Article about Jehovah's Witnesses in Jordan

[Jwanon]

https://raseef22.net/english/article/1090585-a-rare-glimpse-into-the-secretive-world-of-jehovahs-witnesses-in-jordan

 

raseef22 is a Lebanese liberal news network and one of the biggest pan-Arab online platforms.

 

The article features an interview from a brother named Saeda who tries to dispel misinformation about our faith.

I feel like the article is fairly sympathetic to our situation, most surely it will make more people in the Middle East aware of who we are ! 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Jwanon

[Jwanon]

I have also found these interesting articles from known media outlets.

They are older but I felt like I should share them 

 

https://wwrn.org/articles/3255/

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2008/06/18/arabic-speakers-extend-jehovahs-witnesses-reach/

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/7/5/the-rise-of-mormonsandjehovahaswitnessesinthecaucasus.html

[JVincent]

My Dear Brother Jason, I read the article that you referenced in your post. The things that Saeda said about us were Bible-based and I especially appreciated how he attempted to clarify our beliefs and help people see the lies that are spread about us, especially by the Roman Catholic Church. I thought someone could clarify for me why he referred to us as a sect. I know our early Christian brothers we referred to as a "sect" but, this expression was given to them by unbelievers. I appreciate any comments.

Bonsoir. Je t'aime mon frère. Brother John

[Dustparticle]

3 hours ago, Jwanon said:

https://raseef22.net/english/article/1090585-a-rare-glimpse-into-the-secretive-world-of-jehovahs-witnesses-in-jordan

 

raseef22 is a Lebanese liberal news network and one of the biggest pan-Arab online platforms.

 

The article features an interview from a brother named Saeda who tries to dispel misinformation about our faith.

I feel like the article is fairly sympathetic to our situation, most surely it will make more people in the Middle East aware of who we are ! 

Cannot get no break, we are hated over there too. Matthew  24:9. Plus, I think many Middle East nations think were are Zionists too.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Dustparticle

[Parale]

14 minutes ago, Dustparticle said:

Plus, I think many Middle East nations think were are Zionists too.

 

FWIW our belief regarding that was clarified in 1932 as highlighted by our recent God’s Kingdom Rules! book:

 

God’s Kingdom Rules!

In 1932, Volume 2 of the book Vindication first showed that the Bible prophecies focusing on the restoration of God’s people to their homeland saw a modern-day fulfillment, not on fleshly Israel, but on spiritual Israel.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102014250#h=37

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Parale

[Jwanon]

9 minutes ago, Parale said:

FWIW our belief regarding that was clarified in 1932

 

I'm sure Jordanian government officials are aware of this, and that they have been told so by representatives. But any excuse is good in their eyes to hinder our work 😔

[Parale]

3 hours ago, Jwanon said:

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/7/5/the-rise-of-mormonsandjehovahaswitnessesinthecaucasus.html

 

Whats interesting, in reading that article, is to see the JW ratio in those countries:

• Armenia - ratio 1 JW to every 281 population
• https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AM/

• Georgia - ratio 1 JW to every 198 population
• https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/GE/

[Jwanon]

47 minutes ago, JVincent said:

I thought someone could clarify for me why he referred to us as a sect.

 

Maybe it's the translator's choice of words ? 

[carlos]

46 minutes ago, JVincent said:

I thought someone could clarify for me why he referred to us as a sect.

That's with all certainty a mistranslation. The interview with the sister took place in Arabic, and the journalist probably is not aware of the negative connotations of the term "sect" in English. Surely the word the sister used in Arabic was something like "denomination" or "religious organization".

[Dustparticle]

31 minutes ago, Parale said:

 

FWIW our belief regarding that was clarified in 1932 as highlighted by our recent God’s Kingdom Rules! book:

 

God’s Kingdom Rules!

In 1932, Volume 2 of the book Vindication first showed that the Bible prophecies focusing on the restoration of God’s people to their homeland saw a modern-day fulfillment, not on fleshly Israel, but on spiritual Israel.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102014250#h=37

 

When they of the beginning of JW’s, they think of Russell and  he was somewhat of a Zionist. 

[Parale]

56 minutes ago, Dustparticle said:

When they of the beginning of JW’s, they think of Russell and  he was somewhat of a Zionist. 

 

And to be fair, not without reason, even within much more recent times:

• The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said: “A recognition of Pastor Russell's important role as an early American Christian advocate of Zionism is long overdue.”

• The late Jeane Kirkpatrick, former the U.S. ambassador to the UN, called Charles Taze Russell a “neglected man and chapter in the history of Zionism.”

• In 2018 the Israeli newspaper Haaretz called Charles Taze Russell a "forgotten father of Zionism."

