Russia Moves to Declare the Bible "Extremist"

[Omoyeme]

A secular opinion [excerpt] of the NWT ban in Russia: https://www.jw-russia.org/news/17120212-266.html

 

Quote

Nikolai Shaburov: "This is the translation of the Bible. Attempts to assert another are simply ignorant. "

 

"As regards this trial, when it is said that it is extremism and that it allegedly is not the Bible, I wish to emphasize again: in an academic environment it is possible to criticize the 'New World Translation' just as it is possible to criticize the Synodal translation. And incidentally there is another great question: if we will compare the Hebrew and Greek originals, then in some places the Synodal translation may be more accurate and in others, the 'New World Translation' is, and so forth. But this is a translation of the Bible. Any attempts to maintain that we are dealing with some other book are simply ignorant. Any person who takes up this translation will see that it is a translation of the Bible. You understand that it is possible to dispute about some terms and about how the device of the execution of Jesus Christ looked. But, excuse me, this is for professionals to decide. And when they try to tell us that 'cross' is normal and 'stake' is extremism, this would be funny if it were not so sad! I would say this. Because the issue is, of course, an attempt to ban the Bible.

- - - - -

Nikolai Shaburov is a candidate of culturology and a professor and director of the Academic Center for the Study of Religions of the Russian State Humanities University.

 

We shall further know the results of this "ignorance" within the next 24 hours.

[JudyO]

This morning, they "poke" Jehovah about his name in the Bible. Tomorrow, they "poke" him about the WTBT property. 

They're getting awfully close to His "eyeball".......

[Omoyeme]

From jw-russia.org: https://jw-russia.org/pages/17120610-270.html 

 

Report from the Lenoblsud in the case of the ban on one of the Russian translations of the Bible

6 December 2017

A textual report is being conducted from the courtroom.

 

10:20

The meeting begins. Due to the thick walls of the ancient court building, the listeners of the process are deprived of Internet connection, so the reporting is conducted with great delays.  The case is heard by a panel of 3 judges. The motion for video and photography was rejected, but shooting was allowed during the announcement of the operative part. The application for a more spacious room was rejected. Long before the hearing in front of the building on the bank of the Fontanka River, in which the building of the Leningrad Regional Court is located, a line of dozens of people lined up. However, for the hearings there is a small hall, which provides for the presence of only 6 listeners.

 

10:40

After the presentation of the essence of the matter, Maxim Novakov, a representative of the religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Finland, began to present his position. He draws attention to the fact that in the court's decision there is not a single quote from the Bible in which experts would have found signs of extremism. The experts considered that the translation of the new world is not a translation of the Bible because it uses the personal name of God, Jehovah. Talking about this name and his fame in Russia, Novakov mentions the bas-relief on the building of the Constitutional Court of Russia in St. Petersburg, in which this name is present in the Hebrew language.

 

11:00

The presiding judge, noting the cognition and exciting nature of Novakov's explanations, asks him to stay "closer to the law." "The case is certainly interesting, but can it be shorter?" Novakov draws attention to borrowings, up to errors in spelling, in the court's decision, which, of course, attests to its lack of autonomy.

 

11:20

Lawyer Anton Bogdanov, representing several European organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses at once, draws attention to the violation of procedural law standards in the appointment and conduct of the examination, as well as the substitution of the object of research.

 

11:30

One of the judges was interested in the moment connected with the substitution of the object of research. The judges turned to the expertise underlying the decision to recognize the Bible as extremist, and were able to make sure that the experts examined an English-language book called The New World of the Christian Greek Scriptures. This is explained by the fact that in the examination there are extensive borrowings from the course work of students of one of the Orthodox seminaries, dedicated just to the publication "The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures."

 

11:35

The speech starts with the representative of the religious organization Alexander Dyubin. He drew attention to one of the arguments of experts who stated that "Holy Scripture" is not the Bible, if only because this book does not call itself the Bible itself. Dubin also shows the judges the first line of the preface: "This is a new translation of the Bible ..."

 

11:40

Dyubin submits an application for reappointment. Reminds that it is not possible to assign expertise to specialists who have already spoken about the subject of the study. Meanwhile, in the court of first instance, the examination of the case was commissioned by the same expert who had previously expressed their opinion on the object of the investigation. Therefore, Dyubin asks to appoint a new examination, presents to the court a list of institutions and specialists competent to carry out the examination of the case.

 

11:50

The representative of the prosecutor's office briefly says that he supports the arguments of his objections to the appeal. The prosecutor's office objects to the appointment of a second examination.

 

11:55  

The court expresses the opinion that, in the light of the contradictions revealed in the expert opinion, it is necessary to interview the experts who carried out the examination (Kryukov, Tarasova, Kotelnikova). They will be summoned to court.

 

12:00

The next meeting is scheduled for December 20, 2017 at 14:30.

 

 

Edited December 6, 2017 by Omoyeme

[Omoyeme]

It's the same "modus operandi" of the persecu...er,..prosecution.

Edited December 6, 2017 by Omoyeme

[sunshine]

I think we can reasonably assume the decision has already been made; they are counting on a NWT being in every Witness home and on every witness tablet and phone.  Thus by banning the NWT they believe they will have carte blanche to arrest and persecu... er sorry ... as Sandra said "prosecute" any individual or group of Witnesses. Maybe if it does happen 170,000 witnesses will deliver their bibles to the local police and they will be inundated with them... it would look extremely bad for Russia to be caught burning bibles, even if they are grey.  My strategy would be to place as many as possible so they are all in the hands of the general public before any ban so then the police will have to arrest their own - I don't doubt there are a numer of Orthodox Priests with a NWT in their collection.

 

Wasn't it Pharoah of Egypt that set himself up in opposition of Jehovah and his people.  How'd that work out for him?