Russia’s Supreme Court has heard the testimony of four former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who said they were subjected to ‘total control’ by the organisation and brainwashed against receiving higher education or starting a family.
According to TASS, witness Natalia Koretskaya from St. Petersburg told the court she was a member of the organisation between 1995 and 2009, and had realised over this period that the organisation’s members “were living under full and total control of the [Jehovah’s Witnesses] Administrative Centre”.
“The heads of the Jehovah’s Witnesses formally watch canonical compliance with the norms but in real fact the talk is about total control of an individual’s personal life – his intimate life, education and work,” Koretskaya said.
In response to the court’s request to give the facts of such control, Koretskaya said she had been expelled from the religious organisation and its members had been banned to communicate with her after she had started close but officially unregistered relationship with a man.
Advertisement
“Therefore, a person turns out to be expelled into the outer world, in which he has already forgotten how to live over the years of his stay in the organisation,” Koretskaya said.
The justice ministry’s second witness, Pavel Zverev, told the court he became a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses at the age of 16 and had not received higher education on persuasion of the organisation’s heads.
“It is accepted in the organisation that receiving higher education is useless if this is not in the organisation’s interests,” said Zverev who worked as a volunteer cook for two years in the organisation’s administrative centre.
Advertisement
“As a result of such persuasion, I remained without education and I’m suffering from that in my life.”
The other two witnesses also said they had suffered from the religious organisation’s excessive control of their private life and from the ban to communicate with other members after quitting the organisation.
Nina Petrova from Volgograd said on persuasion of her spiritual mentors, she did not marry and did not start a family.
“They convinced me that a family was not needed as the doomsday was close at hand. And when I realised that this was a delusion, it was late,” Petrova said, adding that she had stayed in the organisation for 28 years.
Advertisement
For their part, representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses said the witnesses had been prepared in advance for their testimony in the court.
“We see that the witnesses are giving testimony based on written materials, repeating the arguments of the so-called sectological literature,” a lawyer for the defendants said.
“Some of them are mentioned in public sources as activists of the movements that are struggling with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
At its next hearing on April 19, the court is expected to study the written materials of the case and may hear the parties’ oral statements.
Advertisement
In its lawsuit to outlaw the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the justice ministry pointed to various violations in the organisation’s activities revealed during a surprise inspection, including breaches of the law on counteracting extremist activities.
The ministry has asked the court to declare the organisation and its 395 local branches as extremists, ban their activity and seize property.
Advertisement
For its part, the organisation’s press service told TASS that they were alarmed by the decision, since it could affect 175,000 active believers.
Ivan Bilenko, Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman, said the organisation was prepared to press for its rights in any courts.
Advertisement
The Jehovah’s Witnesses is an international religious organisation that supports offbeat views on the essence of the Christian faith and provides special interpretations of many commonly accepted notions.
In Russia, it had 21 local organisations but three of them were eliminated for extremism.
Advertisement
40 comments
It sounds like the ex-witnesses testified truthfully. My experiences are basically the same. The Watchtower corporation needs to understand they can no longer treat people like their personal property, and destroy families at will.
All humans are free moral agents. An individual who decides to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses does so of his/her own free will. There is no “brainwashing”. Living by the Bible’s moral standards is neither deviate nor harmful. However, some individuals decide to leave the organization due to various reasons. Very few leave because of theological differences. Some leave because of personal differences, but the vast majority who do leave do so because they no longer want to live according to the Bible’s moral standards. That, too, is a personal decision. No one is forced to stay within the organization against their will. Hopefully, the Russian court will see through the spurious arguments that have been presented by former members. If they do not, it will not be only Jehovah’s Witnesses who are negatively affected.
Freewill to join – yes, but if you decide to exercise your free will to leave the religion your family and friends are instructed to shun you. You will be treated like dead meat. With the JWs freewill comes at a huge cost.
