The above video is taken from the British documentary "World at War". It's a 26-episode documentary that details everything that occurred during World War II. The video is taken from the opening sequence of the first and the last episode. It's a chilling intro that really sets the tone for the whole documentary.
So what does a Nazi atrocity committed over 65 years ago have to do with acceptance? Nazi ideals were based upon a lack of acceptance. The above video is just one example of what can come from those kind of ideals. They were not accepting of differentiating opinions or races and we can see all the devastation that groups like that can cause. They controlled who was deemed worthy of life. They controlled the opinions of people. They controlled the press.
Now before I get into the comparison, just keep in mind I am not saying the JW's are as bad as Nazi's. However, there are noteworthy comparisons.
Differentiating opinions are one of the best things about the human race. Nowhere else can you find this kind of diversity. You might like hamburgers and hate salad. The next person might love salad and hate hamburgers. The great thing about an opinion is that it can't be wrong. As much as I hate the band Nickelback, there are plenty of people out there that like them. They bring some people joy, so they can't be all bad I guess.
Viewpoints on religion and politics are a touchy subject. According to what you believe when it comes to each, our view can essentially become a life or death situation. If we believe our religion is the only true one, then we either have to go along with it or perish.
The problem comes at this point. Too often do we ask people to accept our religious beliefs and we aren't willing to do the same with others. Yeah maybe I think the Mormons teach some weird things, but if that's what they think they need to believe in order to get saved, then they should do exactly that. Just so long as your religious beliefs aren't interfering with mine and yours does not hurt people, you are free to believe whatever you want. Who am I to tell you what you should or shouldn't believe?
Nazi's forced people to agree with them. It came down to a choice, join us or die. JW's do the same thing. Although they don't do the killing themselves, they are more than happy to believe that genuinely nice people are going to be killed at Armageddon simply because they didn't believe the same things as them. Join us or die.
JW's also "control the press", if you will. According to them you should only read JW materials. There's only one way to study the Bible, that's with JW Bible study aids. This way you don't think for yourself. I've read the Bible several times. I'd like to think I know it relatively well. I've also noticed a lot of discrepancies in JW teachings. I've already detailed some of them in a previous post. They also forbid reading material online or reading books written by people they deem "apostate". In other words, if they aren't writing it, don't read it. They try to destroy the critical thinking part of the brain. It's all a control mechanism to keep the people in control. Does that remind you of any particular group of people who were prominent around 70 years ago?
I am perfectly willing to accept people the way they are. I realize everybody has their faults. Nobody is perfect. My faults are numerous. I try to look for the best in people, give them the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes people take advantage of that, and it's sad. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people I know who aren't willing to give me the same benefit of the doubt.
In conclusion, please just accept people the way they are. Don't try to change people that don't need to be changed. Don't force people to view things your way. Nothing good has ever come from it.
No comments:
Post a Comment