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Posts posted by The Librarian
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“Comfort all that mourn.” Isa 61:2
I need a new list of publications for this year. It was lost during the transition sadly. Here is what I have recompiled up to now. If you find something more or have a PDF copy of any of these please reply below.
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Year Book of the International Bible Students Association
Watchtower
Comfort for the Jews
Comfort for the PeopleÂOur Lord's ReturnÂ
The Watchtower Radio Stations, WORD & WBBR
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Investigators and special police forces raided and searched the homes of several Jehovah’s Witnesses. These five Christian women recount how the raids personally affected them.
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Gilead graduation week is always a fun one at Bethel. We have a special meal on Wednesday and then all the guests start arriving for the graduation program on Saturday. It was spectacular, and we had a great time with Ace's friends from the West Coast.
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Was einige Nachbarn über den Königreichssaal in ihrer Nähe sagen
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Learn how neighbors reacted to having a Kingdom Hall in their neighborhood.
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Russian authorities have stepped up their campaign of terror against the Witnesses, arresting and imprisoning them for practicing their faith.
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The US State Department has called on Russia to release all of its political and religious prisoners, urging the government of President Vladimir Putin to cease using its legal system to "suppress dissent and peaceful religious practices".All together, the total number of prisoners the US said are “unjustly imprisoned” exceeds 150. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the administration was “deeply concerned” by the KremlinÂ’s increasing detainment of human rights activists and others identifying with minority religious groups across the country.“We call on Russia to release all those identified as political or religious prisoners immediately and cease its use of the legal system to suppress dissent and peaceful religious practice,” a statement read. ”The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve equal treatment under the law and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution.”Among those identified by human rights organisations as political and religious prisoners are more than a dozen Muslim followers of Turkish theologian Said Nursi, several JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, five leaders from the Church of Scientology and a human rights activist whose been detained in Chechnya, according to the state departmentÂ’s statement.“We are especially concerned about the welfare of four Ukrainians unjustly imprisoned who are currently on hunger strike—Oleg Sentsov, Stanislav Klykh, Oleksandr Shumkov, and Volodymyr Balukh,” the statement said. ”We are likewise troubled by the case of Oyub Titiyev, a human rights activist prosecuted on trumped-up drug charges in Chechnya, whose pre-trial detention was recently extended,“ it added.Oleg Sentsov is one case the US has raised with Russia as 'unjust' ( AP )https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-calls-on-russia-to-release-unjustly-jailed-political-and-religious-prisoners-a8405461.html
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Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox leader, supports President Putin’s ban on “imported” religionsALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/GETTY IMAGESArmed police officers have arrested at least 17 JehovahÂ’s Witnesses during raids on their homes across Russia.A court ruled last year that the Christian denomination was an extremist organisation, placing it on a par with Islamic State and neo-Nazi groups, and its followers face up to ten years in jail.Roman Markin, 44, was detained after officers with automatic weapons broke down his door in the Arctic city of Murmansk. “They forced him and his 16-year-old daughter to the floor at gunpoint,” Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a spokesman for the European Association of JehovahÂ’s Christian Witnesses, said. The police are alleged to have tried to force followers to renounce their faith in exchange for their freedom.Read more:https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-rounds-up-jehovah-s-witnesses-s3rsd97b8
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Russia has recently stepped up expulsions of Christian missionaries and is also focusing on foreign rabbis, despite Judaism being legally recognised in the secular state as having historic roots in Russia
Alexander NEMENOV (AFP/File)Foreign Christian believers and missionaries have also been targetedFor the past three months, Asher Krichevsky, Siberia's chief rabbi, has been battling to stay in the country after the Russian authorities accused the Israeli citizen of attempting to overthrow the state.Russia has recently stepped up expulsions of believers and missionaries from Christian denominations that originated abroad such as Mormons, Pentecostal Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses.But it is also focusing on foreign rabbis, despite Judaism being legally recognized in the secular state as having historic roots in Russia, along with Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.Thousands of Israelis are currently visiting Russia for World Cup matches, while some 1.5 million Russian-speakers live in Israel.Krichevsky, 40, is an emissary for the Chabad Hasidic movement, which has an emphasis on outreach activities. He has served as the chief rabbi of the city of Omsk and its region since 2001 and also holds the post of chief rabbi of Siberia.He had his Russian residence permit annulled on the basis that he had "attempted to destroy Russia's constitutional order", an official at the Omsk synagogue where he served told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.Few details of the case are available since the accusations against Krichevsky were classified as secret.A judge reportedly said in court that Krichevsky's residence permit was annulled on the basis of information from the FSB security service that he had called for the violent overthrow of constitutional order or otherwise threatened state security."Neither the rabbi nor his lawyer were informed of the exact nature of the charge because the case was immediately classified as secret," the synagogue official said.Krichevsky and his wife, who have seven children, previously had their residency permits annulled in 2014 after being accused of minor offences, but they successfully appealed against the ruling.ÂAt the time, Russian media suggested he was spying for Israel.The next step is for Krichevsky to appeal against the annulment of his residency permit at Russia's Supreme Court, according to the official. Krichevsky is still living in Russia.He is one of nine rabbis -- citizens of Israel, the United States and Canada -- known to have faced similar moves by the authorities since 2003. All except Krichevsky have left Russia."It's a humiliating and insulting practice," the president of the Russian Jewish Congress Yury Kanner told AFP. He questioned how Krichevsky could pose a threat to the state."What kind of (constitutional) order is this if it can be threatened by rabbis?"In January this year in the Ulyanovsk region on the Volga, US rabbi Yosef (Yossi) Marozov, along with his wife and six children, lost their residency permits after Marozov was accused by the FSB of planning or supporting "terrorist activity." The Supreme Court rejected his appeal.In February last year, the same happened to Rabbi Ari Edelkopf, a US citizen in the Black Sea city of Sochi, who was also accused of posing a threat to national security.         Â- Clean-up operations -       Â
