I want to
use this post to examine a purely moral problem that pops up occasionally in
discussions. Let’s take a quote from an internet forum as an example. After a
long and hateful tirade on the evils of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their
teachings, a Mr. Jordan ends with this line:
“I am a Ministerial Servant and lifelong JW, though I am only staying in so that I don't lose my family.” - Jordan
Do you
notice the immediate problem here? Here is a man, who is trying to convince us
of the truth of his own position while tearing down the truths held by his
opponents. Here is a man launching moral condemnation at Jehovah’s Witnesses
with no holding back. Here is a man trying to take the righteous high ground.
But what does his last line really show him to be?
Nothing less
than a moral coward. A hypocrite to end all hypocrites. A man who tries to
pluck straws out of the eyes of Jehovah’s Witnesses while forgetting the rafter
in his own eye.
Let me
explain with a pair of stories:
There was
recently a young man living in the Fiji islands. As the young man was sitting
under a tree meditating, he was approached by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The
two had a long conversation, and by the end the young man was deeply interested
in what these Witnesses had to teach. He returned to his home island and,
excitedly, tried to tell his friends and family and neighbors about these
wonderful new teachings, but they would have none of it. Witness teachings were
contradictory to official church teachings of the village, and could not be
tolerated. His friends quickly abandoned him, his family cut ties with him, and
his neighbors even set fire to his crops. But the young man never relented in
publicly declaring what he thought to be true, even in the face of loss and
persecution. He kept pursuing truth openly and in whatever way he could, even
crossing miles of open sea every week just to attend Witness meetings and learn
more. He placed a very high value on truth and was not afraid to sacrifice for
it.
I myself
chose to pursue Witness teachings in my late teens. It brought a lot of tears
and grief. My own parents turned violent against me and threatened to throw me
out on the street. My grandparents turned against me and wrote me out of their
will entirely. My grandfather, who was my childhood hero and best friend, went to his
grave declaring disappointment in me. I had to watch my own mother break down
in tears in front of me, begging me to stop my association with these people,
and it felt like a knife through the heart. But I did not ever quit pursuing
what I felt to be the truth just because of the fear of losing relationships. I
was willing to sacrifice if it came down to it, because to me it meant intellectual
integrity and the attainment of ultimately higher ends.
And if I
ever come to disagree with the Witnesses enough that it merits a break, then I
would not hesitation to break with them, even if it meant loss of more relationships.
There are no regrets as long as one stays consistent with one's own values, and
truth ought to be one of man’s very highest values.
Even the 1st century Christians understood this lesson well. Jesus himself said
"17 Be on YOUR guard against men; for they will deliver YOU up to local courts, and they will scourge YOU in their synagogues. 18 Why, YOU will be haled before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations. 19 However, when they deliver YOU up, do not become anxious about how or what YOU are to speak; for what YOU are to speak will be given YOU in that hour; 20 for the ones speaking are not just YOU, but it is the spirit of YOUR Father that speaks by YOU. 21 Further, brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. 22 And YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved."The original disciples of Christ understood that they would lose much and suffer greatly if they chose to pursue what they felt to be the truth, and yet they made the choice anyways. They never hesitated to speak publicly and openly defend their beliefs. They were true examples of courage and conviction, even if one doesn't agree with Christian theology.
Now let's go back to our original quote, where we have Mr. “I hate everything that Witnesses teach yet I still pretend to be a Witness” Jordan.
Mr. Jordan
keeps himself shoulders deep in what he clearly considers to be lies. He
considers Witness teachings immoral, unloving, evil, a rebellion against nature
itself, and yet there he is, King of Hypocrites, still pretending to be one of
them and publicly associating with them.
I myself would
never, under any circumstances, publicly pretend to hold values that I secretly
detest, solely for the sake of maintaining relationships. It would be utter
hypocrisy and moral cowardice, a violation of integrity. It would be outright
lying to and deceiving those whom I sought to maintain relationships with,
drawing them to myself on false pretenses and with a false face. It
would be an outright rejection of truth as a value.
These types
of people try to tear others down and argue truth while they themselves,
through their actions, show that they despise truth and place no value on it. They
try to turn Witnesses away from their faith while they themselves are too
cowardly to walk away or declare their opinions in the open. In my humble opinion, ones like Mr. Jordan deserve no respect and no attention
from anyone, Witness or non-Witness.
