Swedish government declines to give JW financial support

by InquiryMan 56 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  InquiryMan

  it is a serious newspaper with a definite christian angle... Most of the news it carries are religious issues.

  The biggest tabloid in Sweden, Expressen, wrote an editorianl in favor of the governments decision to deny witnesses financial support.
• 

  quietlyleaving

  However, the government declined to accept the application, stating that the reason was that the JWs do not adhere to democratic values and standards and do not support mainstream values.

  the above is something for Jehovahs witnesses to think about.
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  InquiryMan

  Primarily the voting issue and view on bloodtransfusion ere issues of concern. Also I will suppose the shunning/DFs issues.
• 

  besty

  I found the Expressen article and Google did a passable job translating it:

  Johannes Forssberg: Stop sponsoring religions

  Jehovah's Witnesses are people who are accustomed to taking a "no".
  But they refuse to accept the government's decision not to provide them with state grants, said the newspaper the day.

  Religion
  It is rather odd. Jehovah's Witnesses have Why jam themselves in a system that is occupied by the evil, and yet it is right what will be swept away in "Armageddon" Jehovah's Witnesses do not vote and may not engage in political activities other than in Jesus' government, who will rule over the people of the coming millennium. Nor is financial worries causing witnesses to get to grips with Mammon. "Our economy is very good," says Lars Holm Kass at community headquarters for the day. "It is a question of vindication" he adds. This clears Jehovah's Witnesses motives. They have some image problems. It is partly because they have found so difficult to give accurate dates of earth destruction, that they oppose blood transfusions and that community's practices so often been described as cult like. But if they receive state subsidies, they will enter the religions beautiful room. Then it may be easier to knock the door and get the magazine guard tower sold. State's contribution to religious works in practice just as a quality of religions. Society awarded state grants will help the Government's view "to maintain and reinforce the fundamental values which society rests," as it says in a section of the law on aid to religious communities. You may instinctively feel that it sounds reasonable that Jehovah's witnesses are outside the definition. But when you see the community as the government honors our "core values" becomes one wonder about what these are. On the list of parishes receiving government grants are a number of literally believing Christian denominations, including Evangelical Lutheran Mission Bible-faithful friends. Roman Catholic Church may be several million as well as a number of Islamic communities. Common to these churches is that they stick to a strict sexual morality, perceives homosexuality as a sin and shudder at the very idea of female priests. There are those, of course, free. Those are their values. But hardly "society". Authority Board for state aid to religious communities have a follow-up report responded to those of us who believe that equality and tolerance are part of society's values. The Board believes that the fundamental values of "can not depend on ad hoc opinions of Swedish society ', but have a" universal and lasting imprint. " So we have an authority that appears to consider that the acceptance of homosexuality and women's equal rights is "temporary public opinion". Soon, we will revert to the more "universal" views, to abhor homosexuality and think women should be silent in church, right? Board for state aid to religious communities should be scrapped and support for the religious communities withdrawn. They must obviously think and feel like they want to, but not with financial and moral support from the state.

  Av Johannes Forssberg
  [email protected]
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  besty

  to inquiryman - do Witnesses in your opinion meet the test of public benefit?

  Leaving to one side the underlying argument that the State should stop supporting religions generally.
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  PSacramento

  Do JW's in Sweden Vote ??
• 

  sir82

  the reason was that the JWs do not adhere to democratic values and standards and do not support mainstream values.

  the above is something for Jehovahs witnesses to think about.

  Most JWs would be in agreement with that statement and quite proud of it.

  They would say "Democratic? No, we're theocratic! And 'mainstream values' reflect the wicked world under Satan's control."
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  So much for "voluntary donations"! Looks like Watchtower of Sweden needs the government to tax monetary donations out of the sheeples.

  I'm sure Jesus would have done the same, appealing to the Roman government, in order to get money out of his disciples.
• 

  PSacramento

  Isn't Carl Olof johanson from Sweden?

  Maybe he should write to the swedish government telling them how the WT treated him in such a "christian" way, LOL !
• 

  quietlyleaving

  besty I think I agree with inquiryman, if we put aside personal feelings, Jehovahs witnesses do have some significant arguments supporting that they provide benefits to the community, just as other religious/non religious groups do.

  But the blood transfusion issue, as it is no longer straightforward even for JWs to adhere to, can be seen to work against even their own community's interests. This would definitely be worth examining and focusing on by the Swedish government.

  Disfellowshipping and shunning and the extreme measures the WTS adopts, while at the same time pretending that they don't encourage extremism, is another issue that adversely affects both their own community and the community at large. Very often the government has to pick up the financial costs too.