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Discussion » Questions » Religion and Spirituality » If Russia bans Jehovah's Witnesses April 5 2017 (Tomorrow) as planned, will it eventually affect other nonRussian Orthodox religions as well
texasescimo

If Russia bans Jehovah's Witnesses April 5 2017 (Tomorrow) as planned, will it eventually affect other nonRussian Orthodox religions as well

Are Jehovah's Witnesses really extremist? 

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Russia Religion News

https://www.jw.org/en/news/releases/by-region/russia/jw-mobilize-global-response-to-threat-of-ban/

Posted - April 4, 2017
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Responses


  • 1326
    Shortly after wwill, the Witnesses gathered for a convention in the thousands, in germany at the same location where Hitler at one time met and vowed to exterminate my German brothers and sisters. Who was with the Witnesses to deliver them from the grips of such a monster? This post was edited by Autumnleaves at April 14, 2017 10:55 PM MDT
      April 14, 2017 10:52 PM MDT
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  • Dear Whistle6,
    How do you think the Beloved God protects us?
    It's not always obvious...here is a famous verse from St. Teresa of Avila, and Jehovah's Witness lives this way of helping others as much or more than anyone I know.

    Christ has no body now on earth but yours, 
    no hands but yours, no feet but yours. 
    Yours are the eyes through which is to look out
    Christ's compassion in the world; 
    Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good;
    Yours are the hands with which he is to bless people now. 
      April 14, 2017 12:26 PM MDT
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  • I do not think there is a beloved god protects us,  There is abundant evidence to infer this provisional conclusion. 
      April 14, 2017 7:32 PM MDT
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  • 314

    Time will tell.

    This is sounding familiar......

      April 4, 2017 10:24 AM MDT
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  • 2657
    Like 1930's -1940's Germany?
      April 14, 2017 9:31 AM MDT
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  • Dear Texasescimo,
    1. Of course the JW ban will affect other religions.
    2. No JW is not extremist, not by any reasonable definition...for example, that even their indifference to Russia's current drive for greatness is now classified as extreme. 
    * * *
    I did find an article from today's NY TIMES, and their evaluation includes:

    * After the US 9/11 attacks, Russia passed an anti-extremism law. That law is apparently now used to promote Putin’s drive to make Russia a great power again, through a kind of militaristic patriotism.

    * Since the Jay-Dubs are committed pacifists and do not vote (thus no need to court them politically), they become an easy target to demonstrate that everyone must step into the patriotic line, or else be branded terrorist/extremist.

    * Also, it does not help that the highly centralized, world-wide JW leadership is based in the USA – and thus outside the control of Russian secret services.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/europe/russia-moves-to-ban-jehovahs-witnesses-as-extremist.html?_r=0
     This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at April 14, 2017 9:31 AM MDT
      April 4, 2017 11:16 AM MDT
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  • The NYT was my first stop, too. So often stories like this get bandied around the Net with absolutely no substance at all and I like to check sources. Putin seems intent on returning to the old days of the USSR.
      April 4, 2017 2:43 PM MDT
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  • 2657
    It's very true. Some time ago the Soviet Union sent as many as they could catch to Siberia. There's a lot of JW's in Siberia now.
      April 14, 2017 9:34 AM MDT
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  • 2657
    Thank you for your response VirginiaL.
      April 14, 2017 9:32 AM MDT
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  • Witnesses may be as irritating as hell when they come a-knocking on your door but extremist? Not by any reasonable standard. And, yes, your concern about other religions is valid.

    Putin is unlikely to bow to international pressure so, as has been done in the past, the movement may be forced to go underground. Russia's future under Putin is uncertain and this will not be the worst of his excesses. 
      April 4, 2017 2:41 PM MDT
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  • Dozy, I found this as the actual form of Voltaire's famous quote...
    "Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write."

    Well, maybe JayDubs have the right to be irritating, without incurring Siberia or the death penalty.
      April 4, 2017 2:59 PM MDT
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  • I think so. I know two Jay Dubs very well and both are nice people. Having unusual beliefs isn't a cause for vilification and discrimination. Mind you, we had a coiuple on Ask who were forever posting links to jw.org. I got a bit stroppy about their level of religious spamming.
      April 4, 2017 5:54 PM MDT
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  • Dozy, I took JW lessons for a while, largely out of politeness but I ended up learning a whole lot anyway...and I think, my impression, they do believe theirs is the one-and-only TRUTH. 
    So I always advocate for them, because the work they do is life-saving, their profound pacifism, plus they are typically the underdogs...but definitely some beliefs where I just cannot go. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at April 6, 2017 11:51 PM MDT
      April 4, 2017 6:00 PM MDT
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  • 508
    they are mainly banning the extremist religions. Scientology also got banned in Russia. 
      April 4, 2017 5:16 PM MDT
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  • Same thing happened in China when they banned Falun Gong. This kind of excess tends to go with totalitarian states and can include a lot of religions.
      April 4, 2017 5:56 PM MDT
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  • I agree with Didge, here, Skunky...the totalitarian states are just SO dangerous in oppressing religion, does not end well...so many German Jews died from the conviction, "our country won't/can't get any worse than this now."
      April 4, 2017 6:06 PM MDT
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  • 1326
    So far the Russian authorities trying to ban the Witnesses have produced absolutely no evidence to prove their claims that the Witnesses are an extremist religion before the Russian supreme Court. It seems as though they do have no idea who exactly they are up against. (Acts5:38,39)court proceedings will reconvene on April 19th, 2017.  This post was edited by Autumnleaves at April 14, 2017 3:13 PM MDT
      April 14, 2017 3:09 PM MDT
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  • 2657
    Hello Skunky. Do you think that JW's are extremist? They supposedly inacted those extremist laws to prevent terrorism.
      April 14, 2017 3:13 PM MDT
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  • 1326
    The next court session convenes on Fri April 7, 2017 in Moscow, Russia. Worldwide opinion is that Jehovah's Witnesses are being wrongly accused of being an extremist and dangerous religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything the Jehovah's Witnesses have helped countless of individuals to turn from a life of crime to become a useful  and decent miember of society. This post was edited by Autumnleaves at April 7, 2017 6:28 AM MDT
      April 7, 2017 12:01 AM MDT
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  • They truly have done that, the helping of countless individuals; their work can be life-saving.
      April 7, 2017 6:30 AM MDT
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  • 1326
    Thank you Virginia L! I have been part of the "good news" message for decades. To read the comment such as yours is always greatly appreciated! It's in Jehovah's hands now. This post was edited by Autumnleaves at April 14, 2017 9:34 AM MDT
      April 7, 2017 8:32 AM MDT
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  • 7280
    As VirginiaL has previously stated, protest now before you are the last ones to come from. 

    But even though I am neither Jew nor Jehovah witness, I would fight this because it is just plain wrong---on every level.
      April 14, 2017 12:21 PM MDT
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  • I truly believe you would do that...that would be very much like you.
      April 14, 2017 12:27 PM MDT
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  • 7280
    Thanks---and yes I would.
      April 14, 2017 12:51 PM MDT
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