The Watchtower may wish that they never chose to humbly accept the decision from the Norway Government.
This is some highlights from the International Religious Freedom Report for 2021
United States Department of State • Office of International Religious Freedom
Faith and life stance organizations must provide annual reports detailing activities, opportunities for children and youth, the use of the state subsidies, marital law administration, and gender equality, as well as any funds received from abroad.
With so many other problems that the Watchtower causes, gender equality may not be an issue that has been brought to the attention of the Government at this stage.
If a religious group does not register, it does not receive financial support from the government,
It's so simple, just like charity status of the Watchtower in Australia. They don't need to register but they choose to do so because it is financially advantageous.
Public schools include a mandatory course on Christian Knowledge and Religious and Ethical Information (CKREE) for grades one through 10. State-employed instructors teach the CKREE course, which covers world religions and philosophies and promotes tolerance and respect for all religious beliefs, as well as for atheism. Students may not opt out of this course
I thought JWs would have a problem with this but JW org indicates that this is now okay, this type of religious education is perfectly okay for the minds of young JWs. Their publication -Class Instruction - School and Jehovah's Witnesses distinguishes this education as
On the other hand, if there is simply an objective classroom study of various religions or of the Bible, Jehovah’s Witnesses have no objection. So if a school arranges talks by representatives of various religions, not to proselytize, but simply to inform the students about those religions, Witness students will respectfully listen. Similarly, when invited, Jehovah’s Witnesses are pleased to give talks to school groups, explaining their religious beliefs.
Although in Norway it includes instruction on philosophies and the Watchtower has been against learning about human philosophies in the past
W87 2/1
Beware of Worldly Philosophies
Curiosity can harm us, too, if it leads us to investigate worldly philosophies.
The Watchtower must feel it is perfectly okay for JW children to be taught these.
A hate crime law punishes some expressions of disrespect for religious believers, which includes those meant to threaten or mock someone, or promote hate, persecution, or contempt.
This works both ways and the Watchtower is very guilty of some of these.
According to the law, an animal must be stunned or administered anesthetics before slaughter, making most traditional kosher and halal slaughter practices illegal. Halal and kosher meat may be imported.
I wonder whether JWs happily purchase Norwegian meat?
The Jehovah’s Witnesses filed an application for annual state support, having received funding in past years, but by year’s end the County Governor of Oslo and Viken, responsible for reviewing the application, did not announce a determination on the application. The practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ were also the subject NORWAY 8 International Religious Freedom Report for 2021 United States Department of State • Office of International Religious Freedom of a high profile legal case in which a former member was not permitted to have contact with her children who remained members of the religious community. The national Court of Appeal ruled that the former member did have the right to have contact with her children. At year’s end, the case was pending before the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear an appeal.