In 2016, authorities strengthened their control over missionaries through "anti-terrorism" amendments authored by Irina Yarovaya, a prominent pro-Kremlin lawmaker.The forcing out of rabbis is "a consequence of Yarovaya's law," said Olga Sibireva of the SOVA Center think tank, which monitors extremism and hate crimes.Rabbis fell victim to a "cleanup operation targeting foreign missionaries and particularly religious organisations considered as sects," she said."But it is absurd to suspect rabbis who have worked in Russia for years of extremism," she added.The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, which nominates rabbis to work in Russian regions, said the recent deportations reflected "a new scenario"."Previously, (rabbis) got expelled after being accused of minor violations like traffic offences. Today, expulsions are linked to accusations from the secret services," said the federation's spokesman, Rabbi Boruch Gorin."Their case papers are classified as secret and even lawyers cannot access them. It's easier to get rid of a foreigner when there are no concrete charges," he said.        Â- 'Suspicion of foreigners' -         Â
Foreign Christian believers and missionaries have also been targeted.The Kremlin denied any generalized crackdown, however."One can't give an overall opinion on this topic. You need to look at each case individually," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP.ÂIndian missionary Victor-Immanuel Mani from God's Love Evangelical Church was deported in 2016 by a court in the city of Naberezhniye Chelny on the Volga river. He submitted a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights and was later allowed to return because he had Russian family members.Mani's lawyer Damir Gainutdinov pointed to a number of reasons for the expulsions."There is a traditional suspicion of foreigners in Russia," he said, while some regional authorities "are rushing to apply the new law."Expulsions of Protestant missionaries are "done for the benefit of the Orthodox Church which doesn't want competitors" and which considers their churches to be sects, the lawyer said.The actions against rabbis may be down to "local conflicts" with the authorities, he suggestedhttps://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/177547-180619-russia-seeks-to-force-out-foreign-rabbis-as-national-security-threat -
The Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on conscientious objectors who refuse mandatory military service, amid increasing acquittals made by lower courts.
According to the Supreme Court on Monday, two cases of conscientious objectors, which two panels of its judges have been reviewing, have been transferred to an “en banc session,” in which all justices of the top court participate in the cases. It has also scheduled a public hearing for the cases on Aug. 30.Â
All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military for about two years, and only those with “justifiable grounds” are exempted, according to the Military Service Act.
In the past, religious and conscientious reasons behind refusing mandatory military service were not accepted as “justifiable” by the judiciary, and conscientious objectors -- many of whom were JehovahÂ’s Witnesses -- were subject to prison terms of less than three years, according to the law.Â
It was in May 2004 that the first acquittal was made for a conscientious objector, by the Seoul Southern District Court. But two months later, the Supreme Court opened an en banc session and ruled that freedom of conscience cannot take priority over military service. The accused was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison.Â
Since then, despite the top courtÂ’s final decision on the case, 89 cases of conscience objectors have been acquitted by lower courts, with 28 of them occurring this year.
For the upcoming public hearing in August, all 14 of the top courtÂ’s justices will participate, with Chief Justice Kim Meong-su leading. The two convicts are JehovahÂ’s Witnesses who have been sentenced to both prison terms and monetary penalties by lower courts. One person reportedly refused to serve his military service after receiving a notice of enlistment in 2013, and the other has turned to the religion after he finished his mandatory military service and refused to take part in the reserve forces training that is required of those who have completed their duty.Â
Since 2013, nearly 2,500 people were prosecuted for failing to enlist in the military, according to data from the Military Manpower Administration.
By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180619000688 -
Russia has said the U.S. government has “no moral right” to demand the release of religious or political prisoners, such as detained JehovahÂ’s Witnesses.On Monday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement calling on Russia to release more than 150 prisoners being held for religious or political reasons. WashingtonÂ’s demand came as Moscow has been rounding up JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in the country. Among other prisoners, the U.S. specifically called for the release of Dennis Christensen, a Danish citizen who has been detained for more than a year due to his affiliation with the religious group.Jarrod Lopes, a communications representative for the World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses told Newsweek that 20 mebers are currently detained in Russia. Two others are under house arrest, and 15 have been forced to sign agreements to not leave the area where they reside.http://www.newsweek.com/russia-says-us-no-moral-right-demand-jehovahs-witnesses-release-983932A picture taken in Moscow on May 6, 2016 shows the Russian Russian Orthodox church of the Archangel dedicated to the Archangel MichaelÂ
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“Rejoice in the hope. ... Persevere in prayer” (Ro 12:12)
"Light Bearers" District Conventions held in the United States, Britain, Ireland, and Canada. [4,071,954 publishers with 211 countries reporting in 1991, 5.9% increase over the 1990 service year, 66,207 congregations.] see w92 vol., pgs. 10-13.
yb92-E * Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses
w-E * The Watchtower
g-E * Awake!
dg * Does God Really Care About Us? (cover)
sg * Theocratic Ministry School Guidebook
Family Care and Medical Management for Jehovah's Witnesses (1992, revised 1995)
Jehovah's Witnesses-A Christian Community (Arabic only)
wi * Will There Ever Be a World Without War?
District Convention - Light Bearers. Postcard
Comfort for the Depressed - Tract (revised 2000)
T-22-e Who Really Rules the World?
No. 15—Life in a Peaceful New World—1987, revised -
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Another Way of Inviting People to the Convention
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