IOWA (USA) – Jehovah’s Witnesses: Faith Under Fire
Cedar Rapids, IA – Mount Mercy will host the traveling exhibition “Jehovah’s Witnesses: Faith Under Fire,” April 5 – April 30 in Mount Mercy’s Busse Library. The exhibition, created by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation, will showcase the relatively unknown story of suffering and hardships endured by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nazi Germany.
Although the sufferings of Jews and other groups are widely recognized and documented, the unique situation Jehovah’s Witnesses faced is little known. “Jehovah’s Witnesses: Faith Under Fire,” will shed light on how this relatively small group was quickly thrust into the political firestorm of Nazi terror, where through their unrelenting propaganda and pressure, male and female Witnesses, young and old, had to make a firm stand for their beliefs, often times facing severe reprisals and threat of death. As historian John Toland wrote, this is “a story of human courage that must be heard.”
The Witnesses’ story is one of immeasurable faith and courage. Because they refused to abandon their belief in nonviolence and racial equality, they were targeted for persecution and execution. They showed that it was possible to stand up against Nazi terror, even though they were a minority. Thus their story can inspire people today to stand up against hatred and violence no matter what others do, or fail to do.
For more information on the “Faith Under Fire” exhibit, please contact Mount Mercy Reference Librarian and Archivist Kristy Raine at 319-363-1323 ext 1508 or email kraine@mtmercy.edu. For more information regarding the Arnold-Liebster Foundation and educational resources, see http://www.alst.org.
Source: www.calendar.kcrg.com
