bruceq

It is of interest that the very arguments that the ones on the "outside" like the anti-cultist apostates from the Russian Ministry of Injustice say about "disfellowshipping" and "some" here on this forum about those having "total control" are EXACTLY the same arguments Korah brought up in Numbers Cp. 16. Like those taking the lead in Jehovah's Organization are "tyrannical" "Now do you also want to make yourself an absolute ruler over us? as well as "Why, then, should you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah? Num 16. Those were the words the REBELS said not the loyal ones! Jehovah says showing such disrespect to his imperfect human reps such as Moses and Aaron was showing disrespect to Him. And we know what happened.

So how do we know this for sure? That he is a she? Perhaps the Librarian is not human at all but an AI a computer algorithm designed just to irritate you. lol

But not by First Century Christians taught by Jesus you know the ones in the New Testament. They used the BIBLE. The Bible, every single book in it, was written by Jews and Jews do not believe in God as a Trinity. So nobody can claim the Trinity is in the Bible if the writers did not believe in it. In fact WHO did believe in a Trinity at the time the Bible was written, say the first 5 books of Moses? It was the Egyptians the very ones who enslaved the Jews. And throughout history it was always the ENEMIES of God's people who believed in trinities : Egyptians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Assyrians and so forth.

Hundreds of people in Russia have to leave your house. Who are they? An unprecedented step in the history of Russia. There are hundreds of citizens of the Russian Federation who have not committed crimes, and no offense, they want to seize their property, which they built on their funds, with their own hands. The state of the Russian Federation wants to take away even the property that belongs to the document with their international colleagues. Who are these people? In Russia, these people have repeatedly been victims of criminal prosecution only because of their religion - it is Jehovah's Witnesses. Dozens of buildings of worship, which some witnesses are home, such as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses, or, as they call it themselves witnesses, Bethel (the biblical name, which means House of God), which is in reality hundreds of people is a literal house shall be confiscated. And this unprecedented news confiscation and prohibition has caused an international outcry. Here are a few examples: *** The EU condemned the Russian government against Jehovah's Witnesses http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-deems-jehovahs-witnesses-extremist/28442809.html Toner urged the US to "ensure that laws against terrorism and extremism do not apply to peaceful religious minority groups. " He also urged the Russian authorities "to lift the ban on the activity of" Jehovah's Witnesses ". Russian Armed Forces on April 20 acknowledged extremist activity" Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia "and banned his work. Representatives of the" Jehovah's Witnesses "have declared their intention to appeal to the European Court of human rights. The protection of the organization were the German Foreign Ministry and the EU's foreign service. RIA Novosti Ukraine: http://rian.com.ua/world_news/20170421/1023412404.html Newsweek ( "Newsweek"): United States: Ban Witnesses in Russia demonstrates "paranoia" Vladimira Putina government http://www.newsweek.com/jehovahs-witnesses-russia-ban-putin-587179 US News & World the Report: The State Department condemned the religious oppression in Russia https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-04-21/state-department-condemns-russian-clampdown-on-jehovahs-witnessesAmbassadors influential countries in the world were very disappointed and amazed the decision of the Supreme Court to ban Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. At a recent conference May 2, 2017 with President Vladimir Putin in his residence in Sochi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over violation of civil rights in Russia and, among other things, was the unprecedented ban on Jehovah's Witnesses. The UN called on Russia to stop the persecution of the Witnesses. Despite this injustice, many families of Jehovah's Witnesses have to leave the Russian branch of Jehovah's Witnesses, which for some was their literal home. You can just speculate - how can "extremists" to create and maintain such a beauty? After all this beauty, which was created by the witnesses at its center, as you saw in the video, in reality, actually is in the hearts of those who built and cared for this place. And in almost all places taken care of where they live and work, Jehovah's Witnesses, you can only see the reflection of love, peace, calm, caring, but not the opposite of this - no "extremism", what exactly are accused Jehovah's Witnesses. This place is too open, beautiful, peaceful and clean in every way, only one it destroys all the Russian charges against Jehovah's Witnesses. You can also see a report released a few years ago, just about the Center, which wants to confiscate their state, and the people who live there. This report answers many questions and gives a lot to understand and see who they are - Jehovah's Witnesses and to liquidate them if necessary? http://www.fakt777.ru/2017/05/sotni-lyudej-v-rossii-dolzhny-pokinut-svoj-dom.html

