Jehovah’s Witnesses former members tell court they were subjected to ‘total control’

[Guest Nicole]

MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Russia’s Supreme Court has heard the testimony of four former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who said they had been subjected to ‘total control’ in that religious organization, with no possibility to receive higher education or start a family, TASS reports from the courtroom.

Specifically, witness Natalia Koretskaya from St. Petersburg told the court she had been a member of that organization from 1995 to 2009 and had realized over this period that the organization’s members “were living under full and total control of the [Jehovah’s Witnesses] Administrative Center.”

“The heads of the Jehovah’s Witnesses formally watch canonical compliance with the norms but in real fact the talk is about total control of an individual’s personal life – his intimate life, education and work,” witness Koretskaya said.

In response to the court’s request to give the facts of such control, Koretskaya said she had been expelled from the religious organization and its members had been banned to communicate with her after she had started close but officially unregistered relationship with a man.

“Therefore, a person turns out to be expelled into the outer world, in which he has already forgotten how to live over the years of his stay in the organization,” Koretskaya said.

The Justice Ministry’s second witness, Pavel Zverev, told the court he had become a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses at the age of 16 and had not received higher education on persuasion of the organization’s heads.

“It is accepted in the organization that receiving higher education is useless if this is not in the organization’s interests. As a result of such persuasion, I remained without education and I’m suffering from that in my life,” said Zverev who had worked as a volunteer for two years in the organization’s Administrative Center in the capacity of a cook.

The other two witnesses also said they had suffered from the religious organization’s excessive control of their private life and from the ban to communicate with its other members after quitting it, as well as from depression and alcoholism.

Thus, witness Nina Petrova from Volgograd said that on persuasion of her spiritual mentors she did not marry and did not start a family. “They convinced me that a family was not needed as the doomsday was close at hand. And when I realized that this was a delusion, it was late,” Petrova said, adding that she had stayed in the organization for 28 years.

For their part, representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses said the witnesses had been prepared in advance for their testimony in the court.

“We see that the witnesses are giving testimony based on written materials, repeating the arguments of the so-called sectological literature. Some of them are mentioned in public sources as activists of the movements that are struggling with the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” a lawyer for the defendants said.

At its next hearing on April 19, the court is expected to study the written materials of the case and may hear the parties’ oral statements.

Essence of the lawsuit

In its lawsuit to outlaw the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Justice Ministry pointed to various violations in the organization’s activities revealed during a surprise inspection, including breaches of the Law on Counteracting Extremist Activities. The ministry has asked to recognize the organization and its 395 local branches as extremists, ban their activity and seize property.

For its part, the organization’s press service told TASS that they were alarmed by the decision, since it could affect 175,000 active believers. The Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman Ivan Bilenko said the organization was prepared to press for its rights in any courts.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses is an international religious organization that supports offbeat views on the essence of the Christian faith and provides special interpretations of many commonly accepted notions. In Russia, it had 21 local organizations but three of them were eliminated for extremism.

https://www.therussophile.org/jehovahs-witnesses-former-members-tell-court-they-were-subjected-to-total-control.html/

[derek1956]

Petrova the liar of the court, I know someone who knew her

[Ann O'Maly]

48 minutes ago, derek1956 said:

Petrova the liar of the court, I know someone who knew her

What did she lie about in court?

[derek1956]

She said that she had to leave her job, she didn`t, she said the witnesses told her to leave off a family because doomsday was near, she was baptized at about 33 yeas old, when she left she was about 60, ever since then she and her now husband persecutes JW`s

 

 

[JW Insider]

48 minutes ago, derek1956 said:

She said that she had to leave her job, she didn`t, she said the witnesses told her to leave off a family because doomsday was near, she was baptized at about 33 yeas old, when she left she was about 60, ever since then she and her now husband persecutes JW`s

I don't see that as evidence that she was lying, per se. The WTS made many people leave their jobs during the 27 years between the time she was baptized and the time she left. I once pointed out the hypocrisy of three elders in our congregation working, as professors and engineers for the University of Missouri's engineering departments where the labs, especially, were heavily supported by money coming through military budgets of the Federal Government. Yet these same elders, including my father, were repeatedly required to reprimand and finally even disfellowship a brother and some of his relatives who, as a painter and handyman, could not always maneuver his boss into letting him off the crew that once a year was assigned to paint and provide upkeep to an abandoned army base. Their usual work had nothing to do with the army base. The problem, of course, was that the brother continued losing his job and was treated to longer and longer secular probabation, and therefore it was his ability to support his family. Yet my father would accept the black box from any airline incident, military or civilian. Also, the military was able to take advantage of various semi-conductor inventions that came directly through my father's lab and even his own work. It's not that they didn't question the Society about the rules, but the rules were always in favor of white collar jobs and prejudiced against blue collar and t-shirt jobs.

This does not mean that Witnesses should be banned in Russia or anywhere else. Fortunately, the arguments by Petrova and other ex-JWs are very, very weak.

The ideas that will likely resonate the most are the arguments about separation of families and the difficulties of getting back into normal societal acceptance after leaving JWs. I don't know what the rules are in Russia about privacy of treatment for psychological disorders related to depression and alcoholism, but a Witness here in the United States tells me that it's a good thing for JWs that she can't reveal patterns she is aware of. 

Then again, it's also good to know that depression and alcoholism are not requirements of citizenship in Russia. We've been led to believe that they were.

[Ann O'Maly]

1 hour ago, derek1956 said:

She said that she had to leave her job, she didn`t

OK.

1 hour ago, derek1956 said:

she said the witnesses told her to leave off a family because doomsday was near, she was baptized at about 33 yeas old

That's believable. I personally know JWs who were pressured into not starting a family because 'the end was so close.' 

