Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

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Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #1

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Jehovah's Witneses in Russia a facing an imminent ban which would criminalize all of Jehovah's Witnessses in the country as "extremists". Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide are presently conducting a letter writing campaign to protest this injustice.
CLATIFICATION 2020: Since the ban of the Watchtower Society was eventually passed in April 2017 thread is specifically to discuss the actual charges mentioned in the State procesution papers and the subseqent arrests under the specific charges under Article 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (RF Criminal Code) of EXTREMISM in Russia.
Image

What is your opinion of this move? Should Jehovah's Witnesses be banned from meeting to pray, read their bibles and sing spiritual songs together?

Do you think such a move could be envisioned elsewhere?

If you are non-religious, would you welcome such measures as a move to ultimately eliminate organized religion?



https://www.jw.org/en/news/releases/by- ... at-of-ban/
Last edited by JehovahsWitness on Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:10 am, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #171

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Continuer . ...

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Source:https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/russia/


Or occurred to me I should présent more recent reports. I forget because I have been following development and Forget that most people of course have not.









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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #172

Post by Tcg »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:17 am
Or occurred to me I should présent more recent reports. I forget because I have been following development and Forget that most people of course have not.

JW
There are plenty of them out there. Here's one from a former JW missionary who saw the error of her endeavors. She saw the potential damage in China, but the same could clearly apply in Russia:
'I Couldn't Continue On': A Former Jehovah's Witness On Leaving The Faith

Image
Amber Scorah writes about exiting the Jehovah's Witnesses in Leaving the Witness.

As she grew up as a third-generation Jehovah's Witness, there were certain things Amber Scorah did not question.

When, as a teenager, the community shunned her and prevented her from participating in her father's funeral, she accepted it as appropriate punishment for having sex with her boyfriend. Rather than pulling away at that time, Scorah doubled down.

"When my father died, it just gave me more impetus to want to go back to the faith," Scorah says, "because I knew that the only way I would see him again was if I were a Jehovah's Witness who survived Armageddon, because after Armageddon, the faithful would be resurrected to Earth, in our beliefs."

Scorah went on to marry an elder in the church, and she and her husband traveled to China as missionaries. But gradually, doubt set in.

"The more I got to know and learn about Chinese culture ... the more I realized their culture had thousands of years of rich wisdom and cultural tradition and history," she says. "And here I was, across the table, coming here, this person from the West telling them to throw all that away in favor of this a-hundred-or-so-year-old new American religion."

<bolding mine>

https://www.wprl.org/post/i-couldnt-con ... ving-faith
Once again we see that folks who know the JW organization from the inside warning of the damage its spread can cause. Much respect is owed to those who are willing to speak up and present the truth.


Tcg
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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #173

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Tcg wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:57 am
There are plenty of them out there.
Yes there are. However I have read the Russia court proceedings and there is no mention of sexual abuse allegations. The ban was of the Russia branch of the Watchtower Society (the corporation) on grounds of extremist activities with no charges of sexual misconduct. Indeed the defense invited (as they still do with the many subsequent cases) to present a single victim of our so called exstremist activity; so far none have been presented.

Furthermore the religious practices of Jehovah's Witnesses have not been banned in Russia (which guaranteed freedom of worship in its constitution), so the many arrests against Russian Jehovahs Witnesses for praying, reading the bible and speaking about their faith are illegal even by Russian law. None of the subsequent charges or arrests in Russia have been on sexual abuse allegations.

I have admitted that sexual abuse does happen within our rank and will do so again publically here again; no religious organisation can claim to be totally free of this sad reality of our times. However, there is no evidence that this occurs at a higher incidence within our ranks in Russia or in and other country nor is sexual abuse encouraged or approved in our literature.

If your point is that the ban is nevertheless justified , (even though sexual abuses are not mentioned or include in the State case against Jehovahs Witnesses) because there must be, no matter how small the number, cases of sexual abuse in Russia, then it has been duly acknowledge and noted. Indeed I did start a thread where the topic of sex abuse is discussed in detail and invite you to read it HERE
viewtopic.php?p=912077#p912077
If you wish to discuss the question of sex abuse within the ranks of Jehovah's Witness members, I invite you to comment there or start your own thread. This one was started to discuss the Russian ban of Jehovah's Witnesses (the coropration) and the subsequent injustices that have taken place (including abuses perpetrated against them) and I respectfully request you stick to the topic.
Best regards,




JEHOVAH'S WITNESS
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Romans 14:8

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #174

Post by Tcg »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 1:30 am
If you wish to discuss the question of sex abuse within the ranks of Jehovah's Witness members, I invite you to comment there or start your own thread. This one was started to discuss the Russian ban of Jehovah's Witnesses (the coropration) and the subsequent injustices that have taken place (including abuses perpetrated against them) and I respectfully request you stick to the topic.
Best regards,

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS
I am sticking to the topic. You are suggesting this ban isn't justified. I've presented reasons for why it is.


