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By Isabella
"I like boys, I like girls, I like both," the actress explained. "I've always kind of gone my own little way, I'm the rogue girl in Hollywood who's just kind of made my own path and not really cared what people think too much."
When she was asked what her parents thought about her sexuality, Rodriguez revealed she grew up in a house of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the past, she's said her mother's side of the family all practiced the faith, though she doesn't anymore.
"Birthdays and celebrating Halloween are evil. I didn't get to watch Disney movies until I was in my teens because of all the witchcraft," she explained. "My family, I think, at the end of the day they set aside the differences."
"As far as spending lots of time with that side of the family, no. I grew up knowing that you're in this alone," she continued. "Your mom gives birth to you, your family takes care of you, but in a sense you have to make your own in the world. For me, to have other people decide what that looks like, I could never live that life."
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By The Librarian
español / Italiano
Part of a series on: Jehovah's Witnesses >
Baptized JW's
Serena Williams- tennis player ; 8 Grand Slam champion. Her "baptized" status is disputed since she has never been disfellowshipped for having a baby out of wedlock with Drake or her publicly nude photographs. Let's just say she is now the most famous celebrity who CLAIMS to be one.
Venus Williams - tennis player ; 5 time Grand Slam champion
Damon Wayans - TV and Film Comedy Star. Part of "The Wayans Brothers" TV show back in the 1990's. - Their father was a JW (someone mentioned even Anointed)
Michael Jackson (deceased)
Michael Jackson's Children and Mother Katherine Jackson
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Singer, daughter of Katherine Jackson
Prince Rogers Nelson (deceased)
Marques Houston - Singer and former member of the kid group "Immature" (and his manager)
Luke Evans - Actor
Coco Rocha - International Fashion Model
Terrence Howard - actor; Ray, Hustle & Flow, etc. Children and brother are JWs. Studied when he was 17 years old. (not himself a JW)
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George Benson - Musician / singer (see also: Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. )
"El General" - Panamanian singer
Bobby Martin - Grammy winning producer.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - African Musician
Aoife Ní Thuairisg - Irish Television Presenter
Tulsi Giri - Prime Minister of Nepal
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Reporter for the Phoenix Times Examiner
Alexander P. Stewart - US Civil War Confederate General
Allison Lozz - Mexican Actress (former). recently left novelas (soap operas) to be a more active in the ministry
Maurizio Bianchi - Musician
Ivana Brkic - Croatian Musician
Angelo Palego - Leader of team searching for Noah's Ark
Firpo Carr - Historian, author of Germany's Black Holocaust: 1890-1945; Wicked Words: Poisoned Minds - Racism in the Dictionary; founder: Scholar Technological Institute of Research, Inc. (STIR)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Olympian and NFL player (deceased)
Herman Pizzanelli - Leading Uruguayan concert guitarist in the 1960s (convert to JWs)
Willie Wise - NBA professional basketball player for Seattle Super Sonics and Denver Nuggets
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Professional basketball player (Los Angeles Lakers in 1970s)
Mark McCumber - Professional golfer
Dave Pear - NFL professional football player for Colts, Buccaneers, and Raiders (convert)
Kid Gavilan - welterweight champion boxer; elected to boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 (convert to JWs)
Jorge Påez "El Maromero" - Boxing World Champion
Pele Reid - Boxing Champion
Shont'e Peoples - professional football player (Saskatchewan Roughriders); convert to JWs
La Lupe - Cuban salsa singer (convert)
Janis Gill - ex wife of country music superstar, Vince Gill, is one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Vince Gill is NOT a Witness. He is strongly and violently opposed.
Fedor Chistyakov - Russian Singer
Richard Cameron - Dutch Musician
Valerie Campbell - Mother of Naomi Campbell
Tom Edur - Former NHL ice hockey player
Mrs.Ida Eisenhower - (Mother of President Dwight D Eisenhower)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Buchenwald concentration camp survivor and centenarian
Mickey Spillane - Novelist
Larry Graham - Sly & the Family Stone
Danny Granger - Indiana Pacers small forward; Professional Basketball Player
Teresa Graves - Reputedly the first black woman to play the lead in a police movie, also a singer
Gary Gygax - Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Actor
Phillip Landry - Musican
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Japanese musician, name comes from the
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Margaret Keane - "Big Eyes" artist who said converting "changed her life."
Peter Knowles - Famous
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. player in Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. who quit his football career in 1970 aged 24 to join the Jehovah's Witnesses
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. for eighteen months, but left to Jehovah's Witnesses activities.
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. and underground religious leader under Communism.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - famous London lottery winner in 1961. She then became a devout JW. The musical Spend, Spend, Spend was based on her story.
Evelyn Ntoko (first wife of Nelson Mandela)
Lieby Piliso - Nelson Mandela's younger sister
Ken Richmond - The man who banged the gong in the
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. film logo from 1955 onward.
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Japanese Singer, a
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. of Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. and Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (Converted in the
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. , current membership status uncertain)
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Phil Terry - member of the 60's R&B group
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Avant-garde rocker, "Jehovah's Kingdom come"
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Replaced
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. in Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. in 1970.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Japanese
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. ), Author of Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. )
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Chet Lemon - played with the Detroit Tigers along with Lou Whitaker
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Singer, Former wife of Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Solveig Romero - Mexico and Switzerland, Actress and wife of
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Chuck Winfield - Former Trumpet player for Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
Rosalia Valdez - Former actress who left fame in Mexico to become a witness, daughter of famous Tin Tan Valdez.
Carmina Villarroel - Filipino actress
Patience Dlaminh - a weather forecast reporter in South Africa / Regional 'celebrity'
Red Shea - Guitarist for Gordon Lightfoot (passed away in 2008)
Tom Reynolds - He was one of the singers in the late 60's early 70's band 'Hamilton, Joe,Frank, & Reynolds.
Toun Oni - Nigerian actress (featured in the TV drama 'fuji house of commotion') She was an active witness before her death a few months ago. In fact, she died of heart problems during the Lekki assembly hall construction work.
Paul i.k Dairo (used to be one of Nigeria's top musicians); Last i heard of him, he is one of Jehovah witnesses.
Wolf-Ekkehard Lonnig - a scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Germany
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - leading attorney for the Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Society; won multiple U.S. Supreme Court cases; represented Muhammad Ali in court [not sure if he left eventually or not?]
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Country Music DJ in Florida, USA
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - NFL Player
Tony Garcia - Artist, DJ, Producer, Re-mixer, Arranger, Composer,Writer of Dance Music EDM, Funk Melody Freestyle Music Owner of High Power Records
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - US Federal Judge
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Owners of the Fashion Industry "The Wild Life Reserve" out of New Orleans
Alex Rance - Soccer Star
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Minh Hung Godenzi - Miss Hong Kong 1984
Danny Collision - NBA Player currently in California
Clarion Chukwurah - Nollywood Actress
Irina Bohr - Russian singer
Alisson Euler de Freitas Castro - Brazilian Footballer
Carlos Gonzaga - Brazilian Singer
Andriy Mykolayovych Nesmachniy (Ukrainian: Андрій Миколайович Несмачний)
PC-One - Star of Slam in Haiti
Jacy Brean - Author
Mina Godenzi - Actress, Model and Miss Hong Kong
Phillip Ingram - Musician
Ramón Gómez Valdés de Castillo aka "Don Ramón" - Famous Mexican Actor
Kenya Moore - not sure as to her current status though.
Anneliese Zelina - Model
Rob Richie - Major league baseball player with the Detroit Tigers
Darren Collison
Raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses
President Dwight D. Eisenhower - WWII General and 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - First Gay NFL football player
Nathan Day, frontman of grunge / Britpop group
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - "Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. ."
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
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Shushila Takao - Actress in New Zealand show "Filthy Rich"
Kim Holland - Dutch Porn Actress
Little Scream - Montreal musician
Kelsey Lu - Fashion model
Rebekah Vardy - I'm a Celeb star
Alex Avery - Comedian in Portland, OR
List of former Jehovah's Witnesses
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - actress, raised by mother
Donald Glover - (aka Childish Gambino)
Gregg Alexander - The New Radicals' lead singer; raised by mother
Carol M. Swain - political scientist; professor at Vanderbilt University; author of Black Faces, Black Interests and The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration; left the Witnesses at the age of 20, in 1975 (Ms. Swain was born in 1954 into an extremely poor household in rural Virginia, not far from Roanoke. She grew up with 11 brothers and sisters, dropped out of school in the ninth grade and married at age 16 -- in part, she says, because she saw no need to plan for a lengthy future. She was a Jehovah's Witness, and she believed that Armageddon would begin in 1975)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Singer raised in Australia, presently living in London with wife pin up model *Jordan
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Supermodel; Raised by mother
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Singer (
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. ); Raised as a Jehovah's Witness[verification needed]
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - American writer of Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses(converted to Catholicism)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - the now infamous kidnapper of Jaycee Dugard
Latoya Jackson
Michael Jackson - Michael became a Jehovah's Witness but disassociated himself shortly after his hit album, Thriller
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Former Watchtower Chief Attorney
Dave Mustaine - Guitarist (ex-Metallica; Megadeth; ex- MD .45)
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. , Raised as a Jehovah's Witness
Gloria Naylor - novelist, author of The Women of Brewster Place (1982, American Book Award)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Singer and poet
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. -Singer; raised as one of Jehovah's Witness
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. and actress, Raised as a Jehovah's Witness
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Canadian R&B artist ; Raised Jehovah's Witness
Rene Montes de Oca Martija - dissident human-rights activist in Cuba (son of JW)
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. singer ; raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. from
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. . Her father is an elder in his congregation.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - a singer,poet & actress from USA, she played in the movie - 'why did i get married'
Maureen Mwanawasa, wife of late Zambian president, though she disassociated herself, but she still attends meetings. the late president was also studying with JWs, his mother was a JW. his children also attend meetings, i think one is a publisher.
