The Display of National Flags on Society Property (Chile, 2014)

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Re: The Display of National Flags on Society Property

Thank you very much for your letter dated 2014, in which you inquire regarding the displaying of the national flag on properties owned by the organization. We are pleased to provide you with information that we trust will prove helpful.

As you mention, Jehovah's worshippers "are no part of the world." (John 17:16) Therefore, Christians do not participate in acts of devotion to national symbols, nor do we join in anthems or similar expressions of homage to nations or human institutions (Exodus 20:4, 5; Matthew 4:10; 1 John 5:21). At times, however, a Christian may be required to carry out certain actions that involve national flags, but that do not constitute acts of worship or homage. For instance, a Christian may be asked to raise a flag at his place of work as part of his duties. Regarding this, The Watchtower comments: "If no ceremony accompanies the raising or lowering of the flag, then these actions constitute nothing more than performing such tasks as preparing the building for use, unlocking and locking the doors, and opening and closing the windows. In such instances, the flag is simply an emblem of the State, and raising or lowering it among other routine tasks is a matter for personal decision based on the dictates of one's Bible-trained conscience."—w02 9/15 p. 25; see also g77 12/22 27-8 and w77 1/15 63-4.

What about cases in which a government requires that all buildings, public and private, display the flag on a certain date each year, as is the case in Chile? Again, if no ceremony accompanies this requirement, each Christian (or family head) would follow the dictates of his Bible-trained conscience. (1 Peter 3:16) Some may view the matter as simply complying with what "Caesar" requires, since no acts or expressions of worship are involved. (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:7) Others may prefer to pay the fine for non-compliance, if necessary, and not display the flag. In the case of a Kingdom Hall, the collective conscience of the bodies of elders that use it would determine the course of action. Regardless of each Christian's decision, what is of primary importance is not whether a Christian possesses a flag, but how he acts toward it, whether he shares in idolatrous worship of it.

We hope that the foregoing will help you in explaining to your acquaintance why some Kingdom Halls may display the flag on a certain day of the year, while many others do not. In any case, we can be sure that our brothers in all lands direct their worship exclusively to Jehovah God, to whom they are "rendering sacred service [...] with a clean conscience."2 Timothy 1:3.

Please be assured of our warm Christian love and best wishes.

Your brothers,

Asociación Cristiana

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