Biblioteca Teocrática: 15 abr 2013

lunes, 15 de abril de 2013

MInisterio Abril 2013 reposteo

Envista de que siguen pidiendolo lo reposteo

Ministerio Abril 2013

"Bis zu 900 Gläubige jede Woche" (aleman)

http://kurier.at/chronik/niederoesterreich/mitte/zeugen-jehovas-in-st-poelten-bis-zu-900-glaeubige-jede-woche/6.684.107

26/3/13

"Bis zu 900 Gläubige jede Woche"

Im Kongresssaal der Zeugen Jehovas finden Treffen in 22 verschiedenen Sprachen statt

Fast jedes Wochenende ist auf dem Gelände am Mühlweg kein einziger Parkplatz mehr frei. Auch Reisebusse sind samstags und sonntags vor Österreichs größtem Kongresssaal der Zeugen Jehovas in St. Pölten zu sehen.

Passover, Easter and the Jehovah's Witness at My Door

http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/173921/passover-easter-and-the-jehovah-s-witness-at-my/

31/3/13

I’ve never given much thought to Jehovah’s Witnesses. I also have a knack for avoiding them on the streets of New York as easily as I can dodge canvassers in Union Square. I don’t open my door for them, and after dating an ex “Jdub” I was pretty sure they were a religious group I just couldn’t quite understand.

All that changed this past Saturday. I was waiting for deliveries from Fresh Direct, FedEx and USPS and, when the doorbell rang, I flew down the stairs and flung open the door expecting to see a courier. Instead, a girl about seven or eight years old reached into her purse and pulled out a pamphlet with an earnest looking, fair-skinned, long-haired drawing of Jesus on the cover below the words “Watch Tower.”

I’d opened the door for Witnesses.

“Hello,” she said, smiling. “We’d like to talk to you about our savior’s resurrection.”

My instinct was to say no and slam the door in her face, but she was so cute so instead I said, “It is almost Easter, isn’t it? Thank you so much for stopping by, we’re Jewish and preparing for Passover, but I’d like to wish you a happy holiday.”

As I started to close the door the man with her said, “You’re Jewish?”

A phrase I’ve heard so many times that I wanted to be even angrier. I had chametz to clear and this guy was questioning my Judaism?

“So you read Torah,” he continued “The Books of Moses?”

“Well, yes” I said, opening the door slightly.

His smile grew. “This is amazing! I must ask, how can you celebrate Passover? Do you sacrifice a lamb?”

“No,” I said, the door fully open.

“Well, then how can you celebrate?” his face was sincere.

“Because the Temple is not standing,” I told him as I stepped onto my front porch. “If it were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because I’d be on my way to Jerusalem to make an offering. Instead we use symbols.”

We talked a bit more about how Jews today celebrate Passover and how Jews never talk to him. He also asked why I was answering the door on Shabbat when the Jews he’s heard of didn’t. He asked about god’s last prophet, and even though I expected he’d want me to say Jesus, I told him I thought the last prophet of god was probably Muhammad, which we discussed at length. I also told him I don’t think it’s the place of human beings to judge how one finds a path to god.

He thought about that for a moment and then said, “Do you know that the word Easter isn’t in the Bible?”

“It’s not in my Bible,” I remarked.

“It’s not in any Bible! The holiday is Passover and we celebrate on Tuesday, not next Sunday,” he exclaimed.

He was also interested to know why Jews didn’t convert, and asked me how I could spread my truth without proselytizing. I explained the history of Jewish persecution both in Biblical and modern times, relating the Jewish presence in the world to some people’s views and restrictions held on black people in the U.S. He seemed to understand why Jews stopped converting.

While we could’ve carried on for another 20 minutes, we ended our conversation amicably, both wishing the other a happy Passover.

As I explained the conversation to my partner over matzi and eggs, we joked that he’d get back to the hall to report that he’d had a wonderful conversation with a black Jew about Passover — and that no one would believe him.