Thandiwe Banda our current Zambian first lady who was a JW until recently when she disassociated herself. Reportedly a former pioneer.
Mamontha Modise was a JW. travels all over the world to report current news 2 South Africans.
Ja Rule - Rapper - raised a jehovahs witness and is no longer one, in an interview he said his mother was disfellowshipped
Jaywon; currently a musician, was raised a witness, later decided to follow a way of life thats suits him.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Musician
Travis Scott - NFL football player for Rams (raised JW)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Gotham City Writers
Eddie Griffin - Comedian
Leaders of the music band Shakespeare's Unit
Rumors of:
Eddie Murphy - Not verified yet
Josh Groban - We don't know what to think yet.. ? Some have suspicions....
Omarion - I believe he is only "studying"
Jackie Chan - (I still don't believe the photo)
Please Read
Some people have wondered if we have listed people who simply studied briefly with Jehovah's Witnesses. As far as we know, this is not the case. Anybody can sit down and meet with Jehovah's Witnesses to study their beliefs. In no way would we consider that grounds for identifying somebody as a Jehovah's Witness. All of the people listed on our page have actually been considered Jehovah's Witnesses or considered themselves adherents of the faith, either by way of having been raised in the faith or because they were an active convert to the faith.
Of course no insult is meant to Jehovah's Witnesses or anybody else by hosting this list. Personally, reading the biographies and faith statements of many famous Jehovah's Witnesses has helped tear down some stereotypes for me. It simply isn't true, for example, that this faith necessarily stifles creativity or achievement. Clearly, many adherents to the faith (including people raised in it as well as converts who chose to become Witnesses as adults) have been very famous creative people or have been very successful, as measured by worldly standards.
Regardless of the obvious tensions between the pressures of worldly fame, versus remaining active in a religious faith which expects all of its members to live according to the highest Biblical standards of ethics and morality, there are indeed many "famous" adherents who have strived to remain faithful. Even for those who have failed to balance fame and success with the demands of their faith, the teachings and values they were raised with or embraced at some point as an adult remain forever an influence in their lives. Were this not true, these individuals would not be listed here at all. This list is based on what famous people themselves have said to interviewers and to the public. We have no access to actual Jehovah's Witness membership or attendance records. If a celebrity or famous person doesn't talk publicly about their experiences as a Jehovah's Witness, we would have no way of knowing about this part of their lives.
The actions of a single individual should never be used to judge an entire group of people, and I believe most people realize this. Anybody who does try to condemn Jehovah's Witnesses by the behavior of their "worst" lapsed members or former members will stand instantly condemned themselves. This is because the cumulative behavior of the famous (and infamous) members of the group the accuser belongs to is far worse than anything they will be able to dig up relating to people who have been Jehovah's Witnesses. This is true of essentially any sufficiently large religious group. It is true also of anti-religious people, who are nearly always wise enough to avoid condemning entire groups by the actions of individuals, lest they be asked to answer for the hundreds of millions of murders perpetrated by Lenin, Pol Pot, Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Mao, Mussolini, Nicolae Ceausescu, Joseph Goebbels, Maximillien Robespierre, etc.
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By The Librarian
Jehovah's Witnesses > Notable JW's
See also: Celebrities who are/were JW's
Alive:
Brothers:
Mark Sanderson
William Malenfant
Don Adams
Karl A. Adams
Joel Adams
Michael Aronowitz
Ted Armstrong
Malcolm Allen
David Ianelli
Norman Mosure "Stormin' Norman" - District Overseer
George Couch (Bethelite 1957-2007)
Geoffrey Jackson (Governing Body Member)
Colin Quackenbush -
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. / Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (still alive?)
Angelo Manera - District Overseer - Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Judah Schroeder
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. oversees Richard Ashe
Sisters:
Simone Arnold Liebster
Deceased:
Pastor Charles Taze Russell (spouse) (foster daughter)
Joseph L. Russell
Alexander H MacMillan
George Storrs (Influenced Pastor Russell)
Henry Grew (Influenced Pastor Russell)
George Stetson (Influenced Pastor Russell)
Judge Rutherford / Joseph Franklin Rutherford
Nathan Knorr
Nelson H. Barbour (Influenced Pastor Russell Pre-Watch Tower)
Frederick William Franz
Raymond Franz
Theodore Jaracz
Daniel Sydlik
Carey Barber
Karl A Adams
Milton G. Henschel
Liebster, Max
John E. Barr
Leopold Engleitner
William 'Bible' Brown
W. Glen How
Grant Suiter
Hayden C. Covington
Olin R. Moyle
Ulysses Glass - Gilead Instructor
Bob Mackey
Benjamin Martin
J.R. Brown
Albert Schroeder
Charles Sinutko
Sisters:
Nancy Yuen
Lilian Gobitas Klose
Dorothy Covington, Wife of Civil Liberties Attorney Hayden Covington, Dies at 92
Jeanette (Jenny) Jackson
See also:
Bethel Personnel Assignments (2000)
Note - Over the past 15 years keeping information available, organized and online has proven very difficult. If you see a name above then there was once an entire article, photos and more about the person yet they have been lost through moves and technology changes. If you have lots of details about one of them please make a topic and start posting about them. I will link them up at a later date.
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By Guest Indiana
If you go outside this Labor Day weekend, don't forget the bug spray.
The dangerous but rare Eastern equine encephalitis virus is flaring up in Michigan, state health officials say, and has been confirmed in two people in Berrien and Kalamazoo counties and is suspected in five more people.
The virus, carried by birds and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, is deadly in 1 in 3 people who contract it, and can cause brain damage and permanent neurological disabilities in those who survive.
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By Guest Indiana
Seven were shot at a party near Indiana’s Ball State University.
At least seven people were injured, three in a life-threatening fashion, in a shooting near Indiana’s Ball State University overnight.
According to local NBC affiliate WTHR, the shooting occurred at a large off-campus house party, with shots fired inside the house around 12:45 am. Police say they are still working to piece together what happened, as most witnesses heard but did not see the shooting.
https://www.vox.com/2019/5/18/18630674/ball-state-university-indiana-party-shooting-what-we-know
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By Guest Indiana
WASHINGTON – Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies as secretary of Homeland Security, is leaving her post amid tensions with some in the White House who felt she hasn't done enough to stem border crossings.
Trump tweeted Sunday that Nielsen is leaving the post she has held since the end of 2017.
"Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service," he said. He said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, will become the acting DHS secretary. McAleenan has held senior posts within CBP dating back to President George W. Bush's administration.
Rea more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/07/kirstjen-nielsen-out-trump-secretary-homeland-security/1895285002/
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By Witness
The person who made this short quip was never a JW, although he is able to perceive the contradiction of teachings by the governing body.
Can you perceive the confusion? (meaning of "Babylon")
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By TheWorldNewsOrg
via .ORG
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By Guest Nicole
HAVANA TIMES – Daniel Ortega has achieved what neither Putin, nor climate change, nor China, nor the immigration problem, nor Maduro nor Syria could do: he inspired nothing more and nothing less than the adoption of a bipartisan consensus between the US Republican and Democratic parties regarding his regime.
What’s more, he managed to become a point of consensus between the US Executive branch, headed by Trump, and the US Congress. It may seem a lie or an exaggeration, but no other topic during Trump’s administration has been resolved with this level of consensus.
In reacting to the decisions adopted by the organs of United States power, Ortega momentarily dusted off the old speeches that he had kept filed away these eleven years and spoke once again of interventionism, of imperialism and other expressions of the like. Then, he fell silent.
He’ll likely speak about it again once he’s assimilated the blow and has designed the course he’ll follow. Meanwhile, it’s important to recall that Nicaragua’s economic dependence with respect to the United States has broadened and deepened during this “antiimperialist” regime of Ortega’s.
Read more: https://havanatimes.org/?p=145130
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By TheWorldNewsOrg
via .ORG
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By Guest Nicole
A Florida couple is recalling a distressing experience on a Carnival Cruise after finding a hidden camera pointing at their bed.Â
In an interview set to air Monday, Chris and Dana White told Inside Edition that they discovered a recording device hidden among TV wires in their stateroom last October on the Carnival Fantasy, a three-day Caribbean cruise departing from Mobile, Alabama.Â
"I said, 'Is that what I think it is?' " Chris White said. "And she looked at it and she became concerned. And we were just really flabbergasted that there's a camera in the room and it's plugged up and it's working."
