LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS | International Response to Russia’s Supreme Court Decision Against Jehovah’s Witnesses

[The Librarian]

International government agencies and officials comment on the unjust court decision and Russia’s failure to protect the religious freedom of minority religious groups.

Source

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

Each country has its own set of cultural WEIGHTED values, as we learned in this weeks 2nd half of the mid-week meeting ( I cannot get "Service Meeting" out of my head, and every time someone says they are going on an RV, I think "MotorHome". ... sigh) discussing legal triumphs and setbacks, and the Jehovah's Witness Sister and mother  in Denmark (if memory serves) who had custody of her daughter, but the courts in Denmark took the daughter away from her and awarded custody to the Father ... BECAUSE... they considered it in the child's best interest to award her to the Dad, because he could handle problem resolution and disagreement better than the Mother could.

Same with the Russians ..... they give a LOT of weight ... hence a "WEIGHTED" value ... to how we treat disfellowshipped families.  We are quite used to the idea that to discipline one person by expulsion, we also have to destroy their family relationships with everyone they have ever known, including their families and extended families ... BUT THE RUSSIANS DO NOT LIKE THAT.

IT IS ABHORRENT TO THEM.

They remember being under Lenin and Stalin where families were turned against each other for the "Purity of the State", and the millions of men, women, and children who suffered and died because of such atrocities.

These stories have been handed down now for nearly a hundred years, and are a part of their infamous history and culture, THE SAME WAY  that how we currently treat disfellowshipped people AND THEIR FAMILIES has become in the last 50 years.

In jANUARY 1947, a year after a World War to abolish and destroy tyranny ....  there were articles in the Watchtower about how Catholics excommunication of people institutionally was an abomination, and that disfellowshipping was immoral, and unscriptural. I have a copy of that article I will attach of there is disbelief, or you can look it up yourself.  If I find it, I will add it at a later time as an edit.

Different Cultures view different things as having COMPLETELY different importances.

There is the old story ( possibly true?) about Americans on Safari somewhere in Africa  who saw a tribal lawbreaker executed with spears for something he did, and they were HORRIFIED at the ceremonial brutality of it. 

Later that night, the tribal Chief came to the Americans and expressed his horror ... as he had heard that in America, they put people in cages for the rest of their lives, for similar crimes .. and he wondered how an obviously advanced Society COULD BE SO CRUEL?

Horror depends on what you are USED to.

I understand a great deal about cultural differences ... and understand how Putin could HONOR an INDIVIDUAL FAMILY before the nation for raising up exemplary children ... yet disdain and condemn an INSTITUTION, that to punish ONE person, turns family members against each other ... FOREVER.

As the Presiding Head of the Australian Royal Commission on Child Abuse, No. 54  asked of Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson under sworn testimony in court  ( paraphrased) " Don't you understand that that is CRUEL?"

[Srecko Sostar]

Good morning to everyone.
For a short time, 2 months, I'm following your page, out of curiosity. I like to be in touch with informations on how people think and respond to different circumstances, incentives and changes that come from the environment they live every day, and/or are part of the personal process and attitudes, fears and hopes, beliefs and disappointments. 

In order to immediately prevent misunderstandings and misconceptions about myself, I want to let you know who I am. That is why I will put my letter. Through the comments  that i have opportunity to read  from some of you, I met your thoughts and attitudes. With many, I agree and support them, which is understandable, hehe. And what are the thoughts that I support? Once you read my letter below, will be immediately clear to you.

I live in Zagreb, Croatia.Thank you, and apologize for grammatical errors. 

1. To Society Watch Tower, Watchtower and corporations

2. To Jehovah's Witnesses and all assemblies

3. To all whom this concern

 

Declaration on termination of membership to a religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses

 

            I was baptized in 1977 at the age of 17, then a minor. But, in good faith I answered the following two questions just before baptism, which is symbolized my dedication to God in terms of the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses religion.

At that time (before the change of June 1 1985) questions have read as follows;

A)    Have you repented of your sins and converted, recognizing yourself before Jehovah God as a condemned sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?

