David Normand

Thanks for the laugh. I needed it. Got to keep a sense of humor in this life. 

Thanks for the laugh. I needed it. Got to keep a sense of humor in this life. 

The German Nazi party did much the same thing starting in the mid 1930's up until the end of the way. They targeted the children of witnesses for special treatment. This is a good warning to parents that is up to them to train their children so they can stand up for themselves should they be sent to an "alternative education" facility. 

The German Nazi party did much the same thing starting in the mid 1930's up until the end of the way. They targeted the children of witnesses for special treatment. This is a good warning to parents that is up to them to train their children so they can stand up for themselves should they be sent to an "alternative education" facility. 

The German Nazi party did much the same thing starting in the mid 1930's up until the end of the way. They targeted the children of witnesses for special treatment. This is a good warning to parents that is up to them to train their children so they can stand up for themselves should they be sent to an "alternative education" facility. 

Nice bit of trivia about another place where the divine name appears. Looks like a natural conversation starter for the friends in that town.

I have four children and I cannot imagine the heartache resulting should one of them die. Yet here, Manasseah willingly scarified some of his children to a false god as a burnt sacrifice. (King Ahaz did the same thing). No wonder the law of Jehovah was to remove anybody guilty of such a thing from the nation as that action was detestable to him (Jehovah) 
Even though Manaasseah repented and turned back to Jehovah, he could not undo what had been done. He could not bring his sons back from the dead. However, they would be in line for a resurrection on a paradise earth when all things will be made new. Imagine that family reunion. 

So this pogrom is the fruition of the decision. Inspite of the warnings that this would be the result, the court ruled against us anyway. I recall when it was stated, "They may take your buildings, but they cannot take your faith." That is true, but the court really could not have cared less for the lives and well being of the citizens adversely affected. 
I really hope all the friends who read the article take note of the statement about witnessing. The brother said, ". . .  it seems to me now this should be the personal decision of each of our fellow believers in the country, how they will act in the future. They should take account of certain consequences that participation in religious activity may entail, . . ." So, they are not telling fellow believers what to do, but it is up to each one of them to make a personal decision. That is tough. However, I can imagine that it is easier for some of them who have gone through this before to make the right decision. It will be harder for the folks in non oppressed societies to make this decision. At least, that is how I think about it. 
Also, they may not have Kingdom Halls, or literature to offer, but they can talk about the Bible. This is a good reminder that all of us of the need to bone up on scriptural truths and spend some time now solidifying these teachings in our mind and heart and learn to rely upon the Bible without teaching aids. 

While it is true that we don't have the ability to predict the future, we were told to be on the watch and to be in expectation for the end of this system of things. 

I always try to look at anything in a positive viewpoint. For example right-hearted honest people will see what is happening to the Witnesses and some will undoubtedly search for the Truth from Jehovah's people since it is quite obvious the Russian Government and ROC are on a ridiculous campaign against a peaceful people. Jehovah will always turn even bad news into something positive. " He will not fear bad news.  His heart is steadfast, trusting in Jehovah.   His heart is unshakable;  he is not afraid . In the end he will look in triumph on his adversaries" Psalm 112:7

Sad that people resort to such things. Hope the friends are being taken care of by their loving congregation friends.

Sad that people resort to such things. Hope the friends are being taken care of by their loving congregation friends.

Governments who support “religious freedom” over the equal human rights and dignity of others condone, and even endorse discrimination.

Tim Rymel, M.Ed., Contributor Author | Educator | Dad
In April, Russia’s Supreme Court labeled Jehovah’s Witnesses an extremist religious group. “It effectively means that holding their beliefs and manifesting them is tantamount to a criminal act in Russia. They risk new levels of persecution by the Russian authorities,” said international legal counsel, Lorcan Price.
In America, most of us think of Jehovah’s Witnesses as that occasional Saturday nuisance. They interrupt our morning breakfast or afternoon chores to tell us their version of the Christian faith. They cheerfully drag their families along for quiet strolls through the neighborhoods, and pass out Watchtower Magazines for us to throw away later.
Annoying? Yes. Disruptive? Usually. But extremist? That depends.
Growing up in the Pentecostal faith, I was taught that Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and Catholics were not Christians. Anyone who converted to those, or other non-mainstream Christian sects, was deceived by the devil. Though we didn’t use the word “extremist” to define those religions, we certainly saw them as a threat to the true people of God who were susceptible to “false teachings.”
Religion, to paraphrase Merriam-Webster, is generally a belief in the supernatural with a commitment to keep up the attitudes and practices surrounding that belief. In other words, religion is more than just a belief it is an action. For some, that means attending church on Sundays. For others, it means killing people for believing the wrong things, or believing in the wrong way.
The BBC noted that Al Qaeda’s purpose is to avenge “wrongs committed by Christians against Muslims.” The organization wants to implement a “single Islamic political leadership,” and drive away non-Muslims from areas it deems belong to the nation of Islam.
ISIS, on the other hand, is a group of Scriptural fundamentalists who believe all other Muslims are apostates. William McCants, director of the Project on US Relations With the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution, says that ISIS wants “to restore the early Islamic empire called the caliphate and eventually take over the whole world.”
Most of us can agree that Al Qaeda and ISIS are extremist groups. After all, they plan and implement terrorist attacks. They kill people, sometimes brutally. But is violence the only indicator of religious extremism?
It could certainly be argued that when a religion becomes violent it becomes extremist. But even Christianity, in it’s many definitions, has a sorted history, which is seldom talked about and often dismissed. From the Spanish inquisition to the convert-or-die tactics used on Native American Indians, Christianity has been used to commit horrific acts of violence throughout the centuries. Judaism, from which Christianity arose, recorded shocking details in the Torah of the slaughter of entire populations, including women, children, and animals.
Any religion, which purports to, alone, have all truth, and to, alone, have a direct line of communication to God, has a propensity toward extremist ideology. As University of Notre Dame Professor, Gary Gutting, points out:
Any religion that denies the value and humanity of others is an extremist religion. Whether those actions lead to direct harm, or simply reduce protections through legislation, extremist ideology seeks to create one class that is believed to be more valued than another.
The grandstanding that fundamentalist Christians have done since marriage equality passed in 2015 has created a growing, and disturbing trend toward extremist Christianity.
The Oath Keepers, a vigilante Christian group, vowed to protect Kentucky County Clerk, Kim Davis, when she refused issuing a marriage license to a gay couple. They stated the judge in Davis’ case “needs to be put on notice that his behavior is not going to be accepted and we’ll be there to stop it and intercede ourselves if we have to.” And then, in an ironic twist to the story, the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, of “God hates fags” fame, picketed Kim Davis because of her multiple divorces and remarriages.
Since then, dozens of “religious freedom” bills have been introduced across the country with the sole purpose of reducing or eliminating protections for the LGBT community in housing, employment, benefits, and even where they can go to the bathroom.
The problem, of course, is that “religious freedom” is based on nothing more than a belief. Governments who support “religious freedom” over the equal human rights and dignity of others condone, and even endorse discrimination. In any such environment religious extremism is the outcome, threatening the very existence of democracy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/when-is-a-religion-extremist_us_590de8e3e4b046ea176aeb98