To become one of Jehovahs Witnesses you study the Bible and make your decision to become a witness. You knew that if you commit fornication or any other major sin you would be disfellowshiped and that other witnesses obeying Jehovah God would not talk to you until you were repentant.It was your choice. And If you would have quit being a JW
Without committing major sins JW would still talk to you, no problem. Either way JW will always pray for you and that you will return to Jehovah.
Those who testified against JW, i pity them very much because first of all they where paid to testify falsely for Russia dont have evidence against Jehovah’s witnesses. I hold a barchelor’s degree in Library and Information science, i’m thinking of studying Information Technology and then go for my Masters and later in life go for PhD, and u say i’m brainwashed thats absurd, being a Jehovah’s witness will not stop one who decide to go for higher education, also Jehovah’s witnesses do practice Celibacy, so that woman that said she has been a Jehovah’s witness for 28 years and never married who cares about that. Been a Jehovah’s witness is voluntary when it comes to Choice and free-will and not by force.
Tell yourself the simple truth. You were never forced to do things out of your own will, otherwise you wouldn’t even have left. It was your will to leave and so you left. Whether you accept it or not, you as well as I know that JW live strictly by Bible principles and the organization is no respecter of persons when Bible moral standard is violated. I will advise you to make straight path for your feet and stop deceiving yourself and those who care to listen. As for those prosecuting witnesses, I am convinced that deep down, they know the truth respecting why they left and that nobody discouraged them from receiving moderate education. The weekly meetings of JW are in themselves pure education. Probably they learned to read and write while they were witnesses. They learned to speak boldly in public in the same meeting. What are we saying? They simply are biting the fingers that fed them. No religion in the world encourages its members to be responsible persons in the family, society and the country like JW. Keep in mind too that expelling those who hardheartedly refused to obey Gods moral standards is a reason to respect the organization as practicers of true Christianity. And what is more, only those favored by God remain in this clean organization. The right hearted ones who at a time fall short find their way back without anyone coarsing them.
If God can give man a free will to choose what they want,why can’t Russia leave the Jehovah’s witnesses with their belief?
The Watchtower Bible and Tract society has a balance approached when it comes to education.
We have brothers and sisters that is Doctor, Lawyer, Nurses, teacher etc.
Technology evolves rapidly. Time will come we don’t need engineers, teaches or Doctors. Everything will be resolve on line.
The society emphasis towards education is towards is balance because we are living in the last days.
It’s not logic if people say we are brainwashed coz we all have freewill. Is it brainwashed if you’re tought to do the right things such as good behaviour, loving your neigbours and so on? Is it brainwashed if you’re tought to be a good man? How could you say being controlled since you have brain to think any decision you make. I’m a general practitioner, one of active JWs in Southeast Asia. I choose to be a doctor in this organization and the elders never critizise me of being a doctor. Maybe the former JWs in that Russia court were too naif and when troubles come, they cannot stand firm their faith and blamed everybody around them and Jehova. Hope they soon realize their wrongdoing..
These people are a cult there leaders need to be exposed
Cult????is that your definition of cultizm then u need to go back to schl
JW is an international religion and not a cult. In America, they won many Supreme Court cases, and that cases help to established the freedom of religion. If its a cult, it could not stand and won in front of US Supreme Court. Now they are defending at Russia’s Supreme Court, let’s see for the final result.
I am not a Jehovah’s Witness but I would like to point something out to you. A cult follows a human leader, lives separate from society in a private group and has unorthodox teachings. Jehovah’s Witnesses are less of a cult than any other religion on earth. Why?
They only follow Jesus Christ and won’t even vote in the countries where they live so as not to follow any human. Their kids in school won’t even vote for class president just to be safe!
Rather than living separately from society, they visit all of us at our very own houses to try to speak with us. Every member of the faith goes door-to-door to every house in their towns preaching in hundreds of lands. They are probably the most publicly active religion on the planet.
Rather than having unorthodox views, most people complain that the witnesses follow the Bible too closely and won’t adapt to the changing morals of the modern world.