The couple called Carnival security and used their cellphone to film an employee who inspected and disassembled the device. "I was thinking, 'I can't believe this is actually happening to us,' " he said.
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/travel/2018/10/29/couple-claims-secret-camera-aimed-bed-carnival-cruise/1809350002/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2018/10/28/travelers-found-hidden-camera-their-carnival-cruise-bedroom/1800150002/
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By Guest Nicole
Legislators ‘need to stopÂ’ working for institutions
Dave Kohler, of Allentown, was abused by an ordained minister in the JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in November 1965. He was 9 years old.Â
When Kohler was 17, his abuser told him to never talk about the abuse again.Â
“So I obeyed and kept my mouth shut,” Kohler said.Â
He’s been coming to Harrisburg for about five years to show his support for statute of limitations reform. “Individuals vote them in, and then they work for institutions,” Kohler said of the state legislators. “That needs to stop.”
If reform is passed that would allow Kohler the opportunity to sue his abuser, Kohler said he knows what he would do with any money he could collect.
“I will hopefully be able to afford therapy,” he said.
Dave Kohler, who said he was abused by an ordained minister in the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kutztown and Emmaus, talks about his experience, during the demonstration for statute of limitations reform to the state's childhood sexual abuse laws at the state capitol in Harrisburg on Monday. (Photo: Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record)
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By Outta Here
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. This takes the proverbial biscuit. These are guys that plant Jehovah's Witness publications on................Jehovah's Witnesses!!!
They might be in for a decoration!
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By Guest Nicole
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — It was an intersection of two highways, one a steep downhill road, that residents had long warned was notoriously dangerous.
On Saturday afternoon, their worst fears were realized: A limousine lost control, careening through the intersection and striking an empty car. The crash killed all 18 people in the white limousine and two pedestrians in an accident that left deep tire tracks in the ground and a small upstate New York town reeling.
“That limo was coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour,” said Jessica Kirby, 36, the manager of the Apple Barrel Country Store, where she said customers were hit near the parking lot. “All fatal.”
“I don’t want to describe the scene,” she added. “It’s not something I want to think about.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/nyregion/wedding-limo-crash-schoharie-ny.html
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By admin
Jehovah's Witnesses > List of Celebrity JW's >
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Previous posts of Coco Rocha
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By Guest Nicole
'Biased assumptions'
While most of the comments on the post in the Facebook page debated the merits of the celebrations and the priorities of the district, some focused on the religious beliefs of those who don't celebrate Halloween.
Halloween began as the Celtic festival Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to frighten ghosts, according to History.com. Due to its roots, the holiday isn't celebrated by certain religions or groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses, some Christians, Orthodox Jews and Muslims.
"It is the stated strategy of some to use our own laws against us," reads on comment on Facebook. "Wake up people. Nothing is an 'American Tradition' anymore. (And many who move here aren't doing so to become American)."
Another comment asked "Who is ruining traditions?" The response from a different person, which has since been deleted, read: "Muslims."
Kucinski said statements such as these are "very hurtful to people who are equally American but may be of a different culture, religion, or hold different beliefs than those who are making these comments."
"This discussion has emboldened certain voices in our community to make sweeping biased assumptions against groups of people that may or may not be the ones that are holding their kids home from school," she said. "Does it matter what group or groups are keeping their kids home and missing a fun celebration at school? No."
Littman said it's anyone's right to not celebrate a holiday, though others don't have to follow suit.
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By Guest Nicole
More than 200 Jehovah's Witnesses - a religious organization banned in Russia - have applied for asylum in Finland. More than 100 members of this organization have arrived in the European country only so far in 2018. According to Juha Simila, representative of the Finnish migration service, about 10 cases have been analyzed so far and, in most of them, Finland rejected the asylum application. Simila explained to the Finnish newspaper Aamulehti that some denials have been appealed to the court and that in one of the cases the negative decision of the migration service has already been confirmed.
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By Guest Nicole
Many of the children described conditions at US Customs and Border Protection facilities, where they were taken and processed during the first days after crossing the border. In the reports they were only identified by their first names. Timofei, 15, from Russia, who sought asylum on the border with his parents for his beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses, said they were crowded night and day in the closed and crowded room, detained along with other boys. He said there was only one window that opened onto an empty hallway and that they did not have soap in the bathroom, and that only sometimes, they gave him a toothbrush for individual use. He also said that he was offered a shower when he arrived at the facilities in San Ysidro, California, but he did not and the second or third day there did not allow him to do so.
https://www.clarin.com/mundo/trataron-chicos-separados-padres-frontera-relatan-dias-detenidos-unidos_0_SJh7dyam7.html
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By Guest Kurt
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. / Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Â is the Grammy Award winning R&B producer that dominated the airwaves for nearly three decades with his signature sound. He is a legend in the music industry, and he is well known around the world. MartinÂ’s fellow JehovahÂ’s Witness brothers and sisters often refer to him as Brother Martin. In addition to being a Grammy Winner, he is famous and respected as The Granddaddy of R&B music. His signature sound was called R&B, and in the 1970Â’s it was known as The Sound of Philadelphia.Â
As far as Bobby Martin is concerned, younger R&B artists often sample and produce remakes of his songs. A good example of this is the song “Da Butta”. WILL SMITH and LIL’ KIM collaborated with Bobby Martin by using one of his productions. The music track and beat were taken from Bobby Martin’s studio recording of (Every Time I Turn Around) “Back in Love Again”, by L.T.D. GEORGE BENSON also recorded a cover of an L.T.D. song, called “Love Ballad”.
Most of us have heard SEAL, and SIMPLY RED sing “If You DonÂ’t Know Me By Now”, which was originally arranged in the studio with Bobby Martin. KANYE WEST sampled “Show You The Way To Go”, using Bobby MartinÂ’s recording of THE JACKSONS.Â
MartinÂ’s success in the music industry has broken the stereotype that Jehovah Witnesses do not participate in any of the arts. In fact, some of the most prolific icons in entertainment just happen to be JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, like PRINCE, KATHERINE JACKSON (Michael JacksonÂ’s Mother), SERENA and VENUS WILLIAMS, GEORGE BENSON, LARRY GRAHAM (DrakeÂ’s Uncle), RONNIE LAWS just to name a few.
JehovahÂ’s Witnesses are happy and joyful people that want to live a clean life. Yet they enjoy music, as long as it is clean music. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses dance at their gatherings, and they all sing songs to Jehovah at all of their meetings. One of Bobby MartinÂ’s fans, Camille Szalma, had the opportunity to take a photo with Bobby and the Latin Music legend “TITO PUENTE”, at a celebrity mixer. Surprisingly, Camille Szalma just happened to be a faithful JehovahÂ’s Witness herself, also showing that JehovahÂ’s Witnesses represent some of the music industryÂ’s fan base. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses purchase music and they enjoy live performances.Â
Martin has even collaborated with many of his Christian brothers that are known in the entertainment world, such as THE JACKSONS, GEORGE BENSON, LARRY GRAHAM, JEAN TERRELL, BENNY GOLSON, HUBERT LAWS, and many others.Â
Bobby Martin is best known for arranging and producing the music of the top icons in the music industry including MICHAEL JACKSON, THE JACKSONS, QUINCY JONES, WILL SMITH, CLIVE DAVIS, WHITNEY HOUSTON, PATTI LABELLE, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, LOU RAWLS, HERB ALPERT, THE BEE GEES, GAMBLE & HUFF, and so forth.Â
Martin worked heavily in producing, and arranging music with GAMBLE & HUFF (Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff). Most of the classic Philadelphia R&B hit songs were arranged or produced by Bobby Martin, songs like “LetÂ’s Just Kiss And Say Goodbye”.Â
Bobby Martin, Kenneth Gamble, and Leon Huff were a close family of music executives. Martin learned about JehovahÂ’s Witnesses from Kenneth GambleÂ’s mother (Ruby N. Gamble), who was a JehovahÂ’s Witness. Martin was later baptized with JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in the year 1976 in Woodland Hills, at an assembly hall where The JacksonÂ’s would attend their assemblies.Â
Martin has produced artists at Capitol Records, Columbia Records with Clive Davis, A&M Records with Quincy Jones, and Philadelphia International Records with producers Gamble and Huff, to name a few. Martin has produced and arranged multiple hits and has accumulated thousands of Gold & Platinum record awards. Bobby Martin is a Grammy winner as well. He won a very significant Grammy Award for the Soul Train theme song, named TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia).Â
MartinÂ’s classic productions are heard on radio stations around the world, and he is presently working in the recording studio on new songs to soon be released in 2013.Â
For more information, search online for Grammy Winner Bobby Martin, Producer Bobby Martin, Arranger Bobby Martin, and Bobby Martin Productions!Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
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By Guest Nicole
(Moscow) – Law enforcement authorities across Russia have carried out a sweeping campaign against JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in recent months, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have carried out dozens of home searches, raids, interrogations, and other acts of harassment and persecution.
