耶和華見證人不參戰，不見得是對的

Jehovah's Witnesses and War

（http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/war.php）

Watchtower states that Jehovah's Witnesses are the only religion that does not engage in war, 守望台說，耶和華見證人是唯一不參加戰爭的宗教，and use this as indication they alone follow Jehovah's standards. 並以此指出只有他們跟隨耶和華的標準。This is incorrect on several levels, 在幾方面，他們都錯了﹕as [1] there are a number of pacifist religious groups and有好些和平主義的宗教 [2] the Bible does not discourage all forms of warfare.聖經並沒有禁止所有形式的戰爭。

Watchtower states Jehovah's Witnesses alone refrain from war.

"Who are no part of the world and learn war no more? Again, the historical record of the 20th century testifies: only Jehovah's Witnesses." Watchtower1992 Apr 1 p.12

The finger is quickly pointed at other religions for their involvement in war, describing their followers as "children of the Devil slaughtering their spiritual brothers". (Awake! 1985 Dec 22 p.10) Jehovah's Witnesses are proclaimed as unique for being the only loving religion on earth and the only one abstaining from participation in warfare.

"In our century, which religion has obeyed this law of love? Surely not the religions of Christendom, for they have slaughtered one another by the tens of millions in two world wars and other conflicts. Jehovah's servants are unique in obeying the rule spoken by Peter and other apostles to a high court: "We must obey God as ruler rather than men." (Acts 5:29)" Watchtower 1990 Feb 1 p.22

"Who in our time demonstrate such obedience to Gods commandments on love? Who have been persecuted, imprisoned, thrown into concentration camps, or executed because they would not take up weapons against fellow believers or even unbelievers of other nations? The record of this century's history answers:only Jehovah's Witnesses." Watchtower 1989 May 1 p.28

Many religious groups do not participate in war很多宗教群體不參加戰爭

This self-proclamation of uniqueness is far from correct; 自稱只有他們，絕對是錯的；numerous religious organisations do not participate in warfare.很多宗教組織都不參加戰爭 These statements are another area that highlights the dishonesty of the Watchtower in attempting to convince their followers that they are unique and alone are acceptable to God.

What most Jehovah's Witnesses do not seem to be aware of is;

There are a number of religions that do not participate in war
Witnesses are neutral but not pacifists
There is Biblical support for engaging in war

Religions not engaging in War不參加戰爭的宗教

The best known religions for their stance against war are the historic peace churches - Society of Friends, Mennonites and Brethren. In addition are a number of nineteenth century groups that share a similar historical background to the Watchtower Society. Every major Christian denomination also contains pacifist factions. Christian churches known for their stance against war include:

Moravians (one of the very first Protestant religions dating back to the 1500's)
Brethern (Dunkards) groups, including

Church of the Brethren

Anabaptist groups, 重洗派教徒including

Mennonites門諾會 (16th century group numbering 1.5 million)
Hutterites
Schwenkfelders
Bruderhof Communities
Amish阿米甚(numbering approximately 200,000)

Society of Friends (Quakers)貴格會
Doukhobors - 17th century breakaway from Russian Orthodox
Molokans - 17th century breakaway from Russian Orthodox
Some Pentecostal groups such as the Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship有一些五旬節會
Seven Day Adventists基督複臨安息日會
Community of Christ
Christadelphians
Worldwide Church of God
Pax Christi - A Catholic peace movement
Fellowship of Reconciliation非宗派的和平團契- A group formed in 1914 to unite pacifists regardless of denomination. All major religious denominations have affiliated associations including

Anglican Pacifist Fellowship聖公會和平團契
Methodist Peace Fellowship衛理公會和平團契
Baptist Peace Fellowship浸信會和平團契
Orthodox Peace Fellowship正教和平團契
Lutheran Peace Fellowship路德會和平團契
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship長老會和平團契

In addition to this list are other peace churches that have become extinct or almost extinct such as Shakers.

The Peace Churches have suffered greatly for their stance against war, with members being subjected to persecution, imprisonment and death. For example, Hutterites were subjects of persecution in America during World War 2 and when two Hutterites died in prison after refusing the military draft many Hutterite colonies moved to Canada.

……

Is War Justifiable?戰爭有理由嗎？

Christian engagement in warfare is an issue beyond the scope of this article. Warfare is one of humanities greatest evils, 戰爭是人類最大的惡之一，and we can only long for a time when all are pacifists. 我們只能渴望人人都是和平主義者。 However, Pacifism and Neutrality are untenable positions. 然而，和平主義和中立性是站不住腳的位置。We cannot overlook the constant rise of political despots, and Pacifism simply allows thugs to dominate our world. 我們不能忽視的不斷政治豪強的崛起，以及和平主義只是允許暴徒支配我們的世界。Pacifism and Neutrality can only work for smaller religions, which need to be grateful for the protection afforded them by national armies and police forces, without which they would not exist. When a religion grows to the point of becoming the state religion it is required to defend itself militarily.

