Jehovah's Witnesses are told they should remain "separate from the world" in harmony with Jesus' description of his followers at John 17:14–16. Watch Tower publications define the "world" as "the mass of mankind apart from Jehovah’s approved servants" and teach that it is ruled by SatanReasoning From the Scriptures, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, pages 435–436. and a place of danger"Live a Balanced, Simple Life", The Watchtower, July 15, 1989, page 11. and moral contamination.. Witnesses manifest their world-renouncing beliefs in many ways. They avoid involvement in social controversies,What Does God Require?, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1996, page 13. remain politically neutral, and do not seek public office. The Watch Tower Society has stated that voting in political elections is a personal conscience decision,Questions From Readers, The Watchtower, November 1, 1999, p. 28, "As to whether they will personally vote for someone running in an election, each one of Jehovah’s Witnesses makes a decision based on his Bible-trained conscience and an understanding of his responsibility to God and to the State. though a Witness who takes any action considered to be a "violation of Christian neutrality" may face religious sanctions.Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock, page 140.
