Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses are members of an international denomination who identify themselves as Christian and number over six million. Their headquarters are in New York, USA. It is an international organization known for its extensive preaching and publishing activities, distribution of the Watchtower and Awake! religious magazines being the most prominent.

Jehovah's Witnesses and governments

:Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses and governments.

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Jehovah's Witnesses exhort their members to obey all the laws, including the paying of taxes, of the country in which they reside, as long as these do not violate 'God's law.' This is in keeping with their interpretation of Romans 13:7:

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::Render to all their dues, to him who calls for the tax, the tax; to him who calls for the tribute, the tribute; to him who calls for fear, such fear; to him who calls for honor, such honor.

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It is interesting to note that--in the United States--the various corporate legal instruments of the organization have an income tax exemption as do all "non-profit" charitable organizations. Some other taxes are assessed on various aspects of Witness organizational activities.

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At the same time, however, they hold a stance of political neutrality. Examples of this detachment in practice include:

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• refusal to salute the flag, or sing nationalistic songs
• refusal to serve in the military (including defense, or non-combatant roles)
• refusal to participate in political processes including democratic ones: voting in government elections, while termed a 'conscience decision' for legal reasons, constitutes an act of disassociation just as does military service. (Watchtower 1 Nov 1999 pp.28-9)
• refusal to hold political office

One area in which Jehovah's Witnesses have influenced public policy is civil rights. The Watch Tower Society from the days of Joseph Franklin Rutherford has utilized the court systems of various countries to defend religious freedoms. In addition, they have occasionally organized letter-writing campaigns to protest "persecutions", most famously those addressed to Adolf Hitler during the second world war and to certain African nations during the 1970s.

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According to the book Judging Jehovah's Witnesses, Jehovah's Witnesses have helped to widen the definition of civil liberties in most western societies, hence broadening the rights of millions of people, due to their firm stand and determination. According to the preface to the book State and Salvation: One of the results of the Witnesses' legal battles was the long process of discussion and debate that led to the Charter of Rights, which is now part of the fundamental law of Canada. Other battles in countries around the world have involved the rights to decline military service or martial arts training, to decline to participate in political parties or governmental elections, to exercise free and anonymous speech, to exercise freedom of association, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, medical self-determination, etc. Witnesses continue to, in their words, "defend and legally establish the Good News" around the world. See the article Jehovah's Witnesses and governments.

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"Like it or not, Jehovah's Witnesses have done more to help preserve our freedoms than any other religious group." --Irving Dilliard

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