TODAY IN THEOCRATIC HISTORY

[Boanerges]

November 19- The date November 19, 2011, holds a special place in the history of Jehovah’s organization in Central African Republic and Chad. On that day, 269 brothers and sisters assembled in front of the newly completed branch facilities. It was a pleasure to have Samuel Herd, a member of the Governing Body, present to dedicate the new Bethel complex to Jehovah for use in His service.

[Boanerges]

November 20 - On November 20, 1993, the first Kingdom Hall built in this manner in the Czech Republic was dedicated. The hall was constructed in the town of Sezimovo Ústí and is being used by two local congregations.

[Boanerges]

November 21- The dedication of the new branch building in Chile took place on November 21, 1970, with 255 persons in attendance. In his dedication discourse the branch overseer, Pedro Lovato, showed that a building in itself is not the important thing; rather, it is the use to which the people put the building that is valuable in the eyes of Jehovah. The building has a lovely spacious Kingdom Hall, sufficient facilities for the office and shipping department, as well as living quarters for 16 persons.

[Boanerges]

November 22- 

A COURT CASE THAT WAS “FOR A WITNESS”

The Witnesses wanted to show that the decision to ban their preaching work in Moscow was against the law. So in December 2004 our lawyers asked for the help of the European Court of Human Rights. Six years later, on June 10, 2010, after studying all the accusations, the Court decided that the Witnesses were not guilty of any of them! The Court said that the accusations were completely false. It also decided that the government of Russia had to end the ban and do everything possible to correct what it did to the Witnesses. After this decision, the government of Russia wanted the case to be heard again. So it asked an even higher authority in the Court, that is, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, to consider the case. But on November 22, 2010, five judges from the Grand Chamber decided that it did not need to listen to this case. That meant that the decision of June 10, 2010, is final and that it must be obeyed.

[Boanerges]

November 23- The court case in Moscow, Russia, that was designed to liquidate the legal representation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in that city has not yet been concluded. In the meantime, brothers in Moscow have not been permitted to build much-needed Kingdom Halls. However, on November 23, 1999, a favorable decision was rendered by the Constitutional Court of Russia. It resulted from a case on behalf of the Yaroslavl Congregation. Because the congregation could not document its existence for the 15-year period required by the 1997 law on religions, local authorities demanded that the congregation cease importation and distribution of religious literature and that a brother from Germany cease his activity in the city. The court ruled that the 15-year requirement could not be applied to congregations that are part of a “centralized religious organization” that is already legally registered on a nationwide basis, as is the case with Jehovah’s Witnesses. The reregistration of Jehovah’s Witnesses by the national Russian Ministry of Justice was approved on April 29, 1999. While such matters were being handled by the Legal Department, the publishers in Russia devoted a further 24,782,467 hours to their public ministry last year. They registered a further increase of 7 percent and reached a peak of 114,284 publishers. -yb01 pp. 6-30, Highlights of the Past Year.

[Boanerges]

November 24- First class of 24 was enrolled in School for Branch Committee Members on Friday, November 24,1995.  

November 25- November 25, 2006, was an unforgettable day for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Burundi, beautiful central African country. The 1,141 in attendance from 11 countries were delighted to share with Guy Pierce, a member of the Governing Body, in the dedication of the attractive new branch facilities. Jehovah’s blessing is evident, and there is good potential for many more to join us in worshipping Jehovah. - yb08 pp. 6-29, Highlights of the Past Year

[Boanerges]

November 26 - From November 26 to 28, 1932, a national convention was held in Mexico City. Brother Rutherford and Eduardo (Edwin) Keller were present from the Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. During that visit, Brother Rutherford gave discourses on five radio stations. The programs could be heard throughout the country and were well received. - yb95 pp. 168-252

[Boanerges]

November 27- On November 27, 2009, “Jehovah’s Witnesses—Christian Religious Community” was entered in the register of churches and other religious communities that is kept by the government of the Republic of Slovenia. The director of the government’s Office for Religious Communities informed our representatives that out of 40 religious organizations and groups in Slovenia, “Jehovah’s Witnesses—Christian Religious Community” was the eighth to reregister successfully under the new Religious Freedom Act. This registration will enable full-time ministers to receive certain benefits afforded by the government to all those who perform religious activities on a full-time basis. - yb11 pp. 6-3

[Boanerges]

November 28- On November 28, 2003, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia registered the local branch of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Thus, although the Supreme Court of Georgia had issued a decision in 1998 to annul the corporate entity then used by Jehovah’s Witnesses, a new entity is now officially recognized, to the delight of the brothers.

[Dustparticle]

On 10/14/2019 at 11:09 PM, Boanerges said:

October 15 - George Gangas had been a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses since October 15, 1971.

AT 8:50 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, 1994, George D. Gangas finished his earthly course. He was 98 years old.

I meet George a couple of times. He was the best WT Study conductor I ever seen. He was ahead of time of he conduct and many conductors today are doing what he did about 40 years ago. George was known of asking questions. I heard one time he asked a question in the elevator at HQ and some in the elevator said: "Who Cares". That person was Fred Franz. George was awesome and smart too.

