This article was published by F18News on: 4 May 2004RUSSIA: Sacked for being Jehovah's Witnesses |
| By Geraldine Fagan, Moscow Correspondent, Forum 18 News Service |
| Sergei Popov and Aleksandr Takhteyev, two of three Jehovah's Witnesses sacked on 1 April by a private firm on the Russian Pacific island of Sakhalin, claimed to Forum 18 News Service that there was a direct link between the decision to sack them and the ban on the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian capital imposed by a Moscow court several days earlier. One manager of the food distribution company told the astonished Jehovah's Witnesses that since the group constituted a "sect", the three would steal money from the firm if told to do so by their religious superiors, and could not therefore be trusted. The firm's senior manager for Sakhalin overtly referred to the Moscow ban in an e-mail justifying the dismissals. "According to the charges, this sect interprets the Bible incorrectly, violates the rights of Moscow citizens, destroys the basis of the family and incites members to commit suicide," he claimed. |
| Just days after a Moscow court ruled to ban the Jehovah's Witness community in the Russian capital, a private firm on the other side of the country sacked three Jehovah's Witness employees, claiming that as members of the group they might represent a threat to the security of the company. The three young men, sacked on 1 April, were employed at a food distribution firm on the Russian Pacific island of Sakhalin. Two of the three, Sergei Popov and Aleksandr Takhteyev, suggested to Forum 18 News Service at their community's Kingdom Hall in Sakhalin's main town of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on 23 April that there was a direct link between the decision to sack them and the Moscow ban. In the wake of the 26 March Moscow ruling (see F18News 29 March 2004 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=289 ), Jehovah's Witnesses in various Russian cities and towns were denied access to buildings they had previously been able to rent (see F18News 13 April 2004 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=297 ), but this is the first known case of Jehovah's Witnesses being sacked from their jobs in the wake of the ruling. Popov reported that when the three were summoned to the director's office, they at first thought that they were the subject of an April Fool's Day prank, "but it turned out to be for real." When they asked why they were being sacked, he continued, one manager eventually replied: "Well, you're Jehovah's Witnesses, aren't you? There you are then - because of that." On challenging this in disbelief, Popov told Forum 18, another manager explained that since the Jehovah's Witnesses were a "sect", the three would steal money from the firm if told to do so by their religious superiors, and could not therefore be trusted. At the end of the 1 April meeting, Popov reported, he and his two colleagues were urged to write statements saying that they were leaving the firm of their own accord, but they refused to do. Takhteyev added that another employee was subsequently forced to compile a negative evaluation of the three Jehovah's Witnesses' work record, and that they were then given the option of either leaving "nicely" or of being sacked on the basis of this negative report. While Popov, Takhteyev and their colleague Yevgeni Perov are still formally on the pay-roll of the firm ("West-East"), Popov told Forum 18 that they are not being issued with orders. Since they are paid according to the number of orders they complete, he explained, they are therefore not currently receiving wages. In a 16 April e-mail message forwarded to the three Jehovah's Witnesses by the general director of "West-East" on Sakhalin, Yuri Yegorov, the firm's regional director in the Russian Far East states that the dismissal was dictated by security considerations. "It is known from official sources that the question of placing a ban upon the activity of the 'Jehovah's Witnesses' sect has been repeatedly examined by Moscow courts," writes Vadim Polishchuk. "According to the charges, this sect interprets the Bible incorrectly, violates the rights of Moscow citizens, destroys the basis of the family and incites members to commit suicide. It should also be pointed out that France has banned the activity of religious sects on her territory." In his message, Polishchuk goes on to mention that the Jehovah's Witness employees have distributed religious literature in the workplace. While he does not doubt "the positive intentions of the sect's representatives in this case", he concludes that he cannot alter Yegorov's decision, since the Sakhalin manager would otherwise be "unable to account for the stability of the moral climate and the level of security of material resources" at his firm. Polishchuk acknowledges, however, that "the circumstances of the dismissal may have been overly hasty," and proposes a "peaceful solution" in which employment might be offered "without access to material resources". Takhteyev emphasised to Forum 18 that he and his colleagues are also seeking a "peaceful solution" and do not wish to involve the courts, since they enjoyed working at the firm and would do so again if possible. So far, he said, the three have submitted an official statement regarding their dismissal to the local labour inspectorate and sought the advice of a lawyer. Popov stressed to Forum 18 that the Sakhalin state authorities are in no way involved. For more background information see Forum 18's latest religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=116 A printer-friendly map of Russia is available at |
RUSSIA: Sacked for being Jehovah's Witnesses
by blondie 36 Replies latest jw friends
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blondie
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Undaunted Danny
Thank you Blondie.