An example of what happens when a group refuse to take arms are the Moriori people of the Chatham Islands. 該摩裏歐裏人是和平主義者In 1835, Maoris from New Zealand invaded the island, 新西蘭的毛利人入侵島嶼“announcing that the Moriori were now their slaves, and killing those that objected. …宣布該摩裏歐裏人是現在他們的奴隸，並殺死那些反對。 ...The Moriori had a tradition of resolving disputes peacefully.該摩裏歐裏人習慣和平解決問題 They decided in a council meeting not to fight back but to offer peace, friendship, and a division of resources.” (page 53 Guns, Germs, and Steel – The Fates of Human Societies Jared Diamond W. W. Norton and Company 1999) The Maori proceeded to kill and cannibalise the Moriori people. 毛利人進行殺滅和蠶食摩裏歐裏人的人。Only 101 were allowed to survive, kept as slaves. 只有101允許生存，其他作為奴隸。There remains no pure blood Moriori today.

There are always aggressors, and an organised means of defence is required to prevent aggressive leaders and cultures from dominating the more peaceful. 常有侵略者，所以國防的組織方式是為了防止激進的領導人。The world is a more peaceful place because cultures interested in human rights have been prepared to defend those rights.若關心人權文化已準備捍衛這些權利，這個世界是一個更加和平的地方。

The Bible and War聖經和戰爭

There are two dominate arguments used by pacifists against war.和平主義者有兩個論點﹕ These regard love of neighbour, 愛他人and Biblical commandments against murder.聖經命令。

The Law of Love is at the centre of reasoning against war. This raises an emotive issue - does love of God and neighbour allow unchristian tyrants to run unchecked through the world, or does love require defending ones beliefs and loved ones? 這就提出了一個問題，感情 - 愛神愛人，是否等於允許非基督徒的暴君胡來？或愛要求我們捍衛信仰和親人？

The other line of reasoning is that "The sixth of the Ten Commandments also declared, "You must not murder."" (w86 9/1 p.18) 還有一個原因﹕十誡的第六誡However, Old Testament support of Israelite war可是，舊約支持以色列人作戰 and the death penalty shows killing under these circumstances do not fall within the Biblical definition of murder.

One of the principle arguments against war is to quote Jesus warning at Matthew 26:52 "Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword." 他們大部分喜歡引用「凡動刀的，必死在刀下。」（馬太福音26:52）John shows the reason for these words was that Peter was not to prevent Jesus arrest, saying at John 18:11約翰在約翰福音18:11告訴我們原因﹕「耶穌就對彼得說，收刀入鞘吧。我父所給我的那杯，我豈可不喝呢？」 "Put the sword into [its] sheath. The cup that the Father has given me, should I not by all means drink it?" Peter's carrying a sword during Jesus last hours indicates Jesus accepted being armed.彼得當時帶刀，表示耶穌接受他們有武裝。

The Bible supports warfare.聖經支持戰爭的經文

Ecclesiastes 3:8 傳道書3﹕8"[There is] a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace."「喜愛有時，恨惡有時。爭戰有時，和好有時。」

The entirety of Israelite history is steeped in brutal warfare.整本舊約，都記載了很多戰爭 Over 250 times the Bible refers to God as "Jehovah of Armies" and he regularly commanded that his followers execute all that did not worship him, apart from the virgin girls that the soldiers were allowed to keep for their own pleasure.

Joshua 6:21約書亞記6﹕21 "And they went devoting all that was in the city, from man to woman, from young man to old man and to bull and sheep and ass, to destruction by the edge of the sword."「又將城中所有的，不拘男女老少，牛羊和驢，都用刀殺盡。」

Numbers 31:15-18 "So Moses said to them: "Have YOU preserved alive every female? Look! They are the ones who, by Balaam's word, served to induce the sons of Israel to commit unfaithfulness toward Jehovah over the affair of Peor, so that the scourge came upon the assembly of Jehovah. And now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had intercourse with man by lying with a male. And preserve alive for yourselves all the little ones among the women who have not known the act of lying with a male."

Watchtower justifies Old Testament Jewish war as necessary to cleanse the promised land of infidels. 守望台認為舊約猶太戰爭清洗異教徒的樂土In the same manner, Christian Churches express their engagement in warfare as a role ordained by God. 同樣的，基督教會表達自己在戰爭中的參與，是神命定的作用。The very existence of Jehovah's Witnesses is a result of the global expansion of Christianity at the end of the sword.

