Jehovah’s Witnesses Neither Capitalists nor Communists

IT IS a well-known fact that after World War II the conditions in Finland have been such as to favor communism. Where the large manufacturing plants and false religion have long held rule in unrighteousness and dishonesty, there have sprung up powerful Communist strongholds. One of such “red camps” is situated in the city of Kemi, in northern Finland, about sixty miles from the polar or Arctic circle. In their midst is a very active company of Jehovah’s witnesses, some 60 strong, with many full-time ministers.

A man and wife, serving as full-time ministers in such a Communist factory community, got into a difficult situation because a witness for Jehovah from Helsinki, who is technical manager for a large American oil company, paid them a visit in what the Communists call his “dollar smile”, meaning his American car. From that moment the doors of the community were closed to our pioneer ministers; everybody being now convinced that Jehovah’s witnesses were spies for American capitalists. People did not want their literature and those who had begun to study with them told them they did not need to come any more.

Then help came from an unexpected quarter. Six miles away from this community lived the city fire chief, who was also a Communist; in fact, their local leader and an idol next only to Stalin. This fire chief not only obtained the book “Let God Be True”, but arranged to study the Bible in his home with the aid of a minister of Jehovah.

One autumn evening after the study had been held the minister was ready to leave on his bicycle when the fire chief noticed that it was raining hard and that the storm was increasing in violence. So he ordered an ambulance, put the bicycle in the back and then drove the minister to his home. As the ambulance appeared in front of the minister’s home, the curious neighbors, in spite of storm and rain, came to see what was going on. Imagine their surprise when they saw their idolized Communist leader and the minister whom they had labeled an “American capitalistic agent” together lift the bicycle out of the ambulance!

This little scene opened the door for many opportunities to witness. As the witnesses went about their preaching work the next day they met faces friendly and curious. They went from one coffee table to the next writing up subscriptions, distributing literature, and, above all, talking about the Bible. The people learned that even as Jehovah’s witnesses had nothing in common with communism they had nothing in common with capitalistic imperialism. As a result, in a short time five Communists left their organization and came out into the freedom of God’s children, no longer Communists.