So be careful with the word like a cult. It’s one of those words that makes people suspiciously before they’ve heard any of the evidence.
We have much to learn from history. And from history it is certain that no one can prevail over the witnesses, why ?…. Because The Almighty is with them. By running after them, you are sure to invite trouble for yourself. There are meany example of such. President Putin Knows all this.
It seems like you all made so many mistakes in your lives and it’s sad that you won’t accept it. I’m sure you all are aware what’s right and what’s wrong. Would any of you guys let bad people just walk in your house and ruin it when you have set rules for them to follow and yet they don’t listen to you? It would bother you, correct? Jehovah is the same way, he doesn’t want Satan to ruin all of your minds. We live in a world that is convincing to do what is wrong because it is ruled by Satan. If you all really were Jehovah’s Witnesses then you know that it’s true. Jehovah just wants what’s best for you all and it’s so horrible that blaming Jehovah in a horrible for guiding you is what you choose to do. You all have something to really think about. That is all I have to say. Because deep down in your conscience you all feel so guilty and you know it. Blaming jehovah is like a getaway for you all because you want to be accepted by the world. Tou all need to be accepted by God and the lives you all are living is not the way and you know it…
If he doesn’t want Satan to ruin our minds he shouldn’t have sent him to live with us in 1914.
Please my dear brothers let leave everything to Jehovah for he is the great judge of all nations. Please we need not to blame the almighty for this issue, who can tell his creator what to do in a certain situation, who really know what The Almighty Jehovah is doing about this trails against our brothers in Russia. Please let keep on pray for our brothers.
Please my dear brothers let leave everything to Jehovah for he is the great judge of all nations. Please we need not to blame the almighty for this issue, who can tell his creator what to do in a certain situation? who really know what The Almighty Jehovah is doing about this trails against our brothers in Russia? Please let keep on pray for our brothers.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are the most peaceful people on earth. All their teachings are based on the Bible. They do not take part in violence, or demonstrations of any sort against the government, they obey the laws of the land as long as such laws do not conflict with God’s laws. When Jesus was on earth, the religious leaders and the government officials did not like his teachings, and so they made efforts to eliminate him. The Russian government should know those behind the plot to ban the preaching activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.
It started long ago. Pharaoh asked, “who is JEHOVAH?”, and he got his answer in the Red Sea. Putin is putting his fingers into JEHOVAH’S eye ball. Let him learn from what happened to Adulf Hitler who attempted same. JEHOVAH humbles and or disgraces haughty rulers. Just watch and see what will become of Putin and his judiciary.
For each religion there are good and bad apples. Good and bad individuals who stray or even congregations. Some Christians lead double lives and don’t put their all into Jehovah. jWs don’t want you to lead a double life and love things of the world. What matters is spreading Jehovah Gods message. Which is why Higher education may not be pressed because you are shown how to preach to spread Jevohahs message, though I believe that ex witness had a congregation leader that was looking out for his spiritual interests. For example trying to dissuade someone from going into the military because thou shalt not kill, and even if you say you wouldn’t why put yourself in a position where it’s a possibility?. And you need to be spiritually ready for marraige, and not be tempted by immoralities and you could fall into sin if you get into a relationship. For all these ex JWs examples or testimonies they need to explain WHY it is that way. You aren’t forced to not talk to someone who may be in an immoral relationship. You chose not to. Because you aren’t supposed to associate yourself with immoral people. Who you “hang out with” is a reflection on you. Just because you go to church doesn’t make you a righteous person. Your actions need to show it.
I hold a HND in electrical engineering that I got from a polytechnic in Nigeria. Presently working as a teacher in an institution in a first generation University in Nigeria and am an active Jehovah’s witness. How can you say I am brainwashed? Is it because I agree with the Bible principle of high moral standards or because I am peaceful with my neighbor? Anybody associating Jehovah’s Witnesses teachings to brainwashing is brainwashed by some people. We are serving our God with our power of reasoning.
