Posted on 02/06/2019 1:01:07 PM PST by tlozo
A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a Danish man to six years behind bars for practicing as a Jehovah’s Witness — a first-of-its-kind case since the Motherland outlawed the religious organization. Dennis Christensen, a 46-year-old Danish citizen living in Russia, was detained at a prayer meeting in the southern Russian city of Oryol in May 2017 not long after Russia’s Supreme Court declared the Jehovah’s Witnesses, an upstate New York-headquartered Christian denomination, an “extremist” group. Christensen was Russia’s first extremism-related arrest of a Jehovah’s Witness. Now, nearly 100 members of the group face charges in Russia and more than 20 of them are in jail awaiting trial, according to the AFP. Christensen had pleaded not guilty in the case, but the court found him guilty. Prosecutors argued that he was actively involved as an organizer of religious activity for the outlawed group, the BBC reported. “We deeply regret the conviction of Dennis Christensen — an innocent man who did not commit any real crime,” said Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia who was in court. “It is sad that reading the Bible, preaching, and living a moral way of life is again a criminal offense in Russia,” Sivulskiy said. During his closing remarks in court last week, Christensen, who is married to a Russian woman, insisted that he “never committed any criminal acts.” “I hope that today is the day that Russia defends freedom of religion,” he told reporters before entering the packed courtroom Wednesday...
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Christians in Russia have said they are determined to preach the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission despite tough new laws signed by President Vladimir Putin that ban evangelism outside of churches. ...”
http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-russia-refuse-stop-sharing-the-gospel-despite-putins-ban-evangelism-167442/
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July 2016...
FAITH UNDER FIRE
http://www.wnd.com/2016/07/russia-puts-lid-on-christians-sharing-faith/#34c1Fo2QT9xudcrR.99
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July 2016...
“Activities as diverse as holding prayer meetings in homes, posting worship times on a religious community’s website, and giving a lecture on yoga have all been interpreted by police and prosecutors as “missionary activity”, thanks to the broad definition now enshrined in the Religion Law.
Despite a clear predominance of prosecutions brought against those who see their faith as requiring them to publicly share their beliefs, such as Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses, people from at least 15 different religious traditions have faced charges.” ..."
On 6 July 2016, President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the Religion Law imposing harsh restrictions on the sharing of beliefs, including on where and by whom they may be shared. ..."
Paul was sent to prison..........................
Baptists and mainstream non-cult Protestants have been affected too. Most especialy in Russian-occupied conflict zones in East Ukraine/Crimea.
The joke in on Russia. Once they let those Jehovah Witnesses in the door, they’ll never leave.
I don’t agree with JW doctrine but being a JW should not be a crime.
It was just a matter of time before they bothered someone with the power to make them STOP!/sarc
Isn’t imprisoning a JW like sentencing
Bugs Bunny to a carrot farm?
...And Paul didn’t even claim that Christians weren’t under the authority of earthly governments.
So imagine how Jehovey theology is going to go over in Russia.
JW’s are basically the spiritual heirs of the 4th century heretic Arius.
Hard to find sympathy for folks who have been condemned since 325 A.D.
>The joke in on Russia. Once they let those Jehovah Witnesses in the >door, they’ll never leave.
Ain’t that the truth. Answer your front door once, and they keep coming back.
“” “” Isn’t imprisoning a JW like sentencing
Bugs Bunny to a carrot farm?”” “”
LOL. I just thought the same thing.
But I think the story is somehow weird anyway and needs further research.
There has to be more to this story.
I happened to be cleaning my guns when they came knocking on my door. They never came back.
Have they outlawed Islam yet?
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