http://inosmi.ru/politic/20170506/239300344.html POLICY Review, National , United States © AFP 2017, Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck Does Trump oppose renewed religious repression in Russia? 06/05/2017 42 5171 Elizabeth Clark (Elizabeth Clark) The Russian Supreme Court has recognized the religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses" illegal, resulting in 170,000 people are prisoners of conscience. April 20 The Supreme Court has banned the pacifist religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses", recognizing it as "extremist". More than 170,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are no longer able to meet together, without fear of imprisonment, and all the property of this religious organization will be confiscated. In fact, Russia has recognized illegal the whole religion. President Trump has to raise the question about the ban on discussion with Putin and take in respect of the ban other diplomatic steps. This event was the culmination of several years for those who differed low level of repression by the authorities with financial audits, tossing evidence of failure of worship and prosecution of local organizations. A ban of this religious denomination throughout the country brings to mind the extent of religious persecution in Stalinist times, when Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious organizations, mass planted in cattle cars and deported to Siberia. CONTEXT The persecution of "Jehovah's Witnesses" - not a good sign The Guardian 04/27/2017 Ban "witness" does not work University of Oxford 04/24/2017 "Jehovah's Witnesses" have come under the ban Helsingin Sanomat 04/24/2017This prohibition is based on the law of 2002, which allows for a broad interpretation, and under the guise of "extremism" prohibits that in other countries it is considered a classic of freedom of speech - the promotion of "exclusivity, superiority or inferiority" of citizens because of their attitude to religion. In 2015, the UN Human Rights Committee has criticized the wording, calling it "vague and broad," and noted that "the law is increasingly being used to restrict freedom of expression, including political dissent and religious freedom." The law on extremism, developed after the events of 11 September in response to the attacks on the state of believers with violence 'has come full cycle "and has changed diametrically opposite way - now it allows the state to attack the religious group, has not committed any of nonviolent action. CONTEXT The persecution of "Jehovah's Witnesses" - not a good sign The Guardian 04/27/2017 Ban "witness" does not work University of Oxford 04/24/2017 "Jehovah's Witnesses" have come under the ban Helsingin Sanomat 04/24/2017How did we get to this? During the years of Vladimir Putin's rule, religious discrimination and persecution intensified. He unceremoniously uses religion for the sake of its policy of nationalism since 2000, when the government adopted a policy document on national security, which includes a chapter on "Security in the field of spiritual life." There's a word, warning that the representatives of the "Foreign sectarian communities, such as the" Jehovah's Witnesses "... using religious cover, ... form a branched control structure through which collected socio-political, economic, military, and other information about what is happening in Russia, citizens are ideologically processing and incite separatist sentiments. " This kind of paranoia and religious discrimination touched (though to a lesser extent) and members of other religious minorities, "is not a traditional Russian" - Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, Pentecostals, and Orthodox "schismatics." Caught in their number and some Muslim groups, including followers of the late Turkish Islamic Bogoslova Saida Nursi (Said Nursi). Russia has even started a major international scandal with India in 2012, when the court figured out whether to ban the book "Bhagavad Gita As It Is» (The Bhagavad-Gita As It Is), the sacred text, esteemed representatives of the "Krishna Consciousness" International Organization, as an extremist. However, after the law became applied to the Bible and quotes from the Koran, the Russian authorities to take immediate amendment banning extremist recognize scriptures "traditional" Russian religions - Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. "Jehovah's Witnesses" to a much greater extent than any other religious minorities have been in the sights of the Russian secret services, even in Soviet times. During the Second World War, the number of Jehovah's Witnesses was at least two thousand in the Soviet Union, but the rapid growth of the number of post-war paranoia caused by the KGB - the secret service bother impact and spread of this organization. In 2000 he published a book by Christopher Andrew (Christopher Andrew) and Vasili Mitrokhin "Shield and Sword: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB» (The Sword and the Shield, 2000) - the fascinating story of how the secret dissident who worked in the archive of the KGB, for 12 years, I did an extract of the most valuable secret documents and secretly hated them from the archive building. The authors note that "obsession with Jehovah's Witnesses KGB leadership was perhaps the most striking example of their lack of a sense of proportion in relation to the most minor dissent." The same thing is happening today. However, Washington is idle. It's been two weeks, but the only response was "extreme concern" that expressed the acting State Department spokesman in an e-mail the information to the American online edition of US News & World Report. Contrast this with the reaction of the independent US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which sharply condemned the ban, calling it "politicized attacks on the religious group", or the reaction of Angela Merkel (Angela Merkel), which states clearly Putin. Not wanting to personally speak about the most violent phase of the post-Soviet religious persecution, Trump President and Vice-President of Pence provide food for suspicion of their links with Russia and cause frustration for those who appreciate the freedom of religion and speech. Trump can demonstrate that he owes nothing to Russia - it need only have the name of "Jehovah's Witnesses" at the same pressure, which he used to secure the release of humanitarian fund Aya Hijazi worker (Aya Hijazi). Ban endangers the "freedom of the individual in the Russian Federation as a whole," the joint statement said the UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion. The fact that Russia "uses the law on countering extremism, in order to restrict the freedom of ... with regard to the fact that the state is allowed to ... marked a bleak future for the whole of religious freedom in Russia." By introducing the ban, said in his closing statement the lawyer, "Jehovah's Witnesses", "the country has successfully acquiring 170 thousand prisoners of conscience."

