WHY IS IT A MISTAKE TO THINK OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AS EXTREMIST Translated from Russian

[bruceq]

Why is a mistake to think of Jehovah's Witnesses extremist?

January 4, 2017

Incitement to hatred of people foreign to the Jehovah's Witnesses as they follow humane precepts of Jesus Christ. Attribute to them extremism mistake for several reasons.

1. More than 100-year history of the religion proves the non-extremist nature of their views. Jehovah's Witnesses have never taken up arms. In Germany they are even at the cost of freedom and life refusing to serve in the Wehrmacht. In the Soviet Union, subjected to cruel oppression, the Witnesses do not hate their persecutors. Now Jehovah's Witnesses - a multinational brotherhood, proven ability to overcome the prejudices separating people.

2. Nowhere in the world except Russia, Jehovah's Witnesses have not been accused of extremism. The communities of this religion freely operate in more than 200 countries around the world. They are all united by one based on the Bible doctrine. Millions of Jehovah's Witnesses are concerned about unfounded accusations against their Russian co-religionists.

3. The Russian experts in the field of human rights condemned the application of the law on extremism to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation in its report for 2013 , said: "Ostroaktualnoy remains the problem of imperfection so-called" anti-extremist "legislation. Fuzzy wording itself of the basic concept of "extremism" is becoming even more blurred when adding a definition of "religious". What is considered a "religious extremism", can not yet solve even the scholars in religious studies. But this "rubber" concept can easily operate with other law enforcement and judicial authorities in the field, investing in it's own subjective attitude to a particular denomination. "

4. The international community has condemned the application of the law on extremism to the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. "The Assembly urges the Russian authorities ... to refrain from applying the law on extremist activities against all religious communities, especially Jehovah's Witnesses" ( Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe number 1896 [2012], p. 25.31 ). The UN Human Rights Committee has repeatedly expressed concern that the Russian extremism law "is directed, in particular, against the Jehovah's Witnesses» ( CCPR / the C / SR.3157. Concluding observations of the seventh periodic report of the Russian Federation ).

Jehovah's Witnesses do see an explanation of what is happening in the prophetic words of Jesus Christ, who was executed on false charges of sedition. He warned his disciples: "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you" (John 15:20).