehovah as our ruler.”
Baha’is believe that adherents should work toward peace on earth through a set of basic beliefs. They abhor nationalism, communism, and racism as the false gods that lead to separation and conflict. Instead, Baha’is believe that the “World Order of Baha’u'llah”, the founder of their Faith, is the Kingdom of the Father on earth, and fulfills Jesus’ prayer, “Our Father in Heaven, holy be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Baha’i Faith seeks to establish the Father’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.’
Baha’is accept Jesus as “the Very Savior of Man”.” The Baha’i Faith emphasizes ethical ideals that include world peace, sexual equality, economic justice, and universal education.
As a consequence of their belief that God’s purpose is that heaven on earth, Baha’is don’t involve themselves in political parties or campaigns because they consider them divisive. On the other hand, they are encouraged to vote and to respect the laws of the countries in which they reside.
“It’s hard to stand apart from politics, as people continue to try to pull us into their discussions. But you can’t unite man into a world community that includes everyone when political divisions stand in the way,” says Janet Imaki, quoting from the basic precepts of her Baha’i Faith.
Politics has its appeal both in the United States, where 2012 is the time of campaigns that include both national and local offices in government. Even the office of the President is part of partisan politics in 2012 with the Presidential election scheduled for November. Many people find it enticing to write and discuss politics as it is current, enticing and often exciting and controversial; but not everyone is so attracted to it, as noted by the beliefs and practices of some faith groups. In the din that surrounds political discussion, who can say which way is best in terms of loving one’s brother and creating pathways of peace.
The link to the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not working but you can get it at http://www.watchtower.org. By the way, nice article. Just to clarify though, we do not think that Heaven will be here on Earth, but that Earth will be what it was created to be in the first place, a home for people who worship Jehovah and that Jesus Christ is King, ruling from Heaven.
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures:
John 1:1: In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.
Should read:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Check the back of your New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures & you will see explained why this is mistranslated by those that run the Jehovah’s Witnesses … Get yourself a copy of Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words:
http://www.amazon.com/Vines-Complete-Expository-Dictionary-Testament/dp/0785211608
You’ll be amazed!
Regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses’ “New World Translation” Bible and its rendering of John 1:1, it may interest you and others here to know that, in support and explanation of their wording of this verse (especially within the third clause with “a god”), there is soon to be published a 20+ year study (as of 2/2012), a thoroughly researched reference work – an historical analysis & exhaustive annotated bibliography – it will be entitled, “What About John 1:1?”
To learn more of its design and expected release date, you are invited to visit:
http://www.goodcompanionbooks.com
When finally published, apart from discussing many of the other topics and scriptures often related to the man-made Trinity doctrine, you will also discover that we have collected information on about 430+ scholarly reference works (mostly Trinitarian) which, throughout the centuries, had opted to say something other than, “and the Word was God,” and that, included among them are over 120 which had chosen to use “a god” within the third clause of their renderings.
As you might expect, we are very excited at the opportunity to share our findings with others.
Agape, JohnOneOne.
Actually the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ “New World Translation” Bible uses the Vines … you might want a copy too:
http://www.amazon.com/Vines-Complete-Expository-Dictionary-Testament/dp/0785211608
You’ll be amazed!
That would be many people’s version of heaven on earth.
@Infoman….Jesus—A Godlike One; Divine
Joh 1:1—“and the Word was a god (godlike; divine)”
Gr., καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος (kai the·os′ en ho lo′gos)
1808 “and the word was a god” The New Testament, in An
Improved Version, Upon the
Basis of Archbishop Newcome’s
New Translation: With a
Corrected Text, London.
1864 “and a god was the Word” The Emphatic Diaglott (J21,
interlinear reading), by
Benjamin Wilson, New York and
London.
1935 “and the Word was divine” The Bible—An American
Translation, by J. M. P.
Smith and E. J. Goodspeed,
Chicago.
1950 “and the Word was a god” New World Translation of the
Christian Greek Scriptures,
Brooklyn.
1975 “and a god (or, of a divine Das Evangelium nach
kind) was the Word” Johannes, by Siegfried
Schulz,Göttingen, Germany.
1978 “and godlike sort was Das Evangelium nach
the Logos” Johannes,by Johannes
Schneider,Berlin.
1979 “and a god was the Logos” Das Evangelium nach
Johannes,by Jürgen Becker,
Würzburg, Germany.
These translations use such words as “a god,” “divine” or “godlike” because the Greek word θεός (the·os′) is a singular predicate noun occurring before the verb and is not preceded by the definite article. This is an anarthrous the·os′. The God with whom the Word, or Logos, was originally is designated here by the Greek expression ὁ θεός, that is, the·os′ preceded by the definite article ho. This is an articular the·os′. Careful translators recognize that the articular construction of the noun points to an identity, a personality, whereas a singular anarthrous predicate noun preceding the verb points to a quality about someone. Therefore, John’s statement that the Word or Logos was “a god” or “divine” or “godlike” does not mean that he was the God with whom he was. It merely expresses a certain quality about the Word, or Logos, but it does not identify him as one and the same as God himself.
In the Greek text there are many cases of a singular anarthrous predicate noun preceding the verb, such as in Mr 6:49; 11:32; Joh 4:19; 6:70; 8:44; 9:17; 10:1, 13, 33; 12:6. In these places translators insert the indefinite article “a” before the predicate noun in order to bring out the quality or characteristic of the subject. Since the indefinite article is inserted before the predicate noun in such texts, with equal justification the indefinite article “a” is inserted before the anarthrous θεός in the predicate of John 1:1 to make it read “a god.” The Sacred Scriptures confirm the correctness of this rendering.
In his article “Qualitative Anarthrous Predicate Nouns: Mark 15:39 and John 1:1,” published in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 92, Philadelphia, 1973, p. 85, Philip B. Harner said that such clauses as the one in Joh 1:1, “with an anarthrous predicate preceding the verb, are primarily qualitative in meaning. They indicate that the logos has the nature of theos. There is no basis for regarding the predicate theos as definite.” On p. 87 of his article, Harner concluded: “In John 1:1 I think that the qualitative force of the predicate is so prominent that the noun cannot be regarded as definite.”
Following is a list of instances in the gospels of Mark and John where various translators have rendered singular anarthrous predicate nouns occurring before the verb with an indefinite article to denote the indefinite and qualitative status of the subject nouns:
Scripture Text
New World Translation
King James Version
An American Translation
New International Version
Revised Standard Version
Today’s English Version
Mark
6:49 an apparition a spirit a ghost a ghost a ghost a ghost
11:32 a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet a real prophet a prophet
John
4:19 a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet
6:70 a slanderer a devil an informer a devil a devil a devil
8:44 a manslayer a murderer a murderer a murderer a murderer a murderer
8:44 a liar a liar a liar a liar a liar a liar
9:17 a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet a prophet
10:1 a thief a thief a thief a thief a thief a thief
10:13 a hired man an hireling a hired man a hired hand a hireling a hired man
10:33 a man a man a mere man a mere man a man a man
12:6 a thief a thief a thief a thief a thief a thief
Get a Vines & get Amazed:
http://www.amazon.com/Vines-Complete-Expository-Dictionary-Testament/dp/0785211608