The authorities are holding 18 men in pretrial detention on charges of organizing, participating in, or financing the activities of an “extremist organization” solely for their religious activities. Several others are facing the same charges and are under house arrest or subject to travel restrictions. The charges carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Russian authorities should release those in detention immediately, drop the charges, and halt the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“The Jehovah’s Witnesses are simply peacefully exercising their right to freedom of religion,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Jehovah’s Witness faith is not an extremist organization, and authorities should stop this religious persecution of its worshipers now.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed four lawyers defending JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in five regions and a representative of the JehovahÂ’s Witnesses. Human Rights Watch also reviewed court documents, media reports, Russian government statements, and Federal Security Service (FSB) photos and videos purporting to show the raids.
The raids and arrests stem from an April 2017 Russian Supreme Courtruling that banned all Jehovah’s Witnesses organizations throughout Russia. The ruling declared the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center, the head office for 395 Jehovah’s Witnesses branches throughout Russia, an extremist organization and ruled that all 395 be shut down. The ruling, which affects more than 100,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses across Russia, blatantly violates Russia’s obligations to respect and protect religious freedom and freedom of association.
Russian authorities should reverse the ban on the organization’s activities and remove the “extremist” designation, Human Rights Watch said. Meanwhile, they should leave Jehovah’s Witnesses free to practice their faith.
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and other former USSR countries have faced persecution in the past. During the Soviet era, they were arrested and imprisoned in labor camps, including in Siberia. Within the past decade, worshipers across Russia have faced persecution, intrusive home searches, and arrests, and have been denied rights to freedom of assembly, association, and religion.
In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Russia for closing the Moscow branch of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and refusing to allow the group to re-register. The court found violations of articles 9 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect freedom of religion and association, respectively. In addition to awarding monetary damages, the court said that Russia should review the domestic decisions that led to the violations. Russia has refused to carry out the judgments in that case and several others brought by members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On the contrary, Russia has continued to persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses, seeking the group’s complete dissolution in Russia.
From April to June 2018, law enforcement raids targeted JehovahÂ’s Witness communities in at least 11 regions throughout Russia, from Saratov region in southwestern Russia to Primorsky Krai in RussiaÂ’s far east. Police carried out the raids, often accompanied by a combination of FSB officials wearing masks, armed personnel of the Interior Ministry Special Task Police Force or National Guard, and representatives from the Investigative Committee, RussiaÂ’s criminal investigation service. Â
The authorities, who obtained search warrants or entry permits in most cases, confiscated personal computers, mobile phones, bank cards, passports, religious literature, and, in some cases, housing deeds. Dozens of JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, including at least one child, were taken to local investigative offices for questioning. Others were detained and later charged.
A lawyer representing a Jehovah’s Witness who is in pretrial detention in Murmansk Region told Human Rights Watch that the authorities’ actions contradict religious freedom guarantees in the Russian Constitution. “The [Russian] constitution says that you can practice your faith together with others, but as it turns out, that’s a crime,” said Yegiazar Chernikov, of the Sverdlovsk Lawyers’ Association.
In at least two regions, armed officers threatened the worshipers with firearms, in one case pointing a gun at a personÂ’s head, a lawyer familiar with the incident told Human Rights Watch.
A JehovahÂ’s Witnesses representative told Human Rights Watch that approximately 160 JehovahÂ’s Witnesses have fled Russia to seek refuge abroad.
On June 20, Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights announced that it had asked the prosecutor general’s office to verify the legality of criminal prosecutions against Jehovah’s Witnesses practicing their faith. A week earlier, several of the spouses of the men in pretrial detention had sent a letter to the chair of the council, Mikhail Fedotov, urging him to ask President Vladimir Putin to end the raids and arrests and to restore freedom of religion in Russia.
Over 150 Russian activists, journalists, and academics – including several members of Memorial, Russia’s foremost human rights group – signed and published an open letter urging the authorities to immediately release those in detention and to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision to liquidate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ organization.
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia – like all people in Russia – should be able to peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of religion and association, Human Rights Watch said. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Russian Constitution as well as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Russia is a party.
Under international law, freedom of religion includes the freedom to practice one’s religion or belief both individually and in community with others, in public or in private, and through worship, practice, and teaching. Russia already has many rulings against it for its failure to respect the freedom of religion of faith communities and minority religious groups, such as the Church of Scientology, the Salvation Army, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses
“Russia should do right by its national and international obligations to respect freedom of religion,” Denber said. “Russian leadership should make sure that law enforcement is honoring and protecting that right, not trampling on it.”
Raids Aimed at Intimidation
The JehovahÂ’s Witnesses are a peaceful religious community. The consistent show of force in raids in many locations in Russia was disproportionate and seemed aimed at sending a strong message of intimidation, Human Rights Watch said.Â
In most regions, the authorities arrested people they singled out as leaders and organizers of the local Jehovah’s Witnesses community for such actions as recruiting new members and distributing religious literature that the authorities label “extremist.”
On May 16 in the Orenburg Region, in southwest Russia, law enforcement personnel searched 18 homes in four cities and charged nine people. Two are in pretrial custody and another is under house arrest.
On May 17 in Birobidzhan, in southeast Russia, representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses reported that about 150 law enforcement personnel raided the homes of at least nine Jehovah’s Witnesses, confiscating photos, bank cards, money, and computers. An official reportedly saidthat the operation was code-named “Judgment Day.” One person was arrested and charged with organizing activities of an “extremist organization” but was released from pretrial detention eight days later.
On April 18 in the town of Polyarny in the Murmansk Region, in northwest Russia, armed law enforcement agents raided at least seven homes and arrested two men. They took several others into custody for questioning and later released them. Police also took a 16-year-old girl into custody and questioned her at the local investigative unit for several hours. A video posted on the Murmansk Investigative Committee’s website shows men wearing camouflage uniforms and helmets forcing open a door to an apartment.
The arrest and raid campaign took place as the trial of a Jehovah’s Witness who is a Danish citizen, Dennis Christensen, continues in Orel, a city in western Russia. Christensen, who was arrested in May 2017, is being tried on charges of organizing activities of an “extremist organization” and faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted. He has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rightsalleging, among other things, that his arrest constituted unlawful interference with his right to freedom of religion.
Another Jehovah’s Witness in Orel, 55-year-old Sergei Skrynnikov, was charged on May 8, 2018, with participating in the activities of an “extremist organization.”
A lawyer who is defending three Jehovah’s Witnesses in two regions said that throughout the past eight months, FSB agents in the Orenburg Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan conducted wiretapping, videotaping, and other surveillance of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activities – for which they said they had warrants – as part of the investigation. In some cases, the lawyer said, authorities placed recording devices in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ homes.
Earlier in 2018, police raided more than two dozen JehovahÂ’s WitnessesÂ’ homes in Belgorod and Kemerovo. Two JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in Belgorod are facing extremism charges.
Saratov and Shirokoe, Saratov Region
On June 12, authorities in Saratov Region, southwestern Russia, raided at least seven homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Saratov and village of Shirokoe. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, special forces officers broke down doors and confiscated computers, books, notebooks, photographs, bankbooks, and passports. The authorities took at least 10 people to FSB offices for questioning.
Three were detained and charged with organizing activities of an “extremist organization.” They are: 43-year-old Konstantin Bazhenov, 35-year-old Aleksei Budenchuk, and 33-year-old Felix Makhammadiyev. On June 14, the Frunzensky District Court placed all three in pretrial detention until August 12.
Tomsk, Tomsk Region
Law enforcement raided several homes and cars belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tomsk between 10 a.m. on June 3 and about 2 a.m. the next day, the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported. Officers confiscated Bibles, mobile phones, tablets, computers, photographs, money, bank cards, and other personal possessions. They took about 30 people to the police anti-extremism center for questioning.
According to a statement by the Tomsk Investigative Committee, the searches were part of a joint FSB and Internal Affairs Ministry investigation into meetings of Jehovah’s Witness residents in Tomsk. Investigative authorities allege that worshipers studied prohibited, “extremist” religious materials and carried out organized religious activities in violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling against the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center.
Representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that 48-year-old Sergei Klimov was detained after a search of his home on June 3, was charged with organizing activities of an “extremist organization,” and will remain in pretrial detention until August 4.
Magadan, Magadan Region
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported that on May 30, FSB and law enforcement officers arrested Konstantin Petrov, 31; Yevgeny Zyablov, 41; and Sergei Yerkin, 61, after searching their homes in the city of Magadan (Magadan Region). On the same day, authorities in Khabarovsk (Khabarovsky Krai) detained Ivan Puyda, 39, based on a court order from Magadan. All four are accused of organizing activities of an “extremist organization” and will remain in pretrial detention until July 29.
Naberezhnye Chelny, Republic of Tatarstan
Police and FSB officials searched the homes of 10 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, in south-central Russia, on the evening of May 27. The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported that the searches lasted “well into the night.”
Investigators arrested Ilham Karimov, 37; Vladimir Myakushin, 30; Konstantin Matrashov, 25;   Aydar Yulmetyev, 24, on suspicion of organizing and participating in the activities of an “extremist organization” and placed them in pretrial detention until July 25. The Naberezhnye Chelny City Court displays records of all four hearings. According to the religious freedom monitoring group Forum 18, Karimov, Myakushin, and Matrashov have appealed their pretrial detention.
