JWs in Russia deliver tract "Could it happen again?"

by truthseeker 5 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  truthseeker

  Apologies if this has been posted...

  It looks like back to the future for the dubs in Russia

  For Immediate Release
  February 25, 2010

  Jehovah’s Witnesses address their fellow citizens

  RUSSIA—On February 26-28, 2010, throughout Russia, from the Chukchi Peninsula in the east to Kaliningrad in the west, a special campaign is taking place. For these three days, tens of thousands of Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses are offering their fellow citizens a tract entitled Could It Happen Again? A Question for the Citizens of Russia . Twelve million tracts will be distributed.

  Why did they decide to address this particular question? The Chairman of the Presiding Committee of the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, Vasily Kalin, said: “Sixty years ago in the Soviet Union, Jehovah’s Witnesses experienced an unprecedented wave of persecution and repression. Lately, a new wave, a systematic campaign of harassment is being carried out against Jehovah’s Witnesses; this time, some want to classify our literature and activity as extremist. Our meetings for worship are raided; worshippers are illegally detained, questioned, and searched. Their personal possessions are confiscated. In view of the seriousness of this situation, we, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, consider it necessary to provide our fellow citizens, not excluding government officials, with accurate information about ourselves, as well as about cases of the religious intolerance that we have encountered.”

  International concern has been expressed over the growing intolerance of religious freedom in Russia even though the Russian Constitution guarantees this fundamental human right. On January 20, 2010, an appeal, signed by more than 40 human rights experts in Russia and throughout Eastern Europe, was sent to the highest Russian authorities, urging an end to the harassment and repression that Jehovah’s Witnesses are subjected to.

  The last page of the tract states: “The tactics of innuendo and slander need not work on you. We hope that you will make the effort to see through such empty talk.”

  The tract can be read online in English and in Russian.

  http://www.jw-media.org/rus/publications/t83_e.pdf
• 

  truthseeker

  I can't help but laugh at the irony of the tract title, "Could it happen again?"

  How about "we lied to you for 130 years, will we do it again?"
• 

  truthseeker

  Here are some of their claims in the tract:

  CLAIM: Jehovah’s Witnesses endanger the State by
  sowing religious discord, claiming that theirs is the
  only true religion.

  CONSIDER: Do you know of any religion that does not
  claim to be the true one? After all, why would people adhere
  to a religion if they did not believe its tenets to be
  true? Really, then, all religions are equally liable to the
  same charge. Perhaps it is more meaningful to ask, ‘How
  are the adherents of a particular religion taught to treat
  those with different beliefs?’

  FACT: Jehovah’s Witnesses are not a danger to anyone.
  They are widely known for trying to live by Bible principles.
  They thus reject all forms of violence. (Matthew 26:
  52) They obey secular law. (1 Peter 2:13, 14) They endeavor
  to make peace in all spheres of life. (Romans
  12:18) A reference work edited by M. P. Mchedlov, Chairman
  of the Expert Council for State Expert Religious
  Studies With the Ministry of Justice, stated: “Jehovah’s
  Witnesses view government authority as an arrangement
  that exists by the permission of God. They do not violate
  the law, they respect order, and they are law-abiding.”

  CLAIM: Jehovah’s Witnesses are a destructive sect
  because they break up families.

  CONSIDER: In any family, religion can be a sensitive issue,
  particularly when one member adopts a different
  faith. Does that mean, though, that the religions involved
  are to blame for the discord? Or do the individuals bear
  responsibility for how they handle their new differences?
  For example, if strife arose in a family when one member
  converted to Orthodoxy or began to spend a great
  deal of time at the church, would the Orthodox Church be
  held responsible? Surely not!

  FACT: A sociological study carried out by Moscow University
  in 2001 found that the families of Jehovah’s Witnesses
  rarely break up. It stated: “The survey analysis
  shows no negative influence caused by the beliefs and
  religious activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses on inner-family
  relationships and on relationships between husbands
  and wives, parents and children.” The study found that in
  many ways, “a positive influence resulted from becoming
  a member.”

  CLAIM: Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse
  medical treatment.

  CONSIDER: If Jehovah’s Witnesses refused medical
  treatment, then they would not seek medical help; nor
  would they work as nurses or doctors. Actually, they actively
  seek the best medical care available for them and
  their children. They love life, and they love their children.
  They simply ask for medical care involving nonblood
  management.

  FACT: More and more hospitals around the world are offering
  medical treatment that does not involve the use of
  blood. Why? Because many doctors regard bloodless
  treatment as a higher standard of care. In 2004 the
  head transfusionologist of the Russian Ministry of Health
  stated that “refusing transfusions of the primary components
  of blood is not the same as refusing medical
  treatment.”

  “Scientific Conclusion Based on the Results of Sociological Research
  Conducted on the Religious Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Moscow.”
  Report by Dr. A. I. Antonov and Dr. V.M. Medkov of the Department
  of Family Sociology and Demography of the Sociological Faculty in
  the Lomonosov State University.

  Letter dated February 12, 2004, No. 20 from Ye. A. Selevanov, Director
  of the Russian Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology of
  the RF Ministry of Health to lawyer A. Ye. Leontyev, St. Petersburg International
  Board of Lawyers.
• 

  lepermessiah

  “The tactics of innuendo and slander need not work on you. We hope that you will make the effort to see through such empty talk.”

  That sounds like the meetings at the kingdom hall!
• 

  truthseeker

  Ah, this one's a classic...

  We urge you to find out for yourself
  the truth about Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  Our principal journal, The Watchtower,
  appears in 180 languages and has been
  published continuously for 130 years. Its
  circulation exceeds 30 million copies per
  issue. We invite you to read a copy
  along with your Bible. We look forward
  to hearing what you think.
• 

  donuthole

  JW's in Russia have violated the Russian constitution which permits freedom of religion but does not allow one religion to claim superiority and denigrate other faiths. The JW literature routinely does this. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. In the old days the Watchtower would just accept the ban and go underground. Not sure about the leadership of today. I'm interested to see their willingness to make concessions and bend to political muscle. I do think that that recent Awake! article which hypocritically talked about freedom to choose your own faith without destroying family bonds was a direct counter to some of the charges that Russia is making. In typical Witness style they will be able to fish out that magazine and say, "Hey, see we allow people to choose." nevermind the reality in the Organization.