B)     On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?

 

            Since I have over decades closely followed the changes in various aspects of activity of this religion, I noticed some frequent collisions (1 John 4:1; 1 Th 5:21). It is visible in: a) the content of the various interpretations; b) in the theory and practice of action in everyday life issues. Overview of many historical aspects of the spiritual heritage, which the organization has, since its inception in the 19th century, left to its members-followers, and wants to cover it up, revise and incorrect display, is astounding. Who wants to drink a water from a cup in which there is a single drop of dangerous substances?

            The purpose of my statement is not to explain doctrine and practices of society and the board of directors, who are disturbed my conscience and reasoning within the love, faith, knowledge and understanding that I feel and I have to God and Jesus Christ and to the people, so I will taxatively single out only a few of them (Rom 14:4). These are obvious example, on the one hand, theological acrobatics from the main church body of Jehovah's Witnesses, and on the other hand, their dishonesty and practice in which one they are learns, and other they are works;

1) Confusing conceptions about their own identity (Who shared spiritual food? One servant, all 144 000, a composite body or the governing body ...,)

2) Pragmatism in changing dogmatic interpretations before the change was "firmly biblical established", such as a series of explanations about the "generation" ...,

3) Speculation about the meaning of biblical statements and how they should be understood. More than once the revised interpretation were in style of YES-NO-YES-NO; then this year's "changed approach to the interpretation of reports from the Word of God" ...,

4) Switching of responsibility from the governing body and their representatives on the ordinary believers in respect of the decisions and attitudes that members should be carried out, when it becomes apparent that they were endangered spiritually, mentally and literally health of fellow believers  (eg, multiple expectations of Armageddon, Malawi and Mexico of the 1970s, questions about blood, juvenile members / Bulgaria /, neutrality ...,)

5) Co-operation and association with political organizations such as the UN and the OSCE.

6) Increasingly open calls for financial donations and contributions to the funds of the corporation.

7) Careless and unkind treatment of victims of pedophilia within the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses

 

            Regardless of how, as collective or personal, members of the Jehovah's Witnesses will treat me after this letter of resignation, considering the worldwide-known practice of ignoring and avoiding (shunning) that Jehovah's Witnesses apply to all who are outside of their religion ("worldly" people, dissociated and disfellowshipped) - I with fully conscious and reason declare still this; My relationship with the people / persons in the Jehovah's Witness religion and those who are not, is based on the words of Jesus; "Love your neighbor as yourself"; "Love those who hate you"; "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them."

 

I expecting from you, that any kind of information which is stored anywhere, in connection with me and has my full name, such as personal files, or any other files you immediately destroy!

 

 

Zagreb, July 27/2015                                          Sre?ko Šoštar -------------

                                   Verified by notary public

 

 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

58 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

I expecting from you, that any kind of information which is stored anywhere, in connection with me and has my full name, such as personal files, or any other files you immediately destroy!

The Baptismal Oath was changed in 1985 to eliminate that loophole.

If you were baptized before 1985, you have the contractual right to demand they destroy your records, however they do not recognize you have any rights at all in that regard.

If you have family and friends that are JWs ... it's a hostage situation, and they can get away with it.

[Srecko Sostar]

3 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

The Baptismal Oath was changed in 1985 to eliminate that loophole.

If you were baptized before 1985, you have the contractual right to demand they destroy your records, however they do not recognize you have any rights at all in that regard.

If you have family and friends that are JWs ... it's a hostage situation, and they can get away with it.

Thanks James. As it is written in bible, eyes will open only after man take a byte of apple :))) If you do not mind, we can use that illustration also in the case, examples of "waking up" from things that put people (as me before) in lack of information, knowledge, connecting known with unknown, reasoning on few levels and more. 

Yes, JW social contacts from ex "bro and sis" are not existing, family members also. But my advance in all this "situation" is my introvert character (hehe) and  clear reason or answer on Why? i was left JWorg, so ...life is good.