[derek1956]

No one is pressured into doing anything they don`t want to, Jehovah wants willingness not forced

[Ann O'Maly]

14 minutes ago, derek1956 said:

No one is pressured into doing anything they don`t want to, 

Baloney. 

 

[Mickey]

Really? Pressured to leave work. Seriously? I can give you countless of JW articles that encourages finding a job and keeping it and it's benefits (e.g. Awake July 8 2005 pp. 1-11). I admit, even some elders in some congregation may impose their personal opinions on you, but that is what it is - their personal opinion. That have nothing to do with being a Witness. Like Derek mentioned, there's no compulsion in serving God.

Quote

“They convinced me that a family was not needed as the doomsday was close at hand. And when I realized that this was a delusion, it was late,”

Who are they? Elders? Administrative center? or JWs as a whole? Well, I see JWs getting married all the time; From the governing body to the last of a publisher.

20 hours ago, JW Insider said:

Yet these same elders, including my father, were repeatedly required to reprimand and finally even disfellowship a brother and some of his relatives who, as a painter and handyman, could not always maneuver his boss into letting him off the crew that once a year was assigned to paint and provide upkeep to an abandoned army base.

Required? by who? As much as I can hardly see this to be true, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt. There is no such instruction to disfellowship any brother on such basis. The worst is the brother not being able to handle certain responsibilities in the congregation.

Please, next time, get your facts right. For all you know, that wasn't the basis for his disfellowshipment

[JW Insider]

1 hour ago, Mickey said:

Required? by who?

Harley Miller. (In 1967 through 1970)

2 hours ago, Mickey said:

There is no such instruction to disfellowship any brother on such basis. The worst is the brother not being able to handle certain responsibilities in the congregation.

In 1967 (same year I was baptized) we pretty much knew the reason that anyone was put on probation or disfellowshipped because up until about this time the reason was sometimes announced from the platform. Depending on the nature of the "conduct unbecoming a Christian" and knowledge of the infraction within the congregation, it might be announced the same week or the next week. The brother was the "literature servant" and the "accounts servant," and yes he would lose his privileges, and then gain them back in a few months. But the seriousness of the problem (to the point of disfellowshipping) was when he was caught trying to keep it hidden, and had been in trouble for the same thing two times previously. It was hard keeping things completely hidden, however, because of the extended family (his brother, cousins, nephews, uncles) --some Witnesses, some not-- who also worked for the same boss. In a congregation of only about 45 publishers, there was also unavoidable gossip, and everyone knew each other pretty well. (We sold our house to this brother's brother.)

Some scriptures or some appropriate Watchtower comments would also be read from the platform. For example:

*** w68 8/1 p. 455 Keeping Abreast with Jehovah’s Organization ***
Since then God’s people have obtained a better understanding of many teachings. . . .They also understand better many Bible principles and requirements, such as the need to keep wholly separate from the military and religious parts of Satan’s organization even in employment.
Jehovah’s organization being a moving, progressive one, those who would keep abreast with it must also make progress. . . .  How can we who are Jehovah’s witnesses today keep abreast with God’s rapidly advancing earthly organization? A basic factor toward our doing so is obedience. . . . Of Jesus Christ while on earth it was stated that he learned obedience from the things he suffered. We too, then, must learn obedience.—Heb. 5:8; 13:17.
There are four things that we must do to perfect our obedience. . . .

So it was no secret. And because we knew, that's why I asked my father about his own labs in the electrical engineering dept of the university. They would get electronic military equipment and one of their major funding sources was a large yearly grant from the DoD. Sometimes the university would be expected to respond to requests for research the DoD needed.

[Ann O'Maly]

2 hours ago, Mickey said:

I can give you countless of JW articles that encourages finding a job and keeping it and it's benefits (e.g. Awake July 8 2005 pp. 1-11).

I can give you countless JW articles encouraging the simplifying of one's life, which often includes giving up existing jobs to find less time-consuming and less demanding jobs in order to pioneer or serve where the need is greater (e.g. http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/lv/r1/lp-e/0/15468)

2 hours ago, Mickey said:

Well, I see JWs getting married all the time; From the governing body to the last of a publisher.

True, however there are those articles that encourage singleness to make room for theocratic activities. We do not know all the circumstances and influences that led her to remain single (unless she went into detail in court?). The time-frame may be relevant too as to whether the Russian JWs were under Soviet rule or one of the other bans. Attitudes can be far more 'black and white' under those situations. The experiences of a JW woman in Russia will likely be considerably different from those who live in other countries.

[bruceq]

On 4/13/2017 at 1:50 PM, Ann O'Maly said:

Baloney. 

 

ACTUALLY IT IS IRONIC THAT THE RUSSIANS AND OPPOSERS TRY TO SAY THE WITNESSES HAVE TOTAL CONTROL WHEN IT IS THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TRYING TO IMPOSE "TOTAL CONTROL" OVER YOUR RELIGIOUS VIEWS. JUST LIKE HITLER WANTED TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE WITNESSES. IF SOMEONE DOSEN'T LIKE BEING A WITNESS THEY CAN LEAVE WHEREAS HITLER PUT THEM IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND STALIN PUT THEM IN SIBERIA!

ACTS 2:42 SAYS: ^42 " And they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles"

DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO IMPERFECT MEN? INTERESTING - YET THAT IS JEHOVAH'S WAY. AND HIS WAY IS ALWAYS TO OUR BENEFIT EVEN IF YOU DO NOT REALIZE IT AT FIRST. I WOULD RATHER HAVE JEHOVAH AND HIS PEOPLE HAVING ANY KIND OF CONTROL OVER ME THAN SATAN AND HIS MINIONS. WE ARE "SHEEP" AND SHEEP ARE CONTROLLED OR LED BY SHEPHERDS. THAT IS JEHOVAH'S WAY.