Posts by OrphanCrow

6

2015 Letter writing Campaign called by WTS in Russia

by OrphanCrow in

i just found a thread on jwforum.eu about the massive letter writing campaign that was launched by the russian jws back in 2015. apparently, emails were okay in that assault - that is likely why the org doesn't want emails this time and why their instructions are so specific.

email correspondence has likely been severely curtailed for the jws after that campaign.. this is a link to the forum - it will come up in russian but translate works fairly well.

the russian letters have been translated below the first letters:.

OrphanCrow

This is from the first thread I linked to in the above post - just a bit of background...:

I remember, when making the Federal Law of 26.09.1997 N 125-FZ "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" in the original text of the document referred to the impossibility of registering religious organizations that prohibit their members transfusion.
Then all of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia collected signatures under the appeal to Yeltsin with a request to control the situation. It is not known whether affected once the signatures on the text of the law, but the point of blood transfusion was excluded.
Apparently, now too they are hoping to influence the president. Perhaps it helps.
PS The federal law from 26.09.1997 N 125-FZ "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" is already in the version of 13.07.2015. It should be at leisure to see what has changed

6

2015 Letter writing Campaign called by WTS in Russia

by OrphanCrow in

i just found a thread on jwforum.eu about the massive letter writing campaign that was launched by the russian jws back in 2015. apparently, emails were okay in that assault - that is likely why the org doesn't want emails this time and why their instructions are so specific.

email correspondence has likely been severely curtailed for the jws after that campaign.. this is a link to the forum - it will come up in russian but translate works fairly well.

the russian letters have been translated below the first letters:.

OrphanCrow

I just found a thread on jwforum.eu about the massive letter writing campaign that was launched by the Russian JWs back in 2015. Apparently, emails were okay in that assault - that is likely why the org doesn't want emails this time and why their instructions are so specific. Email correspondence has likely been severely curtailed for the JWs after that campaign.

This is a link to the forum - it will come up in Russian but translate works fairly well. The Russian letters have been translated below the first letters:

http://www.jwforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17410

September 7, 2015

to all the congregation IN RUSSIA

Subject: Writing letters to the head of state Dear brothers!

As you know, December 2, 2014 the Supreme Court declared extremist official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. Later, the site was included in the federal list of extremist materials and is now officially available on the Internet. In addition, since March 2015 Russian customs refused to let Russia in our spiritual publications in print, including the Bible. Since our worship, as well as the worship of the early Christians, directly related to the liturgical books, the actions of government agencies hinder confession of faith more than 175,000 Jehovah's Witnesses.

Many brothers and sisters are asked about whether they can do something, such as to send a letter to the head of state or other senior officer to explain that Jehovah's Witnesses do not present a danger to the state and society.

In this letter, we want to encourage all of Jehovah's Witnesses, who wish to express their thoughts and feelings, to address a letter to the head of state. If you are a citizen of Russia and feel powerless without delay to write a letter, please refer to the elders, to get more information.

We thank you for your willingness to stand up for freedom of worship, as did the Apostle Paul, who appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:11). With Christian love and best wishes,

your brothers,

======================================== =======

Appendix.

A copy of the circuit overseer.

Note to the council of elders. Please, after receiving this letter, read it to the congregation at the next meeting. It should not be placed on the bulletin board. Select one capable elder to be responsible for writing letters in your collection. It will send a copy of the attached "Additional Information". Handing her baptized Witnesses and an unbaptized publisher, he would ask them not to communicate this information to others and not make copies. After writing letters to all copies of the "More Information" should be returned to his brother in charge of writing letters, and then destroyed. Not be sent to the branch office copies of the letters of publishers, but we ask you to send scanned copies of the replies received from the presidential administration and other authorities.

================================================

To address letter? President of the Russian Federation Putinu Vladimiru Vladimirovichu.

To what address are sent to deprive the President ? On his official website, the address for paper letters: Str. Ilyinka. 23 103132, Moscow. Russia.

Is it possible to send a letter through the Internet? Yes. through the official website of the President of
krcmlin.ni. There is also a useful information about that. which should include a letter
to the President. In addition, the site can find information about the powers of the President as the
guarantor of citizens' constitutional rights.

Is there a pattern to the letter? No. In no case did not compose letters on the pattern.
Please respect are set out in a letter to his own thoughts in your peculiar
manner. There is no need to stick to the official style, but try to have post-
humanly understood. It is possible to express value judgments about events and. where appropriate,
with the emotional color. It is imperative to address to the President, with due respect,
as befits Christians (1 Peter 2:17). Try to make writing clear, logical,
structured, without unnecessary repetition.