"In America, most of us think of Jehovah’s Witnesses as that occasional Saturday nuisance" quoted by @JayWitness. (Interesting discussion by the way).
Well, here we have a paradox well known to philosphers. Can tolerance tolerate intolerance and survive? Or must the intolerant learn to tolerate the tolerant? An argument for unlimited or absolute tolerance makes no logical or Biblical sense to me. I mean, no-one should not have to tolerate tobacco smoke if they are a non-smoker.
Numbers 25:10-11 indicates a limit to tolerance from a Biblical perspective, modified later, for example, by statements such as that at Rom.12:17-19.
Christians are tolerant of the current state of affairs, as is Jehovah, but know that His tolerance has limits, and await His action as stated. Meanwhile, we are grateful where the attitude above prevails at present, but we will tolerate intolerance, opposition, and even injustice for as long as Jehovah does.
 

I have heard the argument that since we don't know exactly how to pronounce it we should not even try. That really does not make any sense. We know where the original name was in the Bible, so at the lease the publishers should leave the four consonants and allow the reader to make their own decision as to how to pronounce it. As it now stands, you have billions of people who believe that God's personal name is God. What crust. There was no "J" in the Hebrew language so any name you come across that has a "J" in it is automatically pronounced wrong; yet, that does not stop people from using those names. Even Jesus was not pronounced Jesus in Hebrew so not using the original Hebrew pronunciation is no excuse for failing to acknowledge that the Almighty God has a personal name and fail to use it. 

Sad for the friends in Russia. Government is going to get hundreds of very lovely and well maintained buildings. Of course, they will probably be abused and trashed by the new occupants. 

Sad for the friends in Russia. Government is going to get hundreds of very lovely and well maintained buildings. Of course, they will probably be abused and trashed by the new occupants. 

Sadly, the vandalism has already started. I wonder though, should the vandals be arrested would they be found to be members of an extremist organization? Or are they simply acting on their own impulse. Who really is the extremist, the person who peacefully hands out Bibles and bible based information, or the group that seeks to suppress religious free speech by government action and physical intimidation?

Jehovah allows many testing situations to happen.  He will only intervene in this wicked world when the time is ready.  Satan is in control of this world and many bad things may still come to pass before Jehovah steps in. We can pray for our brothers and sisters to remain faithful and be wise so as to avoid problems which it is possible to sidestep.  If they are discreet (which we know they are), they will survive this oppressive regime.

So this pogrom is the fruition of the decision. Inspite of the warnings that this would be the result, the court ruled against us anyway. I recall when it was stated, "They may take your buildings, but they cannot take your faith." That is true, but the court really could not have cared less for the lives and well being of the citizens adversely affected. 
I really hope all the friends who read the article take note of the statement about witnessing. The brother said, ". . .  it seems to me now this should be the personal decision of each of our fellow believers in the country, how they will act in the future. They should take account of certain consequences that participation in religious activity may entail, . . ." So, they are not telling fellow believers what to do, but it is up to each one of them to make a personal decision. That is tough. However, I can imagine that it is easier for some of them who have gone through this before to make the right decision. It will be harder for the folks in non oppressed societies to make this decision. At least, that is how I think about it. 
Also, they may not have Kingdom Halls, or literature to offer, but they can talk about the Bible. This is a good reminder that all of us of the need to bone up on scriptural truths and spend some time now solidifying these teachings in our mind and heart and learn to rely upon the Bible without teaching aids. 

I am really touched by this development.  Active preaching helps to refine our individual faith.  I believe Jehovah will make a way for our dear brothers and sisters.  As we ALL pray, may HIS will be done!

So Sad for our brothers in Russia ,may Jehovah.s Holy Spirit Sustain you

Very sad. I really thought by some of the questions that the Justices asked that they would have dealt with us in an even handed manner. They even allowed fabricated evidence. What a travesty. We will see what the future holds for our friends in Russia and how the situation will play out. 

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It is truly inspiring when people such as this, without the safety net we have today in the brotherhood were able to stand up for the truth. These people felt so strongly about bible truth that they were wiling to risk liberty and sometimes even their lives to declare the truth about God and his Son.