Why did God chase the devil fro haven
I guess you got the answer
Why do people gate imprisoned for their crimes
Why do you stop your child to associate with drug adct
Why do you avoid some friends
I’m sure yo got answers to these questions
If you still believe jw is a cult it means you’re also a cult right so why should you blem them
If you re my brother and i find out that you re a thief or criminal
I can do well to stop associating with you
And report you to police
I guess im helping my brother to be in the right direction not the opposite
In the sameway jw have rules to follow after all thats what determin an organisation
Let them enjoy fridom
Im sure the nxt taget will be individuals after jw
Why did God chess the devil fro haven
I guess you got the answer
Why do people gate imprisoned for their crimes
Why do you stop your child to associate with drug adct
Why do you avoid some friends
Im sure yo got answers to these questions
If you still believe jw is a cult it means you re also a cult right so why should you blem them
If you re my brother and i find out that you re a thief or criminal
I can do well to stop associating with you
And report you to police
I guess im helping my brother to be in the right direction not the opposite
In the sameway jw have rules to follow after all thats what determin an organisation
Let them enjoy fridom
Im sure the nxt taget will be individuals after jw
Your comment..Not accepting blood transfusion is not child sacrificing its scriptural requirement therefore Jw follow the law from times of moses the x-jw do not see it from God but from man let Putin think that he will live forever each one of us will face death and judged according to what we did.
Most of those ex-witnesses were asked to leave the organization because they were living unacceptable lives from the Bible’s point of view. They now see this as an opportunity to express their misplaced anger, not against themselves, as the case should be, but against Jehovah who includes such loving arrangement in the Bible to keep each Congregation from being spiritually polluted. They said they were brainwashed and controlled, but only persons who do not want to investigate the facts could believe them.
Please let it be known that Jehovah’s Witnesses have done nothing to deserve a ban in Russia or any other country in the world. What is the essence of labelling as extremist, and banning, a very peaceful religion? President Putin should know that he is indirectly fighting against Jehovah- the Maker of the Universe.
Hey, It’s not the JWs that sacrifice children, it’s the sun worshippers that have modern day
Sacrifices, Baal=Satan demands it. Hence Pizzagate and Christ church Ricky Dearman, they are the ones sacrificing children to Satan the sun god, Babylon Gods demanded child sacrifice ask any sun worshipper.
I have been with this organisation for a very long time now. Labelling Jehovah`s Witnesses an extremist group is telling Jehovah Himself he is an extremist. No one would want to fight Jehovah because i know one thing, you will never win. If you are well versed in your bible, consider some examples: Pharaoh of Egypt, if he was going to be given another chance he will be a devoted follower of Jehovah. When he did not allow Jehovah`s people to worship him freely, God Himself intervened.Is it that Jehovah is using all the innocent people to warn Russian authorities of what happened in the past? If so, the president of Russia should learn from Pharaoh`s mistakes. Our God is a loving father. How many times did he sent His servant Moses to Pharaoh for him to allow His servants to worship Him freely? Pharaoh should have learnt a lesson from all the ten plaques. What a loving God. Surely Pharaoh tested Jehovah`s patience to the limit. If i was in Putin`s shoes, i would not allow Jehovah`s Witnesses to be victimised. Russia is fighting not Jehovah`s Witnesses but Jehovah Himself. Satan did that and soon he will receive his judgement. Pharaoh is not the only one, if you read your bible you will see many people who opposed Jehovah`s people never won the war. Let us learn from these people.
dont listen to those 4 they are nothing but betrayers.the bible prophesied about people like u.
Im sure trying to convice anyone about wat this really is to the general mass of people on this platform will not work. Let’s just pray for our dear brothers in Russia and wait for Jehovahs responce.
what about the Catholic rev. Who is their wife
After the race you count the miles. My simple advise to the four that said they want to testify against Jehovah’s Witnesses. Remember Judas Iscariot after betraying Jesus he then realised what he did. There is no hope of resurrection for him. Good night till 19th
Jehovah love’s all people, the fact that we are able to choose to worship him or not is evidents of that love.
When we are disfellowshiped for breaking his laws, that too is evident of his love. (HE LOVES THOSE HE DISAPPLINES) he only wants those who are truly sorry. Anyone can come back to Jehovah if they swallow that pride that many of us still need to work on.
Jehovah only wants us to do our best, that we can be as imperfect as we all are. I am very glad that I have been disapplined by my heavenly father, otherwise I may have never changed.
Please all of you, just come back and see for yourself that Jehovah has not forgotten about you.
Neither has your family or your old friends.
We all have the choice to serve Jehovah or not. Only you can make that choice no one will make that for you. This is why after studying the Bible and dedicating our life to serve Jehovah, going through a complete review of questions to show that we completely understand what is involved in our worship. Only then can we even qualify to get baptized as one of Jehovah’s witnesses. No one will hold a gun to your head and force you to do anything you have not chosen to do. Although I do wonder why some take that step, before they are ready. You could have stopped at any time and said no, I do not want this, or I am not ready, or I just can’t live this way. Only you can decide what you want to do.
The disfelloshipping arrangement is Jehovah’s idea, it is because he wants to protect the congregation from any bad associations, and at the same time help us to come to our senses. I am glad to be in an organization that protects it’s people from spiritual harm. I have made many mistakes in my life, and have had to be counseled time and again. But that is only because my heavenly father cared about me and loved me.
We pray that may Jehovah God continue strengthenig our brothers and sisters in Russia
Your comment..when did you join the group?
Tell yourself the simple truth. You were never forced to do things out of your own will, otherwise you wouldn’t even have left. It was your will to leave and so you left. Whether you accept it or not, you as well as I know that JW live strictly by Bible principles and the organization is no respecter of persons when Bible moral standard is violated. I will advise you to make straight path for your feet and stop deceiving yourself and those who care to listen. As for those prosecuting witnesses, I am convinced that deep down, they know the truth respecting why they left and that nobody discouraged them from receiving moderate education. The weekly meetings of JW are in themselves pure education. Probably they learned to read and write while they were witnesses. They learned to speak boldly in public in the same meeting. What are we saying? They simply are biting the fingers that fed them. No religion in the world encourages its members to be responsible persons in the family, society and the country like JW. Keep in mind too that expelling those who hardheartedly refused to obey Gods moral standards is a reason to respect the organization as practicers of true Christianity. And what is more, only those favored by God remain in this clean organization. The right hearted ones who at a time fall short find their way back without anyone coarsing them.
Your comment..It is a pity that these people are speaking against the God and organization they once loved. the truth is, if anyone fails to live in line with Bible standards and is unrepentant, Jehovah’s witnesses follow the Bible’s direction to disfellowship such ones with the hope that they Will repent and return. those who don’t appreciate such loving discipline become apostates and begin looking for loopholes to ferment trouble with the organization. there’s nothing like ‘brainwashing’ our service to Jehovah is by choice and with our power of reason. deep within them these ex-witnesses know that what they are saying against their former brothers is totally false but they forget the fact that Jehovah’s name is involved.
Your comment..The organization is full of people sound in mental health and balanced in view.There are real professionals among them,med doctors,lawyers,engineers and so on.so why will someone say it goes against higher education.that’s a big lie.The problem those witnesses have is that they are not ready to live a morally clean life,if not,
imagine a person having the gut to say she had a close officially unregistered relationship with a man,that’s a fornicator!and in fact should be made to face trial for that immediately except if the law of the land allow prostitution.
I’m a student and a witness. Higher or university education draws pple away from jehova. Witnesses are not encouraged to shun higher education but are reminded of the danger. I now regularly attend Christian gathering,thanks to d univesity environment. I have friends who now shun Christian gatherings because of higher education. I hope you see free will at play. As for me,drawing close to Jahovah is good. thanks to the university environment.