Well said. The same happened in the Fist Century when Jesus said to eat his blood and flesh which his hearers knew was wrong yet many left following him anyway without a hint of respect for the signs that indicated he was the true one that was to come. If they just waited they would have been blessed. Many other examples like Korah and so on...You would think some would learn such principles if they only read the Bible instead of being complainers. Jehovah does not like ANY complainers or murmurers for obvious reasons such as in Numbers chp. 16 where Korah's arguments sound EXACTLY like JTR's with the tryanny "Now do you also want to make yourself an absolute ruler over us? as well as "Why, then, should you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah? Num 16. Jehovah says showing such disrespect to his human reps was showing disrespect to Him. And we know what happened. Of course as the end nears the world is becoming more secular and athiest and agnostics are the fastest growing religion for that reason. However here is an interesting article: https://priceonomics.com/jehovahs-witnesses-a-case-study-in-viral-marketing/ Note this quote below :" But Jehovah’s Witnesses are actually net-positive. Despite their heavy leakage, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the largest Christian group gaining American membership. They’re winners!" Jehovah's Witnesses: A Case Study in Viral Marketing · 46,623 views · More stats Share Do you still hold your parents’ faith? If they raised you a Jehovah’s Witness, it’s likely your answer is, “No.” There’s over a 6 in 10 chance, in fact. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their origins in a 1870’s religious movement, called the “Bible Student Movement”. Charles Taze Russell’s independent bible study lead him and his cohort to novel interpretations of the bible, which they codified and disseminated through publications like Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ Magazine. The church’s Governing Body -- which is responsible for refining the church’s interpretation of the bible -- is a group of seven men, and is based in Brooklyn. They still oversee the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society corporation, which was formed in 1884 to distribute the movement’s tracts and bibles. Like many organized religions Jehovah’s Witnesses have their fair share of rituals, prophesy, and dogma. They refuse blood transfusions, believe that Armageddon will happen within in our lifetimes, and they abstain from holidays with “pagan origins” -- including Easter, Christmas, and birthdays. But what tends to set Jehovah’s Witnesses apart in American society is their commitment to evangelism. All baptized members of the church are considered ‘ordained ministers’ and termed “publishers.” This authority comes with a mandate: publishers are required to go out and preach to the best of their ability. Hence the armies friendly young Jehovah’s Witnesses in their suits, spending their Saturday going door to door with bibles and armfuls of colorfully-illustrated Watch Tower pamphlets. On the point of house-to-house ministry, the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization quotes the bible: “Jesus told his followers to “make disciples of people of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:19, 20)” But unlike many of the more common Christian denominations, Jehovah’s Witnesses are required to report back on their evangelical efforts to a central organization. If a baptized Jehovah’s Witness fails to submit reports monthly, they’re termed “irregular” and investigated by the community elders. If he or she fails to submit a report for six consecutive months, the publisher is termed “inactive”. Extreme breaches of conduct can result in disfellowshipping -- i.e. banning from the community. The church tracks “active” publishers as its main membership statistic. When you consider the fact that 39% of self-identifying Catholics attend religious services in the range of “A few times a year” and “Never” -- or the 46% of Mainline Protestants, 45% of Jews, 68% of Buddhists -- Jehovah’s Witnesses have a comparatively steep requirement for membership. The cultures of these faiths allow for individuals to affiliate informally, with minimal external, measurable engagement. Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the other hand, keep track of who is in and who is out and keep track of their participation. They don’t practice infant baptism for this same reason: “Instead of specifying an age to get baptized, God’s Word describes the spiritual condition of those qualified to take that step [...] baptism is for those who are already disciples of Christ.” To be in, you really have to be in. It’s to be expected that this opt-in system and paperwork-heavy user experience would cause a terrible churn rate. This is not a seamless religion by any stretch. A Highly Competitive Marketplace When Pew Research Center surveyed Americans on their religious affiliations, they reported that the United States has a “very competitive marketplace”: “every major religious group is simultaneously gaining and losing adherents.” A lot of this dynamism is lost in top-line statistics. For example, about a third of all Americans raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic, but the percentage of the population made up of Catholics has remained relatively stable for the past several decades because these multitudes have been offset by new immigrants to the U.S. identifying as Catholic. These attrition rates start to look pretty good, however, next to some other numbers. Jehovah’s Witnesses have the lowest retention rate of all the groups -- that’s them all the way on the right. 63% of Americans who were raised Jehovah’s Witness say they aren’t Jehovah’s Witness anymore. Still “Winning” But as our bar chart shows, the large religious groups that allow for more informal membership are losing members too -- every major religious group is. According to Pew, 44% of all adult Americans have changed their religious affiliation, and the group that has grown the most by a long shot is the sector of Americans who claim no religious affiliation. By Pew’s analysis, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Mormonism are all net-negative: there are more people raised in the religious groups who have left, than there are people who have converted into the religious groups. Even Hinduism -- which has the lowest attrition rate -- is just breaking even. But Jehovah’s Witnesses are actually net-positive. Despite their heavy leakage, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the largest Christian group gaining American membership. They’re winners! In a shrinking market, it pays to invest in some viral-marketing. Which is where the 1-million-plus Jehovah’s Witness ministers in America come in. They’re all active recruiters. If Jehovah’s Witnesses were a SaaS company, every ‘customer’ would have to spend several hours a week reaching out to prospective customers, or they’d get their subscription cancelled. Jehovah’s Witnesses gain about 30,000 members a year through baptism -- some of those are children of Jehovah’s witness families, and others are converts. If they didn’t lose so many members to conversion they’d be growing at an even faster rate. We can actually model how much faster, with a simplified formula for viral growth. Viral marketing depends on existing customers recruiting new customers -- like how you can get more free storage capacity on dropbox if you refer your friends. If you know how many users you have (current_pop), on average, how many new customers each existing customer can recruit in a year (baptisms_per_publisher), and if you know what percentage of your customers drop out of the service per year (annual_churn_rate), then you can calculate future populations based on your current population: According to JWFacts.com (whose statistics seem to match up with the annual Watch Tower reports), there were about 982,5233 active publishers in 2002. The conversion rate is tiny, at around 3 baptisms a year for every 100 publishers. But according to this model, the steady stream of converts means Jehovah’s Witnesses can still grow -- even if their recruitment strategies are responsible for some of their attrition. The average churn rate over the past decade has sat at around 1.5% of the total population. If they were retaining members at the rate the Catholic church used to -- .4% in the early 1980s -- they’d hit 2 million publishers in the United States by 2032. There are a lot of assumptions that go into viral marketing. Companies tend to like these projections because investors tend to like the look of exponential growth, but like many attempts to predict the future they’re imperfect. Some things that could disrupt this model are changes in church policy and prophesy, and major world events. Apparently membership ballooned right before 1975 because church leaders had “built up hope” that the world would end that year. Membership declined in the years following, when it didn’t. The actual Armageddon would also probably halt the church’s viral growth. Which brings us to another factoid that might disrupt this model: being a Jehovah’s Witness is not for everyone. This market is not infinite. It has a ceiling, and in fact, given the American trend towards secularism in the past few decades, that ceiling is getting lower. But for the time being, Jehovah’s Witnesses make up about 1% of the U.S. population. This means they have a lot of room left to grow, and -- unlike the other major Christian denominations -- they’re making headway, modest though their growth factor may be.

The last post was from from another city. The ban has not taken legal effect until after the appeal process in June although as seen here some cities are enacting it and the brothers are clearing out before the legal ban takes effect just in case.

Jehovah's Witnesses clear out their property WHAT DO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES OWN IN ST. PETERSBURG? One of the most influential religious organizations in the world has now fallen under a ban in Russia Moskovskii Komsomolets, 5 May 2017 The Supreme Court has actually ruled that the Jehovah's Witnesses conducted extremist activity. Now they are required to cease their work immediately, which they have already done. Further, apparently, there will be new owners of their property. And these believers' property is good, especially in St. Petersburg. People left in tears In the northern capital, which has traditionally been considered to be multi-confessional, a place was found for the Jehovists also. Here they own a dozen hectares of land in Kurort district in the village of Solnechnoe, with dwellings and office buildings. They also own a congress hall with 2,500 seats on Kolomyazh Prospect, building 21, with a hectare of land. And several smaller buildings. The central office of the Russian Jehovists is located in Solnechnoe. In the plan of its arrangement it may be compared with a monastery. Families of clergy worked and lived there. In all, about 300 persons worked in the settlement of the Administrative Center. Now the buildings on the shore of the Finnish Gulf are empty. The inhabitants began leaving with their things as soon as they learned of decision of the court. Many had lived and worked here for years and therefore they departed in tears. "We will challenge the decision, but we do not want to create in the authorities the impression that we are not obeying the court," one of the former leaders of the center explains. Instead of a dump they built a palace There existed the myth that back in the early 1990s Mayor Anatoly Sobchak presented the Witnesses a parcel of 10.5 hectares in Solnechnoe and a hectare on Komomyazh. However, as it turned out, according to documents the religious organization acquired the territory of a former Pioneer Camp in Solnechnoe, which included residences, buildings, and a boiler house, from a construction company for 150 million rubles. According to representatives of the Jehovists, the camp had been completely ruined and they rebuilt it and turned it into a well landscaped lot. At the time, fellow Jehovist believers from Finland, Sweden, and Norway worked on the construction. They brought a Finnish architect. The Scandinavians brought construction materials and hired workers. The construction began in 1992 and by 2002 the entire "camp" was ready. And all of this belonged to citizens of other countries, the Witnesses aver, and therefore it cannot be confiscated. While the construction of the camp was underway, the Witnesses found the land for the Hall of Congresses. Mayor Anatoly Sobchak signed an order to transfer to the Jehovah's Witnesses one hectare on Kolomyazh Prospect. It was leased for 49 years under the condition that for each square meter they were supposed to pay 10 rubles as their contribution to the development of the city. It turned out that the land was not without a surprise—under the future building was found a hazardous waste dump. But the Jehovists paid for the complete disposal of harmful waste. Despite the rumors about the foreign imprint in the immovable property of the Jehovists, according to information of Rosreestr [Russian Register] both the land in Solnechnoe and the hectare on Kolomyazh today are registered to the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The foreign owners, who might have been able to protect the property of their Russian fellow believers, could not be found. (tr. by PDS, posted 5 May 2017)

