by redvip2000 55 Replies latest watchtower bible
Banning anything makes it more valued and in some quarters, worth fighting for. It bolsters exclusivist claims of possessing something sacred that the Devil seeks to suppress. Nice one Russia. By your well-intentioned act, you have furnished a massive ego-stroking coup to the Witnesses who win either way.
BTW, it is massively rich of a country with some of the worst human rights violations in the world judging the JWs to be a cult. A new high in hypocrisy has been achieved.
Like drugs?
Putin's only afraid of pussies, and the Governing Body are definitely pussies.
Which is the lesser of two evils here? Allowing access to the website of an organisation that, whilst having lots of critics and not being harmless, posses no real threat to the Russia or yet another example of poor judgement regarding free speech and human rights by the Russian state.
Jehovah's Witnesses are well used to operating without a web site and the PR capital to be made from this "persecution" is gold to JW media department. Dropping the jw.org website globally would do little to stem the recruitment of individuals since the work is still predominately face to face. On the other hand, having online resources in local languages that expose the reality of JW teachings is critical in helping ones to either avoid getting involved or waking them up.
I believe the action is deplorable. Russia is well on its way to returning to an autocratic state. The czars must have banned religion. The Russian Orthodox Church's cozy relationship with Putin is sickening. Let JW.org simply go down in a marketplace of ideas. I recall banned books in New Jersey in the 1950s and 1960s. I was telling some college students the other day what we had to go through to find a banned book. If something were banned, I was certain of its merit. One had to travel to Greenwich Village. There was a single store next to the state university that carried banned books. They had brown paper wrappers so you could not see the cover of the book. Horrors. In Newark, NJ, there would be a long, winding line full of students and executives to purchase the book. I was in high school and had no idea how the owners worked it with the police. My finds were treasured.
Banning JW.org will merely give it credibility with the intelligentsia. Who heard of Pussy Riot in America before their arrest in the Cathedral?
It disturbs me greatly as an American that Americans and other peoplel with British common law backgrounds are so delighted that a great blow against freedom of thought was struck. How is Putin such a nice, tolerant man? Do you believe the Russian Orthodox Church is low control? It is not the government's business. What if they banned your favorite TV show? Principles are important. The original US Const'n, basically drafted by Madison, was submitted to state ratifying conventions without any amendments. Madison and others, who were well acquainted with French and British politicla theory, believed the balances in the documents were adequate protections for freedom. The people of the states refused to ratify it without express amendments, known as the Bill of Rights. The first express right included freedom of religion. In your hatred of the WT, well-understood I assure you, you would lose much more valuable rights.
People not being interested or people being informed is a much better response to the WT. I was born-in. My mom was expelled from high school b/c of flag salute. She deserved to finish high school. Russians don't have much experience with freedoms. Americans should do better. Yet so many on this forum are ready to have a totalitarian government any day.
Just curious, if they ban jw.org, what happens if the WT simply registers a new domain? Perhaps, HaHaHaSuckersThisDomainIsNotBaned.com ... I am pretty sure it is open....
MMM
If there is a law against certain religious actions that the Russian government feels are extreme, then Christ's "Brothers" should respect that law. Why cause a fuss and drag God's name into court?? Surely JEHOVAH (tm) can bolster the sheeple in Russia without JW.ORG?? He can make the very stones cry out, right? This case is a lovers quarrel between a King and his whore.
Russia should just make JW.ORG have ads for Jwfacts and JW Survey, and Freeminds.org! That's the way to handle that problem. It the WTBTS hate info being censored then they shouldn't mind people having access to both sides of the issue. Someone needs to educate that Dr. of philosophy on cults. Send him an e-mail about Jwfacts.com.
DD
Terrible. No matter how crazy an idea is, it shouldn't be banned. Now, people should be held responsible for their actions and the WTS has gotten away with harming people via their shunning and blood policies. They should pay for that, but banning them or any other religion is not the answer.
This a terrible thing. Reminds one of the Stalin era.
Bangalore
