Russia’s Top Court Bans Prosecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses for Group Prayer

[Pudgy]

Russia’s Top Court Bans Prosecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses for Group Prayer

Nov. 17, 2021

MT

Russia’s Supreme Court has banned the criminal prosecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses for joint worship, potentially putting an end to the law enforcement practice of jailing believers for prayer sessions.

The ruling could also affect the 152 convictions that have not yet entered into force or are being appealed, the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia organization said in a statement on its website Tuesday.

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Russia outlawed the nonconformist Christian denomination as “extremist” in 2017 and has since subjected thousands of worshippers to police raids, harassment and up to eight years of imprisonment. 

Russia’s Supreme Court binds law enforcement authorities to provide concrete evidence for the worshippers’ “criminal intent,” “extremist motives” and “prior collusion” — justifications for criminal prosecution that have been criticized as arbitrary.

The organization said the ruling poses “new challenges” for authorities to open criminal cases, search residences or “detain a person simply because he or she professes the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses or meets with another at a worship service.”

“Investigators will now have to justify the wording often used in indictment papers against Jehovah’s Witnesses,” it said.

The Supreme Court’s plenum ruled that joint prayers among members of banned religious organizations “consisting exclusively in the exercise of their right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, including through individual or joint profession of religion… do not contain elements of extremism.”

The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia noted that the country’s courts are under the obligation to “consider” the Supreme Court ruling when considering appeals.

The group said it “eagerly anticipates” how the Oct. 28 Supreme Court plenum ruling will affect the release of its members currently held in custody.

In its original 2017 “extremist” ruling, the Russian Supreme Court accused the Jehovah’s Witnesses of “propaganda of exclusivity” and signs of violating public safety.

The Soviet Union had exiled thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses, known for door-to-door preaching and an alternative interpretation of the Bible, to Siberia for anti-communist activities and their refusal to serve in the military.

 

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[Pudgy]

Make sure you read the link above in blue ......

It appears the Russian Orthodox Church's vendetta against Jehovah's Witnesses is about to unravel .....

....every once in a great while .... the innocent are set free, and even a blind pig finds an acorn.

[Arauna]

3 hours ago, Pudgy said:

Orthodox Church's vendetta against Jehovah's Witnesses is about to unravel ..

No disrespect, they will find new ways. There will be a break and then new attacks will start. Satan leaves and then comes back. 

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

1 hour ago, Arauna said:

No disrespect, they will find new ways. There will be a break and then new attacks will start. Satan leaves and then comes back. 

But at least it might be good for some JWs at this time. 

[BroRando]

Jehovah Witnesses have been going through the tribulation since the last days began. However, soo religion and its horde will begin thier tribulation once the last days come to their end in 2034.  

We are experienced and know how to survive, even without Kingdom Halls.  Soon... YES even though apostate and oppsers thein 2034 is a lifetime away, it's only a matter of months, then weeks, then days, then hours, them minutes. Pay her back twice as much!

You all need to run out there to protest your rights right Now... go go go!!  I'm gonna sip on some coffee and read my Watchtower. 😁

Zechariah 14:13

“In that day confusion from Jehovah will be widespread among them; and each one will grab hold of the hand of his companion, and his hand will come against the hand of his companion.

 

PS... Stop reading my articles... Thank You.

[BroRando]

2055.... the point of no return.

 

This 'timed event' represents the end of the system of things as we know it. The end of man-made societies, financial institutions, and finally, the dissolving of earthly governments. (Daniel 2:44) Say good-bye to your pension funds and retirement accounts. Even the gold and silver that was saved for bread and food will become something worthless. The Divine Warning has been given. "As for you, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.... And you will have to know that I am Jehovah." (Ezekiel 7:2-4) This will not be the time to preach the 'good news of the Kingdom.' That time will have passed. The time for 'the end' will have come! (Matt. 24:14) Those @ (2 Timothy 3:1-5) will have been abandoned.

 

"Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and those who are sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying. (Rev 22:15)

 

No need to buy insurance because insurance companies will no longer exist. The World Economy will have collapsed and its supporters will be forced to take on the mark of the beast to stay alive, but they will only buy a few anguishing moments of an everlasting death.

"

Look, the day! Look, it is coming! Your turn has come; the rod has blossomed and presumptuousness has sprouted. Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness. Neither they nor their wealth nor their crowds nor their prominence will survive. The time will come, the day will arrive. Let the buyer not rejoice, and let the seller not mourn, for there is wrath against their whole crowd. For the seller will not return to what was sold, even if his life is spared, for the vision is against the entire multitude. No one will return, and because of his error, no one will preserve his life. They have blown the trumpet, and everyone is ready, but no one is going to the battle, because my wrath is against the whole multitude. The sword is outside, and the pestilence and the famine are inside. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword, and famine and pestilence will consume those in the city. Their survivors who manage to escape will go to the mountains, and like the doves of the valleys, each one will moan over his error. All their hands will hang limp, and all their knees will drip with water. They have put on sackcloth, and shuddering has seized them. Everyone will be put to shame, and every head will be bald. They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will become abhorrent to them. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of Jehovah’s fury. They will not be satisfied, nor will they fill their stomachs, for it has become a stumbling block causing their error." (Ezekiel 7:10-19)