 

Actually IMHO that 2018 article in the Israeli Haaretz is well worth reading to learn about Russell's teachings about Israel etc, within the Jewish context:

 

Before Herzl, There Was Pastor Russell: A Neglected Chapter of Zionism

Years before Theodor Herzl proposed creating a Jewish state, Charles Taze Russell was traveling the world holding Jewish Mass Meetings, beginning in 1879, at which he urged Jews to find a national home in Eretz Israel

https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2018-08-22/ty-article-magazine/.premium/before-herzl-there-was-pastor-russell-a-neglected-chapter-of-zionism/0000017f-f598-d318-afff-f7fb42430000

HINT: If you have a problem accessing the webpage, you may find you can read it by following a 'search' link via Google, as below:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=haaretz+charles+taze+russell

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Parale

[Bek]

On 1/20/2023 at 2:47 AM, carlos said:

That's with all certainty a mistranslation. The interview with the sister took place in Arabic, and the journalist probably is not aware of the negative connotations of the term "sect" in English. Surely the word the sister used in Arabic was something like "denomination" or "religious organization".

 

Yes, that is correct, Carlos. She used the word طائفة which means a denomination and is a standard word used in relation to all religious groups. But it could also be translated into "sect" in a non-negative sense. It certainly does not mean a "cult". 

 

Here is the original just in case: https://raseef22.net/article/1089981-شهود-يهوه-في-الأردن-توسع-رغم-الحظر

[Jwanon]

are you in the Arabic field brother Bek ?

Edited January 22, 2023 by Jwanon

[jwhess]

It was not just CT Russell.  It carried over to JF Rutherford's day as well.  He wrote our book "Comfort for the Jews" in 1925.  We did not have a clarification on this until 1932.

 

*** dx30-85 Beliefs Clarified ***
1932, cleansing of temple: w37 84; ch 308; w35 236
Jonadab class: w85 3/1 14; w84 2/1 24; w80 2/15 20; w65 489; jp 140; w43 342; s 68; w32 231-232
regathering of Jews to Palestine  w84 9/15 10-11; w66 119; w63 178; w49 252; v-2 258, 267
 

 

*** w84 9/15 pp. 10-11 par. 3 “All Israel Will Be Saved” ***
3 Down into the year 1929 the members of the International Bible Students Association thought that the natural Jews were still God’s chosen people, that they would be gathered back to Palestine in unbelief, that there they would be converted to Jesus Christ as the promised Seed of Abraham and that they then would become the earth’s leading nation for the blessing of all mankind. In 1932, however, this was proved to be a misunderstanding of Bible prophecy, including the words of Romans 11:26 about the saving of “all Israel.”—See Study VIII of the book Thy Kingdom Come, copyright 1891 by Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
 

[Doug]

This is interesting when compared with Br. Jackson's talk at the Gilead Graduation.  As he explained what was going on behind the scenes before 66 C.E. 

 

He said that those living in the open spaces (farming) would have been inclined to flee into the city, seeking refuge behind the walls, if threatened by an enemy.

 

However, as he said,  "Jerusalem didn't matter anymore".  Those Jewish Christians didn't seek refuge inside the city, and those inside took their opportunity to get out before they would be trapped.

 

The Jews were no longer God's special property.

[Percy]

8 hours ago, Bek said:

it could also be translated into "sect" in a non-negative sense

When 'sectarian violence' is mentioned, sect is the root which means a division between factions that were once united. This is how it was described in Northern Ireland. https://www.history.com/news/the-troubles-northern-ireland Their form of christianity (if that is what it is called) is what divided them.

[Percy]

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 PM, Parale said:

beginning in 1879, at which he urged Jews to find a national home in Eretz Israel

This was the beginning of his publishing the 'Zion's Watch Tower' and these were his formative years. He undoubtedly was influenced by the common belief that God was still using 'fleshly' Israel, but later he saw things differently. Here are snips from his third issue of September 1879 WT. He had great interest in what was happening in the Middle East as it seemed to relate to what the Bible told him would happen.

[Percy]

16 hours ago, jwhess said:

3 Down into the year 1929 the members of the International Bible Students Association thought that the natural Jews were still God’s chosen people, that they would be gathered back to Palestine in unbelief, that there they would be converted to Jesus Christ as the promised Seed of Abraham and that they then would become the earth’s leading nation for the blessing of all mankind.

I suppose the word Zion in the title of the Watch Tower had this effect. Here is 2 pages from 1880 Zion's Watch Tower.

1880ZWT-22-23.pdf

[Bek]

On 1/22/2023 at 5:41 PM, Jwanon said:

are you in the Arabic field brother Bek ?

No, but I would like to be there one day. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Bek

[Sepie93]

Interesting read.
Even though Jordan might seem a country with some more "freedom", it's still very hard there for the brothers.
Especially topics like "jews vs the rest" and Zionism are big, BIG, sensitive issues which will undoubtedly come up in the first or second discussion

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