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Political Jehovah's Witness

The BBC News Online carried an interesting article on 1 March 2005 about Nepal. It was an overview of the situation in Nepal one month after King Gyanendra took direct power.

Whereas the action received condemnation from many countries including Britain it was defended by those within Nepal. The BBC quote Tulsi Giri, the cabinet deputy chairman, as saying:

"It was no different from America's action after 11 September or India's war in Kashmir."

What makes this interesting is that further on in the article Mr Giri is identified as belonging to "Nepal's tiny Jehovah's Witnesses religious community." Explaining that he has now returned from self-imposed exile in India the article continues,

"A minister in Nepal's first democratically elected government of 1959-60, he then sided with King Mahendra - Gyanendra's father - when he sacked that administration, and played a key role in 1960-1990, when there was no democracy, serving as prime minister."

However how is it possible for an active Jehovah's Witness to be in such a situation in the light of the following article entitled, How True Christians View Politics and found in The Watchtower 1 November 1956, pp.645-646:

"POLITICS is more and more in the news. And more and more people are turning to politics, either by becoming members of political parties or by voting for party candidates. Amid the growing popularity of politics is heard the voice of religion. This voice too talks politics. But sermonizing on political matters is not all; religion urges professed Christians to be active politically, as did Pope Pius XII, who, according to the New York Times of July 23, 1956, "urged Roman Catholics today to take an active part in politics." But even without clerical exhortation, the masses of professed Christians are so immersed in politics that many are more active politically than religiously. All this prompts some questions

"…Is it by plunging into politics that a person demonstrates he is a follower of Christ? Is this quest to better the world through politics the example set by Jesus and the early Christians?

"We can read in history books about the position taken by the early Christians regarding politics. Thus the book Christianity and the Roman Government by E. G. Hardy speaks of early Christians and "their aversion to all civic duties and offices." Another book, On the Road to Civilization, A World History, by Heckel and Sigman, tells us: "Christians refused to share certain duties of Roman citizens... They would not hold political office."

"Were those early Christians wrong in not trying to better the world by taking part in politics? How could they be? They had Christ Jesus, the Founder of Christianity, and his apostles to guide them. "The Textbook of Christianity, the Bible, tells us why those early Christians shunned politics. It shows that a fundamental principle of Christianity is separateness from the world... To delve into politics would mean to show friendship for the world, and to show friendship for the world would mean to make oneself an enemy of God."

I wonder if there will be any official comment or action?

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