Perm, Perm Krai
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported that on the evening of May 22, Aleksandr Solovyev, 48, and his wife, Anna, were detained at the railway station in Perm, in the Ural Mountains region, after returning from a trip abroad. Law enforcement then searched the couple’s home and reportedly seized property deeds, photographs, several Bibles, and a Wi-Fi router.
Anna was released, but her husband was held for two days. He was released on May 24, and the Sverdlovsk District Court ordered him confined to house arrest. According to Forum 18, he is being investigated on charges of participating in the activities of an “extremist organization.”
Before the 2017 Supreme Court ruling banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center, Solovyov chaired the Perm Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation, according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia website.
Birobidzhan, Jewish Autonomous Region
On May 17 in Birobidzhan, southeast Russia, police raided the homes of at least nine Jehovah’s Witnesses. The raids were carried out by approximately 150 law enforcement officers. An official reportedly saidthat the operation was code-named “Judgment Day.”
On May 18, 55-year-old Alam Aliev was placed in pretrial detention until July 13 under suspicion of organizing activities of an “extremist organization.” The FSB stated that its request to detain Aliev “was motivated by the fact that the crime is classified as grave” and because “[t]he suspect may impede the criminal proceedings, put pressure on witnesses, and also evade investigative and judicial authorities.” Following an appeal by Aliev’s lawyer, Aliev was released from detention on May 25 but still faces charges.
Orenburg, Orenburg Region
On May 16 in Orenburg Region, Investigative Committee authorities, FSB officials, and armed National Guard officers searched 18 homes in four cities. Vitaly Svintsov, a lawyer representing two Jehovah’s Witnesses in the region, told Human Rights Watch that nine people were charged with organizing or participating in the activities of an “extremist organization.” Two of them, Aleksandr Suvorov and Vladimir Kochnev, both 38, remain in pretrial custody until July 14. Twenty-six-year-old Vladislav Kolbanov remains under house arrest. The other six remain under travel restrictions while the investigation is ongoing, Svintsov said.
Photographs of some of the raids posted on the Orenburg Investigative Committee website show FSB officials and riot police in bulletproof vests and masks approaching Jehovah’s Witnesses’ residences.
A statement by the Orenburg Investigative Committee said that investigative operations were “carefully planned and organized” by law enforcement with the aim of “seizing documents and items relevant to the criminal case, as well as identifying other persons involved in unlawful activities.” Investigators allege that the suspects “organized activities of a subdivision of Jehovah’s Witnesses [Administrative Center] by calling and holding meetings, organizing the recruitment of new members, and communicating the contents of religious literature to meeting participants.”
Shuya, Ivanovo Region
Forum 18 reported that law enforcement raided four homes in the town of Shuya, western Russia, early on the morning of April 20.
Dmitry Mikhailov, 33, was arrested on May 29, over a month after his home was searched and placed in pretrial custody until July 19. He is being accused of “financing extremist activities.” Â
On April 20, the Ivanovo Region Investigative Committee released a statement about the home searches, alleging that since the beginning of 2018, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Shuya had been studying literature “containing statements degrading human dignity . . . and elements of propaganda of the exclusivity of one religion over another.”
Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai
Several homes belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses were reportedly raidedon April 19 in the far-east city of Vladivostok.
Human Rights Watch was able to confirm that on April 23 Valentin Osadchuk, 42, was placed under arrest by Frunzensky District Court on charges of participation in the activities of an “extremist organization” after authorities searched his home and confiscated computers, notebooks, and other devices. He remains in pretrial detention until September 20. Representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that five others face the same charges but remain at liberty subject to travel restrictions.
Polyarny, Murmansk Region
On the evening of April 18 in the town of Polyarny in the Murmansk region, armed law enforcement raided at least seven homes and arrested two JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, Roman Markin, 44, and Viktor Tifimov, 61. Others whose homes were searched were taken to the local investigative unit for questioning and later released without charge.
The Murmansk Region Investigative Committee stated on its websitethat National Guard officers and FSB officials who led the home searches confiscated computer drives and religious literature. A video posted to the website shows men wearing camouflage uniforms and helmets forcing open a door with a pry bar. The Investigative Committee said that beginning in April 2017, the suspects had allegedly “organized activities of the religious organization [Jehovah’s Witnesses] by convening and holding meetings, organizing the recruitment of new members, and leading studies of religious texts at meetings.”
MarkinÂ’s lawyer, Arli Chimirov, told Human Rights Watch that armed officers broke down MarkinÂ’s door and told him and his 16-year-old daughter, who was at home with him, to lie on the floor while law enforcement threatened them with firearms and searched the apartment. MarkinÂ’s daughter was escorted to the investigative unit and was questioned for several hours along with her mother, who arrived some time later.
On April 23, 2018, the Polyarny District Court placed Markin in pretrial custody until June 11. Markin’s lawyer unsuccessfully appealed the decision. According to court documents on file with Human Rights Watch, investigative authorities requested that Markin be placed in pretrial detention because of the risk that he “may continue criminal activities, threaten participants in the legal proceedings, hide or destroy evidence, and also fail to attend preliminary court hearings.” On June 4, Markin’s pretrial detention was extended to October 11.
TifimovÂ’s lawyer, Yegiazar Chernikov, told Human Rights Watch that beginning in October 2017, investigators had been collecting as evidence audio and video recordings of conversations among JehovahÂ’s Witnesses. Chernikov said that on several occasions, a woman involved in the investigation invited Tifimov to her home, where audio and video recording devices were in place, and asked him questions given to her by investigative authorities and designed to incriminate him.
Tifimov was originally detained until June 12, 2018, but his pretrial detention was extended until October 11.
Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
The religious freedom group Forum 18 reported that approximately 60 law enforcement officers, some of them armed, raided eight homes in the city of Ufa, south-central Russia, on the morning of April 10. Investigators confiscated personal belongings, books, and photographs. The lawyer representing one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who was detained said that authorities threatened worshipers with weapons, in one case holding an automatic weapon to a person’s head.
At least 20 people were reportedly taken to the Lenin District Investigative Department for questioning and fingerprinting but were later released. One girl was called for questioning, but when she showed up for the meeting with her mother and the director of her school, the investigator failed to appear.
On April 12, Anatoly Vilikevich, 32, was arrested on suspicion of organizing activities of an “extremist organization,” and placed in pretrial detention. Vilikevich’s lawyer, Vitaly Svintsov, who appealed the order, told Human Rights Watch that on June 21 the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan overturned the lower court’s decision and placed him under house arrest.
A statement by the Bashkortostan Republic Investigative Committeealleged that Vilikevich had organized a local chapter of the banned Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center. Investigators who searched his home confiscated “prohibited literature,” the statement said.
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Since 2007, dozens of pieces of JehovahÂ’s WitnessesÂ’ literature have been banned and placed on the federal registry of banned extremist materials. Pictured here, stacks of booklets distributed by a local leader of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation in the Siberian town of Gorno-Altaysk are seen during a court session on December 16, 2010.
 ©2010 Reuters/Alexandr Tyryshkin
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By Guest Nicole
In a surprising move, a branch of the Russian government has called out the actions of their government’s police and judicial forces in the enforcement of the ban of Jehovah Witnesses. The ban occurred last year when the Russian Supreme Court labeled the religious denomination an “extremist organization.” This has led to arrests of over a dozen Jehovah’s Witnesses, the closing of all administrative and religious worship buildings, and near constant harassment by police forces for the private practice of their faith. Several wives of arrested Jehovah’s Witnesses created a joint statement begging for their release. The Presidential Council is designed to help assist the Russian president in protecting human rights. In a written statement, the organization questioned the actions of the past year, saying “It cannot but be a cause for concern because the criminal prosecutions and detentions have taken on a systemic character.” This comes at a unique time for human rights and Russia. The country deflected demands by the United States to release over a hundred political and religious prisoners earlier in the week, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. The United States pressure was labeled Western propaganda. Conversely, Russia has been proposing that it takes the United States spot on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The United States announced pulling out of the international body earlier this week. Given the authoritarian control Putin has over the government, the actions of the presidential council may be purely a symbolic measure to prevent criticism from the West and gain support for their bid to join the UN Human Rights Council. It is unclear what steps will be taken and what the lasting effect will be on the government. What is not addressed in the letter is the physical violence and threats that have occurred from vigilante groups and private citizens, which seem emboldened by the government’s law and police actions.
Read more at World Religion News: "Russian Government Criticizes Putin for Treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses" https://www.worldreligionnews.com/?p=53681
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By Guest Nicole
By Andrew Osborn
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Advisers to President Vladimir Putin have questioned the legality of a slew of criminal cases opened against members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and asked the General Prosecutor’s office to protect the group’s freedom of belief.
Russia’s Supreme Court ruled in April last year that the Jehovah’s Witnesses were an “extremist” organisation and must disband, a move the group unsuccessfully appealed.
Since then, at least 19 members have been detained on criminal charges in Russia with one, Danish citizen Dennis Christensen, now held for more than a year and put on trial for extremism.
The Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, which advises Putin but does not have policy-making powers itself, said it believed law enforcement agencies were flouting the constitution and misinterpreting last year’s ruling by locking people up for collective bible reading and praying.
“It cannot but be a cause for concern because the criminal prosecutions and detentions have taken on a systemic character,” the council said in a statement which the Jehovah’s Witnesses publicised on Thursday.
“The situation evokes associations with the Soviet period when Jehovah’s Witnesses suffered groundless repression because of their faith.”
The fact that the council has intervened on the group’s behalf does not necessarily mean that Putin will take up their cause though the subject is likely to be raised at the council’s next meeting with the Russian leader.
‘GLIMMER OF OPTIMISM’
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, a United States-based Christian denomination known for its door-to-door preaching and rejection of military service and blood transfusions, has around 170,000 followers in Russia.
The U.S. State Department on Monday said it was deeply concerned by what it described as the growing number of religious prisoners held in Russia, saying that people were being persecuted “in retaliation for peaceful religious practice.”
And on Tuesday, more than 60 well-known Russian writers, historians and rights activists signed an appeal demanding the authorities stop prosecuting the group, describing the legal onslaught on its members as a test for Russian society.
Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a member of the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses, said on Thursday the council’s intervention had given his group “a glimmer of optimism.”
“We hope that common sense will prevail and that someone wise … will say that this has all gone too far,” he said.
“If the authorities can do this to us they can apply the same logic to do the same to anyone in Russia.”
(Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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By Guest Nicole
The wives of Jehovah’s Witnesses rounded up and imprisoned in Russia have written an open letter to a top adviser of President Vladimir Putin, asking him to stop the campaign of terror against the religious group.
“This open letter to you is a cry of desperation. People who are very dear to us, our husbands, those who feed us, the fathers of our children, peaceable, honest people, who are always ready to help others, are being thrown behind bars for being suspected of reading Bible commandments and praying together with us and our children,” reads the letter directed to Mikhail Fedotov, a close adviser of Putin and chairman of Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights. The letter is signed by 10 wives of Jehovah’s Witnesses from across Russia.
“In return for freedom and a quiet life, we are being invited to disown our faith. This is not just a figure of speech—investigators have directly invited us to sign documents in order to avoid punishment for ‘extremism’…If the Russian government does not quickly put an end to this growing campaign of terror, the administration will be faced with a nation-wide human rights catastrophe,” the letter continues.
The Russian government labeled the Jehovah’s Witnesses an extremist sect in April 2017, and has since been imprisoning its members and charging them with extremism. Members of the group have had their homes raided by masked men and their places of worship shuttered
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https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pope-calls-civil-unions-same-sex-couples-major-departure-vatican “Homosexuals have a right to be part of the family,” the pontiff said in “Francesco,” a documentary about his life. -
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RAPPEL DE JEHOVAH· 0 replies
Aleph
Parfait est mon chemin
Marche dans la voix de Dieu
Cherche moi de tout ton coeur
Garde mon témoignage, tu seras heureux.
Oppose toi au mal
Marche dans la voix de Dieu
Observe ma volonté
L'abîme de la honte tu ne connaîtras
Mes justes lois
Instruit ton coeur en ma droiture.
Aime moi de tout ton coeur,
de toute ton esprit, de toute ton âme et de toute ta force vitale. (Souffle de vie)
Je te rendrai grâce
Laisse toi entièrement
à ce que je te dis
D'OBSERVER
TELLE DOIT ÊTRE TA VOLONTÉ
Beth
Écoute ma parole
Garde pur ton chemin
telle un enfant de Dieu.
Ne t'écarte point de mes commandements
Cherche moi de tout ton coeur
Ne point faillir en toi
La promesse que je t'ai dis
D'OBSERVER
De tout ton coeur
Apprend ma volonté
Béni seras -tu.
Le jugement de ta bouche
Soit toute énuméré de mes lèvres.
Que toutes richesses
Jubiles
Dans les témoignages de ma parole
Regarde mon chemin que je t'ai donné
Médite sur mes préceptes
N'oublie pas ma lois
tes délices
Tu les trouveras en fesant ma volonté
Gimel
Observe ma parole
tu vivras
Sois bon envers autrui
Merveille est ma voie
Regarde
Ouvre tes yeux
Ne cache point mes commandements
Car un étranger de la terre tu seras
En tout temps suit mon jugement
Si tu le désires
Que mes yeux se tourne vers toi.
Reste et guide ta vie sur mes normes divine.
Car t'en égarer tu seras maudit.
Les suivres te rendront parfait
Garde mon témoignage
ainsi
Tu ne connaîtras le mépris
Médite sur ma volonté
Ne parle jamais contre moi
Tu deviendras un homme parfait.
Mes conseilles met les dans ton coeur
De tout mon témoignage
Tu vivras tout les trésors de la vie.
Dalèt
Vivifie toi en moi
Car ton âme est collé à la poussière
Apprend mon adage
Énumère ma loi
Je te répondrai
Médite sur mes desseins
Tu comprendras mes préceptes
Relève toi en ma droiture
Ton âme ne connaîtra le chagrin
Grâce à ma loi
Tu te détourneras de la voie du mensonge
Conforme est ma loi
choisi la voie de JEHOVAH. (YHWH)
Guide tes actions vers ma justice
Immerge toi dans ma connaissance
Élargi ton coeur et marche dans la voie
De mes commandements
HÉ
Heureux ceux qui garde le chemin,
la voie de mon salut.
Enseigne toi, La voie de l'univers celle de ma sainte Parole.
Observe de tout ton coeur
Garde en toi
Tu comprendras, là ton cheminement
Guide toi au chemin de ma parole
Ne guide ton coeur vers le gain de ce système de choses.
Fléchis ton coeur et vivifie toi en mon royaume.
De ma parole
Libère tes yeux de l'illusion
Craint le Dieu Très Haut
Tiens tes promesses telle un fidèle serviteur
Que mes lois soit le bienvenu en toi
ainsi
Tu seras libéré de toutes insultes
Vivifie toi! Dans ma justice
Béni seras tu!
Désirs mes préceptes
Telle doit être ta volonté
zayin
Garde les promesses qui viennent de ton coeur
Ton salut est en mon dessin
Amour du Dieu Très Haut
Garde ma parole
Aucune riposte et insulte est ma Parole.
Espère en ma promesse et en mon royaume
Guide ta bouche vers la parole de la vérité.
Toujour et à jamais
Sans relâche
Médite sur ma parole que Je t'ai donné
Cherche mes préceptes
Engage ta démarche dans ton coeur
J'élargirai ta vie
Ne sois acerbe en ma parole
Quelle devienne un délice à ton palais.
Médite en ma volonté
Aime mon commandement
Ouvre les mains, Je te bénirai
TAV
Fonde ton espoir en ma volonté
Deviens mon serviteur
Rappelle toi de ma parole
Vivifie toi !En ma Sagesse
Je te délivrerai de ceux qui ton outragé
Reste sur la voie de ma loi
Console toi par la prière et la méditation venant de tout ton être.
Ma parole te soutiendra dans les moments difficiles de ta vie.
Reste dans le chemin que je t'ai donné.
Que ta colère garde l'amour en ma volonté
Je te délivrerai de ton impureté.
Préserve le coeur d'enfant que je t'ai donné
Sois ferme dans ton coeur
Louange mon Nom pour toujour.
Observe ma loi dans tout l'univers de ton être
De cette volonté, ton âme s'illumineras
Dans la nuit
Je me souviendrai de ton nom.
Garde en toi mes préceptes et souviens toi de mon Nom.
Elle sera ta délivrance éternelle.
AINSI TU CONNAÎTRAS MA PROMESSE DE VIVRE POUR TOUJOUR, AU PARADIS.
Amen
YHWH (JEHOVAH)
Erico
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Apprenons à craindre Jéhovah· 1 reply
“ La crainte de Jéhovah est le début de la sagesse. ” — PROVERBES 9:10.
IL FUT un temps où dire de quelqu’un craignait Dieu était un compliment. Beaucoup jugent aujourd’hui désuète et illogique l’idée de craindre Dieu. " Pourquoi craindre Dieu s’il est amour?" s’étonnent-ils. C’est que la crainte est à leurs yeux un sentiment forcément négatif, voire paralysant. Or, la crainte de Dieu, la vraie, est bien autre chose que de la peur et, comme nous allons le voir, elle ne se résume pas à un sentiment.
La Bible présente la crainte de Dieu sous un jour positif (Isaïe 11:3). Craindre Dieu, c’est éprouver envers lui un profond respect et désirer vivement ne pas lui déplaire (Psaume 115:11). C’est aussi accepter ses normes morales et s’y conformer strictement, appliquer dans notre vie ses critères du bien et du mal. Un ouvrage de référence indique que cette crainte salutaire exprime “ un rapport à Dieu, une disposition d’esprit dominante, qui incite à se conduire avec sagesse et à rejeter le mal sous toutes ses formes ”. La Bible dit d’ailleurs que “ la crainte de Jéhovah est le début de la sagesse ”. — Proverbes 9:10.