What to write? How do you feel in relation to current events
(the inaccessibility of printed literature and website of your religion). Why is it difficult for you to
exercise of the right to freedom of religion? Why the site is so important to your
religion? For someone else. In your opinion is important site? What do you think about that. that
border delays, even the Bible? How does your faith or affected, including
Bible teaching to you personally, to your family and friends? While your religion is, like
many others, is an international, whether it is your bad Russian citizen or does
your religion, on the contrary, makes you a good citizen of your country? Why, post-
you think your religion does not threaten Russia, but on the contrary, help? What is its use? What would
you say to the person who thinks your life someone leads from abroad?
What do you know about the history of their religion in Russia? But how do you think there are valid
accusations that your fellow allegedly verbally or through books excite hostility to
other religions ( "extremism")? Can you clearly explain why you think so?
Whether it is true, as you see, some of the publications included in your religion
"extremist" list? What do you think about the role of negative and does not correspond to
reality, information about your faith disseminated in the media? (Note.
Try not to use the wording of this paragraph in his letter. Optionally,
affect all of the threads.)

What shall I ask? As guarantor of the Constitution, the President is to protect the rights
of citizens, including the right to freedom of religion, freedom of thought and speech, and to
free access to information (Constitution, Article 28 and 29). The President has a lot of
ways to ensure the constitutional rights of citizens. The main thing that he drew attention
to the problem, and supervised its elimination.

Apparently letter writing in the past hasn't gone down well:

Letter to Stalin
In June 1949, the responsible brothers in Estonia sent a letter to Moscow, which required from them considerable courage. One was sent Iosifu Stalinu, and another - Nikolai Shvernik, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
In the letters, the brothers demanded that Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested immediately released and that they ceased to pursue. The letter expressed severe warning and comparisons with the ancient Egyptian pharaoh who refused to allow Israelis freely serve Jehovah (Ex 5: 1-4.). The brothers boldly stated: "Do everything for the organization of the Lord [Jehovah] God ... could [ed] to freely proclaim to all peoples of Russia the good news of the kingdom of the Lord [Jehovah], [], or otherwise, the Lord [Jehovah] will destroy all the government and the communist party of the Soviet Union. "
"We knew that this was a very bold message - recalls Adolf Koze.- We did not dare to send letters from Tallinn to not come to us, so we went to Leningrad and sent them out."
It is not known whether Stalin read the letter, but it did not go unnoticed. When some of the brothers were interrogated, they were shown a copy of the letter was written on it: "This organization must be destroyed!" Was soon arrested by the brothers even more, and the persecution intensified. Letter sent Shvernik, found in the state archives. It was a government stamp.

The 2015 letter assault doesn't appear to have worked so I guess the WTS is launching a full scale attack now. Talk about throwing fat on the fire!!

*edit to add - I think I was right about why the emails are being curtailed. This is from another thread that is discussing the 2017 campaign that is happening right now (just starting to read it now...)

http://www.jwforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=19277

In 2015th they had buried under a layer of email Putin's office...

26

In the yearbooks, why 'lands' not 'countries'?

by LoveUniHateExams in

why does watchtower say that the 'world-wide preaching work' occurs in x amount of lands, not countries?

well, i have a theory.

hear me out.

OrphanCrow

Ruby: Lands is more neutral sounding

Well...sort of. Generally a "land" refers to an area that has been, or is about to, be conquered. It doesn't have political standing until it is colonized by a political entity from outside its area. A "land" is not a political entity yet.

By using "lands", the WT implies they have taken possession of that land. They have planted their flag and they now rule. "God's Kingdom Rules!" and all that. You know, "citizens" of God's/WTS' Kingdom.

6

Trump pledges to 'totally destroy' law that bars political speech by churches, other orgs

by OrphanCrow in

no wonder the gb aren't too concerned about getting involved in foreign politics.

they have rutherford's clone on their side.. https://www.rt.com/usa/376119-trump-political-speech-churches/.

at the national prayer breakfast, president donald trump repeated a campaign promise, vowing to end the federal law that restricts political speech and activity by churches and other tax-exempt organizations.

OrphanCrow

No wonder the GB aren't too concerned about getting involved in foreign politics. They have Rutherford's clone on their side.

https://www.rt.com/usa/376119-trump-political-speech-churches/

At the National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump repeated a campaign promise, vowing to end the federal law that restricts political speech and activity by churches and other tax-exempt organizations.
"I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution," Trump said Thursday, according to the New York Times, adding that "freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is under serious threat."
The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 law that bars tax-exempt organizations such as religious groups, including churches, as well as those that are "educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals," from engaging in open endorsement of or campaigning for political candidates, among other political activities.
These organizations "may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates." according to the Internal Revenue Service, which enforces the law.

Hmph. Trump is in support of religions being political. Would a letter writing campaign to the Kremlin count as influencing legislation?

17

What the "Worldly" media has to say about the proposed Russian ban of JWs

by NikL in

jw
friends

interesting to read the reports from around the world.

i doubt many jws have read any of them.. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-government-jehovahs-witnesses-extremist-group-lawsuit-supreme-court-a7634671.html.

russian authorities threatened to close jehovah’s witnesses administrative centre last march, when they issued a formal warning to the congregation that the “religious association will be subject to liquidation” if it failed to eliminate within two months the violations identified by the government as “extremist”.

OrphanCrow

blondie: Do religions have tax exemptions in Russia?

Yes, church property is exempt from Russian tax. But, I don't think that the WTS has ever had "church" status in Russia. Don't they operate as a "sect" in Russia?

The WTS was in the Russian Supreme Court back in 2000/1, and I don't think they got their religious status after that. They were dragged over hot coals back then concerning their shunning practices, the inflammatory language in their literature, and the blood transfusion ban.

22

Chairman of the St Petersburg-based Administrative Centre of JWs issues press release - Forum 18

by OrphanCrow in

according to the latest forum 18 article, this is what happened in russia on march 15:.

http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2265.

with immediate effect, a 15 march suspension order forbids the administrative centre and all its local religious organisations from "using state and municipal news media, organising and conducting assemblies, rallies, demonstrations, processions, picketing, and other mass actions or public events, and using bank deposits, with the exception of use for making payments connected with their economic activity, compensating for losses (damages) caused by their actions, and paying taxes, fees, or fines, and making payments based on labour contracts" .

OrphanCrow

venus: Than means letter-writing campaign would only backfire!

Of course it is going to backfire.

This letter writing campaign has little to do with getting the upcoming ban stopped and everything to do with deliberately provoking Russia. They want to poke the bear and they want a negative reaction.

They want attention. The GB are throwing a tantrum in the sand box. They are stomping their feet and refusing to go inside and take a nap. They are pulling a Rutherford.

The JWs are delusional. I spent some time over on jwtalk reading the thread about the letters (someone suggested that they move the thread to private but that move was abandoned in favor of "giving a good witness" to the public. That good witness is full of excited JWs all jumping up and down and laughing and smiling. And very little actual compassion for the JWs (bruddersand sissstersss) in Russia who will be scared as hell over this fiasco. The Russian JWs who are essential to the WT holding onto their property and assets in Russia get little consideration.

I was a bit horrified when I read this from one JW poster:

This is going to feel so good to actually do something practical for our brothers and sisters in Russia!

May we all give our letter the very best effort! Also below is something very motivating concerning letters and what happened back in 1945 with Adolph Hitler!

*** w11 10/1 p. 14 “Defiance That Commands Respect” ***
Did Hitler receive letters of protest from church officials concerning the outrages perpetrated by the National Socialists, or Nazis? There were some, but such letters were few and far between.
In the Moscow archives, however, Dr.Eberle found a file containing a number of letters sent to Hitler by Jehovah’s Witnesses from different parts of Germany, protesting against the conduct of the Nazis. In fact, Witnesses from about 50 countries sent Hitler some 20,000 letters and telegrams protesting the mistreatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thousands of Witnesses were arrested, and several hundred were executed or died following ill-treatment by the Nazis. Dr. Eberle concludes:

“In view of the millions of victims of the Nazi regime, this number [of Witness victims] appears small. But it nevertheless testifies to an act of collective and uncompromising defiance that commands respect.”

The JW totally ignored this part: Thousands of Witnesses were arrested, and several hundred were executed or died following ill-treatment by the Nazis.
How is this "something very motivating concerning letters and what happened back in 1945 with Adolph Hitler!"?

They chose instead to highlight this: But it nevertheless testifies to an

act of collective and uncompromising defiance that commands respect.”

The JWs are more concerned about showing uncompromising defiance than they are about the lives of the JWs in Russia. They will throw them under the bus just so that they can say that they went to war with a paper and pencil in hand.

The JWs outside of Russia are excited as kids with a new toy - they are over the moon about the privilege of being able to engage in this defiant behavior. Several JWs mention how this letter writing is more exciting that the upcoming Memorial.

And then we have this:

"In the Italian JWorg site, still there is not written anything about this campaign... :-( "

Oh. Do you think that has anything to do with the org's problems in Italy? They need to keep a low profile right now in Italy?

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5752792469733376/blood-problems-italy

The JWs are truly, truly delusional. Amidst all the discussion about how high the letters will stack (the height of Everest, at least), and all the excitement and cheering, this is found:

How do you say,

"My daddy is bigger than your daddy"

in Russian?

:lol1:

And the reply that someone posted to that?

"Get two bottles of Vodka, a small one and a very large one and have jworg on the large one."