The Bible never specifically forbids Christian engagement in warfare, 聖經從來沒有明確禁止基督徒參與戰爭，and since this was such a significant aspect to Bible history, if continued engagement in war had become an unacceptable practice to the writers of the Christian Scriptures they would have stated so. In fact, several New Testament passages indicate acceptance of war. 事實上，一些新約聖經經文表示接受戰爭。

When military officers came to John for baptism, John did not direct them to leave the service.有人在軍中，約翰並沒有勸告他們離開。

Luke 3:14 "Also, those in military service would ask him: "What shall we also do?" And he said to them: "Do not harass anybody or accuse anybody falsely, but be satisfied with YOUR provisions."路加福音3﹕14「又有兵丁問他說，我們當作什麼呢？約翰說，不要以強暴待人，也不要訛詐人，自己有錢糧就當知足。」

At Matthew 8:5-13 Jesus did not turn the soldier away when asking to heal his manservant, rather commending him saying在馬太福音8:5-13，耶穌醫治兵士的僕人，而且稱贊他"I have not found anyone In Israel with such great faith" In the account at Acts 10 Cornelius was not required to step down as commander of Roman soldiers before being baptised.使徒行傳10家的哥尼流信主，也沒有離開工作。

Paul shows that governments have a right to use the sword to prevent bad, 保羅講到政府有權佩劍。and that we should be in subjection to what they demand of us. This would include going to war when called for.

Romans 13:1-4 "Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God. Therefore he who opposes the authority has taken a stand against the arrangement of God; those who have taken a stand against it will receive judgment to themselves. For those ruling are an object of fear, not to the good deed, but to the bad. Do you, then, want to have no fear of the authority? Keep doing good, and you will have praise from it; for it is God's minister to you for your good. But if you are doing what is bad, be in fear: for it is not without purpose that it bears the sword; for it is God's minister, an avenger to express wrath upon the one practicing what is bad."

羅馬書13:1 在上有權柄的，人人當順服他。因為沒有權柄不是出于神的。凡掌權的都是神所命的。

13:2 所以抗拒掌權的，就是抗拒神的命。抗拒的必自取刑罰

13:3 作官的原不是叫行善的懼怕，乃是叫作惡的懼怕。你願意不懼怕掌權的嗎？你只要行善，就可得他的稱贊。

13:4 因為他是神的用人，是與你有益的。你若作惡，卻當懼怕。因為他不是空空的佩劍。他是神的用人，是伸冤的，刑罰那作惡的。

13:5 所以你們必須順服，不但是因為刑罰，也是因為良心。

Russell recognised this scripture required early Witnesses to engage in civilian service and even attend the front line.

"The early Bible Students took this scripture to mean that if a Christian was drafted in wartime, he would be obligated to put on a uniform, shoulder a gun, and go to the front, to the trenches. It was felt that since a Christian could not kill a fellow human, he would be compelled to fire his gun into the air if worst came to worst." Watchtower 1995 May 15 pp.21-22

Though claiming to be the only religion to show neutrality and love, war atrocities pale in comparison to the Watchtower message of Armageddon, which claims "billions" (w93 10/1 p.19) will be slaughtered at the hand of Jehovah, never to receive a resurrection. Witnesses take Scriptures such as atIsaiah 13 as applying literally to anyone not associated withtheir Organization.

Isaiah 13:9-16 "Look! The day of Jehovah itself is coming, cruel both with fury and with burning anger, in order to make the land an object of astonishment, and that it may annihilate [the land's] sinners out of it. Every one that is found will be pierced through, and every one that is caught in the sweep will fall by the sword; and their very children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be pillaged, and their own wives will be raped."

If the Watchtower interpretation of Armageddon were correct, 如果守望台對哈米吉多頓戰爭的認識是正確的話，then Witnesses would be engaged in an act of love by killing "worldly" people in warfare prior to this gruesome event. 耶和華見證人將從這個可怕的事，因為愛殺“世俗”的人。At least those who die in warfare will be in line for a resurrection and perfect eternal life in paradise, a far better option than be destroyed by God at Armageddon, the most horrifying event of human history.

I have heard many Jehovah's Witnesses indicate the key reason they believe the Watchtower Society represents the only true religion is their refusal to participate in warfare. What most Jehovah's Witnesses do not seem to be aware of is that a number of religions do not participate in war. I admire the strength of individuals that suffered refusing to go to war. If every person followed this ideology, the world would be a better place for it. But for as long as tyrants start war, there will be the need for armies to defend themselves and their countries inhabitants.