Not_Culty
JoinedPosts by Not_Culty
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Jehovah's Witness parents prevent blood transfusions for three children
by Not_Culty infeb 26 2019 jehovah's witness parents prevent blood transfusions for three children.
the father said he was entitled to refuse to consent to the administering of a blood transfusion as he firmly believed that there were "medically acceptable alternatives that are as effective, if not more effective".. https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-02-26-jehovahs-witness-parents-prevent-blood-transfusions-for--three-children/.
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Not_Culty
Feb 26 2019 Jehovah's Witness parents prevent blood transfusions for three children
The father said he was entitled to refuse to consent to the administering of a blood transfusion as he firmly believed that there were "medically acceptable alternatives that are as effective, if not more effective".
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We enter the dark world of the Jehovah's Witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides Accusations of pedophilia
by Not_Culty inwe enter the dark world of the jehovah's witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides.
accusations of pedophilia, rejection of homosexuals, "social death", theft of personal data, suicides ... .
spanish interviews 15 former members of this "sect" in spain who denounce all kinds of situations.
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We enter the dark world of the Jehovah's Witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides Accusations of pedophilia
by Not_Culty inwe enter the dark world of the jehovah's witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides.
accusations of pedophilia, rejection of homosexuals, "social death", theft of personal data, suicides ... .
spanish interviews 15 former members of this "sect" in spain who denounce all kinds of situations.
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We enter the dark world of the Jehovah's Witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides Accusations of pedophilia
by Not_Culty inwe enter the dark world of the jehovah's witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides.
accusations of pedophilia, rejection of homosexuals, "social death", theft of personal data, suicides ... .
spanish interviews 15 former members of this "sect" in spain who denounce all kinds of situations.
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Not_Culty
We enter the dark world of the Jehovah's Witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides
SPANISH interviews 15 former members of this "sect" in Spain who denounce all kinds of situations.
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES SEXUAL ABUSE DATA PROTECTION SUICIDE RELIGIOUS ORDERS SEXUAL HARASSMENT SEXUAL AGGRESSIONS Brais Cedeira @BraisCedeira
- "eleven. If the accused is a married sister, it is advisable that her Christian husband be present . He is her head, and her efforts to guide her and help her recover can be very useful. In exceptional circumstances, or if the elders fear that the presence of the spouse may endanger the safety of the wife, they should call the branch.
-12. If the accused is a married brother, it is normal that his wife is not present at the hearing. However, if he wishes, she can attend a part. "
It is advisable that they be guided by their husband, but they can, if they wish, dispense with the presence of the woman. These two consecutive fragments reflect, in part, the procedure that must be followed within Jehovah's Witnesses when the elders of a congregation have to "judge" someone. They also warn of the way they see women. The two paragraphs belong to a book whose full content has had access to SPANISH and which is entitled "Pastor the flock of God . " It details the procedure to follow when "a sin" is discovered.
Other things are also described. The "gross filth" , for example, is grounds for expulsion within the Jehovah's Witnesses . And expulsion, say dozens of former members of this organization, means social death. An example of what they see as a "serious filth" are sexual or emotional relationships between people of the same sex. They consider it a "degrading" and "disgusting" perversion.
The book of the elders of the Jehovah's Witnesses says many things. The Jehovah's Witnesses, not so many, partly because they are forbidden to talk to anyone outside of the things that happen inside. Little by little, some like Rocío Alcalde, 24 years old, Granada, are no longer afraid: they do not want to spend more time in silence.
Rocío is 24 years old. Things became difficult for Jehovah's Witnesses after being abused by their partner . "I denounced him. The first day of the trial he came home to wait for me. The neighbors told me. The police came and they took him again arrested. The next day they put another restraining order. "
Juan Bourgon Zubieta spent many years of his life in the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jehovah's Witnesses distinguish between biblical divorce and ordinary divorce. For them, divorce does not "give freedom to remarry unless it is for adultery." But Rocío says that, evidently, once divorced from her abuser, when she wanted to rebuild her life, the elders (who rule the congregations) did not allow her to rebuild her life with another man. "They told me that I did not have a biblical divorce until they had proof of my ex's adultery. That is, until they had proof that he was with another person. They were not served by the judge's order of removal that proved that I had been mistreated . "
Rocío was born Jehovah's witness. Her parents were before her, and so was the rest of her family. Despite the warning, she remade her life with another man because she began to see that the teachings they were promulgating were not for her. Maybe they were not for anyone.
Divorce is something that is considered sin within the organization. A member of the congregation can only divorce if his partner has committed adultery. "They even forbade my partner from coming to the floor. They said I was not free to be with anyone. " When she chose to leave permanently, when she was expelled for being with another man who was not her husband, most of her family stopped talking for ever.
