Bulgaria Nationalist VMRO Party Protests against "Jehovah's Witnesses"

There are constant growing pains associated with acquiring and keeping freedoms. Every generation in every land must learn what freedom really is for themselves, and so the pain never stops as the upcoming generations try to figure it out. In the U.S., where JW's world headquarters is lawfully maintained, they are also viewed suspicioulsy by some, as they are by VMRO party. But freedom dictates that you cannot outlaw something simply because you don't like it. The nature of maintaining your own freedom necessitates the that you love freedom itself; not just your own or not just for certain views. Take freedom of speech for example. There are many immigrants to the U.S. who don't understand that freedom of speech will be used, and to a fault, and people will say things you don't like. But there is an American childs poem that many of these immigrants apparently haven't heard. "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." In what is now a world of combined cultures, suspicion or disagreement cannot be a basis for taking away freedoms of others. lest one day your view is unpopular and you lose it too. Laws should be framed to prevent criminal intent and activity; not things that are merely unpopular. Being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I know for a fact that we don't even pass a plate for donations at our meetings. If a JW donates it is because they want to, not from coercion.

Sorry,I do not want to steroitype but I had had extremely bad experiences with Jehowa's witnesses in California.

In 1986 when I was studying in Berkeley,I was residing in Pleasonton;CA and used to hawe a maidfor my young sonand she /her family were Jehowas witnesses.

As I had had to return to Germany for 6 months I handed her and her husband the key of my storage place because the manager wanted that someone,liwing close by to hawe access to it.

Some months later I returned to Pleasonton and all my furniture,my typewriting mashine,personal belongins...ewerything what was stored there...

WAS GONE!

THEY TOOK EWERYTHING AWAY!

I sued them in aSmall Court as the claimwas belllow $3000,- and won the case

but I could newer collect asthey filed for personal bankruptcy...Chapter 7,9.

I was at least happy to recower at least my car.

Marlea gawe me a book about their religion and many times I talked with her about it.

According to the teachings of Jehowa's witnesses,your property is their property!

They do not hawe the concept of respecting priwate property.

Resipsaloquitur:

I, too, have had bad experience with Jehovah's Witnesses, but nothing so dramatic or costly as yours.

If you have a decent knowledge of the scriptures, they can't stand up to your interrogation. I'm not the world's best scriptural scholar by any means, and I could usually confuse them.

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Everything is given freely. There is not even a collection plate passed around. The books are free, the magazines are as well. Bibles are given freely. The work done is done by brothers and sisters who volunteer their time. They are happy and find it an honor to do this work for Jehovah God. Please don't believe all of this mess. It's satan and his control over this wicked system I pray for my brothers and sisters over there. How sad it is that freedom only goes to those who people think deserve it.
I send you much Christian Love from Florida.
Your sister, Lee

I've never heard of this. " your property being their property" I'd like to see the court papers where you sued them. My sister owns a cleaning business. Each business gives her a key to the business. Yet, over the past 10 years, she has the same clients she started with. They trust her completley. Not everyone claiming to be a JW are. As with your beliefs, or any others. People can claim to be anything. Yet it seems not to matter much as long as you're not a JW. I guess like wth manners now, it's an awe to see someone actually use them along with respect. So when something does happen and the JW name is attached, then it's something to run with because it happens so few and far between. If they were truly Witnesses that worked for you. They would have been to afraid of displeasing Jehovah God to of done something as you claim.

This is so true. Even before I decided to dedicate my life to Jehovah. I always heard nothing but good things of JW's. How they pay tax's, don't cheat the Gov as so many others do. I've seen JW's actually suffer and do without because they don't lie or cheat. Yet, if they did could and would have much more or the material things that many people rate you by in this world for having. As I stated in my comment. I replied to the woman that stated they stole from her. If they were really Witnesses they as you know would have been to afraid of displeasing Jehovah to have touched anything of her belongings.
I send you much christian love.
Lee

"If you have a decent knowledge of the scriptures, they can't stand up to your interrogation. I'm not the world's best scriptural scholar by any means, and I could usually confuse them."