 

"Then the kings of the earth, the high officials, the military commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, and every free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they keep saying to the mountains and to the rocks: “Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,  because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:15-17)

 

So what are the mountains and the rocks that the animalistic crowd wants to hide inside of in order to escape the impending destruction? The majority of mankind will seek refuge in human organizations, societies, financial institutions, and academia, that are likened to “the rocks of the mountains. To remain faithful, will we be willing to experience material loss? Will we be ready to do whatever is required of us to prove our loyalty to Jehovah? Just think! At that time, we will be the only ones following the example of the ancient prophet Daniel by continuing to worship our God no matter what.—Dan. 6:10, 11. Remember the account of Daniel in Babylon. Stay faithful to the end! The Truth... it's coming and you can't stop it!

 

No doubt, God’s people will proclaim a hard-hitting judgment message. This may well involve a declaration announcing that Satan’s wicked world is about to come to its complete end. The Bible likens this message to hailstones when it says: “Great hailstones, each about the weight of a talent, fell from heaven on the people, and the people blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, for the plague was unusually great.”—Rev. 16:21.

 

Spiritually speaking, God’s people will stand out as unique, “in the center of the earth,” as it were. This will be too much for the nations. Jesus states in his prophecy about the conclusion of this system of things: “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation. People will become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:25-27) And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30)

 

The ones lamenting or expressing grief are in the process of dying the second death of an everlasting destruction. They witness that Jehovah's people are) protected and have plenty to eat, even those who were imprisoned. Jehovah in the past has fed his people by the means of animals and angels. Jesus by the aid of holy spirit fed thousands with a few loafs and fish and with a little instruction, taught his followers to catch a multitude of fish when there were seemingly none to catch. Knowing about 2055 doesn't give you special protection. It's the faith you exercise beforehand by going to the Kingdom Hall while we still have them and then staying faithful after we don't. Jehovah, the God of gods and Revealer of secrets will extend his undeserved kindness towards you, but YOU need to act. (Daniel 2:47) Get the Answers you Deserve to keep on living into Christ's Millennial Reign... JW.org

 

The weeds of apostate christians who have left our brother will have all died the death befroe 2055.

 

lamentation [ lam-uh n-tey-shuh n ] noun: the act of lamenting or expressing grief. Armageddon starts off in a Spiritual Matter then ends in a Physical Matter once the 1,000 years come their end when Jesus hands the Kingdom back to his Father. "They will dwell on it in security and build houses and plant vineyards, and they will dwell in security when I execute judgment on all those around them who treat them with scorn; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah their God." (Ezekiel 28:26 )

 

Gog of Magog...

The Sealing of the 144,000 - Free eBook

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

52 minutes ago, BroRando said:

This 'timed event' represents the end of the system of things as we know it.

Wow 2055 another 'date'. What happened to 2034 ? Oh yes it's still in there somewhere. 

54 minutes ago, BroRando said:

The weeds of apostate christians who have left our brother will have all died the death befroe 2055.

but you've just said 

55 minutes ago, BroRando said:

So what are the mountains and the rocks that the animalistic crowd wants to hide inside of in order to escape the impending destruction? The majority of mankind will seek refuge in human organizations, societies, financial institutions, and academia, that are likened to “the rocks of the mountains

The Watchtower (society) and JW Org / CCJW are only human organizations.

Wake up Billy, you are just part of a human organsation. An org that will not exist at Armageddon. 

Russia has given an example of what it can do to the Watchtower / JW Org. Do you not think that the American government will desroy Warwick and Ramapo at some time ????? 

1 hour ago, BroRando said:

It's the faith you exercise beforehand by going to the Kingdom Hall

You need a building to give you faith ?  No billy it goes much deeper than that. 

1 hour ago, BroRando said:

"Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and those who are sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying. (Rev 22:15)

You use this scripture but so could any other so called Christian religion. Because the sexual immorality inside JW Org has been proven and is still being proven. And serving the GB and the Watchtower Soc' / JW Org proves idolatry of JWs. And as for lying, so much proof has been given in courtrooms about Elders lying. And it seems clear that the GB continue to lie about the CSA database. 

1 hour ago, BroRando said:

Spiritually speaking, God’s people will stand out as unique,

Yes they will. But they will not be JWs at that time. 

Billy, Every word you have written in your comment above can be used against you and against the JW Org. 

[Pudgy]

11 hours ago, BroRando said:

PS... Stop reading my articles... Thank You.

Ok, if you insist.

You write articles?

[TrueTomHarley]

On 11/21/2021 at 12:50 AM, Pudgy said:

and even a blind pig finds an acorn

And sometimes a faithful mutt really proves a good boy. Good catch, Bowser. Have a biscuit. 