It’s been over a year since my first Sisterhood article about my first Christmas as a Jew-to-Be, but I’ve come to realize that for the rest of my life religion and religious holidays will continue to overlap. My partner and I are committed to raising children in a Jewish home. They’ll call us either Ima or Mama. They will call her parents Bubbe and Zeyde. And they’ll call my parents Nana and Pop Pop. Christmas cards will come with the Hanukkah cards, Easter greetings alongside the Passover messages and while we hope to instill in them a love for Judaism, they’ll always have Christian influences in their lives, whether from our families or mainstream culture.

For the first time, I realized how many times weather reporters and news anchors talked about the weather on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. I’ve unfollowed several Pinterest boards because every time I look at them I find cute DIY projects — for dying eggs. I wonder how we’ll cope with these outside messages and hope that we’ll teach our children to be not just tolerant of other religious, but to take opportunities to learn from people whose religious views differ from their own.

The past three years have been a time for growth not only as I continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of Judaism in New York City, but for my parents who have made a sincere effort to understand and respect my religious choices.

Having converted through the Reform movement and adopted Conservative Judaism, I constantly wrestle with traditions that resonate most with me and my life. My desire to learn more drives me to stumble over Hebrew text instead of reading transliteration, to purchase volumes of Talmud that sometimes just sit on my shelves begging to be read. When you’ve converted to a religion and tradition as old as human history, there’s a lot of catch up to do. I don’t have an aunt to tell me stories about the old country, but I find correlations between my black, Christian upbringing in Judaism all of the time. I use my experiences, both positive and negative, to help shape my Jewish tradition.

It is my love for Judaism and Jewish traditions that helps make me the woman that I am today. A woman who unapologetically questions issues of racism, sexism and homophobia in Judaism. A woman who hungers for continued learning, both in my adopted tradition and in the traditions of others. It is only through acceptance that we can grow. And so it is my Passover and Easter wish that we all find the ways in which our cultures, traditions, religions and races overlap rather than continue to hold onto the ways in which we differ — a lesson I learned from a Jehovah’s Witness Erev Pesach.

Aquí está una mirada en el registro de seguridad para Medfield 21 de marzo y 22 de marzo.

http://medfield.patch.com/articles/car-on-top-of-hydrant-speeding-teens-jehovah-s-witnesses-and-more

13:44, South Street. LifeLine llamó para informar que un hombre necesita ayuda para salir de la cama. Ambulancia Medfield respondió y tomó al hombre a Norwood Hospital.

Viernes, 22 de marzo

6:44 am Main Street. E911 llamada reportó un problema en el cruce del ferrocarril. CSX terminado las reparaciones a las 9:51 am

24:08, Bridge Street. Caller informaron los testigos de Jehová que van de puerta en puerta en el área.

Cuban Schools Slap Down Jehovah's Witnesse

http://iwpr.net/report-news/cuban-schools-slap-down-jehovahs-witnesses

26/3/13

A member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Cuba filed a complaint with the state prosecutor last month alleging discrimination against her three school-age daughters.

She says the authorities have condoned acts of discrimination including physical and verbal violence, which have led the pupils to miss classes and their parents to move house.

“I demand a solution, because they are responsible for safeguarding young people on the island,” said the woman, known by the pseudonym Ana to protect her family’s identity. “I’m tired of the poor treatment they [my daughters] receive, and of the fact that no one is doing anything about it.”

Her appeal to the prosecutor general follows unsuccessful applications to other state institutions. Cuba has no judicial mechanism for dealing with complaints about breaches of religious freedom.

Ana explained that because of the values held by Jehovah’s Witnesses, “The girls do not wear school uniforms as the religion prohibits this. They don’t sing the national anthem or pay tribute to national symbols, either.”

The trouble began in Bayamo, a town in the eastern Granma province, where the children got into trouble for not taking part in the political activities that are a feature of school life in Cuba. This was noted in one of the girls’ reports as the reason why she had failed fifth grade.

“The individual in charge of religious affairs for the province warned me that if the children didn’t attend political activities, they would fail the year,” Ana said.

For the school year starting 2011, the family moved back to the capital Havana. The girl who had failed fifth grade was allowed to attend classes again, but according to Ana, “the problems continued”.

Another of her daughters told her that the teacher had slapped her on the head. The parents reported this to the police, but the case was shelved.

Ana says the school itself took no action, and the girls continue to be mistreated by teachers and bullied by their peers.

All three girls are upset and invent illnesses to avoid having to go to school. Ana says they have not been to school for nearly two months.

The Cuban government does not recognise the Jehovah’s Witnesses as a legitimate faith group. since 1974. In their latest yearbook, the Jehovah’s Witnesses say there are 1,400 congregations in Cuba, and over 95,00 “publishers”, the term used for active members.

The state education system is heavily politicised, and the current school regulations require all pupils to be “willing to defend the socialist homeland”. That is something Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot do, as they are conscientious objectors.

Yaremis Flores Marin is an independent lawyer and citizen journalist in Cuba.

Pit Bull Savagely Mauls 2 Women in Religious Group, Believed Jehovah's Witnesses

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/animal-rights/pit-bull-savagely-mauls-2-women-religious-group-believed-jehovah-s-witnesses

21/3/13

Two women identified as Beverly Wright, 48, and Irene Parker, 73, were walking with a church group, conducting door-to-door ministry in the 2000 block of North Lewis Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, around 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday. One of the women knocked on the door to a home and a Pit Bull inside burst out and viciously attacked them without warning.

The house had a sign in the window, “Beware of Dog,” but officials are not sure if the women saw the sign.

Officers believe the victims only survived because of a man who heard their screams.

The aftermath of the horrible attack was still evident in a news video that afternoon (below)—there was blood still in the grass and wrappers and packaging for bandages and syringes, where paramedics sought to save the women’s lives.

Mike Harrell, who was working nearby, said he heard a commotion and, "All of a sudden, a blood-curdling scream.”

He said he immediately jumped into his truck and drove over to find the Pit Bull attacking two women in front of the home. One woman wasn't moving and the other was being mauled savagely, he told Newon6.com.

"He was just biting her and biting her, her calves, her face, her stomach—just everywhere, non-stop," Harrell said, "it was horrible.”

Harrell said the owner was also in the yard, hysterical and holding a bat she had used to try to beat her dog off the women. A witness said the dog was not responding to any of the owner’s commands.

"When you walk up and you truly see that terror in someone's face, it immediately changes you, and you immediately freeze or you react," Harrell said.

Harrell said he grabbed his gun and distracted the dog by yelling and opening the gate.

"The dog lets go and it made eye contact, then it just bolted straight towards me," Harrell said.

He said he asked the owner if he could shoot the dog. She said “yes,” he fired once, killing the pit bull instantly, he told reporters.

Harrell has had his gun license for four years, but never shot his gun in public until this incident, he said.

"It was the humane thing to do," said neighbor Lance Snider. "In fact, if I would have had a gun on me right then, I would have done something."

Snider told Fox23 News, “I always knew the dog was feisty and she told us before to be careful when we came in because she didn't know what he would really do.” Snider was the witness who called 911.

"You just don't see dogs that get that violent," Snider said.

Tulsa Animal Control removed the dog's body and will send samples to a laboratory for rabies testing. The manager said her department isn't aware of any prior reports on this Pit Bull.

Director of Tulsa Animal Welfare Jean Letcher said a warning sign is not enough to offer a dog legal protection. However, she added, people have a responsibility to be cautious when they enter someone else’s property.

"The owner has a level of protection because the animal was confined,” Letcher told reporters, “ it wasn’t roaming the neighborhood when it attacked.”

"Just because they don't see a dog, dog droppings, dishes, doesn't mean that an animal is not present and then if you enter someone’s property very much at their own risk,” she said.

FOX23 News reported speaking to Jehovah’s Witness members who says they work in groups of two, avoid homes with “no trespassing, keep out and beware of dog” signs. They also keep track of homes to avoid and share with other members.

Both women are hospitalized. Wright is in fair condition and Parker is in serious condition, according to police officials.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/UEBYPPwsOa0

Testigos de Jehová en el sur de Rusia afrontará cargos nuevos/Jehovah's Witnesses in Southern Russia Face New Charges

ROSTOV-ON-DON, April 8 (RIA Novosti) – Prosecutors in the southern Russian city of Taganrog have charged 16 Jehovah's Witnesses with taking part in the activities of an extremist organization after they allegedly resurrected the banned local branch of the international religious organization.

According to investigators, the religious group’s followers continued to hold regular meetings after their local branch was banned in the city in 2009. At the meetings, they allegedly incited hatred against other religions, circulated extremist literature and called for military draft dodging.

The suspects also attempted to involve children in their activities and collected money for the organization, the prosecutors said in a statement.

“The case materials will be sent to the Taganrog city court after the suspects are informed of the charges,” the statement said.

The Jehovah's Witnesses organization, which has more than seven million followers worldwide, including over 130,000 in Russia, has been banned in a number of Russian regions and in some former Soviet republics over its religious beliefs.

The Jehovah's Witnesses branch in the Russian capital was dissolved by a district court ruling in 2004, but the European Court of Human Rights declared the decision illegal in 2010.

Mormon Religious Beliefs Versus Jehovah Witness Beliefs

http://people.opposingviews.com/mormon-religious-beliefs-versus-jehovah-witness-beliefs-6354.html

The Jehovah's Witness religion and Mormonism both began in 19th-century America, and a single person founded each: Joseph Smith founded the Mormon faith and Charles Taze Russell founded the Witnesses. They both are Christian denominations whose followers believe others misinterpreted the true teachings of Jesus, and they both heavily emphasize spreading their faith around the world. However, beliefs on divinity, afterlife and texts differ substantially.

Texts

Jehovah's Witnesses look exclusively to the Bible for religious teachings. They believe the Bible is literally true, and follow the The New World Translation of Holy Scriptures version. They reject any religious teaching or practice that does not directly derive from the Bible's 66 books.

Mormons follow the New King James version of the Bible, and revere the Book of Mormon as much as the Bible. The book tells the story of Jesus' life after the Resurrection. Mormons believe the Prophet Mormon wrote the ancient texts on gold plates, and his son Moroni buried them in what is now New York. Moroni later appeared to Joseph Smith as an angel in 1823, and revealed their location.

God

Jehovah's Witnesses reject the idea of the Trinity. They believe God, called Jehovah, is the supreme being who created the universe. His first creation was his son Jesus, whom he used to create everything else. Jesus is separate from and less powerful than Jehovah. He became human, was sacrificially executed and will judge everyone at the end of the world. The Holy Ghost is a representation of God's power.

Mormons believe in the three-part Godhead. God, called Elohim, created the universe. His son Jesus, who was called Jehovah, is part of Elohim. Mormons believe Jesus came to Earth, was executed and resurrected, after which he traveled to America and preached. God and Jesus have bodies, the Holy Ghost does not; he looks human and teaches people about Elohim and Jesus.

Afterlife

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the soul will not last forever after death. However, God will resurrect people back to life. They do not believe in everlasting torture in Hell, but that when people are resurrected, they will receive rewards or punishments based on their lives. Only 144,000 people are anointed; they are chosen by God, and only they can go to Heaven. Others will spend eternity in a paradise on Earth alongside some other non-Jehovah's Witnesses.

Mormons believe in exaltation: People can become gods if they lived moral lives, accepted the sacrament of Jesus, received a celestial marriage in the Mormon Temple and received a baptism. If Mormons reach salvation, they live forever as a family in a heaven. Jesus' atonement allows humans to live forever, however, their earthly lives determine the quality of their afterlives.

Practices

Both religions share the idea of spreading the faith. Jehovah's Witnesses travel to people's homes to attempt to convert them to the religion and to pass out literature.

Many young Mormons travel on missions to countries throughout the world to spread Mormon doctrine. While it is not a requirement, Mormon males are highly encouraged to go. Women may also go, but they are not under as much pressure, and their terms are shorter. Elderly retired couples may also take part in missions.

Jehovah's Witness Rituals

http://people.opposingviews.com/jehovahs-witness-rituals-6448.html

Jehovah's Witness Rituals

Jehovah's Witnesses -- a sect founded by Charles Taze Russell in the United States during the 1870s -- have a number of practices that set them apart from other branches of Christianity. In addition to the banning of holiday celebrations and their refusal to accept blood transfusions, door-to-door evangelism, adult baptisms, regular services and shunning are all rituals central to the faith.

Evangelism

All Jehovah's Witnesses who are physically able are expected to help spread the word of the faith, often by door-to-door evangelism, and distribute copies of their publication, "The Watchtower," with the goal of discussing scripture with people at their homes and persuade them to become a Witness. A positive reception can lead to return visits and in-home Bible studies. Witnesses do not aim to change people's minds overnight, but instead focus on gradual, authentic conversions.

Baptism

Witnesses are not baptized as infants, rather as teenagers or adults. They must first make a commitment to evangelize door to door, attend several lengthy meetings and speak about their faith on a weekly basis. The religion does not accept baptisms by other churches. The baptism is always performed by full immersion, in front of the congregation.

Services

Witnesses meet together at locations known as Kingdom Halls. Services are usually held one or two times a week and involve the participation of the congregants, similar to a classroom setting. Held on Sundays, the church's public meeting is a short Bible-based lecture, while the Watchtower Study is a one-hour meeting covering the topic published in "The Watchtower." Kingdom Halls usually host congregation Bible studies, ministry schools and service meetings during the week. Witnesses are expected to attend meetings in addition to studying the Bible daily at home with their families.

Shunning

Shunning, or "disfellowshipping," occurs when a member of the faith is found by Witness elders to be guilty of spiritual sins. Those members are expelled from the congregation. Theft, adultery or drunkenness can all be grounds for removal from the church. Active Witnesses are forbidden from having contact with those who have been disfellowshipped. According to the BBC, Witness elders disfellowship between 50,000 and 60,000 people per year. In order to be reinstated, a Witness is required to demonstrate their repentance; the BBC says that around 30,000 to 40,000 people are reinstated into the faith annually.

16-year-old boy shot in Baltimore Sunday afternoon

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-ci-juvenile-shot-20130414,0,6365032.story

14/3/13

Youth reported to be in critical but stable condition

A 16-year-old boy was shot in the face and hip in Baltimore's Rosemont neighborhood Sunday afternoon, police said.

The boy was in critical but stable condition at a hospital after the shooting, which happened about 3:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of N. Ellamont St., police said.

Police were working to determine a suspect and a motive.

Near the scene of the shooting, which witnesses said happened on the street outside the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses building, young children played outside and neighbors returned home with groceries. Police marked at least four shell casings on the street, and a black sneaker was left on the street in the aftermath.

A neighbor, who declined to give her name, said the 16-year-old was her son's best friend and was a "lovable, respectful" boy who accompanied her family on vacations. She said her son and the boy were taking pictures of themselves outside earlier on the sunny, mild afternoon, then parted ways. Shortly after, the woman heard shots outside.

The boy was the second teen police reported shot over the weekend in Baltimore. Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, a 19-year-old man was shot in the back at North Eden Street and Monument Street.

Police said the man was shot by an unknown assailant. A medical unit responded and took him to a local hospital, but police did not have information about his condition Sunday.

Anyone with information about Saturday night's shooting may call police at 410-396-2433. Anyone with information in the Rosemont shooting may call police at 410-396-2488.

Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall in University Heights renovated after being targeted by vandals

http://www.10news.com/news/jehovahs-witness-kingdom-hall-in-university-heights-renovated-after-being-targeted-by-vandals-04142013

14/4/13

SAN DIEGO - A local place of worship has been renovated after it was targeted by vandals three times.

