HWA banned his followers from voting. This benefited him in some way but it encouraged his followers to ignore participation in public affairs.
It benefited HWA by relieving him of telling his followers who to vote for. If his followers ask him who to vote for he has a ready answer for them that does not change. If he ordered his followers to vote for one political candidate it will repel those who are aligned with others. By telling his followers not to vote for anyone he can avoid making decisions about voting and keeping himself out of political affairs.
It also benefited HWA by making his followers disengaged from public affairs so that they could be more focused upon the organization led by HWA. Since they are forbidden from voting this discourages them from participating in political affairs. Since they will not be focused on such things they will be more inclined to focus on the organization led by HWA.
The voting ban was made for HWA's benefit. It is awful that he should have discouraged his followers from participating in political affairs thus making them isolated from mainstream society. It is wrong that he ordered his followers to forsake their responsibility as citizens to participate in public affairs including the hard won right to vote. This is yet another terrible thing he has inclined upon his followers.
Dave Pack: Nothing New...but we have 38 days to go
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*Part 550: Nothing New*
After taking a personal two-month hiatus from reporting on The Restored
Church of God, I began listening to sermons again, sta...
20 hours ago
Yes it is and was wrong to abstain from society and forsake responsibilities of a citizen.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't believe HWA invented the practice of abstaining from voting. As a matter of fact it was quite common in Quaker circles to not vote or at least not automatically for a certain candidate of a certain party. Of course Quaker heritage being large part of HWA's psychological make up and therefore part of WCG tradition.
-"Goodbye Friends"
-anti draft
-A lifelong servant of united nations institutions and its stated aim of world peace
etc etc etc
This fully falls within the realm of my theory that WCG started as a "social movement" within the context of its time (great crisis- to end of cold war). It was only later organized as a church because of legal, tax and other state imposed regulations. But it was an unorganized radio movement at first. Therefore it was isolated from mainstream from its very inception, since it was a counter movement against the changing times. Conservative, fundamentalist, versus expanding darwinism in all layers of society since the thirties and womens right (since wwII). It all falls within the greater philosophy of fundamentalist philosophy as reaction to modernity from the 1920's. (except for the booze which was allowed)
nck
I might add that interestingly enough Seventh Day Adventists are becoming increasingly politically active.
ReplyDelete-as mayors, parlementarians, presidential canditates etc
Albeit not as SDA's but under another monicker. Like Green economy, animal welfare, sustainable growth. All issues that make a natural fit between current problems and the agricultural past of the Millerite movement in the heartland of America.
nck