The guidelines of the "sect" When he was 36 years old, Enrique received an internal circular saying that he had to stop talking to his father. He had been expelled from the organization, so the Jehovah's Witnesses demanded that his family break all contact with him. The first two months, Enrique fulfilled it. "My daughters were without a grandfather, but I did not understand why it had to be that way, he had not done anything against us, I understood that it was a blackmail method to try to get him back into the organization," he tells EL ESPAÑOL. His wife aligned with the witnesses. He remained in his position for the following years. The divorce, in the end, was irremediable: his marriage went to hell and ended up leaving also the congregation.
Enrique lives in Granada and is an electronics technician. A year and a half after leaving, he found love again with another woman. Something innocent, apparently. This meant "social death". When the elders found out, they did the same with him as they did with their father. And what he did not get to do his daughter did. "She is a stalwart witness, like her mother, when she found out, she stopped talking to me forever, and in November 2007 she sent me a letter saying that she had died for her, that coercion and pressure is what differentiates a religion from a sect". It's been 12 years He has never spoken to him again.
(Photo) Fragment of the internal book of the Jehovah's Witnesses "Pastor the flock".
In this, specifically, qualify relationships between people of the same sex as something "disgusting."
In Spain there are 110,000 Jehovah's Witnesses. Taken less seriously in other times, in the last days they are surfacing all kinds of denunciations : about their internal procedures, about their particular parallel justice, about their position on sexual diversity, about how they treat those who are and who leave of the congregation; undoubtedly the most serious have to do with the cases of sexual abuse that take place within the group. They also explain how, many times, they are choosing not to cooperate with justice.
In recent years courts around the world have taken legal action to uncover cases of pedophilia within this organization. An investigation by the government of Australia announced in July 2016 that they were investigating more than 1,000 cases that Jehovah's Witnesses had hidden for 60 years under the carpet.
In January of 2018, the Faithleaks platform published 33 letters and internal documents that exposed accusations of sexual abuse against members of this religious cult in New York. The heads of the congregation determined at the time that several of the allegations had been genuine. Among the revealed cases was the dramatic story of a woman tied to the bed by her father while he was examining her genitals. I tried to find signs of masturbation. She was only 5 years old. The story was hidden.
Aníbal Matos is the spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Spain: "The" judicial committee ", which is exclusively ecclesiastical in nature, keeps the facts confidential in order to safeguard the dignity of the parties, which in no way means that they hide or protect sins of that gravity, the pedophile must answer before the law with all its consequences. "
The last example of this procedure takes place in Toledo this week. A judge cites to declare four elders for a case of sexual abuse. It is the first time that they are mentioned in Spain for a case of these characteristics. Not a single word came out of their mouths. It is a situation similar to the one that has been faced in recent years in many countries: silence in the face of multiple complaints accusing them of not acting in such serious internal cases.
Rocío lives in Granada. After being mistreated, they did not allow him to rebuild his life.
Around this group, which many call sect, it is not that things are happening: what is happening is that they are beginning to know each other. The opening of Pandora's box continues incessantly: theft of personal data, aversion towards homosexuals, parallel trials, the control and absolute control of sex among its members, cases of sexual abuse, suicides, silence against certain crimes ...
THE SPANISH interviewed about fifteen former witnesses in this report. Most of them give their name and face. Others prefer not to do it. They speak to denounce the situations that they lived, so that they do not repeat themselves and so that the truth is known. Two of them, one of whom prefers not to reveal their identity, talk about suicide cases . Many are forming an association of victims of the Jehovah's Witnesses that will be released at the beginning of next March. They say that theirs are just some concrete examples, and they are convinced that there may be "thousands" of people in Spain who have experienced the same situations. Some, they say, are silent because of fear. Others because they blindly believe the guidelines of the "sect".
No smoking
The only thing Alejandro did was light an innocent cigarette. When they found out they accused him of having committed a serious offense and expelled him. It happened when I was 16 years old. Since then his family does not speak to him. Leaving the bosom of the organization where his whole family was always. They all left him aside for such a trifle. "They see me on the street, they do not greet me, they do not talk to me. Many, including my family, do not want to look me in the face. I do not care anymore, but imagine when you were young ".
He is 38 years old, but Mikel Nájera entered the Jehovah's Witnesses being only a child of four. I lived where now, in Pamplona. His life was restricted by the rigid internal laws of the group. "I married 25 years old, but I was not convinced. I wanted to have a girlfriend, but you can not be with anyone who is not a Jehovah's Witness, "he tells EL ESPAÑOL.
He made an error sometime later. He was unfaithful to his partner, something that within the group becomes a sufficient reason for one to be judged. They call him judicial committees. "They put you in front of three elders who are the ones who value whether they should expel you. They asked me what sexual postures I had done, everything. I thought: you are treating me like a monster . "
Judicial resolution detailing how Jehovah's Witnesses stole personal data in a hospital in Cantabria.
Also to him, when they banished him, he turned his back on his family. "In a way, it's as if you had to deprogram. When they throw you out of a sect, it's as if they left you in the middle of the desert. They have educated you in a bubble and then, naked, you do not know where to go. It's social death. "
Forbidden to be bisexual
It was the same thing that happened to Laia Santander , who is 27 years old, works in a store of organic products and now leads a completely normal life. She too suffered one of those abrasive internal judgments. At 15, in full adolescence, he realized that he was bisexual. But he tried to keep that secret to himself. In January 2018 he had to answer to the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses of his congregation for "sexual immorality".
" It is uncomfortable, it is shameful, a humiliation. At that time you do not see it in an objective way: you are indoctrinated to think that telling it is the best thing for you ". They dug into their intimacies, undressing her with all kinds of questions. She was expelled several weeks later. It is an exhaustive inquiry into the bed of his faithful. Act, in some way, as the prosecutors of the bedrooms of its members.
The same magnifying glass was used to throw Andrés Abalo out of the congregation. " For filth. You have committed filth, they told me. I was with a girl who was not my wife. We were about to commit what they call adultery, but in the end we stopped. And she goes and tells everything to the elderly! They were not worth my explanations ", he explains to this newspaper.
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Double post
by Not_Culty indouble post .
sorry.
https://cronicaglobal.elespanol.com/vida/multan-testigos-jehova-robar-datos-medicos-pacientes_221865_102.html.
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Ministers are called for consultation regarding Jehovah’s Witness revelations
by Not_Culty inhttps://avoidjw.org/en/news/ministers-are-called-for-consultation-regarding-jehovahs-witness-revelations/.
the jehovah’s witnesses branch office in holbæk does not want to be interviewed, but states that in some cases they go to the authorities.. the recognized religious community of jehovah’s witnesses has an internal set of rules where religious leaders can judge on everything from smoking to killing.. this is according to a secret manual for the elders – religious leaders of jehovah’s witnesses – that tv 2 has in its possession.. precisely that fact is a testament that this is a parallel legal community, one of denmark’s leading experts in religious law believes.. and now the social democrats are calling the responsible ministers for consultation:.
– for us, it is subordinate to what god you believe in.
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Ministers are called for consultation regarding Jehovah’s Witness revelations
by Not_Culty inhttps://avoidjw.org/en/news/ministers-are-called-for-consultation-regarding-jehovahs-witness-revelations/.
the jehovah’s witnesses branch office in holbæk does not want to be interviewed, but states that in some cases they go to the authorities.. the recognized religious community of jehovah’s witnesses has an internal set of rules where religious leaders can judge on everything from smoking to killing.. this is according to a secret manual for the elders – religious leaders of jehovah’s witnesses – that tv 2 has in its possession.. precisely that fact is a testament that this is a parallel legal community, one of denmark’s leading experts in religious law believes.. and now the social democrats are calling the responsible ministers for consultation:.
– for us, it is subordinate to what god you believe in.
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Not_Culty
https://avoidjw.org/en/news/ministers-are-called-for-consultation-regarding-jehovahs-witness-revelations/
The Jehovah’s Witnesses branch office in Holbæk does not want to be interviewed, but states that in some cases they go to the authorities.
The recognized religious community of Jehovah’s Witnesses has an internal set of rules where religious leaders can judge on everything from smoking to killing.
This is according to a secret manual for the elders – religious leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses – that TV 2 has in its possession.
Precisely that fact is a testament that this is a parallel legal community, one of Denmark’s leading experts in religious law believes.
And now the Social Democrats are calling the responsible ministers for consultation:
– For us, it is subordinate to what god you believe in. You must comply with the law and we refuse to accept that children and young people should grow up in social control.
– And therefore, we want the ministers to explain what they are going to do to prevent this phenomenon of a parallel legal system from occurring. And it is both the Minister of the Interior and the Minister for Religious Affairs who must be on the field and who we will convene for consultation on this. It is so vital that we stop it, and when we have a suspicion that something so wrong is happening, we must take political action, says lawyer Trine Bramsen (S).
“You must comply with the law and we refuse to accept that children and young people should grow up in social control”
Trine Bramsen, legal counsel (S).Trine Bramsen emphasizes that the politicians must check whether the supervisors are operating as they should be, and whether the authorities have the right tools.
The Minister for Economic and Home Affairs is Simon Emil Ammitzbøll-Bille (LA), and Minister of Culture and Religious Affairs is Mette Bock (LA).
Expert: This is a parallel society
According to the elder’s handbook, once it has been proven the rules have been breached, they set up a judicial committee, which ultimately could mean exclusion for a member from the congregation. This may result in the member’s friends and family severing all contact with the outcast.