Two fires occurred at the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall in University Heights in December of 2011.

In the third instance, which occurred in January of 2012, intruders cut a hole through a fence and poured gasoline inside the Kingdom Hall but were unable to start a fire.

During the incidents, vandals ripped the letters off the building that spelled "Kingdom Hall" and spray painted 666, the number of the beast, near the entrance.

Now, the building has been completely renovated and is ready for worship.

"When all the permits were approved, we got started and as the invitation pointed out, we had 776 workers over 14 weekends to rebuild and renovate the Kingdom Hall," said elder Ted Dorius.

Police are still looking for whoever is responsible for setting the hall on fire.

Fusilan a 4 jóvenes y sin abandonados junto a un templo de Testigos de Jehová

http://www.diariodemorelos.com/article/fusilan-4-j%C3%B3venes

Artículo | Abril 12, 2013

Miacatlán, MORELOS.- A 13 aumentó el número de ejecutados en lo que va del mes de abril, luego de que 2 hombres y 2 mujeres fueran asesinados de un disparo en la cabeza, y abandonados junto a un templo de Testigos de Jehová, a orillas de la carretera local Coatetelco-Miacatlán.
Las víctimas están en calidad de desconocidas, aunque, de acuerdo con autoridades ministeriales, se trata de 2 hombres y 2 mujeres, de entre 20 y 22 años.
Los cadáveres presuntamente fueron abandonados en el lugar horas antes, ya que al momento del levantamiento tenían aproximadamente siete horas de muertos, por lo que presumen que fueron ejecutados en el sitio.
El hallazgo se suscitó ayer, a las 19:00 horas, cuando habitantes del Callejón de Las Iguanas se percataron de que junto a un templo de Testigos de Jehová había dos hombres y dos mujeres ejecutados, por lo que dieron parte a las autoridades.
Al ser informados de lo sucedido, policías municipales y estatales arribaron al lugar, en donde confirmaron que se trataba de cuatro personas que tenían el tiro de gracia.
Debido a ello, los uniformados tomaron conocimiento de los hechos, acordonaron la zona y solicitaron la presencia de las autoridades de la Procuraduría General de Justicia (PGJ).
Especialistas en criminalística del Servicio Médico Forense (Semefo) realizaron una inspección ocular, en donde encontraron 2 casquillos percutidos calibre .9 milímetros, los cuales fueron embalados para su estudio correspondiente.
Además, ordenaron el levantamiento de los cadáveres, los cuales fueron trasladados al anfiteatro de dicha dependencia para practicarles la necropsia de ley.
Agentes ministeriales se encuentran realizando las investigaciones correspondientes para dar con los responsables.

Investigación
Autoridades ministeriales se encuentran realizando las indagatorias correspondientes para dar con los responsables de la ejecución múltiple.

El deceso

Los jóvenes fallecieron debido al balazo que recibieron en la cabeza, tras ser fusilados.

2 casquillos percutidos calibre .9 milímetros fueron hallados en el lugar.

Un compromiso ineludible

http://lanaciondominicana.com/ver_opinion.php?id_opinion=4971

Los políticos se toman muy en serio su profesión. Los deportistas se fanatizan a su bando. Los comerciantes son muy celosos con sus intereses. Los líderes religiosos empujan sus causas. Cuando alguien cree en una idea la propaga con fuerza y constancia. Está dispuesto a entregar su vida como prueba máxima de su fidelidad a una causa. Las ideas mueven pueblos, cambian pensamientos, aceleran procesos y concluyen episodios. Esa ha sido la fórmula con la cual el mundo se ha movido desde las cavernas hasta alcanzar nuestro satélite lunar, y aún ha ido más profundo en éste indómito universo.

Los Testigos de Jehová, fieles a sus enseñanzas, dominan el arte de la predicación. Hablan con sencillez y claridad. Se esfuerzan al máximo para llegar al número mayorde personas que estén dispuestas a oírlos. Son valientes, tenaces y conocen a fondo la prédica que llevan en 239 países y territorios. Y para ello lo hacen en 595 idiomas. Para cumplir con tan noble encomienda se valen de unos 7.538.994 evangelizadores. ¡Un formidable ejército de almas bien armados! Dominan la Palabra de la A a la Z. Es un pueblo despierto, espiritualmente hablando. Allí no hay manos ociosas, ni pies cansados. Allí el tiempo es cuidadosamente usado. Allí se enseña y enfatiza la mejor manera de cómo enseñar y llegar a todos los públicos. Se enseña a profundidad lo que es el propósito de Dios para toda la humanidad. Allí no se habla de política, ni de deportes, y mucho menos de ricos y famosos de la farándula. Allí no se dan habladurías sobre novelas, ni tampoco el último chisme denigrante, que tanto atrae a viejos y jóvenes. Ese es un pueblo fiel y discreto. Limpio, moralmente hablando. Y honesto con sus obligaciones para con el Estado. En países democráticos, socialistas, comunistas, o monárquicos rigen sus vidas con la misma vara. Su conducta es intachable ante cualquier poder político, económico y social. En todo lugar, en todo momento le dan al César lo que es del César, y a Dios lo que es de Dios.

Allí se enseña la palabra tal como la muestra la Biblia. Allí la fe es una sólidamente amarrada a las promesas bíblicas. Allí no se rinde culto a ninguna pieza de madera o mármol. El Dios que ellos conocen es uno que habla, que oye, que camina, que hace obras maravillosas. Uno que no necesita que lo carguen y lo paseen.

En ese pueblo hay una juventud que no se enlista en los ejércitos de las naciones. No se doblegan ante monumento alguno. Su único caudillo es Jesucristo. Así lo aprenden, así lo viven. Y no tienen miedo de tirar al viento su modo de vida. Por eso es que tienen problemas en muchos países. Por eso es que van a la cárcel. Por eso es que entregan su vida. Así lo hicieron ante la maquinaria infernal del nazismo hitleriano. Fue la única organización religiosa (como institución) que se tiró a las calles de Alemania para denunciar el grave peligro que se avecinaba en toda Europa. Por eso pagaron muy caro. Unos fueron encarcelados, otros fueron fusilados. Adolfo Hitler se ensañó contra ellos jactándose de que iba a eliminar tan insignificante grupo. Hoy Hitler no existe.

¿Por qué este trasfondo histórico? Porque los Testigos de Jehová sumaron una victoria más en su derecho a predicar de la forma más amplia y libre posible. Porque ahora tienen acceso que antes le era vedado, o restringido. Ellos quieren llevar la Palabra de Dios a la mayor cantidad posible de gente a todos los rincones del globo terráqueo. Nada los amilana. No importa cuántas veces los rechacen ellos están dispuestos a buscar la forma legal y moral para llegar a toda la humanidad. Eso para ellos es algo de vida o muerte. Ellos saben muy bien que sus enemigos son muchos, muchísimos, demasiados. Pero persisten en su magnífica obra de evangelizar a costa de sus propias vidas.

Hacen como aquellos apóstoles que eran perseguidos, azotados y encarcelados. Los líderes religiosos de aquellos tiempos le prohibían a los apóstoles que enseñaran lo que habían aprendido de su gran Maestro. Con valor y firmeza ellos contestaban: "Pedro y los apóstoles dijeron: Tenemos que obedecer a Dios como gobernante más bien que a los hombres". Siempre que una ley del hombre se oponga a la ley de Dios, entonces el verdadero cristiano tiene una sola opción: Obedecer la ley de Dios. Ahí está el corazón y alma para no claudicar ante situaciones embarazosas. Ese es el principio bíblico que yace detrás de la victoria obtenida por los Testigos de Jehová con relación al acceso libre de las llamadas urbanizaciones cerradas. Detrás de esas verjas y portones se anida mucha actividad anticristiana, y no son los Testigos de Jehová quienes la introducen.

