What do witnesses feel for their enemies?

 

 

⚪ Jehovah's Witnesses hate their enemies

HATING JEHOVAH’S ENEMIES [...] The Lord Jesus was not calling upon us to love those who hated God. [...] malice and spite belong to the Devil, whereas pure hatred does not. [...] Do we not hate those who hate God? We cannot love those hateful enemies, for they are fit only for destruction. Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, October 1 1952, page 598, page 599, page 600 + Cover

Jesus encouraged his followers to love their enemies, but God’s Word also says to “hate what is bad.” When a person persists in a way of badness after knowing what is right, when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of his make-up, then in order to hate what is bad a Christian must hate the person with whom the badness is inseparably linked. Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, July 15 1961, page 420 + Cover

 

⚫ Jehovah's Witnesses love their enemies

They Loved Their Enemies Even on the night of his unjust arrest by armed opponents, Jesus showed love for his enemies. [...] Some 30 years later, Peter wrote: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely... When he was suffering, he did not go threatening, but kept on committing himself to [God].” (1 Peter 2:21, 23) Clearly, Peter had learned that love, not retaliation, is the way of Christ’s true followers. — Matthew 5:9. All who ‘follow Jesus’ steps closely’ reflect his loving, gracious disposition. “A slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all,... keeping himself restrained under evil,” says 2 Timothy 2:24. Those qualities would be evident in the Christian’s way of life, which is one of peace and reconciliation. Source : 🇺🇸 Awake, November 11 2009, page 10, page 11 + Cover

View online here : https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102009406

Despite the attitude that may have prevailed among many then, Jesus urged: "Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you;..." This same spirit of loving one’s neighbor, even if he is a persecutor of true Christians, is cultivated by witnesses of Jehovah today. They recognize that they are not the ones to judge individuals, so they try to help all learn the way of life. As a result former persecutors, ones who were acting like enemies, have been aided to become Christians. (Acts 9:17; Gal. 1:13) And Christians will continue to do this until God himself acts to eliminate those enemies of his who hate him. Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, February 15 1968, page 128 + Cover