Interesting how when opposers lies about the Witnesses come to light they go into hiding. " the plaintiff withdrew the claim were most likely dictated by a desire to save face"

Jehovah's Witnesses escape liquidation in Nizhny Novgorod province ARZAMAS PROSECUTOR CANCELS PLANS TO BAN UNREGISTERED GROUP OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES Portal-Credo.Ru, 5 May 2017 A lawsuit for banning an unregistered religious group of Jehovah's Witnesses in Arzamas (Nizhny Novgorod province) was withdrawn from the court on 4 May by the city prosecutor's office. Earlier, on 10 March, the prosecutor's office filed in Arzamas district court a plaintiff's declaration for banning the activity of a group of believers that was functioning without registration, a Portal-Credo.Ru correspondent reports. Attorney Arli Chimirov, who is representing the interests of the believers, said "citizens have the right to exercise their rights to joint confession of religion and without creating a religious group, according to the procedure of article 7 of the federal law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations." In the attorney's opinion, this lawsuit should not be considered in court at all. Hearings in the Arzamas city court began in late March and a subsequent session was held on 3 May. Assistant prosecutor Yulia Plakunova maintained that residents of Arxamas who profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses believe "in life after death and healing without medicines." This statement evoked puzzlement in the judge, who asked to clarify just what it is that Witnesses maintain. Mrs. Plakunova referred to the witness Meshko. The judge began reading the testimony of the witness, according to which everything was the other way around. Nevertheless, the assistant prosecutor continued to insist on her point and several other points of the indictment, which also suffered from lack of evidence. At a result, the judge suggested to present the missing evidence by 4 May. However on 4 May Yulia Plakunova did not appear at the court session. Instead a statement arrived from the Arzamas prosecutor withdrawing the lawsuit. The court accepted the withdrawal and closed proceedings on the case. "The prosecutor's office did not have a choice and the reasons why the plaintiff withdrew the claim were most likely dictated by a desire to save face," the attorney for the defense, Arli Chimirov, said. The story of the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Arzamas received surprisingly blatant publicity in the press. It was reported, for example, that the prosecutor's office accused the citizens of the exclusivity of their religious convictions, which were incorrectly interpreted. Besides the aforementioned belief in "life after death," the plaintiff's declaration contained this accusation: "They manipulate the consciousness of people to refuse worldly values, teaching the existence of purity and light beyond the grave, without the problems and obligations of life." (tr. by PDS, posted 5 May 2017)

News source in Russian Far East speaks up for Jehovah's Witnesses JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: ARE THEY BANNED OR NOT? by Katerina Chernova Suchan, 26 April 2017 Like a stormy wave throughout all the news media of Russia rolled some triumphant articles to the effect that supposedly the "sect" of Jehovah's Witnesses had been banned on the legislative level. . . . This is not true. It was an amazing fact that this news was picked up literally on the fly by everybody who was not too lazy, referring to the fact that the Supreme Court ruled the organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" to be extremist and banned its activity. People who attend meetings of an organization with a name that includes the words "Jehovah's Witnesses" were harassed, insulted, humiliated, slandered, and called all manner of nasty words. And why? What did these people do that was bad for society in their meetings? We conducted a small investigation and we are prepared to describe it. For starters, let's clarify the situation in the legal field. At the present moment no judicial decision HAS TAKEN LEGAL EFFECT prohibiting the activity of the so-called Jehovah's Witnesses. What for a week has been blared "into all horns" by all news media, social networks, and simply "proactive" people, as an order, which incidentally is not ruled out, is just one decision of the Supreme Court which at the present time is being appealed and has still not taken legal effect, and consequently is a judicial act on paper, with which the defense did not agree and so it is appealing it. What is more, an earlier initiative for placing Jehovah's Witnesses outside the law has already been overturned judicially . . . although one should not forget the kind of "cunning" with which the destruction of an organization may be approached. That is, first deliberately refuse to recognize it as illegal but then in the process of further judicial investigations nevertheless ban it in general and pretend that the decision was reached in an equal conflict of two sides and not treacherously and against the wishes of millions of people, infringing their constitutional right to freedom of religious confession. That is for the courts. So that keep in mind that so far, for the present time, Jehovah's Witnesses are within the law and are not banned!!! And now about particulars. . . . The position of citizens . . . . It is very negative in many cases. But in digging deeper into the topic, those citizens who vehemently spoke out AGAINST Jehovah's Witnesses still were not able to establish their position adequately and justifiably. In all cases completely, people began almost hysterically to get angry and accuse Witnesses of taking people's money, property, and other valuables and to talk about imaginary cottages built with this money. . . . But when they are asked to name just one victim from whom money, apartments, or something else was taken by the Witnesses, NOBODY was able to remember A SINGLE case in fact! So we asked to show us or give the address of just one cottage of a Jehovah's Witness, built with money stolen from people. And again, nobody knows a single real instance. So why such persecution of this organization? Everything is explained quite simply. Witnesses in the recent past preached too aggressively and insistently, they pestered people on the street, they knocked on doors, they went to workplaces, which irritated atheists and people who believed otherwise. As a result, in a few years they were able to provoke such antipathy against themselves among simple people—that's all! But! At the same time their ranks, strange as it seems, grew. The organization accumulated members while nobody was left without apartments and money. Many people turned around their personal life because at the meetings they learned humility and forgiveness of loved ones, many cast off harmful and addictive habits, some found for themselves the meaning of life, and generally no evil came of it. It is not without importance that various rituals of the type of "baptism," "weddings," and the like are conducted among the Witnesses on a cost-free basis. Take note, Witnesses for a long time have not been pestering people on the streets, they do not go from house to house, and they do not "tug" anywhere, they live quietly and peacefully, and they try to serve people and God—just so. At the same time we have not noted particular growth of the popularity of the Orthodox Church. We have heard many complaints against it regarding the impossibility of performing any ritual in the event that a person does not have money. That is, you want to be "baptized,"--some "donation;" you want to be "married,"--it takes so much cash; a "funeral,"-- it is also not for free. People murmur, priests in gold and jeeps, but candles in churches are only for contributions. Just so. It was possible to find a version that "the war on the Witnesses" was declared out of fear that they will overtake Orthodoxy, that people will be drawn to them sincerely, they will leave fat priests, and this is impermissible! In general, think for yourself and do not go along. As always, we are not justifying anybody; we do not take anybody's side. We are for justice. The court's decision has not taken legal effect, and people should not be deceived that THEY ARE BANNED, SHUT DOWN, and outside the law already! This is not true! The court's decision has still not taken legal effect. They are within the law and have the right to their own meetings and activity. The editors appeal to those citizens who have reliable information about incidents of extortion or seizures of property by Jehovah's Witnesses. Come to our offices and we will help you recover everything by legal procedure. And indeed we would like to see just one such person from whom something has been stolen. We have not been able to find such. (tr. by PDS, posted 4 May 2017)

Informant's report leads to fine of Jehovah's Witness LEADER OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES CONGREGATION IN KYZYL FINED FOR CONDUCTING MEETING SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 3 May 2017 The head of a local religious organization was punished for conducting a meeting after the suspension of its activity. On 3 May 2017, the MVD for the republic of Tuva reported that on 19 April 2017, a magistrate judge of court district No. 2 of Kyzyl found the leader of a local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses guilty of committing an administrative violation of law, provided for by part 1 of article 20.28 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (organizing the activity of a religious association with respect to which a decision has been made to suspend its activity). He was fined 1,000 rubles. The ministry reports that on 5 April a telephone report came into the dispatch center of the city directorate of the MVD, which said that on Churgui-oola St. in Kyzyl "people are meeting and discussing religious topics and also are discussing the topic of the possible end of the world." Personnel of law enforcement agencies established that the premises belong to the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses of the city of Kyzyl. The activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses and the rights of local religious organizations that are members of its structure were suspended by the Russian Ministry of Justice on 15 March 2017 in connection with the submission of a lawsuit for its liquidation in the Supreme Court. Later, on 20 April, this lawsuit was granted. From our point of view, the liquidation of Jehovah's Witnesses organizations for extremism, prosecution of their members, and prohibition of their texts do not have legal grounds and are a clear manifestation of religious discrimination. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 May 2017)

Jehovah's Witnesses' appeal to be heard in Supreme Court Hearings in the Appellate College of the Supreme Court of the Russian federation on the appeal in the case of the "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" have been scheduled for 13 June 2017 at 11:40. Source: webpage of the Supreme Court of the Russian federation

Hope you feel better soon and thanks to all.

Pro-Orthodox news agency clarifies church's opposition to Jehovah's Witnesses CHURCH SUPPORTS BAN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA Interfax-Religiia, 2 May 2017 The Russian Church called Jehovah's Witnesses a dangerous sect and supported its ban in the Russian federation. "This is a sect that is both totalitarian and harmful. I know about this well because I have had the opportunity of frequently talking with former devotees of this sect," the head of the synod's Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, declared on the program "Church and World" on the Rossiia-24 television channel. He sees the danger of the Jehovists in that they approach people on the streets with their literature, present themselves as a Christian organization, while their activity is built "on the manipulation of the mind and they destroy the psyche of people and the family." In addition, the hierarch noted, adherents of Jehovah's Witnesses "distort the teaching of Christ and interpret the New Testament incorrectly." "Their doctrine contains a multitude of false teachings. They do not believe in Jesus Christ as God and Savior, they do not acknowledge the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and therefore they cannot in any way be called Christian," he declared. As was reported, on 20 April the Russian Supreme Court found the Russian Jehovah's Witnesses to be an extremist organization. Thereby an administrative lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice was granted. The metropolitan welcomed this decision of the court, expressing the opinion that now the "pernicious and harmful" influence of Jehovists will diminish. He also added that the church did not take any part in this case and it was not approached for consultations. The Jehovah's Witnesses organization has regularly been the object of attention of oversight agencies in all regions of Russia and in a number of regions its activity has been banned. Earlier the Russian Supreme Court acknowledged as legal the decision for the liquidation of territorial divisions of Jehovists in Orel, Stary Oskol and Belgorod, Abinsk of Krasnodar territory, Samara, Birobidzhan, and other cities. Local divisions of the organization have often been held administratively accountable for distributing extremist materials—in Tiuimen, Abinsk, Samara, Saransk, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Gelendzhik, and other cities. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 May 2017) Compare previous report: Metropolitan makes a confused response to ban of Jehovah's WitnessesMay 1, 2017

Roman Catholic leader raises concern that his people may be treated like Jehovah's Witnesses GENERAL SECRETARY OF CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF RUSSIA CRITIZES BAN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES SKGNews.com [Free Catholic Newspaper], 2 May 2017 The Catholic church of Russia condemned the decision of the Supreme Court banning the Jehovah's Witnesses and it warned that this step increases the worries relative to new restrictions with respect to Catholics' rights. "Churches such as ours do not regard Jehovah's Witnesses to be Christian and we do not engage in dialogue with them, but we must distinguish theological problems from legal rights," declared the general secretary of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia, Monsignor Igor Kovalevsky. "The situation in Russia now is complex and difficult. Catholics have very strong worries that we also may be faced, if not with persecution then at least with new manifestations of discrimination and restrictions of our freedom of religious confession," he said. By the decision of the Supreme Court of 20 April, Jehovah's Witnesses were called an "extremist organization" and sentenced to confiscation of the property belonging to this organization throughout the country. As Msgr. Kovalevsky reported to a correspondent of the news agency "Catholic News Service," it is not clear to the Catholic church which actions may be considered "extremist," adding that all religious groups have the right "to exist and to develop in the Russian federation," if they do not violate the law. "The law should be fairly applied to all . . . . A law may be severe, but it is the law as before. I think that the government is obliged to give to everyone a clear explanation about why this group was liquidated," Msgr. Kovalevsky said. The Jehovah's Witnesses were registered in Russia in 1991 and reregistered in 1999, but they have been subjected to regular arrests and police raids for passing out leaflets and witnessing "from door to door." Their members have been subjected to attack and their property has been damaged by vandals. A ruling of the Supreme Court established fines of up to 10,700 USA dollars and up to 10 years incarceration for anyone who will be involved in the activity of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Msgr. Kovalevsky said that although there are no signs that the Catholic church will be treated as the Jehovah's Witnesses were, "the government should assure citizens that freedom of conscience remains intact." "Jehovah's Witnesses have the same right to protect their dignity and faith as do other citizens," he said. "Although protecting human rights is not our main task, the Catholic church defends the right of each person to freedom of conscience." (tr. by PDS, posted 2 May 2017)

GERMAN CHANCELLOR CALLS PUTIN'S ATTENTION TO THE NEED TO PROTECT MINORITIES, PARTICULARLY JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES Portal-Credo.Ru, 2 May 2017 On 2 May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to exert influence on the situation with sexual minorities in Chechnya, to protect the rights of homosexuals, and to protect the activity of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. She reported this during a press conference about the results of her meeting with the Russian leader, TASS reports. "We have received very negative reports about what is happening with homosexuals in Chechnya and I asked the president to exert his influence for preserving the rights of minorities," she said, adding that it is important also to protect the activity of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Separately Merkel noted the necessity of honoring the right to public meetings and free activity of nongovernmental organizations. On 20 April the Russian Supreme Court issued a decision to find all organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia to be "extremist," and to prohibit their activity and to confiscate their property. During the judicial proceedings, which lasted 6 days, there was not introduced a single example of extremist activity other than instances of refusing blood transfusion, the right to which is provided by Russian law. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 May 2017)

Merkel, Meeting Putin, Raises Treatment of Gays and Jehovah’s Witnesses By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and ALISON SMALEMAY 2, 2017 Continue reading the main storyShare This Page Share Tweet Email More Save Photo President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany spoke at a news conference in Sochi, Russia, on Tuesday. CreditPool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko MOSCOW — Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, took the opportunity of a rare visit to Russia to raise domestic human rights issues on Tuesday with President Vladimir V. Putin, a noted departure from their continuing differences over Ukraine and Syria. Ms. Merkel said she had talked to Mr. Putin about her concerns on civil rights in Russia, including, among other issues, the persecution of gay men, a new ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses and arrests of anti-Kremlin protesters. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/world/europe/merkel-putin-russia.html Also watch it here at 9:48 min : httyoutube.com/watch?v=QpwR44MRXDI … ps://youtu.be/QpwR44MRXDI

Merkel, Meeting Putin, Raises Treatment of Gays and Jehovah’s Witnesses By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and ALISON SMALEMAY 2, 2017 Continue reading the main storyShare This Page Share Tweet Email More Save Photo President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany spoke at a news conference in Sochi, Russia, on Tuesday. CreditPool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko MOSCOW — Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, took the opportunity of a rare visit to Russia to raise domestic human rights issues on Tuesday with President Vladimir V. Putin, a noted departure from their continuing differences over Ukraine and Syria. Ms. Merkel said she had talked to Mr. Putin about her concerns on civil rights in Russia, including, among other issues, the persecution of gay men, a new ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses and arrests of anti-Kremlin protesters. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/world/europe/merkel-putin-russia.html

TrueTomHarley " There is no finer way to get some grumblers going than to say: “oh, we changed that." I think it is great that we have had 51 new adjustments in understanding especially related to Great Tribulation and prophecies in just the last 10 years. That compares with the same amount in the previous 50 years showing the end is very near as the Scriptures say: " 9 See, the first things have come to pass; Now I am declaring new things. Before they spring up, I tell you about them.” Isa.42:9 and " 7 For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing Unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7. TrueTomHarley "One character hoo-haws over the fact that growth among Western nations is quite modest and sometimes has even reversed. He thus reveals his bias that these are the only people who matter" I am sure the people outside the ark were also "hoo-hawing" once the rain started and saying "hey there are only 8 people in that ark why is Jehovah so concerned with quality of people and not quantity"?

Yes my parents and grandparents on both sides of my family went through that time as well. My parents died just last year 88 years old baptized 75 years ago. They had many stories to tell.