Exclusion – or disfellowshipping, as Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves refer to it – must be seen as an expression of love, according to the organization’s own magazine “Watchtower”:
One of Denmark’s leading experts on religious law, Lisbet Christoffersen, professor at Roskilde University, believes that this judicial system is at odds with the individual’s religious freedoms.
“It is not recognizing the individual’s religious freedom”
Lisbet Christoffersen, professor at Roskilde University.– Not only for the religious community, but also for the family and all members, one vanishes into thin air. You become non-existent. It is not recognizing the individual’s religious freedom, she says.
Lisbeth Christoffersen believes that in general, there is a parallel legal community, which can be problematic for several reasons.
When one expresses their religious freedom within the religious group, the problem here is that they are taking on a general legislative approach that they should not have, she says.
Lawyer Trine Torp also believes that, like the Social Democratic Party, there is a lack of attention in relation to social coercion and crime within religious communities.
“They must know that, for example, they are required to use the public legal system for offenses”
Tine Torp, lawyer (Religious Freedom).– This is about ensuring that the authorities are fully aware of what is happening in these societies. And especially if there are children who are part of these societies.
– One is the moral standards they hold that I think are extreme and dissociate, but what is vital is that they must know that, for example, with regard to offenses, they are required to use the public legal system, says Trine Torp, legal counsel for religious freedom.
Jehovah’s Witnesses would not interview
Jehovah’s Witnesses branch office in Holbæk did not want to be interviewed, but wrote in an email that the elders, for example, always go to the authorities in Denmark when it comes to child abuse.
– It is … dishonest to confuse the secular authorities’ investigation of a crime with the congregation’s internal judicial system. We do not interfere in the secular authorities’ investigation of a case.
According to the Branch Office, since 2003, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Denmark have advised the elders that all child abuse charges must be reported to the authorities.
– We have done this consistently, and if appropriate, we can provide documents to the authorities.
The branch office further writes that if a person is accused of child abuse, the elders will investigate in harmony with the Bible’s guidance.
If you ask Trine Bramsen, however, it is not a defense that they also comply with Danish legislation:
– We have one legal system in Denmark, and that is what applies. We do not permit parallel penalties. Therefore, we must make sure to fight it, and then I think it is very serious when children and young people grow up in social control and cannot live the life they want, she says.
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Denmark - a wave against JW policy on national TV and web
by Not_Culty inhttps://old.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/apr7fh/denmark_is_on_fire_a_massive_wave_against_jw/.
post below.
" a wave of exjw-stories have hit national news in denmark this week.
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Not_Culty
Norwegian media, today another exjw tells her story. No paywall, so you can try to google translate: The story is number 1 on "today's most read" on the website.
https://www.dagsavisen.no/innenriks/marit-brot-med-jehovas-vitner-som-18-aring-na-har-hun-en-melding-til-sosialarbeidere-1.1278409
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Denmark - a wave against JW policy on national TV and web
by Not_Culty inhttps://old.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/apr7fh/denmark_is_on_fire_a_massive_wave_against_jw/.
post below.
" a wave of exjw-stories have hit national news in denmark this week.
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Not_Culty
Story 3
Elders in Jehovah's Witnesses suspected child abuse - did not go to the police
Feb 12 2019, 05:44 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email
'Elder' avoided going to the police, although Lotus Lucca told about 1:08
Ministers are called in consultation with Jehovah's revelations
Jehovah's Witness Expert: It's an invisible prison by Jonas HR Moestrup
Police and expert believe that the eldest in Jehovah's Witnesses was required to go to the authorities with their knowledge.
Lotus Luca from Næstved was 14 years old when one day she came home and told her mother that she had been subjected to an assault.
According to Lotus Luca, she had been forced to have oral sex with a young man.
ALSO SEE Abandoned by his children - they believe God will kill her in a great war
The mother contacted one of the so-called 'elders' in the Witnesses' congregation in which the family was affiliated. 'Elder' is the religious leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses. A meeting was arranged where Lotus Luca told the eldest what had happened.
According to Lotus Luca, who is now 19 years old, there was a man from another congregation in Jehovah's Witnesses who attacked her in 2014.
A case that, according to Jehovah's Witnesses handbook, is serious and must be dealt with by the elders for the possible exclusion of the offender. Therefore, Lotus Luca and her mother went to an elder.
ALSO SEE Former Jehovah's Witnesses were to oversee others: - As if I were part of the police
- As Jehovah's Witnesses, we learn that when something happens, we go to the elders if there is a problem. And we don't mix the authorities into it, says Lotus Luca.
She remembers that she told the elders about the assault, but that no more happened after the meeting.
Not informed the police The eldest who attended the meeting confirmed that Lotus Luca told him there was an assault.
TV 2 has been in contact with him, but he does not want to participate in an interview. He refers to the Jehovah's Witnesses Scandinavian branch office in Holbæk.
ALSO SEE Hear the meeting with religious leaders who 'judge' Jehovah's Witnesses for having a boyfriend
In a mail, the office of TV 2 writes that since 2003, Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark have consistently "advised the elders that all child abuse charges should be reported to the authorities".
But insights into Lotus Lucas documents with the municipality and the police show that no notification of violations to relevant authorities has been filed in her case.
Crime must be investigated by the police At South Zealand and Lolland-Falsters Police, police inspector Kim Kliver believes that it is completely unacceptable that the elders did not immediately go to the police.
If a person tells some adults that they have been subjected to an assault, then - no matter how closed an environment you are in - you must understand the seriousness of such a crime and have it reported to the police. Crime must be investigated by the police, he says to TV 2.
ALSO SEE Secret Jehovah's Book: Religious Advice Should Judge in Drug and Sex Before Marriage
Kim Kliver emphasizes that all suspicions of such crimes must be transferred to the police:
- According to the Administration of Justice Act, it is the police and only the police that can investigate such cases, and if you have a suspicion, you must give it to the police, who will probably have to use the energy needed to determine whether it is a real crime.
Didn't think about reporting it yourself Lotus Luca tells TV 2 that the elder asked about what relationship she had with the young man. She said they had written messages to each other and that it was their first meeting when the assault took place.
- He (the oldest, ed.) Asked why I had done it and why I didn't say no. I felt very much that it was my own fault, says Lotus Luca.
Did you even talk about going to the police?
ALSO SEE Chat: Ann Celina was expelled by Jehovah's Witnesses to have a boyfriend
- The police did not speak at any time. I don't even think it was something we were considering.
Did you ask yourself not to report it?
"I remember not giving it a thought at all that the police could get involved in this," she says.
Professor: There should have been reaction One of Denmark's leading experts in religious law and professor at Roskilde University, Lisbet Christoffersen, is completely in line with the police. She refers to the duty of notification of the service law.
- The whole idea of the notification duty is that one has a special responsibility for caring for those who have come to one, she says.
Lisbeth Christoffersen does not believe that this will change anything about whether Lotus Luca himself had chosen to go to the police.
"We are talking about a person who was under the age of sexuality and who informs some leaders of the religious community who have a duty to inform the authorities that there has been an assault on her - that should have been responded to," she says. .
ALSO SEE "Parallel jurisdiction" in Jehovah's Witnesses on the verge of religious freedom, expert said
When Lotus Luca today looks back on the process, she is sorry that the authorities were not involved.
- Things could have looked very different. I might have been given some mental help to get it worked, so I shouldn't go with this guilty feeling all those years. It still pops up occasionally, she says.
Lotus Luca is no longer part of Jehovah's Witnesses today.
Jehovah's Witnesses: If we've done wrong, we take care of it In a mail to TV 2, Jehovah's Witnesses Scandinavian branch office in Holbæk writes that the organization apologizes if any former members of Jehovah's Witnesses believe that abuses have not been reported to the authorities.
- If so, we apologize. However, we will mention that the victims can still report this to the authorities. If the authorities then come to the conclusion that we have acted incorrectly, we will naturally take care of it. As an organization we are constantly looking to do better, it says in the mail.
TV 2 would like to ask additional questions to Jehovah's Witnesses, but the organization does not want to interview.
TV 2 has been in contact with the young man whom Lotus Luca claims forced her for oral sex. He explains that he has a different perception of the course, but he does not want to elaborate further. The man says that he was subsequently called to meet with the elders, but he does not want to tell what came out of the meeting.
TV 2 is aware of a case where a person who was not a member of Jehovah's Witnesses asked for guidance from an elder and told him that he had been abused. In that case, the person was advised to go to the police.
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[–]theart_of_psoas 1 point 7 hours ago*
Story 4
Former Jehovah's Witnesses were to oversee others: - As if I were part of the police
Feb 10 2019, 15:01 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email
He was vigilant for Jehovah's Witnesses at 0:31
Ministers are called in consultation with Jehovah's revelations by Jonas HR Moestrup
A large number of former Jehovah's Witnesses say they were overseen by other members.
The Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses monitors its members to oversee whether they violate the organization's internal rules.
This is the criticism of David Maagaard, who as a former Witness servant in Jehovah's Witnesses, told how the ward leaders in closed meetings instructed in the surveillance.
ALSO SEE Jehovah's Witnesses used to hide from women - asked for her sex life
- It seemed as though I was part of a police force where you had to walk and patrol the members' doings and burden, he says to TV 2.
The chairman of faith, an association of people who have come out of a religious community, Simon Ørregaard, is also formerly Jehovah's Witness and recognizes what David Maagaard tells.
"You are guided to go to the elders (religious leaders in Jehovah's Witnesses, ed.), If you see anything," he says.
"Go to the elders if we realize that serious sins have been committed"
Text from Jehovah's Witnesses
WHO ARE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES?
