Hello everyone,
following the link given, again by Kent (thanks a lot)
http://www.house.gov/international_relations/full/relminor/brumley.htm
I have taken some quite interesting comments, from the:
“HEARING BY HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Rayburn House Office Building
June 14, 2000
THE TREATMENT OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN WESTERN EUROPE
Effect on Institutional Level and Personal Lives
Presented by Philip Brumley
General Counsel for Jehovah’s Witnesses”
All starts with a declaration:
”We will provide some details of these trends using France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Sweden as examples. The following facts speak for themselves and document the current state of the basic human right of religious self-determination in Western Europe.”
in France:
“Certainly Jehovah’s Witnesses are not a "new" religious movement and can hardly be called a "minority" religion when we are the third-largest Christian religion in France.”
in Germany:
“The right of Jehovah’s Witnesses to remain neutral in politics has again become the focus of a legal struggle over our right to have the same legal status that is granted to other recognized religions. The denial of this favored status to Jehovah’s Witnesses is based on our Bible-based and historical stand of not electing individuals to political office.”
“It was decided that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not have the degree of loyalty required by the German State to extend favorable-status treatment. This decision is based on the fact that historically Jehovah’s Witnesses refrain from participation in political elections or holding political office.”
“Due to this federal-level decision, the finance authorities then took the unwarranted step to rescind the permanent nature of tax exemptions granted to associations owning the houses of worship for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany. These authorities, in anticipation of a negative outcome, are poised to declassify Jehovah’s Witnesses’ corporations as not being of "common benefit."
in Austria:
“After 20 years of seeking to be classified as a religion in Austria and just when the courts were close to obligating the government to do so, the government passed a new law setting up a special religious category called "confessional community." We are the only religion immediately affected by this law. Under this new law, we are now required to wait an additional 10-year probationary period before we may once again apply for recognition as a religion. As a result, this new law automatically and deliberately extends Jehovah’s Witnesses’ 20-year struggle into a 30-year wait.”
“The classification of "confessional community" does not allow for performance of marriage rites, pastoral visits to hospitals or prisons, recognition of ministers who are free from military and civil service, or tax advantages. “
in Sweden:
“. We are pleased to report that on March 13, 2000, the government registered Jehovah’s Witnesses as a religious community.
However, Sweden’s labor and tax laws evidently make no exceptions for members of religious orders or other religious workers.”
“Because of a lack of any acknowledgment of "volunteerism" even based on religious devotion, the Swedish government is in effect dictating how much time and energy one can devote to godly endeavors within the context of a monastic arrangement.”
“In most nations Jehovah’s Witnesses have a national office that coordinates, under the direction of the Governing Body in New York, the religious activities of adherents in that land. Those serving in these offices belong to a religious order and provide their services free of charge.”
“Instead of recognizing the monastic nature of our office in Sweden, the authorities there are obligating each member of that office to pay a tax on any service he or she receives from others who also serve there.”
“For example, a volunteer member of our religious order in Sweden receives approximately $100 to reimburse him for personal expenses incurred during the month. The tax imposed adds up to $937, almost 10 times the cash income that he receives.”
“Unhappily, this situation is not limited to Sweden, but is becoming more frequent throughout Western Europe.”
part of the conclusion:
“. European labor and tax authorities are arbitrarily imposing an "employer/employee" relationship to the religious activities engaged in by those of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are privileged to become members of the Order of Special Full-Time Servants, as our international religious order is known.”
“Are governments, who laud religious freedom and human rights on the one hand, acting consequentially when they limit "religious activities" to what they narrowly and arbitrarily define as "worship"? What is the solution?”
this is the final request from “Philip Brumley General Counsel for Jehovah’s Witnesses” :
“Until that time arrives under God’s Kingdom rule, I appeal to this committee to use its influence to protect and reinforce the universally recognized right of religious freedom in Western Europe.”
My comment is: how many JW’s in Europe and even in the USA are aware of these things? Furthermore, how many will be surprised to know about the – terminology – used by the General Counsel? i.e. :
- religious orders;
- monastic arrangement;
- the monastic nature of our office in Sweden;
As a matter of fact , in a very recent Awake! October 8, 2001, page 13 it was written
“ Monasticism was one of the more powerful religious trend in the empire...”
Again, one language for the R&F and another one for the ...politicians.
Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp