Are You Neutral?

[Qapla]

3 hours ago, IceBreeze said:

You are too neutral to be true! lol 😂😂

 

Put it this way ... in the 4th post in this thread two pictures were posted. Those two individuals have been and continue to be "hot topics" and very polarizing to the US - even some JW's have feeling about one or both of them. When asked what I think of them, I express that neither one of them is better nor worse than the other, they are just different. As to who wins the coming election ... makes no difference to me since I have no way of knowing who Jehovah may use to usher in the GT.

 

[Mike047]

15 hours ago, IceBreeze said:

I best add to this that after all this is not about "my points of view, or opinion", but about the Bibles point of view.

The Bible says we are NO part of this world. Therefore my personal thinking does not play a role in all of this. Also this is not to judge someone.

 

Defenition of opinion;

Synonyms of opinion. 1. a. : a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter.9 apr 2024

 

These are good points, K, but do not change anything pointed out earlier. The references you have cited are useful and balanced but agree in principle with my presentation.

 

Thanks again for your points.

[IceBreeze]

7 hours ago, Mike047 said:

 

These are good points, K, but do not change anything pointed out earlier. The references you have cited are useful and balanced but agree in principle with my presentation.

 

Thanks again for your points.

Thank you for your compliments, and also thank you for sharing thoughts.

At the end we are here not for a cat-fight, but to serve Jehovah to our best ability. Have a great day. 😊

[Katty]

The only people on this forum who ever get their neutrality questioned are the people who say things, remotely associated with conservatisms such as "woke" or similar things. You can have a whole thread derailed by people hating on Trump or wanting a Bernie Sanders bill to be passed or wish our content had more diversity and inclusion, and it takes a really extreme stance before it remotely gets called into question. 
I'm just going to come out and say it. There have always been a lot of people on this forum, including moderators who have had a very strong left-wing bias when it comes to how they see things, and are blind to it, and can hyper-focus on anything someone else says that looks even remotely like a conservative talking point, but don't see the blatantly leftist rhetoric that continually emanates from their own posts. I've been very patient with it, because I've been trying to empathise with the people who do this, but, honestly, I think I need another long break from this forum. 
 

[carlos]

20 hours ago, Katty said:

There have always been a lot of people on this forum, including moderators who have had a very strong left-wing bias when it comes to how they see things, and are blind to it

 

Katty, there are currently 11 moderators in this community, from different countries and continents and from all kinds of backgrounds. We try to keep neutral as we all do, but of course nobody is free from worldly influence. There's a very fine line between freedom of expression and lack of neutrality. We try to let members express themselves as much as possible, sometimes though we need to intervene.

 

In the end that's the fight we all struggle with, don't we? The world tries to mold us into its way of thinking and we all do our best to avoid it.

[Dages]

21 hours ago, Katty said:

The only people on this forum who ever get their neutrality questioned are the people who say things, remotely associated with conservatisms such as "woke" or similar things. You can have a whole thread derailed by people hating on Trump or wanting a Bernie Sanders bill to be passed or wish our content had more diversity and inclusion, and it takes a really extreme stance before it remotely gets called into question. 
I'm just going to come out and say it. There have always been a lot of people on this forum, including moderators who have had a very strong left-wing bias when it comes to how they see things, and are blind to it, and can hyper-focus on anything someone else says that looks even remotely like a conservative talking point, but don't see the blatantly leftist rhetoric that continually emanates from their own posts. I've been very patient with it, because I've been trying to empathise with the people who do this, but, honestly, I think I need another long break from this forum. 
 

Maybe the global Overton window is too much on the left so that trying to be "neutral" feels "strong left wing" from a (neutral but slightly) conservative point of view 

 

Also, a neutral person maybe considered a nazi from the left, a neutral person would be considered a commie from the right.
Remember WWII and/or the Cold War ? JWs were accused on both sides.

Edited May 16 by Dages

[Miss Bea]

On 4/19/2024 at 3:33 PM, Qapla said:

 

Put it this way ... in the 4th post in this thread two pictures were posted. Those two individuals have been and continue to be "hot topics" and very polarizing to the US - even some JW's have feeling about one or both of them. When asked what I think of them, I express that neither one of them is better nor worse than the other, they are just different. As to who wins the coming election ... makes no difference to me since I have no way of knowing who Jehovah may use to usher in the GT.

 

Plus, it’s just none of our business!

[Miss Bea]

For me, it’s a problem. My husband follows one side of this debacle, very closely. I have found any opinion is treading in, well, political mire. And, it’s hard. Yes. I know it’s none of my business, and sometimes I answer direct questions from my husband, without enough thought. Then, I find myself apologizing to Jehovah. And asking him to help me to behave better. 
It’s ongoing. My husband. I live here, and we do need to converse. And, no, at this point, a discussion on anything theocratic, sort of out of the question. 
I can talk about the friends, experiences in service, etc, but it has to be people oriented. Not anything from the Bible. (Though, very rarely, i do manage). 
Its like trying to keep balance when you are on something, and, its not easy. Like, for me, roller skates. And I just canʼ relax. 
I will be so glad whenthis is all over. For good. Everlasting good.

[computerwiz]

Balance is one of the hardest things to strive for (I'm not even going to say "achieve", because I don't think it's possible in our imperfection) because we are constantly being pushed and pulled in every direction.

 

All we can do is try harder...

[Kwabena]

About the neutrality thing. Say a Christian talks about a political figure in a bad way and you know it's a lie (for example the person says the politician said something bad on TV but you saw it yourself that that wasn't what they said or it was taken out of context) and you try to correct the person. Do you think correcting the person is bad or not?

 

I think there's a difference between being neutral because Jehovah says so and trying to find someone bad about a person to confirm your hate. 

 

What do you think about that? 

[LeolaRootStew]

16 minutes ago, Kwabena said:

About the neutrality thing. Say a Christian talks about a political figure in a bad way and you know it's a lie (for example the person says the politician said something bad on TV but you saw it yourself that that wasn't what they said or it was taken out of context) and you try to correct the person. Do you think correcting the person is bad or not?

 

I think there's a difference between being neutral because Jehovah says so and trying to find someone bad about a person to confirm your hate. 

 

What do you think about that? 

 

The solution is God's Kingdom. Period.

 

We don't need to argue about what Sally really said about Steve's new girlfriend when the ship we're on is sinking. Get on the lifeboat and tell other people how they can get on with you. Everything else is a distraction from the real solution.

[Kwabena]

Yh, it's true. It just makes you bitter. 💯 Thanks.

[Tortuga]

Left-wing bias? Conservative? 

I have no clue what that means. Would I lose my neutrality trying to figure out what they are?

[Amygdala]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_politics

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism

 

 

[Witness1970]

I am against abortion, but does that make me political?   I don't want to make laws that control what other people do.  But I know what is right for me and I would encourage my wife and kids (grown now) to do what the Bible teaches.

 

I believe what is said about Climate Change, does that make me political?  Some people would claim that is a political stance.

 

I am in favor of wearing masks for health reasons, does that make me political?  Some people would say it does.

 

I am in favor of taking vaccines for me and my family.  I understand that some people may not tolerate vaccines well and would be better off not taking them.  Does that make me political?  Some people who are against vaccines for political reasons would say I am being political.

 

If I am standing in the middle (neutral), people to the left of me would see me as being to their right, but people on the right of me would see me as being to their left.

 

I am apolitical.  I favor neither side.

[Witness1970]

2 hours ago, Kwabena said:

About the neutrality thing. Say a Christian talks about a political figure in a bad way and you know it's a lie (for example the person says the politician said something bad on TV but you saw it yourself that that wasn't what they said or it was taken out of context) and you try to correct the person. Do you think correcting the person is bad or not?

 

I think there's a difference between being neutral because Jehovah says so and trying to find someone bad about a person to confirm your hate. 

 

What do you think about that? 

 

1 hour ago, LeolaRootStew said:

 

The solution is God's Kingdom. Period.

 

We don't need to argue about what Sally really said about Steve's new girlfriend when the ship we're on is sinking. Get on the lifeboat and tell other people how they can get on with you. Everything else is a distraction from the real solution.

I don't need to correct anyone about what is said about any politician.  The answer is God's Kingdom.

 

How well did the Christians in Germany remain neutral when they saw what Hitler was trying to do?  The right attitude is just to let it go and concentrate on God's Kingdom.  Imperfection may make us worry about a figure like Hitler coming to power in the United States.  But in the long run, it doesn't matter.  God's Kingdom will come and that is our primary focus!

[Dages]

Neutral, Basic or Acid  

[Mike047]

Although we are, indeed, neutral, we are Engaged in the ministry where we try to Reverse false ideas. We Drive forward with our mission to reach as many as possible, and try to Brake (sorry) down opposition and clutch hold of those who want to travel on the road leading to life.

[LeslieDean]

They both do

[DancesWithWife]

I have found it of interest, when we view the topic from those who do not serve Jehovah. I thought what Ken Burns, noted documentary filmmaker said at a recent college graduation speech was of interest:

 

"And whenever someone suggests to you, whomever it may be in your life that there's a them, run away. Othering is the simplistic binary way to make and identify enemies, but it is also the surest way to your own self imprisonment, which brings me to a moment I've dreaded and forces me to suspend my longstanding attempt at neutrality.

There is no real choice this November. There is only the perpetuation, however flawed and feeble you might perceive it, of our fragile 249-year-old experiment or the entropy that will engulf and destroy us if we take the other route." to read the full speech here is the link-https://alumni.brandeis.edu/news/2024/commencement/transcripts/ken-burns-remarks.html

 

I have heard similar comments from others about not being neutral. The next few months are going to be an interesting test of neutrality.