Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belgium fined for "Disfellowshipping Policy"

[New World Explorer]

He claimed that once the members had left the group, they were disowned and completely isolated socially, by order of the organisation.

 

By order of organisation? I thought that the Bible specified that? 

Looks like judges in Belgium do not read the Bible. 

[jayrtom]

1 hour ago, New World Explorer said:

He claimed that once the members had left the group, they were disowned and completely isolated socially, by order of the organisation.

 

By order of organisation? I thought that the Bible specified that? 

Looks like judges in Belgium do not read the Bible. 

Unfortunately, the bible is taken has a fairytail book nowadays, so that's that... 

 

[jayrtom]

Quote

The court ruled that the non-profit association behind Jehovah’s Witnesses is guilty of inciting discrimination and hatred or violence against former members, reports the Belga news agency

...

“Jehovah’s Witnesses state that ex-members should be shunned like the plague,” said lawyer Pieter-Bram Lagae, who assists the ex-witness who started the case.

How have they proved this when it's a complete lie?!

 

[Keep Fighting]

The organization behind Jehovah's Witnesses in Belgium has stated that the verdict is "a violation of an individual or group's fundamental right to decide who they choose to associate with".

 

"It is the first time since the sixteenth century that a public authority in Western Europe has officially made it a crime to read and follow the Bible," they said in a statement.

 

(It is written in Norwegian in the newspaper so I use google translate into English, this is from the last part of the story)

https://www.utrop.no/nyheter/verden/250865/

[EccentricM]

Funny when you think about it...

 

Criminals in every nation go to prison for breaking the laws of their countries. Prison cuts people off from family, money, civil deceny and so on. They can't even leave the pen they've been placed in.

 

In the same manner, the Bible teaches Christianity is its own "internal government" (of which Christ is the King/President), and as such has set out its "national laws" and punishments accordingly. We are treating our citizens in the manner that these nations (of whome punish and criticise us) in the same way they treat their own, perhaps less harsh, when you think about it (we don't lock people in boxes for life, and they can turn around and remove the punishment just by being repentant, unlike prison).

 

The difference is that, what we see as "crime", has not changed for 2000 years, where as it has changed in terms of the nations (but there are some nations out there which do have the same or similar laws to our congregations, but typically their punishments are far worse too).

 

As we are classed as another mere "religion", we are a group who are merely seen as citizens living in the rulership of those above us (our national governments), which is true, and Jesus tells us to submit to men's power (within limits), but in the way that the Jews were subject to the Romans, so as such are we subject to 'our' "Romans", and yet, really (and this is the difference with us, and "mere religions") we are still also our own government, as put in place by Jehovah, and so "by right" when you think about it, they are stepping on 'our' "national/government laws".

 

Unlike other religions, we are not a "religion" which is appointed by mere "philosophical" origins, or men's musings, but rather, we are a literal nation of people, living under a government, of which happens to be put in place by a higher power than man. We are not citizens of our wordly nations (as they see it), we are "residents", held in captivity by the world's nations in which we live. I am not technically British, I am a Christian (by faith and by nationalilty) who "lives in Britian". This is what it means to be a "circumcised in your heart", a spiritual Jew.

 

Of course, they don't believe in God, or Theocractic appointed systems today, and as such, they won't see it that way.

Edited March 18, 2021 by EccentricM

[M.J.]

It helps to illustrate by using the military. They have a very strict code, and if you break it you get dishonorable discharge, which can negatively affect their future. People respect and admire the military, so this makes sense to them.

[Jimi-L]

1 hour ago, M.J. said:

It helps to illustrate by using the military. They have a very strict code, and if you break it you get dishonorable discharge, which can negatively affect their future. People respect and admire the military, so this makes sense to them.

and also the fact that no one expects them to break the commandments even if it is difficult. Not especially if there is a war and then disobedience can even lead to death (military fugitive, deserter). A war where no one is fighting is soon lost. How much more it fits into the spiritual warfare where we are soldiers and Jesus is our commander! (Philipp. 2:25, 2. Tim.2:4)

[Sepie93]

https://bitterwinter.org/the-ghent-jehovahs-witnesses-decision-big-brother-is-watching-you/

Number 4 of an 4 article serie.

Very interesting

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[SUNRAY]

1 hour ago, Sepie93 said:

https://bitterwinter.org/the-ghent-jehovahs-witnesses-decision-big-brother-is-watching-you/

Number 4 of an 4 article serie.

Very interesting

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Thanks..good points..

[Thesauron]

This will be corrected in the European Court. We have never and will never engage in violence or hatred against former members, and we have the absolute right to chose for ourselves who to socialise with. Neither do we, as a congregation, engage in talking bad about anyone behind their backs. We have better things to do.

[Sepie93]

Plus that it is impossible for me to imagine that we should treat disfellowshipped people like trash or render them like dead ones. This is NEVER ever the thing Jehovah's organization tells us to do.

(Sometimes I say to people: I do shun people who leave our organization, because my love for my God is greater than my love for anyone else.
But if they happen to fall in a river for example and need my help, I'll be the first one to get them out. They are disfellowshipped because of them being disobedient to my God, but they did not somehow loose the "tag" fellowhuman. Association or chit-chatting is cut off by their decision, but they are absolutely not considered dead).

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Plus that it is impossible for me to imagine that we should treat disfellowshipped people like trash or render them like dead ones. This is NEVER ever the thing Jehovah's organization tells us to do.

(Sometimes I say to people: I do shun people who leave our organization, because my love for my God is greater than my love for anyone else.
But if they happen to fall in a river for example and need my help, I'll be the first one to get them out. They are disfellowshipped because of them being disobedient to my God, but they did not somehow loose the "tag" fellowhuman. Association or chit-chatting is cut off by their decision, but they are absolutely not considered dead).

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I mean literally dead. Spiritual dead is another story ofc.

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[Sheep]

1 hour ago, Sepie93 said:

Plus that it is impossible for me to imagine that we should treat disfellowshipped people like trash or render them like dead ones. This is NEVER ever the thing Jehovah's organization tells us to do.

(Sometimes I say to people: I do shun people who leave our organization, because my love for my God is greater than my love for anyone else.
But if they happen to fall in a river for example and need my help, I'll be the first one to get them out. They are disfellowshipped because of them being disobedient to my God, but they did not somehow loose the "tag" fellowhuman. Association or chit-chatting is cut off by their decision, but they are absolutely not considered dead).

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I mean literally dead. Spiritual dead is another story ofc.

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Except... in ancient Israel an apostate was literally dead. (Deuteronomy 17:5-7)

 

Were that person's family members allowed to talk to him afterwards?

[Semer]

21 hours ago, Thesauron said:

This will be corrected in the European Court. We have never and will never engage in violence or hatred against former members, and we have the absolute right to chose for ourselves who to socialise with. Neither do we, as a congregation, engage in talking bad about anyone behind their backs. We have better things to do.

It seems like the real situation doesn't sound so bad, and so they need to exaggerate and distort the truth so that the reader agrees with them.

(By the way, distorting what a minority group believes or does so that society in general turns against them. I might be wrong, but I thought that was incitement to hatred.)