The Watchtower Society want basic human rights but ''somehow'' deny disfellowshipped members theirs

by RULES & REGULATIONS 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  Jehovah’s Witnesses Imprisoned for Their Faith​—By Location

  Locations where Jehovah’s Witnesses are put in prison, sometimes under harsh conditions, for practicing their faith and exercising basic human rights.

  

  Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned for their faith as of August 2019
  

  WHERE	IMPRISONED	REASON
  Eritrea	52	Conscientious objection Religious activity Undisclosed reasons
  Russia	37	Religious activity
  Singapore	8	Conscientious objection
  Tajikistan	1	Religious activity
  Turkmenistan	10	Conscientious objection
  Total	108

  “The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion” is a fundamental human right, according to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. * In some lands, however, Jehovah’s Witnesses are denied this basic right and are unjustly jailed and even suffer cruel mistreatment. Most of those imprisoned were arrested merely for practicing their faith. Others are imprisoned for their conscientious objection to military service.

  Watchtower Society: Please don't lecture anyone on the denial of basic human rights when you take away the rights of disfellowshipped family members associating with their family and friends!

  
  

  "Despite our pain of heart, we must avoid normal contact with a disfellowshipped family member by telephone, text messages, letters, e-mails, or social media." Watchtower 2017 Oct p.16
  

  
  "Are you personally proving yourself holy with regard to not associating with family members or others who have been disfellowshipped?" Watchtower 2014 Nov 15 p.14
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  Bobcat

  Marked. Good post and appreciate the links. The WT's shunning propaganda is a vile corruption of Christianity, and is really meant to protect their authority, just as the shunning that went on in among the 1st century Jews was also meant to protect the authority of its religious leaders.

  Funny how human power tends to corrupt. (Eccl 4:1)
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  Bobcat posted:
  The WT's shunning propaganda is a vile corruption of Christianity.

  I've seen firsthand the basic human rights that have been denied to my disfellowshipped cousin in the last 20 years. He is not welcomed at anyone's home, never invited to any family weddings/ gatherings and cannot visit or talk to his grandparents. His father and his siblings refuse to see his 6-month-old baby. They sent a baby gift with a card only addressed to my cousin's wife and baby. They cannot even write his name on the card!
  
  
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  cha ching

  Agreed, the WT is the biggest hypocrite. It gets its members to believe two things at the same time every time.

  Pulling back the curtain to expose them is the beginning.

  Thx for the quotes and links!
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  Vidiot

  I remember the first time I read the Wikipedia entry on JWs way back when I was still a dutiful, believing member, and one bit really jumped out at me...

  ...that although the WTS championed freedom of speech in the courts, they did not practice it internally (paraphrasing, but not much).

  What really gobsmacked me was that I could not - in any honesty - deny it.
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  Vanderhoven7

  Perhaps I'm missing something. Are we just talking about shunning? If so...

  Is it our right to have our former friends and parents contact us when we want them to... when they would rather not?

  It seems to me that they have the right to deny us any communication they wish and for whatever reason they choose.

  I'm not saying that shunning is loving or moral....just that no one is obliged to fellowship or interact against their will.

  I expect a few dislikes on this post.
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  Tameria2001

  Vanderhoven7
  

  
  

  What are human rights?
  

  Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

  UN Link to this information
  

  Part of human rights is religion, but the Watchtower is denying it's former members this. Yes, you are free to choose to stay or go, but if you go you will be shunned by everyone you care about. People have a choice on who they want to associate with, BUT the Watchtower will penalize their current members if that person wants to have contact with their friend or relative who left.
  
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  Vanderhoven7

  Rights are pretty slippery items.

  Girls here have the right to an education but not in some Middle Eastern countries.

  Do UN decisions about rights of everyone decide the issue for all?
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  Tameria2001

  I'm just saying that the Watchtower cries foul when it comes to their human rights, while at the same time denying others theirs.
  
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  Rights are pretty slippery items.

  I guess the Watchtower Society doesn't enjoy their rights being taken away but don't seem to have a problem taking the rights away from those being shunned by their family members. Throwing a 21-year-old out of the house because he was disfellowshipped ( and shunning them the rest of their lives) is the same as the Society writing :

  In some lands, however, Jehovah’s Witnesses are denied this basic right and are unjustly jailed and even suffer cruel mistreatment. Most of those imprisoned were arrested merely for practicing their faith. Others are imprisoned for their conscientious objection to military service.