Another annoying Jehovah's Witness Question?

Question

Wait one second...If we couldn't play competitive sports, Why can they?
If you are an active Jehovah's Witness, it is against your religion to play competitive sports, namely to Keep score.

No little league..No after school football..tennis..or any organized sports, what so ever...

Occasionally the Brothers will have a Ball game, but there is never a score kept..Fact...


So...Explain the Williams sisters being active Jehovah's Witnesses and being able to play competitive sprots.

Any run of the mill Witness would be brought before the Elders for this.....and if the competitive sports did not stop, probably disfellwoshipped.

How can this not be a double standard?

Island Princess..answer the question or get off the raft.

MY..reasoning is not twisted......If I make a valid point, you start crying foul, because youcan not defend your position....Get over it!

Island Princess..now resorts to the usual Witness retort...Name calling....I want it noted that I have never called any Witness a name, but most of you "Christian Witnesses" Have resorted to calling me names when you can not defend your mother organization.

http://www.letusreason.org/JW24.htm Letter to children of Jehovah'sWitnesses concerning sports....More to come:

http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/wrong.htm

straight out of the Watchtower....Your website.

http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2002/12/8a/article_01.htm

Typical Watchtower nothing speak babble:

"Some parents have thus concluded that organized children's sports tend to fuel an unhealthy spirit of competition. This does not mean, however, that their children do not get to enjoy playing with others. Many Christian parents, for example, have found that their children enjoy playing with fellow believers in a backyard or at a local park. This way the parents have more control over their children's association. Family outings may provide further opportunities for wholesome play. Granted, a backyard game will probably not give the same thrill as being on a winning team. Never forget, though, that at best "bodily training is beneficial [only] for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things." (1 Timothy 4:8) By maintaining this balanced view of sports, you can prevent your child from being a victim of the new epidemic of violence."

Hannah J. Paul..Fair enough answer...It has been a long time ..when I was a witness. the rules were in line with the question posted..things may have changed...Although I do not agree with your answer, i think it is fair.

Island Princess...it is time for you to be quiet now...Your fellow witnesses, by virtue of their answers to me,understand that organized sports were not allowed..so quit it....your protesting is getting silly.

Update: I think Island Princess is considering joining the smoking Baptists.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Asro8byJkZXHcMd0Z8ZLsKnsy6IX?qid=20070809115836AA9T8t5

HELLO..Witnesses..if I am so far off...Why does your Brother perfectlybaked...Know of what I speak....This only proves that the Watchtower org..changes the rules ....No sports...no little league ...no scorekeeping...whatsoever...when I was a witness.....None...Nada.....nuff said?

Answer 1

I have never heard of the Williams sisters as being baptized, active Witnesses. They wouldn't remain as such for long.

However, if it were tolerated by the elders, it would be because it is to make a living, not just to compete.

Sports are fine, just not under any official scorekeeping. Sports at the park, one team against another, are fine. They just can't sign up and compete in or within a sanctioned league, because the sole motivation behind that is competition.

While the purpose itself is admirable and in harmony with Biblical principal, this lack of experience in competition can make individuals unable to control themselves within a competitive environment, which is inevitably encountered somewhere in life, even if it is avoided. So, a little competition should be allowed, just to acquaint an individual with the concept so they aren't overly competitive.

Answer 2

Wow! Someone call the elders! If Jehovah's Witnesses can't keep score I guess my husband and I and half our congregation (including the presiding overseer, Watchtower Study conductor, and their families) are in big trouble. We all got together last night at the city park and played volleyball, and WE KEPT SCORE. Oh, horror! :)

Lol. I'm sorry, Unsilenced, but you are wrong about this. We are discouraged against allowing a competitive spirit to get ugly, but we are certainly allowed to play sports and keep score.

Parents are cautioned about allowing their children to play after-school sports, primarily because of bad association. But this is ultimately up to the parents. No one would be disfellowshipped for playing after-school sports. Ever.

Playing professional sports certainly isn't viewed by Witnesses as the best use of their time, but it isn't "forbidden." And by no stretch of the imagination would it be a disfellowshipping offense. So your point, whatever it was, is moot.

Answer 3

It's true. Hypocrisy.

Time after time, there are "inspiring" articles in the "Awake" magazine about someone giving up a lucrative sports career -- or entertainment career -- because they saw a conflict with "kingdom interests."

There was Theresa Graves from "Laugh-In" and "Get Christy Love," a breakthrough African American actress. Her Bible studies even made it into TV Guide.

Michael Jackson was quoted in an Awake artcle after the release of "Thriller" about how mistaken he had been and he'd "never" do anything like THAT again.

Some of the old "Mills Brothers" group were witnesses. They sang in casinos like everyone else.

Some of the old "Paul Revere and the Raiders" were witnesses. A friend of mine had been married to their manager.

I remember a "60 Minutes" segment about witness custody battles ... seems like within the past dozen years or so... The non-witness father wanted to support his teenage daughter who wanted to be a cheerleader at her high school. The JW mother wouldn't let her and had custody. They went into all the mother's reasons why her religion considered this improper. I remember clearly Leslie Stahl concluding the piece while describing the father and daughter's frustration. The last thing she said was: "...and there's nothing you or I can do about it."

