Why Did HWA Forbid Voting?

HWA taught his followers that it was forbidden to vote. This doctrine is first seen (as far as I know) in HWA's article 'How Would Jesus Vote for President?' in the October 1948 Plain Truth, pp. 1-2, 6-8.

I first encountered this doctrine in Roderick C. Meredith's article, 'How Would Jesus Vote for President?' in the November-December 2000 Tomorrow's World.

(Meredith did not even bother to change the name. Roderick C. Meredith often recycles words.)

PCG and other COGs also follow this teaching.

Why did HWA do this?

The vote ban contributed to HWA's apparent certainty of views. HWA presented himself as a man who was certain of what he believed and taught. He taught his followers to view the world in a simplistic black and white manner. To further cement this apparent certainty HWA told his followers to not vote. This provides a simple, consistent answer to HWA's followers on what to do in regards to elections. HWA seems to have decided it was easier for him to not endorse a candidate in every election but instead simply tell everyone not to vote.

The vote ban also served to isolate his followers from society. Instead of participating in political society in order to resolve or manage political problems HWA's followers are told to simply not participate. So HWA's followers do not work together with people of like mind in attempting to shape society in a manner more just or more consistent with personal views. Instead all this attention to affairs is redirected inwards towards the group following HWA.

HWA isolated his followers in society in order to more effectively exploit them.

HWA did not want his followers going out in the world and observing for themselves how other people behaved and operated.

HWA did not want his followers comparing how WCG operated and behaved with the conduct of others, leading WCG members to judge between the two and possibly seeing the flaws within WCG and then trying to change them.

HWA did not want his followers seeing how people band together and affect change within society together, even forcing the powerful to change behavior.

HWA did not want his followers learning how to protest and organize themselves to resist his rule and authority.

Instead HWA wanted them to make themselves dependent upon his group and refocus all this effort towards building up HWA's group and sending him tithes and extra offerings.

So we see more clearly why HWA forbade voting. He was manipulating followers in order for them to redirect them efforts towards simply working and sending him tithes and extra offerings.

Incidentally in ancient Athens, when they were a democracy, the word 'idiot' referred to citizens who did not vote. (Only free adult males were allowed to vote.)

Other groups that have forbidden their followers from voting include Jehovah's Witnesses (HWA probably plagiarized the idea from them.), the Exclusive Brethren and, historically, the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad.