Would a Jehovah's Witness feel offended or partake of candy in a bowl with the American Flag on it in an office setting.?

Answer 1

No, i really wouldn't mind. I dont pay attention to a flag in a bowl. Jehovah's Witnesses do not have any issues with the Flag itself. We respect the Flag or any symbol of a government. The only issue that we have concerning any man-made symbol such as the American Flag is when it is venerated, saluted, or worshipped in a way that we feel violates The Bible's command to only give our worship to God Himself. (Exodus 20:4) In fact, depending on the situation, a Witness will usually respectfully stand in attention when the Pledge of Allegience is being conducted. The Witness would simply not place the hand over the heart, since most Witnesses view that portion of the ceremony as being the 'worshipful' act. But that is an area that we refer to as a "conscience matter" for each Witness to decide how he will conduct himself on that occasion. Just FYI, if you are at a gathering where the Pledge is being conducted, and you see people remaining seated in a slouching, disrespectful way, these are likely not Witnesses. I want to emphasize this point: While we do not worship the Flag, we respect it and the government that it stands for. There is a balance. We have no problem with the Flag itself. We just don't give what we consider worship to it. Since the presence of a flag or any other symbol on a candy bowl is not a setting in which the flag is being worshipped or saluted, it shouldn't be an issue.