Russia’s ban of Jehovah’s Witnesses prompts religious hate crimes When Russia’s Supreme Court condemned the religion as ‘extremist,’ some took it as permission to attack believers, like a sad page from U.S. history. Share on Facebook Are you an influencer? 2 Religious hate crimes have begun against Jehovah's Witnesses in Saint Petersburg. Photo: Max Pixel/freegreatpicture.com, used with permission. The #Supreme Court of the Russian Federation’s ruling on Thursday, April 20 to criminalize and officially ban Jehovah’s Witnesses has already moved supposedly good Russian citizens to commit religious #hate crimes. The very evening of the ruling, a group of men who took the ruling as permission to attack, accosted the largest building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses for worship in Saint Petersburg, located on Kolomyazhsky Prospekt. They blocked vehicles from leaving the premises. One of the men shouted insults and threats of physical harm to Jehovah’s Witnesses. The group then hurled numerous baseball- and brick-size rocks at the building, shattering and smashing glass doors and windows. And they say Jehovah’s Witnesses are Russia’s ‘extremists.’ Violence predicted Before the April 20 hearing ended, Attorney Maxim Novakov, representing the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, said this would happen. Groundlessly label people as dangerous criminals, and the Court’s ruling could provoke a wave of violence against non-violent Christians. He even specified that such violence would take the forms of property damage and attacks on Witnesses themselves, clearly motivated by religious hatred. Won’t ever happen here? Well, sadly, it already has happened in the U.S. After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, at the height of World War II, government officials rounded up over 100,000 Japanese-Americans—more than 60,000 U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.; more than 50,000 were children—and herded them off to concentration camps in 10 states. True, the preferred term is Internment Camps, but the prisoners may not have such kind words for it. Nearly 2,000 died for medical reasons alone, most having contracted illnesses in the camps due to unsanitary or overcrowded conditions. Domestic terrorism If the Civil Rights movement has clarified anything, it is this: What white supremacists call simply taking the law into their own hands, many African Americans call “acts of terrorism,” pure and simple. These are ones who survived or who descend from survivors of over 5,000 lynchings of black men, women and even children during the early 20th century, domestic terrorist attacks by Americans. Sure, Hitler’s Nazi Germany was first to attack Jehovah’s Witnesses, in the 1930s, whom they criminalized as enemies of the nation. Why? For their respectful neutrality in silently refraining from saluting the flag and giving the Nazi salute, Heil Hitler!, which means ‘Salvation by Hitler.’ Yet other nations, including these United States of America, soon followed suit. Shameful facts On November 4, 1935, Jehovah’s Witness children in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, who stood respectfully but silently refrained from saluting the flag, received lashings in a school’s boiler room. Two days later, the school of Minersville, Pennsylvania, expelled William and Lillian Gobitas for the same motive, though they too had always respectfully stood during the ceremony. Their parents filed legal action, which by 1940 reached the U.S. Supreme Court. An eight-to-one judgment—no doubt swayed by war hysteria—overruled the trial and appellate courts’ decisions, and ruled instead that respectfully standing without participating was insufficient; flag salute was mandatory in public schools. The result? A wave of violence directed at thousands of Christians swept through the nation. The attacks increased despite First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s public appeals denouncing the atrocities. Shocking atrocities What sort of hate crimes did patriotic Americans commit against their fellow citizens whose beliefs differed from theirs? Everywhere imaginable—on the streets, at their workplaces, even when showing up for their doorstep visits—people who took the law into their own hands held an American flag before Witnesses and demanded that they salute it “or else.” A partial list of the religiously motivated hate crimes committed and documented in public records follows. Crimes against humanity mob attacks beatings kidnapping threats of lynching beatings to the point of unconsciousness tarring and feathering castration and mutilation jailing, often without charges solitary confinement hundreds of ‘preventive detentions’ denying contact with friends, family members and attorneys night shootings looting of homes arson attacks to homes, automobiles and places of worship driven from towns, counties and even states forced to swallow castor oil mockery and insults public shaming (ripping their clothes off) public burning of Bibles and religious publications physical assaults against them and their attorneys in courtrooms The law turns a blind eye During many attacks, law enforcement officials stood idly by, doing nothing to interfere with the crimes being committed before their very eyes, sometimes contributing to the violence or even instigating mob action themselves. In just five years (1940-1944), so-called upstanding American citizens committed more than 2,500 of such violent hate crimes against their fellow citizens, known worldwide for their peacefulness and respectful neutrality. That’s more than one a day, every day of every week of every month, for five years. View image on Twitter Recent rumbles Admirably, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed itself on the flag salute issue on Flag Day (June 14), 1943, declaring it unlawful for officials to dictate what people should believe or confess by action or faith. Mandatory flag salute was forbidden. The Court’s written opinion said that it was the first time the nation’s highest judiciary had rescinded prior decisions so as now to restrict the scope and reach of democratic government. In all, Jehovah’s Witnesses won nearly 50 Supreme Court cases during the 20th century—strengthening the rights of all American citizens—several of them specifically flag salute issues. Despite these landmark rulings, a few very-forgetful Presidential candidates in the 1980s and 1990s successively whipped up patriotic fervor, campaigning to reinstate mandatory flag salute. Imitate Russia, anyone? Russia may be thousands of miles away geographically. But the same issues presently arising there have long been close to U.S. citizens’ hearts and part of this nation’s disappointing history. In the thick of war hysteria or even simple xenophobia, which is on the rise everywhere, it takes very little for good, kind people to suddenly turn on other good people, simply because someone points and says: “Enemy!” Russia’s ban of Jehovah’s Witnesses can easily worsen, the government gaining a foothold to outlaw every religion that it doesn’t favor. Other nations could copycat Big Bully’s repressive actions. So citizens of all nations do well to worry lest something similar should happen overnight in their own backyard.

Metropolitan makes a confused response to ban of Jehovah's Witnesses ORTHODOX LEADER ASKS THAT IT BE BELIEVED THAT RPTsMP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN BAN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA Portal-Credo.Ru, 1 May 2017 The chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (OVTsS) of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, gave assurances that the decision of the Supreme Court of the RF to find the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses to be "extremist," was "carried out independently" and without consulting with the Russian Orthodox Church (RPTS) of the Moscow patriarchate, TASS reported on 29 April. The metropolitan did not explain what sources he used in passing judgment of the degree of the independence of the current Russian Supreme Court. "I would like to emphasize that the church did not take any kind of part here and they did not turn to us for consultations. The church does not urge that heretics, sectarians, or dissidents be subjected to criminal prosecution," Ilarion said. Nevertheless, the decision to ban the Jehovah's Witnesses is a "positive step in the business of combating the spread of sectarian ideas that have nothing in common with Christianity," the chairman of the OVTsSMP thinks, causing some confusion in his position on this case. "The fact that sectarians will remain and will continue their activity is hard to doubt. But the fact that, at least, they will cease to equate themselves to Christian confessions openly is for the better," the hierarch declared. He also noted that the "activity of Jehovah's Witnesses violates civil legislation," without explaining just how it does. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 May 2017)