Will it be that persecution has at last turned a corner? If so, it will be be as Mark Sanderson spoke, in both English and Russian, to the Russian brotherhood back in 2017—that a time of testing was about to commence, but it would be a Revelation 2:10 time, during which “the Devil will keep on throwing some of you into prison so that you may be fully put to the test, and you will have tribulation for ten days.” Ten days is not forever. It seems like it at the time, but it is not.

An end, or even a lull, in an intense time of persecution is a very good thing. The organization is still banned, of course, as is even the preferred Bible. But if the words of the Supreme Court count for anything, authorities won’t be able to beat up on people anymore simply because they are Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

And how have the brothers comported themselves? “There are almost no instances of renunciation of the faith among them,” says Credo Press, Nov 8, 2021, as translated here: When all is done (it is not yet) will this be another instance in which, upon passing trial, the brothers soon gain more members than going in? People take note when plainly innocent persons remain true to their conviction despite unjust trial.

How bad has it become? Says the same CredoPress source of a sentence only days before this Court opinion: “Eight years! In Russia a criminal may receive even less time for murder or rape. Innocent conversations about the Bible are equated with horrible crimes.” It is only the most unhinged crazies that would do such things, and people take note when ones stand fast despite it.

Remember three years ago when Putin said he really didn’t understand why Jehovah’s Witnesses were persecuted? I spun those words into the title of a book. He had been specifically asked about it during a meeting of government ministers. He not only expressed bewilderment but said, “This must be looked into. This must be done.” The brothers were cautiously optimistic, but only cautiously. Don’t Know Why stated: “After all, if you were a Russian cop, would you beat up on one of them after what the President just said?” followed by a later edit reading: “It turns out they would.”

Most things from government move at a snail’s pace. One year after Putin’s remarks, another person called attention to his words. “Two years later, at a meeting of the Human Rights Council, human rights defender Alexander Verkhovsky again pointed out to the Head of State the absurdity of prosecuting believers whose organizations had been banned; as a result, the President issued new instructions to the Supreme Court to prepare explanations regarding the generalization of court practice in cases related to violations of legislation on religious associations.”

That President Putin should express puzzlement over the Witnesses in the first place suggests that he read a few of that flood of letters sent him. I think it was Pudgy’s that did the trick, not necessarily the letter itself, but the half chewed bone he sent with it. Doubtless the President appreciated the earnestness to make such a sacrifice. 

Remember, the stated intent of the letter writing campaign was to provide a witness—to keep this undeserved harassment of peaceful people and the integrity they display on center stage. The letter in which the Governing Body invited members to write those letters contained the following goals:

1. drawing international attention to the situation.

2. giving evidence of one's love for their brothers in Russsia

3. support fellow Christians who face persecution

Thus, everyone who took part in letter writing can take comfort that, even if in a tiny way, they contributed toward this recent favorable development. It sure beats sitting on one’s hands and doing nothing.

A common theme of prior convictions is that the Witness defense would ask of the prosecutor just who was injured by the defendant’s actions—and the prosecutor invariably declined to name anyone. That’s because there was no one. Now they have to name an injured party, says the Supreme Court opinion, and of course, they can’t—because no one is ever injured. It’s just pure religious hatred—in a country that says it has freedom of worship. At last, the contradiction is too blatant to ignore.

Perhaps there will yet be a further victory, hard won though it be, it has happened before. Says the Credo article cited above: “The state should recognize its mistake and …should issue an apology to believers, as was done by Russian President Boris Yeltsin,” for prior years of repression—which were bad, but not as bad as the present in terms of violence. Bro Sivulsky pointed that out. People were arrested back then, but they were not beaten.

Maybe it will even be like when Paul and Barnabas were arrested with much violence and then the next day the authorities wanted to release them quietly. “Paul said to them: ‘They flogged us publicly, uncondemned, though we are Romans, and threw us into prison. Are they now throwing us out secretly? No, indeed! Let them come themselves and escort us out.’” (Acts 16:37)

I don’t think so, Paul said, They’ll release us with as much fanfare as they arrested us. 

 

[Pudgy]

…. 
 

[Pudgy]

Here in the United States, during the turmoil of the 1960s when men were being drafted (inducted into slavery against their will) to defend the United States against real or imagined enemies in Vietnam amongst the hippie population there were many posters about, and I remember one of them something to the effect of “if you were accused of being a Christian, would they have enough evidence to convict you.”

I think 447 days of incarceration is a pretty good “conviction”, And the Honorable part about it is that he was innocent of any real wrongdoing.

He was framed by the Malice and mischief of truly evil people.

I highly suspect that this Brother will look back on this experience as a shining point of his life …… For the rest of his life.

[Pudgy]

On 11/21/2021 at 9:15 AM, BroRando said:

The weeds of apostate christians who have left our brother will have all died the death befroe 2055.

In order not to have ZERO credibility, you may want to share your calculations with us (".... show your work, as the math teacher used to direct in 7th grade ...".

If one doe not have to show ones' work, I predict the year 2525 ... if man is still alive, they may find ....