Anti-Watchtower Billboard In Russia

by Bangalore 25 Replies latest jw friends

  • cedars
    cedars

    Wow, I just found this interactive map on the Society's website entitled "Harassment and Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia"!

    http://www.jw-media.org/rus/incidents_map_e.htm

    To be honest, I have no idea what's going on - I'd be grateful if one of our Russian posters could enlighten me. It looks like the Russian government WANTS to outlaw Jehovah's Witnesses, but nothing appears to officially acknowledge this on the Society's website. The billboard seems to indicate that a ban is up and running. Shame we can't read the smallprint in the bottom right hand corner of the ad. Here's the Society's page on Russia:

    http://www.jw-media.org/rus/index.htm

    Cedars

  • cedars
    cedars

    I'm not sure how true the following story is about a JW setting himself on fire:

    http://en.ria.ru/Religion/20120423/172995748.html

    One interesting point from the article is "The Jehovah's Witnesses, which has some seven million followers worldwide and over 200,000 in Russia, have already been banned in a number of Russian regions and in some former Soviet republics." - this may explain the billboard. It seems JWs are banned in some parts of Russia, but not others.

    Cedars

  • Lady Lee
  • BluesBrother
  • steve2
    steve2

    I applaud any reasonable effort to speak out against the Watchtower Society. But isn't it rich that in Russia, a state world "infamous" for deadly abuses of human rights, a billboard accuses the Watchtower of being totalitarian? Talk about pot calling the "little" kettle black.

  • cedars
    cedars

    Shame the guy who's being interviewed doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

    Muslim fasting = refusing blood transfusions? Do me a favour!!

    Cedars

  • wha happened?
    wha happened?

    Well thanks to all the laws regarding slander, that billboard would never appear here. I would personally like it to, but no way in this day and age in this country

  • james_woods
    james_woods

    I have expressed this before when the Russian treatment of JWs comes up - but here it is again:

    While we ex-JWs may get a little free chuckle out of this - let's remember that this is open suppression of religion by a near-totalitarian state.

    Let us be thankful that most of us live in countries like the U.S. where we have freedom of religion.

  • cedars
    cedars

    While we ex-JWs may get a little free chuckle out of this...

    I don't find it funny at all. I like the idea that the Society is being hampered at indoctrinating millions of Russians, but that's as far as it goes. In the broader picture, the negatives of this bigoted, provocative and frankly hypocritical approach by the state far outweigh the positives. And that's putting it mildly. I take no pleasure in thinking of all the poor brothers and sisters being beaten and imprisoned by angry civilians and policemen who have been incited by signs such as this. They are to be deeply pitied, and the blame lies squarley at the doors of the Kremlin.

    Do we want these Russian men and women to be free mentally? Absolutely. Do we find it funny that they are beaten and persecuted due to their indoctrination? Absolutely not.

    Cedars

  • james_woods
    james_woods

    Exactly what I meant, Cedars.

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