"The frequently
repeated accusation of ‘having curried favor
with’ the Nazi regime in connection with the
Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention in Berlin on June 25,
1933, also cannot be upheld... ,"
quoted from: "The Witnesses
repudiated the charges that they were supported by Jews
or Bolsheviks--accusations of "Satan's tool"
were whispered into the Reichskanzler's ears by the
"official" churches. And certainly, the
established churches had long been pushing for an
official ban on this "sectarian" but above all
zealous Christian denomination. Under the Weimar Republic
such attempts had dissipated. Because Jehovah's Witnesses
advocate only one government, that of God's Kingdom, some
have viewed them as subversive. But nothing could be
further from the truth [...] Never have they advocated
rebellion against any human government! There is,
however, a line that cannot be crossed under any
circumstances. It is the line between the duty of
Jehovah's Witnesses to man and their duty to God. They
seek to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar but to
God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21). The passages
from the Declaration which the churches today single out
for quotation cannot rightfully be termed antisemitic or
anti-Jewish; rather, they are anti-American or perhaps
even anti-world," quoted from: "Later analysis of the
text has led some to criticize the Witnesses for
unequivocally distancing themselves from the Jews as a
move of political expediency. Clearly, the resolution
aimed at stemming the tide of persecution against the
Witnesses, not the Jews. Moreover, the resolution did not
clearly denounce as contrived the notion of ‘the
Jewish conspiracy,’ but merely stated that the
Witnesses received no financial backing from Jews.[69]
Nevertheless it is clear from the context of the
declaration that references to the Jews in the resolution
had to do with religious disagreements and were aimed at
clarifying the Witnesses’ position of neutrality,
and it thus fell far afield from the main issue of the
Jewish Question," quoted
from: "During
their special Berlin-Wilmersdorf convention on 25 June
1933 the German Witnesses issued a ‘Declaration of
Facts’ explaining their non-political stand and
their determination to obey God’s Word alone. The
‘Golden Age’ magazine of the Witnesses reported
that ‘While … [they] were engaged in the
distribution of this Declaration … [throughout
Germany] many of them were arrested and thrown into
prison and concentration camps.’"[7] "No Compromise With
Hitler" / "What Happened When Hitler Came to
Power?" / "Convention of Courage or
Compromise?" (Berlin convention,
Wilmersdorfer "Tennishallen" [sports hall],
June 25, 1933) / with two contemporary photos of the
convention attended by Jehovah's Witnesses in 1933 at the
"Tennishallen" / "A Statements of
Intent" (1933 "Declaration of
Facts" [German "Erklärung" /
"Erklaerung"], subheading in: Source: www.standfirm.de / jwhistory.net |