Founded in the United States in 1881 It originates from Christianity, but follows its own Bible translation Believe that God's name is Jehovah Congregations do not meet in churches, but so-called Kingdom Halls Baptism takes place only after years of training and indicates that the baptized will serve Jehovah and the congregation Has, according to its own figures, over eight million members worldwide. In Denmark there are almost 15,000 Managed by a Governing Body based in New York, USA Exclusion happens if a member does not regret a serious violation of the rules of religion. Family members are encouraged not to have contact with the excluded. Source: JW.org
Fold out Would watch for any smoke cigarettes In a survey conducted by TV 2 in several closed groups on the Internet for former Witnesses, 64 percent of the 105 participants write that in their time in the organization, they have been overseen by other active ones.
One of those who have felt monitored is 25-year-old Ann Celina, who on TV 2 Sunday says she was extradited on the basis of a private conversation that was recorded and passed on to the ward leadership.
ALSO SEE Hear the meeting with religious leaders who 'judge' Jehovah's Witnesses for having a boyfriend
David Maagaard is not surprised that so many former Witnesses have been monitored. He says he himself has been supervised, just as he has been asked to monitor others.
As a parish servant, he was a kind of assistant to the ward leaders, the so-called elders. At the first closed meeting with the elders council, where the rest of the congregation was not present, he was surprised at the rhetoric because he experienced that the elders set out clear guidelines for ward servants to keep an eye on members.
- At the regular Kingdom Hall meetings (Jehovah's Witnesses' Assembly Houses, ed.), Where the regular members came, it was often wrapped in Bible quotes and more embracing descriptions. But when we came in to these meetings, it became much more concrete, says David Maagaard, who left Jehovah's Witnesses in 2011.
The parish servants, according to David Maagaard, should, among other things, observe whether members had overnight guests of the opposite sex and whether people were smoking cigarettes.
He compares the role of ward service to being part of a police force - he believed the task was to assist the ward in religious activities.
- You were the elders watchdog. If one discovered something, one should set a good example to Jehovah's Witnesses and show that one was loyal and faithful to the whole organization and structure. This was usually done by working with the elders around what the different members of the congregation were doing, says David Maagaard.
WHAT MUST JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES NOT?
Jehovah's Witnesses must adhere to a wide range of rules. For example, they may not:
Celebrate holidays like birthdays and Christmas Have sex before marriage Be unfaithful Grow oral and anal sex Accept blood transfusion for treatments Get an abortion Smoky tobacco Play gambling Get drunk Fold out Shepherds for God's sheep The chairman of the association Eftertro Simon Ørregaard, who is also the chairman of the Atheist Society, does not have the experience that the monitoring in Jehovah's Witnesses is put into system by the organization.
But he says that Jehovah's Witnesses from childhood are brought to each other to the elders if anyone does something wrong.
- It's an angler community. If you know someone has done something wrong, confront it with it and say, "If you don't go to the elders, I'll do it". You make sure yourself go to the elders because it is sinful to leave, he says.
Examples of members being called upon to enter each other can be found in, among other things, the Witness Watchtower, Jehovah's Witnesses, says Simon Ørregaard:
"An important way we can also work together is to preserve the moral and spiritual purity of the congregation, both by our own conduct and by going to the elders, if we realize that serious sins have been committed," in a 1992 edition.
- Jehovah's Witnesses use the term "shepherds" for the elders and "get" for their members. It is thus the elders who have to guard the flock, and here is one of the functions to keep an eye on others. The elders come to visit people they think they need guidance, says Simon Ørregaard.
Jehovah's Witnesses reject the monitoring of members According to the internal rules of Jehovah's Witnesses, there must be at least two independent witnesses before a judge of elders can decide on an offense.
For example, it means that sex before marriage must be attended by two witnesses before it can become a case. A fact that, according to David Maagaard, is central to understanding why Jehovah's Witnesses can monitor their members.
"If there are no witnesses and they cannot get a concession from the one who made the offense, then they have no case," he says.
The headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark have declined to interview TV 2, but in an e-mail they write that they "do not monitor members of the ward".
However, this answer does not give David Maagaard much to:
- That's not true. You are trained to have to enter and stick each other.
David Maagaard says that he has never mentioned anyone to the elders himself. In cases where he has experienced members violating the rules, he has made personal contact with the persons.
- I got into it, but I didn't like being in it. I don't think I'm the only one who's had this, he says.
Several types of sanctions The strictest sanction in Jehovah's Witnesses is exclusion where the congregation and the family are encouraged not to have contact with the excluded.
According to a special manual for the elders, not all violations leading to exclusion - other forms of discipline such as public prosecution and reprimand in the ward or deprivation of duty also occur.
Rejects the offender and can convince the elders that he or she will try to change his life so that it is again within the rules, he or she will eventually be resumed after exclusion.
Jehovah's Witnesses Scandinavian branch office in Holbæk has not wanted to participate in this article.