Bill's comment is quite true. Writing as a retired chaplain and theology major, the majority of JW whom I have met are converts from other mainstream religions, and those whom I have questioned regarding their birth religion, knew very little about their own roots, and were rather surprised when articles of their birth faith were pointed out to them. My strategy is to ask them to look into the reasons they joined the JW, and perhaps to re-examine their birth faith before embracing a new religion.

I have had wonderful and intelligent conversations with JW members, and on a social scale, I rank them first as respectful and polite, but a little overbearing in terms of aggressive proselytizing, which is their greatest liability and conversely cornerstone of their system.

There is a a family of Jehovah Witnesses living next door to me for the past six or seven years, and I have to admit they are the best neighbors on our block. They have regular prayer meetings, and everyone who comes to their door is as pleasant as the family, and not once in all those years did they bring up the subject of religion.

I personally believe that those who are insecure with their level of faith (or insecure in general) will find the group intolerable, but those shortcomings have nothing to do with Jehovah Witnesses as a whole. Any country or political party who is intolerant of any religion, needs to re-examine its conscience and work on their faults or as the saying goes, "You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5

These accusations are lies. The witnesses do not ask for any houses they do not want any money either !! All they want is to save your life. They really care for you.. They dont want money. If you could sve a life by talking to a person would you? Who would put up with persecution and beatings and mors if you weren't convinced that it was the right thing to do?

Renee:

I can't speak for Resipsaloquitur, but what I wrote is not a lie. It's the experience I've drawn from conversations with many Jehovah's Witnesses. I once met a man who said that if any catholic really examined the beliefs of that church, he'd be horrified.

In my own church work, I've asked many people what church they belonged to. After they answered that, I'd ask them why they were members of that particular one. In most cases, they didn't have any notion at all of what their church's doctrine was. They went there merely because their parents did, and they feel comfortable there.

Jews are another of this sort. I've heard many times that they're "the chosen people", but I have yet to meet a Jew who can tell me what they were chosen for.

One thing which really gets to me is the people who say "praise God" and think that they're doing the praising. "Praise God" is the command form. It's an order, not the actual praising.

Many times, I've gone out on my balcony and looked down over the valley, especially when it has just rained and the setting sun produces a rainbow which spans the entire valley. I say, "Lord, what a beautiful world thou hast created".

*** Text for Sunday, July 27, 2008 ***

I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes.—Matt. 11:25.

Jehovah has given his people priceless privileges. He has enabled us to learn the truth about him. We must never take that privilege for granted! After all, God has hidden his purposes from the haughty and has revealed them to humble ones. It is a rare honor to be counted among the humble ones who serve the Universal Sovereign, Jehovah. God has also given us the privilege of teaching others about him. Remember that he has been misrepresented by those who have taught lies about him. Many people thus have an entirely wrong impression of Jehovah, thinking that he is uncaring and hard-hearted. Are you willing, yes, even eager, to help set the record straight? Then help others to learn what the Bible really teaches. w07 1/15 1:24, 25

(Matthew 5:10-12) . . .Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. 11 “Happy are YOU when people reproach YOU and persecute YOU and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against YOU for my sake. 12 Rejoice and leap for joy, since YOUR reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to YOU.

Well, next time I see these witnesses at my door, as I did some years ago, Ill kick them out because they dont understand any other more polite language.

Mario Caruso:

Let's do some comparison.

Here's your version:

"I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes".

I wonder what Bible you're reading. Mine is the standard (for English language) King James version. Here's the way the verse stands in this version:

"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

There have been many "modern" translations of the Bible, but each one is steadily worse. The familiar form, "thou" is deliberately used to demonstrate the father/child relationship between man and God. Changing that to "you" destroys this relationship. There is nothing in this verse about public praising, nor "itellectual ones".

Billy the Kid,

And why not, you confuse the rest of us too!!!!!!

eurotourist:

Have you joined the snide remarkers' club, too? The bit about "confused" was related singly to interpretation of doctrine and scripture. Somehow I doubt you've read either of them.