Contrary to Rumour, I am In Good Standing

I recently got an email that included this:

last month I heard one brother say that another brother said that a US circuit overseer said you've been marked or something.

Which I think qualifies as a "rumour".

And I don't go by rumours. At all.

(Maybe a CO said SOMETHING and his exact words were munged by the next brother in the chain. We've heard stupid rumours about "[a certain place’s Chinese] group shut down last year" - it didn't - so we know how unreliable these things can get.)

So, in case anyone has heard this rumour and was wondering about me, let me confirm that:

No, I am not marked.

Yes, I am in good standing with the organization.

If any of you want additional confirmation, let me know and I will let you know what my current congregation is and how you can contact my local congregation secretary. (Once you know my name and congregation, you will also be able to confirm through the official website how to contact my congregation’s elders to ask about me.)

***

I remember that Jesus himself, John the Baptist, and the apostle Paul had rumours and gossip spoken about them. (Lu. 7:31–35; 2 Co. 10:10) Also, the world says all kinds of things about us Jehovah’s Witnesses in general. So, I suppose I am in good company.

I will try to follow Jesus’ example re how he dealt with rumours, etc. For one thing, in spite of people unjustly saying bad things about him, he didn’t back down from continuing to do what he knew to be right. As for the apostle Paul, he engaged in some “talking unreasonably”…—2 Co. 11:21.

With my involvement with 3-line, Pīnyīn Plus, and similar material, I am trying to fight for Jehovah, his principles, his work, his people, and his organization, against strongly entrenched human traditions. However, if certain people confuse human traditions with Jehovah’s ways of doing things, then they may dislike, even severely, some of the things I say and do. It is not inconceivable that such ones may say things about me that devolve into accusations, rumours, etc.

Others involved in the production and distribution of 3-line and similar material may also have been subjects of accusations and rumours, e.g., “3-liners are apostates!” “3-liners are disloyal to the organization!” “3-liners are not following theocratic order!” etc. (See this disclaimer for reasons why such rumours are not true, and why they reflect misunderstandings about the nature and purpose of 3-line and similar material.)

It is not surprising that accusations and rumours swirl around 3-line and similar material, since by its very nature and its very existence, such material challenges traditional Chinese language instruction and traditional Chinese literature design. It’s a fair and non hostile challenge, but because of imperfect human nature, people who support and perhaps personally benefit from traditions (e.g., if they have staked their status on traditions) sometimes feel threatened by innovations, and so, they may resort to accusations and rumours, and sometimes even more drastic responses.

(Of course, this is not to say that traditional, characters-only material should be done away with at this time—that is still obviously the best material for anyone who has a Chinese mother tongue and who is already familiar with characters. However, publishers who are trying to learn one of the Chinese languages for the ministry should have the most effective options it turns out to be possible to make available, whether these follow human traditions or not—love for human traditions should not be allowed to override love for Jehovah and love for our neighbours.)

I am encouraged by things I’ve heard about the organization in general being firmly set against human traditions that are out of harmony with Jehovah’s ways and that unnecessarily obstruct Jehovah’s work. However, the traditions involving Chinese characters (Characters first! Characters only! Characters forever!, etc.) are among the most strongly entrenched human cultural traditions of all. (2 Co. 10:4, 5) So, they may be among the hardest traditions to fight against, and among the last to even be recognized as a problem in some situations by the earthly part of the organization in general. (Of course, those in the heavenly part are not unduly impressed by any human traditions, no matter how how old and hallowed they may be among humans.) For now, many humans, even within the organization, still consider the traditions involving Chinese characters to be “normal”, “just the way it is, the way it must be”, and they, like others before them, may in various ways work against any who dare suggest otherwise.

To be clear, this is not baseless, abstract theorizing—I am not just trying to start a rumour of my own about how the above-mentioned rumour about me started, because I don’t know for sure. (That’s often the case with rumours—unfortunately, in any group of still-imperfect humans, even among Jesus’ true followers spoken of in the Bible, whispers and gossip may be spread behind one’s back, depriving one of the opportunity to face one’s accusers and perhaps refute their claims.)

However, I do think it’s important for those of us working in the Chinese fields to at least be aware that opposition to innovation from characters-loving traditionalists is really a thing. It really happens in the world—otherwise the early government of the People’s Republic Of China may have succeeded in its original plan to fight illiteracy and to ease and speed progress by basically replacing characters with Pīnyīn—and I have also personally really encountered such traditionalist, protectionist attitudes and behaviour in the Chinese fields.

However, as Jesus said, we true worshippers must worship with spirit and truth, not with human traditions and human “politics” (and the erroneous accusations and rumours that can result).—Joh. 4:23, 24.

When we hear of rumours, etc., we each need to use spirit and truth to evaluate them, “For the ear tests words just as the tongue tastes food.”—Job 34:3.

And ultimately, as Jesus said, “wisdom is proved righteous by all its children [ftn.: ‘is vindicated by its results’].”—Lu. 7:35.

Your loyal brother and fellow worker,
Wayne Wong