Suzanne

Answer 4

They are many things I don't understand why they do or believe the things they do. I wouldn't go as far to say they are a "cult". But, things like this seem too restrictive and almost controlling. I was I had a good answer for you. But I'm there is a lo of rationalization behind it. And, you know that you rationalize anything. Like the sky is actually pink, or the sun rises in the west.

Answer 5

This is yet another of the double standards that are in the Watchtower. I listed some off this morning where people are some people are disfellowshipped rarely here for smoking, drinking or teaching occultic beliefs as an alternative to the Watchtower. Others are disfellowshipped as soon as the first words are out of their mouth.

Answer 6

I grant that you do have a problem with Jehovah's Witnesses.

"If you are an active Jehovah's Witness, it is against your religion to play competitive sports, namely to Keep score."


Sorry but you must be mistaken. I grew up playing sports, even competitive ones. I played baseball, I played football, I played basketball.

Even when we played with other brothers we kept score.

Why don't you find another hobby?

Some quotes from the provided link:

"Interestingly, a former major league baseball player encourages parents to keep winning and losing in perspective, neither getting angry when a child doesn't play well nor getting too excited when he or she wins. Instead of hinging everything on winning, parents should focus on the children's enjoyment and the benefit of their staying in shape."


"At the root of this problem appears to be a desire on the part of some parents to see their children outdo other children and win at any cost. Says a representative of the Institute for the Prevention of Child Abuse, in Canada: "When winning is everything, when power is everything, this creates an environment where vulnerable people suffer. In these sports, the children are the vulnerable people." An official of the Ontario (Canada) Physical and Health Education Association notes that children subjected to such pressures "may develop psychological problems at a young age. And when they get older, they [may] have a hard time coping with failure."

"Sports should be fun, not a source of conflict."

To continue:

"Any run of the mill Witness would be brought before the Elders for this.....and if the competitive sports did not stop, probably disfellwoshipped"

Well I would be one of those 'run of the mill Witness' you speak of. Yet I never was 'brought before the Elders' as you put it.
Why do you make such fantastic claims?


I'll stand by my earlier comment, you REALLY need to find a new hobby!

Answer 7

I searched the internet and found many JW sites about the ban on competition. I also found many JW articles about Venus and Serena, including the The Watchtower. But nowhere could I find a discussion of the two subjects together.

So I'm left to guess. Could it be $$$$? If you kick back enough, the rules change?

Answer 8

A better question is about Prince and his music career. Especially the show he put on at the Superbowl. His conduct is less than perfect for a Jehovah's Witnesses. I remember going to Witness parties and barbeque's and we never played softball or any other really competitive sport. I wasn't allowed to join any at school either or band or any ex curricular activity. THe thing is that where in the bible does it say that you can't play sports?

Answer 9

It is not against the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses to play sports. It is not against the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses to keep score.

I do not know for certain if Serena and Venus Williams are active Jehovah’s Witnesses. I have never known. If they are not, the question is moot. If they are, the problem is non-existent. There is nothing inherently wrong with playing sports for a living. They could play golf for a living. Or soccer. That’s why it’s called professional sports – because you get paid to do it. It is otherwise known as a job.

It is disingenuous to say that “Occasionally the Brothers will have a Ball game, but there is never a score kept..Fact... [sic]”.

Perhaps the brothers with whom you were once familiar did not keep score, perhaps they did, in truth, I cannot say and I am perfectly willing to admit that. But it ought to be noted that your statement above is a blanket one and does not constitute “fact” for the over 97,000 congregations worldwide. In my congregation, and in countless others, the men and young adult males have regular basketball and football games and they keep score.

Thank you for providing the link to the article that deals with this subject. For all the readers, I strongly urge you to follow the link at the Official Site of JW's that she provided and read the December 8, 2002 Awake! article in its entirety. It is entitled “Children’s Sports: The New Epidemic of Violence.” You will notice it says absolutely nothing about professional sports. The article is focusing on the epidemic of violence that now marks playing fields, basketball courts, ice rinks, and playgrounds in connection with so many sports played by children. To wit, here is a partial quote from the article:

“Says Jeffrey Leslie, president of the Jupiter-Tequesta (Florida) Athletic Association: "I've seen parents screaming at their kids, pushing them too hard to perform; children fighting in games, incited by their parents; kids crying on the mound because their parents embarrassed . . . them." He adds: "There is nothing like youth sports to bring out the worst in parents." To protect children from such violence, some communities have had to take the drastic action of banning some parents from attending their children's sporting events.”

These types of questions are misleading because they mix a teaspoon of truth with a ladle of lies and present it on a public forum as gospel wrapped in gold. Some people sift the facts, using the handy ones and hiding the others. The popular tactic of distorting and twisting facts, specializing in lies and half-truths is an effective one. Why? The reader’s emotions are the target and the target is rarely missed. Look at some of the responses here: readers have taken this “fact” and run with it. And now another myth has been added to the wide-mouthed cooking pot: Jehovah's Witnesses employ a double-standard. How do we arrive at this myth? Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to play sports or keep score. Serena and Venus Williams are allowed to play sports and keep score. Therefore Jehovah's Witnesses have a double standard. This syllogism is erroneous at the very worst of it, and silly, at the very least of it.

For those who engage in such deplorable tactics, “you are parted from Christ, whoever you are.”

Hannah J Paul

Answer 10

methinks Island Princess wasn't "strong in the truth" when she was playing varsity tennis as a young JW. As a Witness at that time, I would've judged her and whispered about her and not invited her to my get togethers, for sure.