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[–]theart_of_psoas 1 point 7 hours ago*
Story 6
POLICY
Ministers are called in consultation with Jehovah's revelations Feb. 11 2019, 16:32
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Ministers are called in consultation after Jehovah's revelations 0:49
Danny Sjøberg calls on the politicians to pull on the work clothes by Jonas HR Moestrup & Kasper B. Andreasen
The Jehovah's Witnesses branch office in Holbæk does not want to interview, but states that in some cases they go to the authorities.
The recognized religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses has an internal set of rules where religious leaders can judge in everything from smoking to killing.
It appears from a secret manual for the elders - religious leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses - that TV 2 holds.
ALSO SEE "Parallel jurisdiction" in Jehovah's Witnesses on the verge of religious freedom, expert said
Precisely that fact testifies to the fact that this is a parallel legal community, one of Denmark's leading experts in religious law believes .
And it now gets the Social Democracy to call the responsible ministers in consultation:
For us, it is subordinate to what god you believe in. You must comply with the law and we refuse to accept that children and young people grow up in social control.
And therefore we want the ministers to explain what they are doing to prevent this phenomenon of a parallel legal system from occurring. And it is both the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of the Church who are to be on the field and who we will convene in a consultation on this. It is so crucial that we stop it, and when we have a suspicion that something is happening so wrong, we must step in from the political team, says legal spokesman Trine Bramsen (S).
You must comply with the law and we refuse to accept that children and young people grow up in social control
Trine Bramsen, legal representative (S). Trine Bramsen emphasizes that one must check from the political side whether the supervisors work as they should and whether the authorities have the right tools.
The Minister for Economic and Home Affairs is Simon Emil Ammitzbøll-Bille (LA), and Minister of Culture and Church Affairs is Mette Bock (LA).
Expert: This is a parallel society According to the handbook , the elders at proven offenses must set up a convicting committee which may ultimately mean exclusion of a member of the congregation. This may cause the member's friends and family not to have contact with the excluded.
Exclusion - or exclusion, which Jehovah's Witnesses themselves refer to it - must be seen as an expression of love, according to the organization's own magazine "Watchtower ":
One of Denmark's leading experts in religious law Lisbet Christoffersen, professor at Roskilde University, believes that it is at odds with the individual religious freedom.
After all, it is not an acknowledgment of individual religious freedom
Lisbet Christoffersen, Professor Roskilde University. - Not only for the religious community, but also for the family and all members, it is simply excluded air. You become non-existent. It is not an acknowledgment of individual religious freedom, she says.
Lisbeth Christoffersen believes that there is generally a parallel legal community, which can be problematic for several reasons.
ALSO SEE Secret Jehovah's Book: Religious Advice Should Judge in Drug and Sex Before Marriage
"The challenge is when what lies in the religious community is an expression of freedom of religion, and when it expresses that one is taking on a general legislative competence that one should not have," she says.
SF also believes that, like the Social Democratic Party, there is a lack of attention in relation to social coercion and crime in religious communities.
They must know that, for example, they are obliged to use the public legal system for offenses
Trine Torp, legal spokesman (SF). - This is very much about the fact that the authorities must be aware of what is happening in these societies. And especially if there are children who are part of these societies.
- One is what they have of moral standards that I think are extreme and dissociate, but what is crucial is that they must know that, for example, in offenses, they are required to use the public legal system, says Trine Torp, legal spokesman at SF.
Jehovah's Witnesses will not interview Jehovah's Witnesses branch office in Holbæk does not want to interview, but writes in an e-mail that the elders, for example, always go to the authorities in Denmark when it comes to child abuse.
- It seems ... unfit to blend the authorities' investigation with the ward's internal exclusion treatment of a charge. We do not interfere in the authorities' treatment of a charge.
ALSO SEE Hear the meeting with religious leaders who 'judge' Jehovah's Witnesses for having a boyfriend
According to the office, since 2003, Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark have advised the elders that all child abuse charges must be reported to the authorities.
- We have done this consistently, and we can document this to the authorities.
The office further writes that if a person is accused of child abuse, the elders will conduct a study in harmony with the Bible's guidance.
If you ask Trine Bramsen, however, it is not a defense that they also comply with Danish legislation:
- We have one legal system in Denmark, and that is what applies. We do not have all possible parallel penalties. Therefore, we must make sure to fight it, and then I think it is very serious when children and young people grow up in social control and cannot live the life they want, she says.
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[–]theart_of_psoas 1 point 7 hours ago*
Story 7
"Parallel jurisdiction" in Jehovah's Witnesses on the verge of religious freedom, expert said
Feb. 11 2019, 14:33 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email
Jehovah's Witness Expert: It's an invisible prison
Ministers are called in consultation with Jehovah's revelations by Jonas HR Moestrup
The recognized religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses has an internal set of rules where religious leaders can judge in everything from smoking to killing.
