Why do Jehovah witnesses not vote?

Answer 1

Worldwide, our position with respect to human political affairs is one of neutrality. We do not take sides for or against any political candidate or party. Our allegience is entirely with God's Kingdom with Jesus Christ as our king and leader. Our political party is the heavenly theocratic organization. We do not look to human leaders for solutions to any of the problems we face. We believe that all the "signs" that The Bible gives regarding the "last days" are now here (Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5), so we believe that we are living in the final days for the present system of things. We believe that Jesus is soon to "return" in the sence that he will turn his attention to the earth, and God's Kingdom that he taught us to pray for at Matthew 6:9,10 will replace all these other governments just as Daniel 2:44 states. Therefore, we do not vote for political leaders,* nor do we run for office. We respect them for the office they uphold, and we will obey the laws they pass, never trying to usurp their authority. We believe that it will be God alone that will make these changes without any help from us. Some religions encourage "civil disobedience," we do not. In fact, we believe that these governments are allowed to stand in place by God for the time being, and that it is for the greater good. If we were to disobey the governments, it would be tantamount to disobeying God. So, we obey the leaders, pay our taxes, and try our best to be model citizens. But, as far as the political affairs of their governments are concerned, we take a strickly neutral stand, all the while waiting on God Himself to take action. * Addendum: The prohibition on voting for Jehovah's Witnesses was lifted in 1999. According to the Watchtower of November 1, 1999, pages 28-29, whether or not a Jehovah's Witness chooses to vote in a political election is a personal decision and a matter of conscience. Some Jehovah's Witnesses do actually vote, although they are estimated to be in the minority. See http://www.slate.com/id/2194321/ Post Addendum: Regarding the Watchtower of November 1, 1999, the article pointed out "each one of Jehovah's Witnesses makes a decision based on his Bible-trained conscience and an understanding of his responsibility to God and to the State. (Matthew 22:21; 1 Peter 3:16)" In harmony with making this decision the article encourages the reader to consider a number of factors, including: * The bible command to remain "no part of the world" * The principle that christians as "ambassadors of christ" should remain neutral to the 'internal affairs' of their country of residence; * The burden of responsibility for the actions of the individual given support * the "greater value of christian unity" threatened by being involved in politics * the value of freeness of speech afforded by those that remain neutral The 1999 article includes a quotation from an 1950 Watchtower, which again emphasised the christians personal responsibility before God to honour the above principles. No "prohibition" was "lifted" in 1999 since the matter has always been a matter of conscience in line with the above principles which have long been a part of Jehovah's Witness view of their position in relation to the politics of this system.

Answer 2

Jehovah's Witnesses are politically neutral, as we believe that no human has the right to rule, but, rather, Jesus is the rightful ruler of mankind, chosen by God to rule over the earth.

The prohibition on voting for Jehovah's Witnesses was lifted in 1999. According to the Watchtower of November 1, 1999, pages 28-29, whether or not a Jehovah's Witness chooses to vote in a political election is a personal decision and a matter of conscience. Some Jehovah's Witnesses do actually vote, although they are estimated to be in the minority.

The November 1999 article shows Questions From Readers, How do Jehovah's Witnesses view voting" Please read the full article on jw.org for correct information on voting in general and voting in political elections.

Taken from the Reasoning Book on jw.org - True Christians respect the right of others to vote. They do not campaign for political elections and they cooperate with elected authorities. However, they remain neutral to the political affairs of the nations. (Matthew 22:21; 1 Peter 3:16.) In lands where voting is compulsory, remembering that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went as far as the plain of Dura, a Christian, under similar circumstances may decide to go to the booth if his conscience permits. However he will take care not to violate his neutrality. 1- Jesus followers are no part of the world-John 15"19. 2 Christians represent Christ and Kingdom-John 18:36; 2 Corinthians 5:20. 3.- The Christian Congregation is united in belief, and its members are bound together by Christlike love. 1 Corinthians 1:10; Colossians 3:14. 4-Those who elect a certain official share responsibility for what he does (note principal at 1 Samuel 8:5,10-18 & 1 Timothy 5:22. 5-Jehovah viewed Israel's desire for a visible ruler as a sign they rejected Him. 1 Samuel 8:7. 6-Christians must have freeness of speech when speaking to people of all political persuasions about God's Kingdom government.- Matthew 24:14; 28:19.20; Hebrews 10:35.