[Boanerges]

13 hours ago, Dustparticle said:

I meet George a couple of times. He was the best WT Study conductor I ever seen. He was ahead of time of he conduct and many conductors today are doing what he did about 40 years ago. George was known of asking questions. I heard one time he asked a question in the elevator at HQ and some in the elevator said: "Who Cares". That person was Fred Franz. George was awesome and smart too.

Nice Bro Glenn...

[Boanerges]

November 29- Sunday, November 29, 1987, was graduation day for the 24 elders and ministerial servants of the Ministerial Training School first class. They received assignments to serve in ten countries.

[Skye]

November 29 - November 29, 1974, the 20th District Court of Istanbul ruled that Jehovah’s Christian witnesses are a religious body. According to that decision, each baptized Witness can now officially register his religion.

[Boanerges]

November 30- In 1967, Jehovah’s witnesses in Malawi came under intense attack and were banned. On November 30, 1967, The Times of Blantyre under headlines reading, “VICIOUS SLANDER SAYS PRESIDENT,” quoted President H. Kamuzu Banda as saying: “We did not ban the Jehovah’s Witnesses because they did not belong to the Malawi Congress Party. This is a vicious propaganda against me personally and the Government in particular.” 

[Boanerges]

December 1- Regarding this new method of reaching people, The Watch Tower of December 1, 1924, observed: “We believe that the radio is the most economical and effective way of spreading the message of the truth that has yet been used.” Like the newspaper, the radio was useful for reaching large audiences in areas where few Kingdom publishers lived.

December 2- 1947, December 2, translation of New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures begins. 

[Boanerges]

December 3- On December 3, 1954, the new Kingdom Hall in Dublin, Ireland hosted special visitors from world headquarters—Brothers Frederick W. Franz and Grant Suiter. Present to hear these brothers speak were more than 20 missionaries, who were setting the island on fire with their Kingdom preaching.

[Boanerges]

December 4- Nicaragua, December 4, 2004: Over 330 international volunteers as well as hundreds of local brothers had constructed new offices and residences at the branch and also an open-sided Assembly Hall with a seating capacity of 2,400. Governing Body member Samuel Herd gave the dedication talk. Delegates included missionaries who had served in Nicaragua. Imagine how thrilled they were to meet not only some of their former Bible students but also their students’ children and, in some cases, grandchildren!

[Boanerges]

December 5- On December 5, 2012, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation affirmed that the Russian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and ruled that our brothers may hold religious meetings without giving prior notice or getting permission from the authorities.

[Boanerges]

December 6-  In November 1949, some publishers who were doing street work in Oslo were taken to the police station and then let go after a few hours. Undaunted, the Witnesses did street work again the following weekend. Then, on December 6, 1949, all the publishers who were doing street work in Oslo were arrested. They were told that they were not allowed to offer the magazines on the street without police permission. The police claimed that their work could cause congestion and disturbances and obstruct the flow of traffic. Seven of the publishers were questioned and taken to court, where they were required to pay a small fine or were sentenced to three days in jail.

[Boanerges]

December 7- “The long-awaited day finally came on December 7, 2003,” writes the India branch. “It was the day for the dedication of our newly constructed branch at Bangalore, in the south-central part of India.”

[Boanerges]

December 8-  On December 8, 2009, the Russian Supreme Court upheld a decision of a lower court in Rostov that resulted in the liquidation of the local religious organization in Taganrog,confiscation of its Kingdom Hall, and a declaration that 34 of our publications were considered to be extremist, including such widely read books as What Does the Bible Really Teach?, My Book of Bible Stories, and “Come Be My Follower. Since the December 8 decision, there have been over 300 recorded incidents of raids, arrests, house searches, and other disruptions of worship.

[Boanerges]

December 9- Legal association in Congo is registered on December 9, 1961, though restrictions on literature continue for another year.

[Boanerges]

December 10-  The ban was removed in Togo, Africa on December 10, 1991.

December 11- Total (in U.S. funds) repaid to Jehovah’s Witnesses on December 11, 2012, by the government of France, after a 15-year legal battle.

[Boanerges]

December 12: 

 

IN December 1928, Brother Richard H. Barber (circled at left) delivered a powerful radio discourse on the subject of Christmas. The content of that discourse was published in The Golden Age of December 12, 1928, under the title “Christmas, Its Origin and Purpose.” Among the statements in the discourse were the following:

• “Satan . . . has taught the people to give more prominence to the birth of the babe Jesus than to the death of the man Jesus, in order to hide the importance of the ransom.”

• “Every one is aware of the spirit of frivolity, debauchery, drunkenness and revelry so prevalent during the Christmas season . . . Surely none of these things honor either Jehovah God or His Son.”

• “The Devil has now succeeded in grafting his counterfeit festivals, feast days, fast days and holy days upon the church . . . The Devil has succeeded in getting the people to adopt all his wicked schemes and to give them the name Christian, in order that thus he might mock the great Jehovah God.”

 

The last time Christmas was celebrated at Brooklyn Bethel, 1926

[Paolo Sevilla]

DECEMBER 15, 1884 - Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was officially registered and legally incorporated in Allegheny (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania.

 

In 1896, it was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Since 1955, it was called Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Patrick Starfish