They ring our doorbells, often in pairs. They aren't trying to sell anything, but
still, most people prefer not to let them in. They can be insistent. Originally, they were known simply as "Bible
Students." In 1931 they took the
name "Jehovah's Witnesses" based on a verse in Isaiah that says,
"Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen." They study the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. A Jehovah's Witness named Bianca used to
visit me in Venice, along with a partner.
For a time, I rather enjoyed discussing religion with them, mostly
because Bianca knew the Bible like the back of her hand. We could not agree, however, on those points
which distinguished them. For example,
their perennial insistence that Armageddon
is nigh and that this earth will become a dreamlike Paradise, as seen in
colored illustrations along with images of Jehovah Himself. The Witnesses normally leave behind literature,
now translated into many languages. Some
of it is factual and well-written. Not
everyone knows that this sect was violently persecuted by the Nazis. Some people called them "Dirty Jews!"
when, in fact, the Witnesses have always been Christians. Of course, the Witnesses spoke out in defense
of the Jews. Things really heated up for
them in early 1933 over their policy of "political neutrality." When 7,000 of them convened in Berlin to
compose a message to the newly-appointed Chancellor, hoping to convince him that
they had no political agenda, that they simply wanted to obey Jehovah and
continue evangelizing door to door, the Fuhrer flew into a rage and swore,
"This group will be exterminated in Germany!" Soon 25 truckloads of their publications were
burned, including the last issue of the WatchTower
to be printed in Germany until the end of the war. In 1933 in Germany alone there were about
25,000 Witnesses. First they were banned
from practicing their faith. Then their
employment was taken away. Still refusing
to comply with the Nazis, some 2,000 were finally detained, first in prisons, then
in camps. Of these, about 1,200 died in
detention while another 250 were formally executed. Jehovah's Witnesses were routinely tortured,
especially by the S.S., between 1939 and 1941.
In addition to their criticism of anti-semitism, the Witnesses were
conscientious objectors who also refused to say "Heil Hitler!" Heil
literally means "Salvation comes from." For Witnesses, salvation comes strictly from
Jehovah. The blasphemous salute had
become mandatory everywhere: at school,
at work, and on the street. Over 800
children raised as Witnesses were taken away from their parents, sometimes for
years, and severely punished for refusing to sing Nazi songs, salute the Nazi
flag, and say "Heil Hitler!" Inside the camps, the Witnesses' 
uniforms had
an inverted purple triangle patch. The Nazis
especially hated German Witnesses for their general non-compliance, not for
their race since they were also "Aryans." The other inmates in the detention camps were
ordered not to speak to Jehovah's Witnesses, however, because they were considered
"dangerous." Worse, on arrival
in certain camps, a Jehovah's Witness was given a life-threatening beating. When they refused to follow orders that went
against their principles, Witnesses were punished and made to freeze outdoors
in wet clothes, or starved, or hung by the wrists for an hour, or combinations
of these tortures. Many Witnesses did
survive detention, however, even for terms of ten years or more. They quietly sang and prayed. Some had even managed to smuggle in Bibles. Said one female survivor, "We never
prayed to be set free. We prayed for the
strength to endure. What mattered was standing
up for Jehovah's 
name." In the
basement of one prison, some Witnesses secretly produced Bible tracts, proof of
their conviction! At one point during
the ordeal, each Witness could have won release by signing a paper that said he
or she agreed to give up the faith and regard the Bible as a false
document. But all or most Witnesses
refused to sign. They stood fast in
their loyalty to their beliefs, just as they stand fast, and still hopeful,
before the doors of the world today. UN’AMERICANA A
VENEZIA
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento