An organization that says “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female” (Galatians 3:28) might not feel compelled to include a member of each in order to prove their ‘diversity’ to an irreve
December 08, 2022
Then there was Morristotle—where is he now anyway?—who scanned the photos on the JW website and said, ‘Where’s the women?’ He was put out by it.
Morristotle—who used to pitch to me the virtues of atheism and I would throw it back in his face. What spectacular rows we used to have! Like that time he pitched to me some Ancient Greek reputed to be the world’s first atheist and I did an online search to reveal what a knave the fellow was.
It is a near universal sentiment today: if different roles are assigned to different groups, then one group must be oppressing the other. Lord forbid they could be cooperating seamlessly. It doesn’t happen in their own world so they assume it cannot happen. If they see it, they don’t trust it.
“But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn, the head of a woman is the man; in turn, the head of the Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3) Doesn’t work for these guys, who take it as a formula for oppression.
A similar sentiment prevails with nationality and race, which holds if you are not a member of that nationality or race, it can only be that you are exploiting it. Doesn’t this come from the survival of the fittest ‘scientific’ mindset in which everyone puts themselves first? It is the world they have bought into. They presume it is universal. “Have love for the whole association of brothers,” be they of whatever nationality, race, class, or economic status? No, they say. It is every man for himself.
Diversity is all the rage today and unless you are diverse you must be stepping upon those not included in your headship ranks, the same as men must be stepping on women if they are abiding by the above 1 Corinthians 11:3 verse.
The Jehovah’s Witness's headship catches some flak when judged by this contemporary norm, an ‘American white boys’ club, grumbles Vic Vomodog (with whom I used to pull shoulder to shoulder in the work!—Vic Vomodog, the Wily E Coyote saboteur of Tom Irregardless and Me!)
He forgets that David Splane hails from the exotic land of Canada. And what of that Aussie Geoff Jackson? Don’t get me started on Gerrit Lousch, working Eastern Europe back in the day. And Mark Sanderson speaks of his missionary history in the islands. He speaks Russian. If he is white, he also gets around. Then there is tough old bird Sam Herd, son of a black mule driver, who has said he wants to retire, but the others “won’t let him.” Admittedly, Kenneth Cook, who comports himself well, nonetheless gives credence to the feeling that he was snatched up because it was convenient—he from nearby Pennsylvania. “It's who you know" that counts, Vic muttered at that one.
Ah, well. The trick is not to sanitize the present. It is to desanitize the past. There was no ‘it’s who you know’ club like there was in Jesus’ time, when so many of his disciples were related to one another. But these days diversity is all the rage. Individual branches invariably reflect it. And even the harshest JW critic will concede that racial tension is all but non-existent in the worldwide brotherhood. Will the earthly organization headship cave into the modern demand for ‘diversity’ someday, a demand that insists you can only represent a group if you have some of that group within your midst? (Sheesh—the latest insistence of the acting crowd is that you cannot even act the role of a minority unless you are of that minority, lest you cross the ‘razor thin’ line from appreciation to commit the crime of cultural approbation!)
An organization that says “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female” (Galatians 3:28) might not feel compelled to include a member of each in order to prove their ‘diversity’ to an irreverent world. It would be a way to defang those who complain about Witnesses being an ‘American religion,’ though.
Then too, though usually married, few of organizational headship will have been parents. Not to worry. It is consistent with the main mission—putting the evangelizing work first. Still, I was sorry to see Guy Pierce go. He had children. The only other one who has raised kids is Anthony Morris.
‘ Yeah, load up these guys with a few teenagers apiece!’ said my prevailed-upon buddy, whose kids continually sought to outmaneuver him—but most have stuck and are doing well. ‘Then we’ll see if they keep singing the same tune.’
(Pixabay photo)
****** The bookstore
Just recently, I thought about giving a presentation to colleagues in the organization I work for (secularly), to talk about how JWs are most probably the most Inclusive, Diverse and Equitable organization/folks on the planet today.
I mean, who else includes EVERYONE when witnessing door-to-door?
Where else can people with a physical or even mental disability have equal opportunities for becoming a pioneer? (it's a question of mindset).
Where else do you see people from multiple different cultural, ethnical, social backgrounds gather in large stadiums and hugging each other at first sight, as if they had been friends for years?
Where else do little children teach older ones through little demonstrations of commentaries?
I think that there is any other group out there living "DEI" so gracefully as JWs do! The problem that all see is the moral guardrails that we impose on ourselves for embracing this kind of DEI. Those guardrails are God's standards, that we won't compromise. And off we are from the worldly radar, because overstepping these guardrails is the new purpose of DEI - without it no-one is able to live out their victim mentality, race, social status, ethnicity wouldn't count anymore. This DEI approach without God's standards defy's it's own self-imposed purpose, and leaves a bitter aftertaste as you realize that it causes more division and intolerance than unity.
[Reply: Many times I have reflected that had I not become a Witness my circle of friends would most likely consist of people who were just like me, but now they run the gamut of persons of every possible background.]
Posted by: Yves | December 20, 2022 at 10:54 AM