Salutim flag. Pipol savve baodaon and salutim flag and plande taem olketa duim datwan taem music bilong national anthem hem gohed. Long tingting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, datwan hem olsem worship. Pipol wea duim olsem laekem kantri and olketa leader bilong kantri for sevem olketa, no God. (Isaiah 43:11; 1 Corinth 10:14; 1 John 5:21) Tingim King Nebuchadnezzar. Hem leader bilong Babylon bifor. Hem laekem tumas for pipol tinghae long hem and for olketa luksavve hem man wea strong long religion bilong hem. So hem wakem bigfala image and forcem evriwan for baodaon long image taem olketa pleim music wea olsem national anthem. Bat thrifala Hebrew, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego les for baodaon long datfala image, nomata thrifala savve king bae killim olketa dae.—Daniel, chapter 3.

Man wea raetem history, Carlton Hayes, sei: “Flag hem kamap main saen bilong wei for mekhae long kantri and pipol worshipim datwan. Pipol aotem hat bilong olketa taem eniwan karem flag go pas. Samfala man raetem naesfala toktok for mekhae long flag, and olketa pikinini singim olketa lotu singsing for mekhae long flag tu.” Hem talem hao diskaen wei for worshipim kantri hem garem “olketa day wea holy” for mekhae long kantri tu, olsem July 7 long Solomon Islands. Worship hia garem “olketa saint” and “olketa building wea olsem temple” tu. Long wanfala ceremony long Brazil, bigman bilong army sei: “Pipol worshipim and mekhae long flag . . . olsem olketa worshipim kantri bilong olketa.” The Encyclopedia Americana sei: “Pipol ting long cross hem holy and olketa garem semkaen tingting tu abaotem flag.”

 No longtaem go nomoa, datfala sem buk sei olketa national anthem hem “olketa song for talemaot love wea pipol garem for kantri. Plande taem disfala song askem God for leadim and protectim pipol long kantri and olketa leader.” Dastawe hem stret nomoa for pipol bilong Jehovah ting long wei for salutim flag and singim national anthem hem olsem worship. Wanfala buk, The American Character storyim olketa pikinini bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long olketa skul long America wea no salutim flag or no mekem promis for saedem gavman. Datfala buk sei: “Hae Kot judgem staka case abaotem diswan and hem sei wei for salutim flag hem olsem wei for duim worship.”

Pipol bilong Jehovah no joinim olketa ceremony wea no followim wanem Bible talem, bat olketa respectim raet bilong nara pipol for duim datwan. Olketa no duim samting for againstim flag and olketa luksavve tu “olketa wea rul” olketa “wakaman bilong God.” (Rome 13:1-4) Dastawe Olketa Jehovah’s Witness prea for “olketa king and olketa bigman.” Bat reason iumi prea hem for “mekem iumi savve garem kwaet laef wea iumi savve gohed faithful long God and tingim olketa important samting.”—1 Timothy 2:2.

Wei for vote long election. Olketa tru Christian respectim raet bilong pipol for vote. Olketa no duim samting for againstim olketa election and olketa stap anda long olketa wea pipol votem. Bat olketa no joinim olketa samting bilong politik. (Matthew 22:21; 1 Peter 3:16) Wanem nao Christian shud duim sapos hem stap long kantri wea gavman garem law for evriwan mas vote or wea pipol barava againstim olketa wea no vote? Hem savve tingim Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Thrifala hia go long flat ples long Dura wea king markem for olketa baodaon long bigfala image. Maet wei for tingim datwan mekem hem disaed for go long ples for vote sapos konsens bilong hem letem hem for duim datwan. Bat hem mas keakea for no duim eni samting wea join witim politik. Hem gud for ting raonem sixfala Bible principle hia:

1. Olketa disaepol bilong Jesus “no olsem pipol long world.”—John 15:19.

2.   Olketa Christian stap anda long Christ and Kingdom bilong hem.—John 18:36; 2 Corinth 5:20.

3. Evriwan long Christian kongregeson wan mind long wanem olketa bilivim and stap gud tugeta from olketa lovem narawan olsem Christ lovem olketa.—1 Corinth 1:10; Colossae 3:14.

4. Taem pipol votem man and hem win, olketa tu mas ansa for wanem hem duim.—Ting raonem olketa Bible principle long 1 Samuel 8:5, 10-18 and 1 Timothy 5:22.

5. Taem olketa Israelite laekem wanfala man for rulim olketa, Jehovah ting long datwan olsem olketa no laekem Hem for rulim olketa.—1 Samuel 8:7.

6. Olketa Christian mas showimaot klia olketa no teksaed long politik bikos olketa mas storyim Kingdom bilong God long pipol wea sapotim politik.—Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20; Hebrew 10:35.

Community waka. Long samfala kantri, gavman garem law for olketa wea les for joinim army duim community waka for lelebet taem. Bifor iumi disaed for duim eni community waka, iumi mas prea long Jehovah, maet iumi savve storyim long mature Christian, then disaed followim konsens bilong iumi and savve wea iumi garem from Bible.—Proverbs 2:1-5; Philippi 4:5.

Bible sei for iumi ‘obeyim gavman and olketa wea garem paoa and mas redi for duim evri gudfala waka and no forcem tingting bilong iumi long narawan.’ (Titus 3:1, 2) Hem gud for tingim olketa kwestin hia: ‘Waswe, disfala community waka bae mekem mi joinim politik or false religion?’ (Micah 4:3, 5; 2 Corinth 6:16, 17) ‘Waswe, disfala waka bae mekem hem no isi for duim wanem God laekem mi for duim, or maet stopem mi for duim datwan?’ (Matthew 28:19, 20; Ephesus 6:4; Hebrew 10:24, 25) ‘Waswe, maet disfala waka letem mi for duim moa samting for worshipim God, olsem for duim full-taem service?’—Hebrew 6:11, 12.

Sapos konsens bilong wanfala Christian letem hem for duim community waka mekem hem no stap long prison, olketa nara Christian shud respectim wanem hem disaedem. (Rome 14:10)  Bat sapos hem disaed for no duim community waka, olketa narawan shud respectim datwan tu.—1 Corinth 10:29; 2 Corinth 1:24.