Wow....go to sleep for 6 hours, and suddenly I can't keep up..
First a clarification:
@Nekov... No. The Witnesses do not believe they are going to heaven. We believe that people are going to live forever right here on the earth in paradise. Someday. But...speaking for myself (and I know I'm not alone)...I don't do what I do for the reward. That is, it is NOT the primary motivator of any witness that I know. To do something *just* to simply get a reward is NOT a reason for anything.
It's a matter of what is right and what is wrong. God's name has been smeared. My heavenly father has been slandered. My God, who let *his firstborn son die* to save my life, has been challenged. In scripture (the first few chapters of Job, and other places as well) Satan challenges that God's servants don't *really* love him, and that anything they do for him, they only do to get a reward. He implies that if he makes life hard for us...takes away our livelihood, our health, our family....we'll crack and turn our backs on him. He claims that we will betray our principles and break God's laws for the sake of our own lives or the lives of our families.
So the question becomes...will you break God's law to save your own life? Now...I know that many of you may disagree about whether or not the blood issue is God's law or not...but I did not come to this decision lightly. No religion told me I had to do anything. *I* made a personal decision after careful research. God's Word teaches that blood is sacred. By the blood of Christ I was saved. That carries very deep significance for me personally. I am not going to violate what is holy just to save my own skin.
You are free to agree or disagree. I only point these things out to clarify. Because people are drawing some conclusions about what Witnesses believe that are off the mark. Repeating these misunderstandings just end up spreading misinformation.
As far as dying for your country. I did not mean to insult anyone. I have the utmost respect for any man who dies for something he believes in so much. I respect it...but I don't understand it. You could never defend killing another human being...for any reason...using the teachings of Christ. To the best of my ability, I live my life by his example. He lived a life of self sacrifice, and died...not only to save anyone who would follow him...but to *set an example* for us to follow. There is nothing that anyone can do to me that God cannot undo in the future. My life is in his hands.
It's actually kind of ironic that people mention WWII. Because in that war...my brothers were being persecuted and even KILLED...just because they wouldn't go out and kill one another. German JW's died because they wouldn't kill American JW's...and vice versa.
People put so much stock in *their* country....or *their* homeland...or even *their* race. These are all things that serve to divide, NOT UNITE people.
I would never kill anyone for any reason whatsoever....nor do anyone any harm in any way unless doing so was the only way to protect myself and mine. I am willing to die for God's principles of right and wrong. I respect all life, including my own, and would never do anything to needlessly put my life at risk.
Love of God...love of neighbor. Above all else, these two things drive everything I do and believe in. Whether that be dying over the blood issue (love of God) or refusing to go to war (love of neighbor).