this and several other articles are here: https://bitterwinter.org/excommunication-looking-for-a-balance-of-interests-between-opposite-freedoms/
Belgian Civil Rights Attorney's comments on the Ghent decision
by vienne 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Anony Mous
Recognized the name and sure, I do believe Yannick Thiels is an actual JW.
He has several “papers” decrying the anti-cult government apparatus in European countries. He has defended the WTBTS on blood transfusion and other things, his opinion is highly colored. The fact he quotes scripture in his defense of the organization kind of gives it away.
I do think this case is different enough, the legal strategy was well thought out, the case actually does not go after religious tenets as most prior cases have done, instead using the anti-discrimination statutes to go after the results (damages). So WTBTS is not forbidden from teaching the doctrine, which the Roman Catholic Church in its strictest form does as well, they just can’t tell people to discriminate on the basis of it.
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Diogenesister
I only had to get as far as the insinuation that JWs are baptised as fully informed adults, because they don't practice ",infant baptism", to know he's a Jehovah's witness.
No journalist would be so sly as to bring up that half truth as an excuse for shunning. Since a rudimentary investigation into the cult would demonstrate young children routinely get baptised and in fact the GB encourage it.
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vienne
I don't know if he's a Witness or not. His article does raise the question, though.
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ScenicViewer
No journalist would be so sly as to bring up that half truth as an excuse for shunning.
Very well said Diogenesister!
Watchtower literature has reported on baptisms of children as young as 6 and 8 yrs old. I recall an assembly part where the speaker said he was baptized at 6 yrs old too.
Do we read of small children, or even teens, being baptized in the Bible, or was it only adults? Jesus himself was about 30 I believe.
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vienne
I think we're over rating the ethics of journalists. Aside from which the author is an attorney, a profession with equally questionable ethics.
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Phizzy
I thought when I read the Article that the writer must be a JW, as he had repeated the lies the JW org use to cover up how evil the Shunning is. The the biggest lie is the untruth that JW's exercise their individual conscience and then practice Shunning, we who have been JW's know for sure that if you do not shun someone who is Disfellowshipped , action by the Congregation Elders swiftly follows.
More than likely too, if an individual is no longer associating, but not actually DF'd, that the Elders would haul you in front of them for associating with that person
How many JW's would actually shun if it was not imposed upon them ?
The writer of the Article is either a liar, or has been duped in to lying.
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Vidiot
Weren't their transfusion-related rules rejiggered in response to wanting registered charity status in Belgium?
Perhaps Belgium is finally onto their weasel-wording.
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Diogenesister
I think we're over rating the ethics of journalists.
Yes I worded that poorly.
What I mean to say is, even my rudimentary undergraduate studies permit me to visualise what a legal & philosophical challenge to the Ghent judgement would look like. Something you've previously pointed out absolutely could be made. Instead this tends to repeat the standard JW formula.