Olketa Fashion wea Pipol Fit for Respectim

OLKETA firstfela Kristian they barava strong. Olketa heathen pipol bilong Rome killim dae planti long them long bigfela persecution wea kamap long threefela first century, from they no want for worshipim emperor. Samfela taem, they buildim wanfela altar insaed long stadium bilong Rome. For kamap free, olketa Kristian mas burnim smallfela samting wea smel nice for show aot they luksavvy long emperor olsem god. But, fewfela nomoa duim diswan. Planti long olketa willing for dae winim way for duim samting wea againstim faith bilong them.

Distaem, olketa Kristian Witness bilong Jehovah garem sem kaen tingting for no saed withim anywan long politik. For example, way wea they barava stand strong nomata olketa bilong Nazi againstim them hem samting wea really happen long history. Bifor and long taem bilong mek-tu world war, samting olsem 25 percent bilong olketa Witness from Germany they lusim laef bilong them, planti dae insaed olketa concentration camp, from they no saed withim anywan and no want for say “Heil Hitler.” They separate-im olketa youngfela pikinini from dadi and mami bilong them wea Witness. Nomata they kasem bigfela hevi, olketa young wan hia they stand strong and no want for followim olketa teaching wea no followim scripture wea otherfela pipol trae for force-im long them.

Salutim Flag

Pipol no persecutim tumas olketa Jehovah’s Witness long way olsem distaem. Nomata olsem, way for no meanim olketa Witness maet hem kamap, taem olketa youngfela Witness they decide followim conscience bilong them for no share long olketa ceremony for supportim kantri, olsem way for salutim flag.

Olketa pikinini bilong olketa Jehovah’s Witness they learn for no mekem otherfela pikinini no want for salutim flag; datwan hem samting for each wan mas decide-im. But, samting wea olketa Witness believim long diswan hem strong: They no savvy salutim flag bilong any kantri. Diswan no meanim they no showim aot fashion for respect. They savvy respectim flag bilong any kantri wea they stap insaed, and they showim aot disfela respect taem they obeyim olketa law bilong datfela kantri. They no savvy join insaed any samting for againstim gavman. Tru nao, olketa Witness they believe olketa gavman bilong man wea stap distaem they part bilong wanfela “arrangement bilong God” wea hem letem for stap. So they ting long way for payim tax and for respectim “olketa wea garem paoa” olsem komand wea kam from God. (Romans 13:1-7) Diswan hem fitim disfela toktok bilong Kraest: “Givim back olketa samting bilong Caesar long Caesar—and olketa samting bilong God long God.”—Matthew 22:21, Catholic Jerusalem Bible.

Samfela maet ask, ‘But why nao olketa Jehovah’s Witness no givim honor long flag and salutim?’ Hem bikos they ting long way for salutim flag hem olsem way for worship, and worship hem bilong God nomoa; conscience bilong them no letem them for givim worship long anywan or any samting but God nomoa. (Matthew 4:10; Acts 5:29) Dastawe, they hapi taem olketa teacher respectim disfela belief and letem olketa Witness pikinini for followim belief bilong them.

No olketa Jehovah’s Witness nomoa they believe hao way for salutim flag hem join withim worship, olsem olketa toktok long daon they showim aot:

“Olketa flag bilong bifor they samting bilong religion nomoa. . . . Pipol everytaem askim religion for mekem olketa flag bilong kantri for kamap holy.” (Italic raeting hem bilong mifela.)—Encyclopædia Britannica.

“Flag, olsem cross, hem holy. . . . Olketa toktok wea they use-im for talem pipol hao for ting long olketa mark and flag bilong kantri they strong tumas, olsem, ‘Service long Flag,’ . . . ‘Barava respectim Flag,’ ‘Worshipim Flag.’” (Italic raeting hem bilong mifela.)—The Encyclopedia Americana.

“Olketa Kristian no want for . . . sakrifaes long emperor bilong [Rome]—wea distaem hem klosap semsem withim way wea they no want for salutim flag or talem promis for loyal long kantri.”—Those About to Die (1958), wea Daniel P. Mannix hem raetem, page 135.

Olsem yumi readim finis, diswan no meanim olketa Jehovah’s Witness no showim aot respect for any gavman or olketa ruler bilong them taem they no want for salutim flag. But from hem olsem worship, they bae no bow daon or salutim any image wea stand for Gavman. They ting long diswan olsem sem samting wea threefela youngfela Hebrew man they duim, taem they no want for bow daon front long wanfela image wea king Nebuchadnezzar bilong Babylon hem putim. (Daniel, chapter 3) So, taem otherfela pikinini salutim flag and talem promis for loyal long kantri, olketa pikinini bilong olketa Jehovah’s Witness learn for followim conscience bilong them wea Bible hem trainim. Dastawe, long kwaet way and withim respect they no join insaed diswan. For olketa sem kaen reason, olketa Witness pikinini they choose for no join insaed way for singim national anthem or playim music bilong datwan.

Paoa bilong Dadi and Mami

Distaem, planti kantri they respectim paoa wea dadi and mami garem for givim pikinini bilong them instruction long samting wea they believim insaed religion bilong them. Every religion supportim diswan, olsem law bilong Catholic Church wea they still followim distaem hem talem: “From they givim laef long olketa pikinini bilong them, dadi and mami they garem bigfela obligation for teachim them, and they garem paoa for duim diswan; dastawe hem barava fitim dadi and mami for provide-im Kristian education wea followim teaching bilong Church long olketa pikinini bilong them.”—Canon 226.

Olketa Jehovah’s Witness barava want for duim datwan. Olsem dadi and mami wea care, they trae for putim olketa trufela Kristian fashion insaed long olketa pikinini bilong them. And tu for mekem grow insaed long them way for love-im neibor and respectim olketa samting bilong otherfela pipol. They want for followim kaonsel wea aposol Paul givim long olketa Kristian long Ephesus: “Dadi and mami, no duim samting long olketa pikinini bilong yufela wea bae mekem them kros. But, bringim them ap withim Kristian discipline and instruction.”—Ephesians 6:4, Today’s English Version.

Famili wea Religion Divaedem

Long samfela famili, maet dadi seleva or mami seleva hem wanfela Witness bilong Jehovah. Long taem olsem, hem gud for dadi or mami wea Witness for luksavvy hao dat wan wea no Witness hem garem paoa tu for teachim olketa pikinini followim samting wea hem believim long religion bilong hem. Way wea olketa pikinini savvy long olketa different religion hem no savvy spoelem them.a Go-go, every pikinini mas decide-im wanem religion they bae followim. But, no every young wan bae choose for followim religion bilong dadi and mami bilong them, nomata they olketa Jehovah’s Witness or no moa.

Paoa bilong Pikinini for followim Conscience bilong Hemseleva

Hem gud sapos yu savvy tu hao olketa Jehovah’s Witness they ting hem important for man seleva mas followim Kristian conscience bilong hem. (Romans, chapter 14) Wanfela Convention on the Rights of the Child, wea General Assembly bilong United Nations hem acceptim long year 1989, hem say pikinini garem paoa for “freedom bilong tingting, conscience and religion” and paoa for free for talemaot tingting bilong hem and hao otherfela pipol mas tingim datwan long any samting wea affectim datfela pikinini.

Every pikinini they different. So, samting wea olketa youngfela Witness or otherfela student they decide-im maet they different long saed bilong samfela assignment long skul. Mifela hope yu tu bae agree withim principle bilong freedom bilong conscience.