Tcg
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- American Atheists


Not believing isn't the same as believing not.

- wiploc


I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.

- Irvin D. Yalom

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #175

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Tcg wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 2:35 am
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 1:30 am
If you wish to discuss the question of sex abuse within the ranks of Jehovah's Witness members, I invite you to comment there or start your own thread. This one was started to discuss the Russian ban of Jehovah's Witnesses (the coropration) and the subsequent injustices that have taken place (including abuses perpetrated against them) and I respectfully request you stick to the topic.
Best regards,

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS
I am sticking to the topic. You are suggesting this ban isn't justified. I've presented reasons for why it is.


Tcg

Thank you for your contribution. Duly noted.




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Romans 14:8

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #176

Post by Tcg »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 2:37 am
Tcg wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 2:35 am
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 1:30 am
If you wish to discuss the question of sex abuse within the ranks of Jehovah's Witness members, I invite you to comment there or start your own thread. This one was started to discuss the Russian ban of Jehovah's Witnesses (the coropration) and the subsequent injustices that have taken place (including abuses perpetrated against them) and I respectfully request you stick to the topic.
Best regards,

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS
I am sticking to the topic. You are suggesting this ban isn't justified. I've presented reasons for why it is.


Tcg
Thank you for your contribution. Duly noted.

JW
You are most welcome. I'm glad to provide data that may be overlooked when examining all the aspects of any given O.P.

As you may or may not have noticed, the last article I've highlighted is related directly to the missionary activities of JWs and why one former missionary recognized the potential danger of her missionary efforts. You are highlighting issues in Russia, but certainly activities of JWs in other countries applies to your querry.


Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

- American Atheists


Not believing isn't the same as believing not.

- wiploc


I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.

- Irvin D. Yalom

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #177

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Tcg wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 2:44 amYou are highlighting issues in Russia, but certainly activities of JWs in other countries applies to your querry.


No, my OP was not intended to discuss the missionary activities or the activities of JWs in various countries. Nor was it to discuss possible sex abuse cases in Russia. I've added a clarification as I see now my OP wasn't sufficiently specific, I apologie for that. See clarification below:

CLATIFICATION 2020: Since the ban of the Watchtower Society was eventually passed in April 2017 thread is specifically to discuss the actual charges mentioned in the State procesution papers and the subseqent arrests under the specific charges under Article 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (RF Criminal Code) of EXTREMISM in Russia.
Last edited by JehovahsWitness on Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #178

Post by Tcg »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:07 am
No, my OP was not intended to discuss the missionary activities or the activities of JWs in various countries.

That's a rather odd claim given that your O.P. includes the following:

Do you think such a move could be envisioned elsewhere?

How could we consider such a move elsewhere unless we we consider "the activities of JWs in various countries?"


Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

- American Atheists


Not believing isn't the same as believing not.

- wiploc


I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.

- Irvin D. Yalom

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #179

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Tcg wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:17 am

How could we consider such a move elsewhere unless we we consider "the activities of JWs in various countries?"

Tcg

Yes I should have said...
  • Do you you think that the same charges mentioned under Article 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (RF Criminal Code) of EXTREMISM could happen somewhere?
Please consider the OP suitable adjusted.



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"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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Re: Russian Ban of Jehovah's Witnesses

Post #180

Post by Tcg »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:23 am
Tcg wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:17 am

How could we consider such a move elsewhere unless we we consider "the activities of JWs in various countries?"

Tcg
Yes I should have said, do you you think that the same charges mentioned under Article 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (RF Criminal Code) of EXTREMISM could happen somewhere?

Please consider the OP suitable adjusted.

JW
This would still require us to consider the activities of JWs in countries other than Russia. This is in fact what I have done.


Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

- American Atheists


Not believing isn't the same as believing not.

- wiploc


I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.

- Irvin D. Yalom

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