La crainte de Dieu influe sur de nombreux domaines de l’existence. Outre la sagesse, elle favorise la joie, la paix, la prospérité, la longévité, l’espoir, la confiance (Psaume 2:11 ; Proverbes 1:7 ; 10:27 ; 14:26 ; 22:4 ; 23:17, 18 ; Actes 9:31). Elle est étroitement liée à la foi et à l’amour. Pour tout dire, elle touche tous les aspects de nos relations avec Dieu et avec les humains (Deutéronome 10:12 ; Job 6:14 ; Hébreux 11:7). Craindre Dieu, enfin, c’est avoir la ferme conviction que notre Père céleste se soucie de nous personnellement et qu’il est disposé à pardonner nos transgressions (Psaume 130:4). Il n’y a donc qu’aux pécheurs non repentants que Dieu devrait inspirer de la terreur. — Hébreux 10:26-31.
APPRENONS À CRAINDRE DIEU
Puisqu’il est indispensable de le craindre pour prendre de sages décisions et recevoir ses bénédictions, comment "apprendre à craindre Jéhovah"
dans le bon sens du terme (Deutéronome 17:19) ? De nombreux exemples d’hommes et de femmes qui craignaient Dieu ont été consignés dans les Écritures “ pour notre instruction ”. (Romains 15:4.) Intéressons-nous à la vie de l’un de ces personnages, le roi David.
Saül, le premier roi d’Israël, avait la crainte du peuple, mais pas la crainte de Dieu. Cela lui a valu d’être rejeté par Jéhovah (1 Samuel 15:24-26). David, lui, était un homme qui craignait vraiment Dieu ; sa vie et son intimité avec Jéhovah en témoignent. Les nombreuses nuits à la belle étoile qu’il avait passées dans sa jeunesse à faire paître les moutons de son père l’avaient certainement aidé à comprendre ce qu’est la crainte de Jéhovah (1 Samuel 16:11). De l’immense univers, il n’avait contemplé qu’une infime partie, mais cela lui avait suffi pour saisir l’essentiel : Dieu mérite respect et adoration. “ Quand je vois tes cieux, les œuvres de tes doigts, la lune et les étoiles que tu as préparées, écrira-t-il plus tard, qu’est-ce que le mortel pour que tu penses à lui, et le fils de l’homme tiré du sol pour que tu t’occupes de lui ? ” — Psaume 8:3, 4.
Il était normal que David soit impressionné quand il comparait sa petitesse à l’immensité des cieux étoilés. Mais, loin de l’effrayer, cette connaissance le portait à louer Jéhovah. “ Les cieux proclament la gloire de Dieu, a-t-il écrit ; et l’œuvre de ses mains, l’étendue l’annonce. ” (Psaume 19:1). Ce profond respect le rapprochait de Jéhovah ; il lui donnait envie d’apprendre ses voies parfaites et de les suivre. Percevez-vous les sentiments qui l’habitaient quand il chantait ce psaume : “ Tu es grand et tu fais des choses prodigieuses ; tu es Dieu, toi seul. Instruis-moi de ta voie, ô Jéhovah ! Je marcherai dans ta vérité. Unifie mon cœur pour craindre ton nom. ” — Psaume 86:10, 11.
Quand les Philistins ont envahi le pays d’Israël, leur champion, Goliath, a provoqué les Israélites du haut de ses trois mètres. " Envoyez donc quelqu’un m’affronter en combat singulier ! les narguait-il. S’il me bat, nous serons vos serviteurs. " (1 Samuel 17:4-10). Saül et toute son armée étaient terrifiés. Mais pas David. S’il devait craindre quelqu’un, c’était Jéhovah, et non un homme, si fort soit-il. “ Je viens vers toi avec le nom de Jéhovah des armées, a-t-il lancé à Goliath. [...] Et toute cette assemblée saura que ce n’est ni par l’épée ni par la lance que Jéhovah sauve réellement, car à Jéhovah appartient la bataille. ” Grâce à Jéhovah, une fronde et une pierre ont suffi à David pour abattre le géant. — 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
Il peut arriver que nous nous trouvions devant des obstacles ou des ennemis aussi intimidants que ceux qu’a dû affronter David. Que faire alors ? Imiter David et d’autres fidèles du passé en s’armant de la crainte de Dieu. La crainte de Dieu l’emporte sur la crainte de l’homme. À ses compatriotes en butte à l’opposition, le fidèle Nehémia a adressé cette exhortation : “ N’ayez pas peur à cause d’eux. Souvenez-vous de Jéhovah le Grand et le Redoutable. ” (Nehémia 4:14). C’est parce qu’ils avaient son soutien que David, Nehémia et d’autres ont réussi à faire ce que Jéhovah attendait d’eux. Nous le pourrons également si nous craignons Dieu.
Après celle sur Goliath, Jéhovah a accordé d’autres victoires à David. Jaloux, Saül a tenté de tuer le jeune homme, d’abord dans un geste de colère, puis par des moyens détournés, enfin en mobilisant toute une armée contre lui. Même si David avait reçu l’assurance qu’il serait roi, pendant des années il a dû fuir, se battre, et attendre le moment fixé par Jéhovah. Dans toutes ces situations, il ne s’est jamais départi de sa crainte du vrai Dieu. — 1 Samuel 18:9, 11, 17 ; 24:2.
À un moment donné, David s’est réfugié auprès d’Akish, le roi de Gath, ville philistine d’où était originaire Goliath (1 Samuel 21:10-15). Les serviteurs d’Akish l’ont dénoncé comme ennemi. Comment a-t-il réagi à cette situation périlleuse ? Il s’est confié à Jéhovah de tout son cœur (Psaume 56:1-4, 11-13). Il s’est finalement sorti du guêpier en simulant la démence, mais il était bien conscient de devoir son salut à Jéhovah, qui avait béni son stratagème. David a prouvé qu’il craignait vraiment Dieu en plaçant toute sa confiance en lui. — Psaume 34:4-6, 9-11.
À l’exemple de David, nous montrerons que nous craignons Dieu en ayant confiance en sa promesse de nous aider dans les épreuves. “ Roule ta voie sur Jéhovah, compte sur lui, et c’est lui qui agira ”, a affirmé David (Psaume 37:5). Cela ne veut pas dire qu’il faut mettre nos problèmes entre les mains de Jéhovah sans rien faire d’autre qu’attendre son intervention. David ne s’est pas contenté de prier et de voir venir. Il a cherché une solution à son problème en utilisant les capacités physiques et intellectuelles dont Jéhovah l’avait doté. Pour autant, il ne pensait pas que ses efforts d’humain suffiraient. Cette façon de voir devrait aussi être la nôtre. Faisons tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir, puis laissons Jéhovah se charger du reste. Cela étant, il est fréquent que nous ne puissions rien faire d’autre que compter sur Jéhovah. C’est là que la crainte de Dieu revêt un caractère très personnel. Combien est réconfortante cette réflexion de David : “ L’intimité avec Jéhovah appartient à ceux qui le craignent. ” — Psaume 25:14.
Il s’agit donc de ne pas banaliser nos prières et nos relations avec Dieu. Lorsque nous nous ‘ avançons ’ vers Jéhovah, nous devons “ croire qu’il est, et qu’il devient celui qui récompense ceux qui le cherchent réellement ”. (Hébreux 11:6 ; Jacques 1:5-8.) Et quand il vient à notre aide, il nous faut, conformément au conseil de l’apôtre Paul, ‘ nous montrer reconnaissants ’. (Colossiens 3:15, 17.) Ne ressemblons jamais à ceux dont un chrétien oint expérimenté a dit : “ Ils prennent Dieu pour une sorte de garçon de café. Ils aimeraient qu’il réponde à un claquement de doigts dès qu’ils ont besoin de quelque chose, et qu’il disparaisse dès qu’ils ont eu ce qu’ils voulaient. ” Où est leur crainte de Dieu ?
Le fait que Jéhovah l’ait secouru a augmenté la confiance et la crainte que David éprouvait envers lui (Psaume 31:22-24). Trois fois, cependant, David a mis notablement sa crainte de Dieu entre parenthèses, ce qui a eu des conséquences tragiques. La première fois, c’est quand il a décidé de faire transporter l’arche de l’alliance à Jérusalem sur un chariot, et non sur les épaules des Lévites comme le prescrivait la Loi. Ouzza, qui conduisait le chariot, a saisi l’Arche pour l’empêcher de tomber. Dieu l’a fait mourir sur le champ pour cet “ acte d’irrévérence ”. Certes, Ouzza avait commis un péché grave, mais c’est bien David qui, pour n’avoir pas respecté la Loi divine, était responsable de ce drame. Craindre Dieu suppose que l’on fasse les choses comme lui l’entend. — 2 Samuel 6:2-9 ; Nombres 4:15 ; 7:9.