Esta situación se ha tornado visceral simplemente por tratarse de los Testigos de Jehová. Se ha formado una tormenta en un vaso de agua. Así funcionan los odios, los prejuicios y la ignorancia. Hasta el día de hoy no he leído un solo artículo a favor de los Testigos de Jehová. La cristiandad apóstata, amiga íntima del mundo, toma esta decisión con incredulidad. Están primero con las cosas terrenales y luego se acercan tímidamente a las cosas celestiales. Viven en una eterna confusión. Le sirven a dos amos. Pretenden estar con Dios y con el Diablo. Por eso sus muchas oraciones y plegarias no despegan del suelo donde pisan y se arrodillan.

Si Jesús y sus discípulos hubiesen tomado una posición fría, si no se hubiesen tirado a predicar de casa en casa y en todo sitio público, el cristianismo se hubiese quedado estancado en el marco geográfico pequeño de Jerusalén. La misión de Jesús habría abortado desde sus comienzos. Pero no, aquel nuevo ideal fue empujado rompiendo las fronteras de toda la tierra que Dios le había otorgado a Israel. Si hubiesen adoptado una actitud más amigable con el mundo, entonces Jesús no hubiese podido decir que aquel que es "amigo del mundo es enemigo de Dios". Precisamente, eso es lo que ha hecho la apóstata cristiandad: granjearse los aplausos y elogios del mundo. Y como los Testigos de Jehová han dado a conocer al mundo la falsa amistad de la cristiandad con Dios, por eso atacan sin misericordia las posturas de ellos.

La cristiandad es la parte más importante de ese conglomerado de religiones que son descritas en Apocalipsis como "Babilonia la Grande, la madre de todas las rameras". Pero las muchas aguas que la mantienen se están secando. Esa es la falsa religión que tiene en sus libros el pavoroso Infierno como castigo eternal para todas las almas pecaminosas. Están picando muy cerca del pecado que no tiene perdón: el pecado contra el Espíritu Santo.

Las diferencias entre los Testigos de Jehová y la cristiandad son insalvables. No hay manera de compararlos. No soy Testigo de Jehová, pero conozco algo de sus enseñanzas. Los Testigos de Jehová viven una vida limpia, calmada, son familias muy unidas. Trabajan para mantener sus familias y cumplen con todas las obligaciones que les impone el Estado. En sus salones de reunión no se hacen Bingos, ni se habla de Bienes Raíces. Este es un pueblo que ora, que ríe, que llora, que se mantiene despierto espiritualmente. Y que espera con fe las grandes promesas que tiene Dios para toda la humanidad.

Los Testigos de Jehová tienen un compromiso ineludible con Dios y con la humanidad.

El gran pensador Mahatma Gandhi dijo: "Me gusta tu Cristo, no me gustan tus cristianos".

Queda de ustedes,

Arturo Cardona Mattei

Caguas, Puerto Rico

Por qué se niegan a ser transfundidos

http://www.lavoz.com.ar/ciudadanos/que-se-niegan-ser-transfundidos

02/04/2013

Los testigos de Jehová se niegan a la transfusión debido al mandato de la Biblia que insta a no incorporar sangre al cuerpo.

Así está señalado en el libro de los Hechos 15:28,29 (“... sigan absteniéndose de cosas sacrificadas a ídolos, y de sangre...”) o en Génesis 9:4 (“...sólo carne con su alma, -su sangre- no deben comer...”). “Los testigos de Jehová creen en el mandato bíblico de que los cristianos deben abstenerse de sangre”, se explica en el sitio de Internet.

Base legal. Por otro lado, se amparan en la ley nacional 26.529 de Derecho del Paciente, que señala que todos los pacientes pueden optar por qué tratamiento recibir, sin menoscabo ni distinción alguna por creencias religiosas, entre otras. Y también en el artículo 19 de la Constitución: “Las acciones privadas de los hombres, que de ningún modo ofendan al orden y a la moral pública, ni perjudiquen a un tercero, están sólo reservadas a Dios y exentas de la autoridad de los magistrados”.