In Denmark, there are 173 congregations in Jehovah's Witnesses, each led by a religious council - a so-called elders' council.
The councils consist of up to 12 elders - religious leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses - who, according to a secret manual, must judge by a set of rules based on biblical sources.
ALSO SEE Former Jehovah's Witnesses were to oversee others: - As if I were part of the police
The types of offenses include smoking, sex before marriage, killing and sexual abuse of children. Violations that the elders according to the manual should investigate and judge if there is the right evidence. The hardest sanction is exclusion of the congregation.
The elders' councils are, according to several former Witnesses, to whom TV 2 has spoken, more significant for many members than the Danish authorities.
One of Denmark's leading experts in religious law Lisbet Christoffersen, professor at Roskilde University, believes that this is a parallel legal community, which can be problematic for several reasons.
"The challenge is when what lies in the religious community is an expression of freedom of religion, and when it expresses that one is taking on a general legislative competence that one should not have," she says.
WHO ARE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES?
Founded in the United States in 1881 It originates from Christianity, but follows its own Bible translation Believe that God's name is Jehovah Congregations do not meet in churches, but so-called Kingdom Halls Baptism takes place only after years of training and indicates that the baptized will serve Jehovah and the congregation Has, according to its own figures, over eight million members worldwide. In Denmark there are almost 15,000 Managed by a Governing Body based in New York, USA Exclusion happens if a member does not regret a serious violation of the rules of religion. Family members are encouraged not to have contact with the excluded. Source: JW . org
Fold out Professor: On the verge of religious freedom According to the handbook, the elders at proven offenses must set up a convicting committee which may ultimately mean exclusion of a member of the congregation. This may cause the member's friends and family not to have contact with the excluded.
Exclusion - or exclusion, which Jehovah's Witnesses themselves refer to it - must be seen as an expression of love, according to the organization's own magazine "Watchtower ":
- Family members can show their love for the congregation and for the offender by respecting the exclusion, it says.
ALSO SEE Hear the meeting with religious leaders who 'judge' Jehovah's Witnesses for having a boyfriend
Precisely this finds Lisbet Christoffersen problematic because she believes it is at odds with the individual freedom of religion.
Not only for the religious community, but also for the family and all members, it is simply excluded air. You become non-existent. It is not an acknowledgment of individual religious freedom, she says.
An invisible prison Development Manager at Kristeligt Dagblad and Ph.D. in sociology of religion, Morten Thomsen Højsgaard, has in-depth knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses. He is concerned that many members of Jehovah's Witnesses regard the councils of elders as important authorities.
In a Danish context, there is no validity in what is stated in an old book - here it is the Danish criminal law that applies. But for those who have grown up to follow Jehovah's recommendations, then in practice, it is just as important - almost larger - than current Danish law. Therefore, it becomes a parallel society, he says.
ALSO SEE Jehovah's Witnesses used to hide from women - asked for her sex life
A parallel society that creates a form of social prison, he believes.
- There is no coercion with Jehovah's Witnesses, neither violence nor militarism. They all look like decent and decent citizens. But it is an invisible prison understood in the way that if you break the rules in the handbook, people break together and break completely, says Morten Thomsen Højsgaard.
Jehovah's Witnesses: - We do not interfere with the government's treatment Another problem is, according to Lisbet Christoffersen, that, according to the handbook, the elders must handle cases that are also punishable under Danish criminal law.
- If it is about criminal offenses, then it is the task of the police and the courts. It should not be some internal justice. It is a problem we have discussed in relation to all the child cases (pedophilia cases) in the Catholic Church worldwide, and it is just as relevant to Jehovah's Witnesses, she says.
There have been several cases of abuse of children in Jehovah's Witnesses abroad, which have never been passed on to the authorities, inter alia because of the internal rules.
For example, in Australia, a major study found that over a number of years, Jehovah's Witnesses had suspected a total of 1005 children for child sexual abuse without informing the police.
In the United States, Jehovah's Witnesses have been sentenced to pay large sums of money to victims of assault because the organization did not pass on to the suspected authorities.
Jehovah's Witnesses branch office in Holbæk does not want to interview, but writes in an e-mail that the elders in cases of child abuse always go to the authorities in Denmark.
"It seems ... unfit to blend the authorities 'investigation with the ward's internal exclusion treatment of a charge. We do not interfere with the authorities' treatment of an accusation."
According to the office, since 2003, Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark have advised the elders that all child abuse charges must be reported to the authorities.
"We have done this consistently, and we can document that to the authorities if necessary."
The office further writes that if a person is accused of child abuse, the elders will conduct a study in harmony with the Bible's guidance.
"The elders follow a religiously reasoned procedure whose sole purpose is to take a stand on the accused's membership of Jehovah's Witnesses."