Answer 3

First I will say that we do not have a problem with deciding what the majority of a group wishes. In fact, at my last mid-week meeting at the Kingdom Hall, we were informed that due to growth in the number of Jehovah's Witnesses in our area, there will be a new congregation formed to handle the new members, which will bring the total number of congregations of that will be sharing our same building to four congregations. This will present a challenge on scheduling meeting times. It was put to a vote by the congregation on which meeting schedule we would prefer to follow. The popular vote was overwhelmingly in favor of one of the proposals, and that schedule was adopted due to the vote of the congregation.

But I doubt you were referring to that type of vote. I am sure you meant voting in a political race, such as presidents, governors, etc.

At John 17:14, Jesus prayed concerning his followers that they are "...no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world."

When Jesus was about to be seized by the crowds to make him a king, he would have no part of it. (John 6:15) He also stated that his kingdom 'was no part of this world.' (John 18:36)

Jehovah's Witnesses loook to a higher government, that is, God's Kingdom, with Jesus Christ as King. This government is very real to us. (Matthew 6:9,10) We also feel that in imitation of Jesus, they must be "no part of the world." This requires neutrality as far as the world's political affairs.

To illustrate, If a person is a citizen of Canada, you would not expect that person to vote for the President of the United States. If they are a citizen of the US, they would not be voting for the members of British Parliment. Since JW's wish to remain neutral as far as this world's political affairs, as Jesus was, they do not engage in the politics of this world, including the voting process.

We as Jehovah's witness absolutely do not vote and it doesn't matter which kingdom hall in the world you go to there are absolutely no deviations in what we believe. We are united in the same line of thought.

Answer 4

Jehovah's Witnesses do vote. What they don't do is get involved in politics. So if the voting involves politics, they abstain. They often vote in their Kingdom Halls, perhaps to build a new building, pave the parking lot or perhaps for some other non-political purpose. So to say that they don't vote is incorrect. As Christians they follow Jesus's example who refused to get involved in the politics of his day, be it Roman or Jewish.

To be clear, Jehovah's Witnesses do not vote in political elections. The Bible tells us "do not do as the world." Whether or not that means not to vote in political elections had been debated throughout history. Jehovah's Witnesses take a stance that it does. However, there are devout Christians on both sides of the argument.

Answer 5

ANSWER

No, Jehovah's Witnesses view Christianity incompatible with involvement in politics and remain politically neutral. They believe their support should be uniquely for God's Kingdom - which Jehovah's Witnesses view as a real government in heaven with Jesus Christ at it's head - and for these reason Jehovah's Witnesses do not support any particular political party.

yes... why wouldn't they?

Answer 6

Jehovah's Witnesses stay neutral in all political situations because they believe that Jesus Christ commanded His followers to do so in the Bible.

To be specific:

John 18:36 - Jesus answered: "My kingdom is no part of this world.+ If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought+ that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source."

Jesus preached the good news of His Kingdom throughout His ministry. He said his followers would proclaim it to the end of the world as we know it. (Matthew 4:23; 24:14)

Jehovah's Witnesses totally believe that the Kingdom Jesus spoke of will someday soon be the only ruling power over mankind. The belief is based on the following scripture:

Daniel 2:44:"And in the days of those kings*+ the God of heaven+ will set up a kingdom*+ that will never be brought to ruin.+ And the kingdom* itself will not be passed on to any other people.+ It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms,+ and it itself will stand to times indefinite;+

Answer 7

Voting when it comes to political matters - no. Voting otherwise, for example if there is a resolution that needs to be passed, a voting system is used to pass the resolution.