Exhibition about Conscientious Objectors

[carlos]

For many years while military service was compulsory in Spain, many young JWs were sent to prison for refusing to dress the uniform or take a gun. A good number of them served their terms in the Santa Catalina castle in the city of Cadiz, in Southern Spain. Jehovah's Witnesses were pioneers as conscientious objectors, and their example moved the authorities to approve new laws providing an alternative civil service for conscientious objectors that benefitted many other people who were not Witnesses.

 

Our brothers managed to keep an extraordinary spiritual atmosphere in Santa Catalina, and among those who were prisoners there came many of today's COs, school instructors and brothers with responsibilities in the Spanish branch.

 

Now the branch in collaboration with the city of Cádiz has launched a public exhibition about the story of those Christians who were in jail for their beliefs, in the same castle where they were prisoners. The exhibition includes interviews with some of the brothers who were interned there. Thousands of JW and non-JW visitors are learning about those courageous men and their faith. Initially the exhibition was scheduled until the end of December, but we received a letter last week saying that in view of the many thousands of visitors, the city is extending it until the end of February 2018.

 

 

[sunshine]

Excellent witness - do you think there will be a report on JWB or is there a link where we can read more?

[rocket]

Please post pictures when possible.

[Shawnster]

Cool! 

[carlos]

On 11/13/2017 at 2:10 PM, sunshine said:

Excellent witness - do you think there will be a report on JWB or is there a link where we can read more?

 

I guess there'll be a report. Right now all I find are newspaper reports in Spanish.

 

On 11/13/2017 at 5:11 PM, rocket said:

Please post pictures when possible.

 

We're planning to visit the exhibition in January. I will post some pics then.

 

[GaryP]

I would much welcome any further information you may be able to provide when you visit please Carlos. Can you please find out if a booklet or brochure has been created to accompany the exhibition?  If so, I would much like one and will gladly recompense you accordingly. (Could get it translated from Spanish to English later)

 

with thanks,

 

Gary Perkins - 'Bible Student Conscientious Objectors in World War One - Britain'

[carlos]

We are in Cádiz right now and going to visit the exhibition tomorrow. I will take notes and pics and will ask if there's a brochure.

 

I will share everything interesting with you.

[carlos]

We visited the exhibition yesterday and it was really interesting. So far it has received some 30,000 visitors in two months. I will share some pics and details when we go back home.

 

Today we were touring the town with an official guide and we happened to visit the same castle where the exhibition is held. He mentioned that the castle was a military prison and many conscience objectors were confined there during Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Then he said: "There is an exhibition right now about those conscience objectors. It is funded by Jehovah's Witnesses (since most of those objectors were Witnesses) and in collaboration with the City. It's an extraordinarily well-done exhibition, very well documented and with very informative and entertaining explanations. Besides, they have their own guides who are all Jehovah's Witnesses and know the facts very well. And it's all for free! Thousands of JWs are coming to visit from all around Spain. We recommend that visit."

[tekmantwo]

7 hours ago, carlos said:

. It is funded by Jehovah's Witnesses (since most of those objectors were Witnesses) and in collaboration with the City. It's an extraordinarily well-done exhibition, very well documented and with very informative and entertaining explanations. Besides, they have their own guides who are all Jehovah's Witnesses and know the facts very well. And it's all for free! Thousands of JWs are coming to visit from all around Spain. We recommend that visit."

Thanks for this..

 

We know Jehovah is shaking out the finer things, it's entirely possible that someone will be moved to inquire more about Jehovah and actually gain life because of this exhibition and the courage of those who prompted it...

[carlos]

We had a letter read today with an encouraging report about this exhibition. Over 57,000 people have visited the exhibition, many of them JWs but also a good number of non-JWs. A great witness has been given, both by the experience of those brothers who served jail time for their neutrality and by the great organization, the excellent job the guides have done and the fine behavior by visitors.

 

Two experiences were read: When the tour began, the guide used to ask if all visitors were JWs. There was a couple visiting and the man replied: "No, we are not, and we don't want to have anything to do with that religion." Maybe he didn't know what the exhibition was about. But they listened with interest and were moved to tears at some point. After the tour was over they apologized to the guide and said that the next time a Witness calls at their door, they will listen to him and will ask a lot of questions.

 

Another family finished the visit, thanked the guide and left. Then they came back a few minutes later and said they had been very impressed by what they had seen, especially the 16 year old son. They had Witness relatives but were never interested. They asked how they could ask for a Bible study.

 

I think this picture captures perfectly the spirit of the exhibition. It was taken by a local brother who visited the friends in jail every month and brought them encouragement and news from outside. Those young brothers were in prison but they didn't lose their joy.

 

[carlos]

By this time last year I mentioned an exhibition prepared by the branch about the conscientious objector JWs who served years of prison in a castle in Cádiz, in Southern Spain, due to their refusal to do any military service. The exhibition was shown in the same castle and the same building where the brothers were kept. JW Broadcasting included a report sometime later about this same exhibition. Several tens of thousands visited it, including many non-JWs, and a wonderful witness was given.

 

Last night I had some friends visiting and they told me an experience they had recently. This brother, Manuel, received a phone call from someone who turned out to be a Bible student he had many years ago, just a young man at the time. Let's call him Fernando. He explained that, although he enjoyed the study with Manuel, he never made much progress in the Truth. He had a bad attitude at the time and didn't allow anyone to tell him what he had to do. With time he enrolled in the army and was sent to missions in many places. He entered the army with a cocky attitude, but there he was soon taught discipline. For years he enjoyed without restraint everything the world had to offer: women, drinking, drugs... but he wasn't happy.

 

Last year he was destined in Cádiz for some time and, while walking around in town, he happened to come into the Santa Catalina castle. He was surprised to see an exhibition about Jehovah's Witnesses and took the tour. When he saw all those brothers who sacrificed years of their life for Jehovah, Fernando suddenly had his road to Damascus moment. He thought: "I've been a stupid wasting my life like that. These people really knew what they were living for." He prayed to Jehovah and knew what he had to do. He quit the army, found a Kingdom Hall and asked for a study. He was now calling my friend to let him now he has now been appointed as an unbaptized publisher and is looking forward to be baptized soon. He said: "I've been traveling the whole circle just to get back to the starting point. There's really nothing worth it out there."

 

That experience reminded me of Ecclesiastes 11:6: "Sow your seed in the morning and do not let your hand rest until the evening; for you do not know which will have success, whether this one or that one, or whether they will both do well." Being kind and showing love to a student is never a waste of time. Even if that person doesn't make progress now, you never know how your kind might affect him later.