Une autre fois, sous l’impulsion de Satan, David a procédé au dénombrement des hommes de guerre en Israël (1 Chroniques 21:1). Là encore, il a cessé momentanément de craindre Dieu, ce qui a coûté la vie à 70 000 de ses compatriotes. Bien qu’il se soit repenti devant Jéhovah, lui et le peuple ont beaucoup souffert en la circonstance. — 2 Samuel 24:1-16
C’est aussi parce qu’il avait oublié sa crainte de Dieu que David a couché avec Bath-Shéba, la femme d’Ouriya. David savait qu’il était mal, non seulement de commettre l’adultère, mais aussi de désirer la femme d’un autre (Exode 20:14, 17). Tout a commencé quand il a aperçu Bath-Shéba qui se baignait. La crainte de Dieu lui commandait de détourner son regard immédiatement et de maîtriser ses pensées. Mais il a manifestement ‘ continué à regarder ’, si bien que la passion l’a emporté sur sa crainte de Dieu (Matthieu 5:28 ; 2 Samuel 11:1-4). David a oublié que Jéhovah devait être présent dans tous les domaines de sa vie. — Psaume 139:1-7.
De son adultère avec Bath-Shéba est né un fils. Peu après, Jéhovah a envoyé le prophète Nathân dénoncer le péché de David. Retrouvant la crainte de Dieu en même temps que la raison, celui-ci s’est repenti. Il a supplié Jéhovah de ne pas le rejeter et de ne pas lui retirer son esprit saint (Psaume 51:7, 11). Jéhovah lui a pardonné et a atténué le châtiment, mais il ne lui a pas épargné toutes les conséquences de ses actes. Le fils de David est mort ; les malheurs se sont succédé dans sa famille. Quel prix à payer pour avoir momentanément fait abstraction de la crainte de Dieu ! — 2 Samuel 12:10-14 ; 13:10-14 ; 15:14.
Aujourd’hui de même, ne pas craindre Dieu dans le domaine de la moralité peut avoir des conséquences graves et durables. Imaginez la douleur de cette jeune femme qui découvre que son mari chrétien l’a trompée lors d’un déplacement professionnel à l’étranger. Choquée, anéantie par le chagrin, elle enfouit son visage dans ses mains et pleure toutes les larmes de son corps. Combien de temps faudra-t-il au mari infidèle pour regagner la confiance et le respect de sa femme ? Des situations aussi pénibles peuvent être évitées grâce à la crainte de Dieu. — 1 Corinthiens 6:18.
Satan détruit les valeurs morales de la société humaine les unes après les autres, et il cherche particulièrement à corrompre les vrais chrétiens. Pour ce faire, il exploite le chemin le plus direct vers le cœur et l’esprit : nos sens, avec une prédilection pour l’ouïe et la vue (Éphésiens 4:17-19). Comment réagissez-vous quand, involontairement, vous vous trouvez exposé à des images ou à des paroles obscènes, ou encore en présence d’individus immoraux ?
Voyez le cas d’André. Cet ancien et père de famille est médecin dans un pays d’Europe. Quand il était de garde de nuit à l’hôpital, des collègues féminines avaient pris l’habitude d’épingler sur son oreiller des mots doux ornés de petits cœurs pour l’inviter à coucher avec elles. André s’interdisait résolument d’accorder la moindre pensée à ces avances. Mieux, pour se soustraire à cet environnement malsain, il a changé d’établissement. Sa crainte de Dieu s’est révélée sage et lui a valu des bénédictions, puisqu’il effectue aujourd’hui une partie de ses activités au siège des Témoins de Jéhovah de son pays.
Troquer nos précieuses relations avec Jéhovah contre quelque chose auquel nous n’avons pas droit : voilà où nous risquons d’en arriver en cultivant de mauvaises pensées (Jacques 1:14, 15). Si nous craignons Jéhovah, en revanche, nous nous tiendrons éloignés — et même nous nous écarterons délibérément — des gens, des lieux, des activités ou des divertissements qui pourraient nous faire baisser notre garde (Proverbes 22:3). Quel que soit l’inconvénient ou le sacrifice que cela implique, il n’est rien à côté de la perte de la faveur divine (Matthieu 5:29, 30). La crainte de Dieu nous commande de ne jamais nous exposer intentionnellement à quoi que ce soit d’immoral — à commencer par la pornographie sous toutes ses formes —, mais aussi de faire en sorte que nos yeux “ passent sans s’arrêter à la vue de ce qui n’est que néant ”. Soyons convaincus que Jéhovah, alors, nous ‘ gardera en vie ’ et nous donnera tout ce dont nous avons réellement besoin. — Psaume 84:11 ; 119:37.
Assurément, c’est toujours faire preuve de sagesse que de laisser la crainte de Dieu dicter nos actions. C’est aussi la source du vrai bonheur (Psaume 34:9)
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Please email me the Pure worship scripture via email tennyson@capemedia.co.za please I still have a problemdownloading the info.· 1 reply
Thank you
Tennyson Naidoo
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Prière de Moïse qui nous apprend un message important pour les enfants de Dieu de nos jours.· 1 reply
Ô Jéhovah, tu as été notre demeure de génération en génération.
Avant que les montagnes soient nées
ou que tu aies donné naissance à la terre et au sol productif,
depuis toujours et pour toujours, tu es Dieu.
Tu fais retourner le mortel à la poussière ;
tu dis : « Vous, fils des hommes, retournez à la poussière. »
Car, à tes yeux, mille ans sont comme le jour d’hier quand il est passé,
comme une veille pendant la nuit.
Tu emportes les humain ; ils deviennent comme un instant de sommeil.
Au matin, ils sont comme l’herbe qui germe.
Le matin, elle fleurit et se renouvelle,
mais le soir, elle se flétrit et se dessèche.
Oui, nous sommes consumés par ta colère
et terrifiés par ta fureur.
Tu mets nos fautes devant toi ;
à la lumière de ton visage, nos secrets sont dévoilés.
Nos jours déclinent à cause de ta fureur ;
nos années s’achèvent tel un murmure.
La durée de notre vie est de 70 ans,
ou de 80 ans si l’on est particulièrement robuste.
Mais elle est remplie de malheur et de chagrin ;
elle passe vite, et nous nous envolons.
Qui peut sonder la puissance de ta colère ?
Ta fureur est aussi grande que la crainte qui t’est due.
Apprends-nous à compter nos jours
pour que nous puissions acquérir un cœur sage.
Reviens, ô Jéhovah ! Jusqu’à quand cela va-t-il durer ?
Aie pitié de tes serviteurs.
"Au matin, rassasie-nous de ton amour fidèle,
pour que nous puissions crier de joie et nous réjouir tous les jours de notre vie.
Réjouis-nous pendant autant de jours que ceux où tu nous as affligés,
pendant autant d’années que celles où nous avons connu le malheur.
Que tes serviteurs voient ton action
et que leurs fils voient ta splendeur.
Que la faveur de Jéhovah notre Dieu soit sur nous !
Puisses-tu faire réussir l’œuvre de nos mains,
oui, fais réussir l’œuvre de nos mains. "
Celui qui habite dans le lieu secret du Très-Haut
logera à l’ombre du Tout-Puissant.
Je veux dire à Jéhovah : « Tu es mon refuge et ma forteresse,
mon Dieu en qui j’ai confiance. »
Car il te délivrera du piège de l’oiseleur
et de l’épidémie destructrice.
Avec ses plumes il te couvrira,
et sous ses ailes tu te réfugieras
Sa fidélité sera un grand bouclier et un mur protecteur.
Tu ne craindras ni les terreurs de la nuit,
ni la flèche qui vole pendant le jour,
ni l’épidémie qui rôde dans l’obscurité,
ni la destruction qui ravage en plein midi.
Mille tomberont à tes côtés
et dix mille à ta droite,
mais rien de cela ne s’approchera de toi.
Toi, tu ne feras que voir cela de tes yeux
quand tu assisteras à la punition des méchants.
Puisque tu as dit : « Jéhovah est mon refuge »,
tu as fait du Très-Haut ta demeure ;aucun désastre ne t’arrivera
et aucun fléau ne s’approchera de ta tente.
Car il donnera à ses anges un ordre à ton sujet,
pour te protéger où que tu ailles.
Ils te porteront sur leurs mains,
pour que ton pied ne heurte pas de pierre.
Sur le jeune lion et le cobra tu marcheras ;
tu piétineras le lion à crinière et le gros serpent.
Dieu a dit : « Parce qu’il a de l’affection pour moi, je vais le délivrer.
Je vais le protéger parce qu’il connaît mon nom.
Il m’appellera à l’aide, et je lui répondrai.
Je serai avec lui en temps de détresse.
Je le délivrerai et le glorifierai.
Je le rassasierai d’une longue vie
et je lui ferai voir mes actes sauveurs. »
"Au matin, rassasie-nous de ton amour fidèle,
pour que nous puissions crier de joie et nous réjouir tous les jours de notre vie.
Réjouis-nous pendant autant de jours que ceux où tu nous as affligés,
pendant autant d’années que celles où nous avons connu le malheur.
Que tes serviteurs voient ton action
et que leurs fils voient ta splendeur.
Que la faveur de Jéhovah notre Dieu soit sur nous !
Puisses-tu faire réussir l’œuvre de nos mains,
oui, fais réussir l’œuvre de nos mains."
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Bernice Krovocheck » T.B. (Twyla)
Twyla, I need Weekly meeting workbook week of October 5-11· 2 replies
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