9

Real reason why Russian government is trying to ban JW's

by LevelThePlayingField in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv59ttywjom&feature=youtu.be.

OrphanCrow

mrTheocratic: But this issue is not a JW issue ....it's a human rights issue. The right to believe whatever you wish, so as long as you don't impede on the freedom of others.

It is the last part of your sentence that the JWs have a problem with.

so as long as you don't impede on the freedom of others

The issue is how you define "freedom of religion" - within that concept is the "freedom from religion" and that is the freedom of others that the JWs violate all the time - they will not leave other people alone.

Drearyweather: According to WT interpretation, the United Nations (UN), will attack false religion (not Russia or any other country).

Oh. So that explains the cozy relationship between the JWs and the UN and why the UN is the JWs friend now.

6

ESL Teaching in Russia by JWs

by OrphanCrow in

a while back, i had stumbled on some information about the jws infiltrating russia and china by using the esl teaching networks.

my son teaches english in china so i found these forum posts especially interesting.. when it comes to researching about teaching esl in foreign countries, the forums are your most valuable resource.

i had considered doing it - back in another life...going somewhere and teaching english.

OrphanCrow

Back to the topic...ESL scamming and the WT.

I think it is ironic that this poster, ToffeeHammerPantsJackHammer, is convinced that the ESL school is Mafia and is involved in drug trafficking, etc. (and they could be...who knows what they do?) Criminal for sure.

And yet, when you read his observations, you realize that what he is describing is a WT operation. Stripped down bare, without the religious camouflage, this is what WT looks like - bolding/italics added by me:

there is no staff cohesion like they paint it, everyone keeps themselves pretty much to themselves, and there is no staff training as they say. This company is bad news, so bad that firms and clients choose to use other schools due to the poor service that EF Moscow Corporate provides.
As bad as Galea is, and as smooth talking he is, I cant say he has a direct role in laundering or drug trafficking, but he knows about it [for sure]. This is Russia. There are people there on that top floor milking the company and they have no function there whatsoever. Its a funny set up.
EF Moscow is a company that [like all other companies] is treading water before it goes belly up. It gives the impression that all is ok, they even invite people from abroad to come and work, but its on its knees, it has no money, it is just deluding all those that are a part of the scam.
You got to be really careful, and if you do take a contract, do not take Galea at face value, but be really cautious, ask lots of questions.
He showed me a map of Russia once and said something how all "their" people were spread over Russia. EF has no other schools, but he was talking about "his" people from the British Establishment.

This Russian company that 'employs' the JW ESL teachers (aka-missionaries) is so shady that it is thought to be criminal:

Drug Traffiking and money laundering is true. There are people there on the top floor workinf for EF who do nothing and have no function. Rumour is that it is Mafia and they are there on the "take" and using the operation for something else. There was a Police raid there on December 13th 2010. The Police cleared the building and the offices and had all the teachers up against the wall [at gun point]. Police dont do things like this for no reason

That must have been a raid on them because the police knew they were a WT front company.

25

Two (circumstantial) lines of evidence for the real motivation behind the Russian lobbying?

by doubtfull1799 in

1. in bro sandersons latest video (in which he shows a very impressive skill with russian) he mentions two likely results of the imminent russian ban: the liquidation of the branch office and its assets, and the individual brothers capacity to worship freely.

no prizes for guessing which one gets mentioned first!.

2. why have the gb never attempted in the past, and are not interested in attempting now, such a letter writing campaign in other communist countries where the work is under similar restrictions, like china, or vietnam?

OrphanCrow

tor: ....many of the friends go where the work is banned then come back and tell us all about it...I say to myself, what was the purpose of that...they are already being watched why would we go and draw attention to them and ourselves...then we Americans leave and come back here where we can do almost anything....but then when they show pix, there is a JW welcoming party there....uh ? Maybe my eyesight is bad....again, why put them on danger....oh, I forget, JW's love to look pious...

Illegal missionary work serves a purpose. It a conduit for money movement.

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4916357520949248/esl-teaching-russia-jws

6

ESL Teaching in Russia by JWs

by OrphanCrow in

a while back, i had stumbled on some information about the jws infiltrating russia and china by using the esl teaching networks.

my son teaches english in china so i found these forum posts especially interesting.. when it comes to researching about teaching esl in foreign countries, the forums are your most valuable resource.

i had considered doing it - back in another life...going somewhere and teaching english.

OrphanCrow

rebel8: This is more evidence of the cult's predatory nature.

And speaking of predatory...what about those vultures that hover around JW patients and intervene in their medical care?

This ban against the JWs in Russia is going to shut down their entire Hospital Information Services in Russia. No more HLC for the JWs and no more choosing the WT approved "alternative" procedures, or, I should say...no more doctors facing pressure from HLC guys who don't know their ass from a....okay I will stop now.