[[..... continued, one manager eventually replied: "Well, you're Jehovah's Witnesses, aren't you? There you are then - because of that." On challenging this in disbelief, Popov told Forum 18, another manager explained that since the Jehovah's Witnesses were a "sect", the three would steal money from the firm if told to do so by their religious superiors, and could not therefore be trusted. ]]
They will lie in court,if so ordered by "their religious superiors." http://dannyhaszard.com/whylie.htm
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undercover
JWs or not, this is not good. Human and civil rights are at issue here.
Now looking at it from inside the Watchtower, this is a double edged sword. On one hand they have to fight to win their freedoms back. They will have to convince authorities that they are not a threat. But there is a silver lining in this cloud: they can use this as a marketing tool to towards their flock and interested ones, "See, we're being persecuted. Didn't we tell you that it would happen. The time is getting close, friends. Don't let your guard down. It can happen here tomorrow."
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AlanF
This is a very interesting situation. There's absolutely no question that many JWs would lie, cheat, steal, violate various laws such as on confidentiality, and commit any number of nefarious deeds if the Brooklyn leaders convinced them it was God's will to do so. The only question is whether those leaders would do so.
In some cases the answer is Yes. A late 1980s Watchtower article stated outright that medical employees and other JWs in positions where sensitive information was handled were required by divine law to violate confidences if the employee found out that a fellow JW was doing something the Society forbids -- even if the employee violated "Caesar's law" and broke an oath of confidentiality and ethical standards, and even if it meant punishment for the employee. The article illustrated the idea with a practical example.
So it's a demonstrable fact that when Watchtower interests are involved, Jehovah's Witnesses are required by their religion -- perhaps on pain of disfellowshipping -- to violate moral and ethical standards, and even government laws.
The JWs have brought this situation on themselves and I applaud any government or individual that takes them at their word and deals with them accordingly.
The only way the Watchtower can rectify the situation is to repudiate that 1980s Watchtower article in no uncertain terms, and to demonstrate its committment to good ethics by stopping all the abusive actvities and policies that the Moscow court castigated them for.
AlanF
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scholar
Alan F
Your comments concerning the WTS possible encouragement for Christians to violate ethics and to break government laws if expedient to do so is frankly an absurd and false. Your talk of ethics and principles sounds rather hollow when you have rejected Christaian beliefs and have even rejected ethics and teachings based on the Bible from your youth/childhood. I believe that people who have rejected beliefs that were previously convinced intellectually are deceived and weak-minded.
Your state of mind is pitiful and merely displays a vile hatred of that which you formerly believed and held sacred.
scholar
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El blanko
I believe that people who have rejected beliefs that were previously convinced intellectually are deceived and weak-minded.
What about a Catholic that becomes one of Jehovah's Witnesses?
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HoChiMin
scholar;
I don't think AlanF. needs any defense from me; however it is positively true that a JW would disobey Caesars laws on an order from the WT. There is no doubt of this fact, how far the order would penetrate the fabric of law is another question.
HCM
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Earnest
Alan:
There's absolutely no question that many JWs would lie, cheat, steal, violate various laws such as on confidentiality, and commit any number of nefarious deeds if [they were convinced] it was God's will to do so.
While I agree with your contention above I think it would be difficult to convince most JWs that any "nefarious deed" which is clearly contrary to scripture is now approved by God. My gut feeling is that the number of JWs who would steal money from their employer if told to do so by their religious superiors is limited to those who are dishonest anyway. I certainly do not know of any who would do so.
Earnest
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allpoweredup
Scholar, the Watchtower Society (WTS) has indeed said JWs must do what elders over them locally and up into Brooklyn headquarters say including breaking the law on confidentiality. The specific article saying to do so mentioned that if a JW sister discovered that a JW patient had had an abortion then she must report it to elders even if state law outlawed her doing so. Besides which elders are instructed to shield pedophiles and murderers and this is proved in Letters to the Elders from the WTS. If you find that hard to believe then believe it for you can see the proof in the WTS's own literature.
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allpoweredup
I have JW family members and was a devoted JW member but qauit after discovering the criminal hiding of child abusers and murderers by the elders. Most JW are like myself pretty decent but this is not the case for those still being elders and knowing breaking the law. Scholar, you are really mistaken. The bulk of today's elders, compared to 20 years or so okay, are corrupt, some vicious molestors, and they have wanabee pioneer sisters and ministerial servants who are just as culpable, preferring organizational status to saving the children. There are even now some good-hearted elders etc but those who are such and in leadership positions are leaving or being called names and disfellowshipped. This is not Christian, Scholar. Quit calling those who tell the truth on this issue, i.e. Alan F, names and face the facts.