LOL

The future for Jehovah's Witnesses WITHOUT WITNESSES: HOW WILL JEHOVISTS LIVE AFTER THE BAN IN RUSSIA? "Telegraf" found out what adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses and experts think with regard to the ban of their activity in Russia by Dmitry Matveev Telegraf, 28 April 2017 On 20 April, the Russian Supreme Court found the activity of the "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" to be extremist and banned its work. Not long before that, the Russian Ministry of Justice put a stop to the work of the central office of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization because of rulings that 95 of the books the organization distributes are extremist. Telegraf talked with adherents of the organization in Russia and abroad and found out how their life will change after the ban. Nobody compels people to become Jehovah's Witnesses by force; they come to the faith by themselves. Anton Chivchalov, an adherent of the Jehovah's Witnesses, described for Telegraf how he became acquainted with this teaching quite by accident back when he was a teenager and found their literature in the home of his grandmother. "It was in Ukraine, Lvov province, the city of Chervonograd. I was immediately attracted by the logic and reasonableness of the presentation. All this contrasted sharply with the perception of religion that I had before that: something gloomy, confused, mixed with strange rituals, 'for old ladies,' and so forth," Anton explained. He wrote a letter to the Jehovah's Witnesses' affiliate in Germany and requested literature, which he quickly received. Anton said that for some time he corresponded with believers from another city and then he began to study the Bible more seriously and to attend meetings, first in Ukraine and later in Russia. In 1996 he himself received baptism as a follower of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Originally he was attracted by the reasonableness, clarity, logic, and integrity in its teaching. "Before this, my religion was associated with stupidities like holy water which my grandmother fed me (incidentally, later she also became a Jehovah's Witness). But I unexpectedly discovered for myself that the Bible gives absolutely reasonable answers to important questions and formulates an integral and logical picture of the world. For example, before that I did not find anywhere a more logical explanation for the nature of evil than in the Bible," Anton Chivchalov explained. He added that if one speaks about Jehovah's Witnesses as people, then he sees among them genuine Christian qualities. "These are brotherly love, mutual help, a serious attitude to the study of the Bible, treating it as a handbook and guide for all areas of life, and zeal in the work of evangelism. All of this is today in great deficit among other Christian churches," Anton explained. The follower of Jehovah's Witnesses said that in his family people are sufficiently educated to be able to respect the religious convictions of other people. "My grandmother and my younger brother also became Jehovah's Witnesses and my mother is now actively interested in the faith," he explained. "Jehovah's Witnesses will submit an appeal of the decision of the Supreme Court, including in the European Court for Human Rights, and therefore not everything is so unambiguous. "If there is an unfavorable outcome for us, we will not be able to conduct large worship services and we will not be able to use the houses of worship that we built, nor to import literature. Of course, in a law-based state in the 21st century, freedom of religious confession should not look like that," Anton considers. At the same time, he thinks that the matter will not come to mass imprisonments, but it may come to mass fines, warnings from prosecutors, acts of vandalism, dismissals from work, confiscations, humiliations in law enforcement agencies and insults. "Unfortunately all this has already begun, even before the decision of the Supreme Court. Here much will depend on the position of specific officials in places," Anton Chivchalov explained. He said that our government thinks that law enforcement agencies should hunt for defenseless women with Bibles and not catch criminals. Anton explained that he has no fear. "We try to remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: 'They persecuted me and they will persecute you also.' Each person, coming to Christian faith, should be psychologically prepared for persecution. And Jehovah's Witnesses do not entertain historical experience; after all we went through much more severe soviet and hitlerian repressions," Anton explained. "What do I feel? I feel great responsibility to do all that I can in order to help my brothers and sisters in Russia, to sanctify God's name and establish his kingdom. This is the main thing that we do in whatever country we live in and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. This is what always unites us as a world brotherhood," the follower of Jehovah's Witnesses summed up. The ban of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia shocked the world community. Sergei Afanasiev, an adherent of Jehovah's Witnesses living in Ukraine, said that the ban of the organization in Russia was a shocking experience for the whole world. Jehovah's Witnesses are known as peaceful citizens, who do not participate in political activity and categorically oppose violence. This means that the Jehovah's Witnesses do not have a political lobby and they are neutral and submit to any government. And it is for this reason that our situation in a country is a marker of religious liberty. Usually persecutions in authoritarian countries begin with Jehovah's Witnesses, but they never end with them," Sergei said. As regards citizens of Ukraine, the ban of Jehovah's Witnesses evoked diverse reactions. "Even those people who categorically disagree with the views of Jehovah's Witnesses condemned this ban and sympathize with Jehovah's Witnesses. Such people are the majority," Sergei explained. He said that it is still unknown when and which actions the government will take against Jehovah's Witnesses. "What is already now is they are sealing up buildings and believers who gather in their own homes for reading and discussing the Bible are issued prosecutorial warnings. That is, my fellow believers can expect very difficult times," he explained. Sergei does not think that the authorities will immediately start criminal prosecution of believers with real criminal sentences. For now public opinion or the reaction of the world community will not permit doing this. "However it is not necessary to imprison; Jehovah's Witnesses who wind up in the list of extremists will be deprived of work, the right to business activity, and the right to have bank accounts and to get credit. This is quite enough in order to turn peaceful and honest citizens into outcasts," he says. Jehovah's Witnesses are law-abiding and they respect authority, whatever it is and however they are treated. Sergei Afanasiev says that followers of the teaching will not organize pickets or protest demonstrations. They will not be saboteurs, spies, terrorists, or pests. They will continue to be peaceful and honest people, and the only opposition will consist in their continuing to believe, gather together, fellowship, and speak about their faith with others. He said that if Jehovah's Witnesses are imprisoned, they will be model prisoners. "This is known from historical experience. In nazi camps, Jehovah's Witnesses accepted the rules of camp order as the law of the state and they obeyed them very precisely, but without violating their own principles. The Jehovah's Witness Elza Abt, a prisoner of Auschwitz, wrote in her memoirs that during the evacuation of the camp in January 1945, she and other women Jehovah's Witnesses were put on an ordinary passenger train. The convoy allowed them to occupy seats in various cars and practically did not guard them. They did not know the locality and they accidentally missed the station where they were supposed to transfer to another train. If they had escaped, nobody would look for them. But Elza and several of her fellow believers turned themselves in to the first SS they met and were put into the right camp. If they had acted differently, it would have placed the lives of hundreds of their fellow believers at risk," Sergei Afanasiev said. He added that all Jehovah's Witnesses' property is supposed to be confiscated. But the Kingdom Halls that the Jehovah's Witnesses use have various forms of ownership and some of them belong to foreign legal entities. That is, confiscating immovable property will not be as simple as the Ministry of Justice suggests. Practically all the buildings that the Jehovah's Witnesses use were built by the adherents themselves and wth their donations. "In light of this, confiscation of the property of religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses will possibly seem even more savage and blasphemous than the confiscation of property from the Orthodox Church after 1917," Sergei Afanasiev summed up. The ban of the Jehovah's Witnesses was a purely political decision, and the Russian Orthodox Church had nothing to do with it. "As regards possible pressure on the political authorities on the part of the RPTs, the dominant religious tradition in the country, which has a ramified structure, with the aim of eliminating competitors and changing the general cultural and world view field, and the public space and information field is saturated with these speculations. I think that they all are far from the truth, and on the "political" level everything is not so far," Viliam Shmidt, a professor of the Russian Academy of State Service and a religious studies scholar, explained for Telegraf. The expert said that adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are not as many as adherents of religiosity that is untraditional for Russia on the whole. "For the RPTs it would be more desirable if such small, untraditional religions did not have the status of 'religious,' but this is impossible, the religious studies scholar explained. In the event of a ban, Jehovah's Witnesses will go underground. "What is expected from the Jehovah's Witnesses after the ban? A rather strange question. What can one expect from 'fundamentalist' pacifists? They will live as before, to be sure now without the right of public associations. A large portion of them will find themselves in a compulsory shadow, in 'the religious underground,' as it was in the soviet period, when religious traditions were fought as public worldview vestiges. In the 21st century, fighting with ideas, not of a social and political order but of a metaphysical one, at the state level, is unfortunately extremely vulgar political views and practices," Viliam Shmidt concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 May 2017)