Posted on 11/01/2019 11:20:42 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
A Christian woman has brought a landmark case to court in St Petersburg after challenging authorities for fining her 10,000 rubles (£122) after she hosted worship services for her protestant church in her home.
Olga Glamozdinova, who allowed a congregation to gather for weekly worship sessions at her house in the southern village of Veselyi said the decision violated her rights to freedom of religious expression and her right to freely own and dispose of her property.
According to Christian aid agency Barnabas Fund, the church was registered at her property which is built on land designated for "private farming" in January 2017.
Under Russian law it is not permitted to register existing residential buildings as churches, but as permission to construct church buildings for Protestant congregations is rarely granted it leaves many with no other alternative.
If Glamozdinova is successful in appealing the fine it will have significant implications for religious freedom in Russia.
Christian leaders in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk are legally challenging the recent shutdown of a local Baptist Church, describing the closure as a "flagrant violation" of the 1997 Religion Law which prohibits government interference in religion, and establishes simple registration procedures for religious groups.
They have said they are prepared to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights as it "prevents believers from coming together to profess their faith."
(Excerpt) Read more at premier.org.uk ...
Some fools here claim Putin is a Christian.
Beto counseling the Russkies on how to suppress those pesky Christians?
Same laws apply in the US. Having Bible discussions on Wednesday evening in your home is one thing but you can’t designate your living room as a full fledged church until you get government permission.
Russia has a state religion.
It used to be quite common throughout Europe and most other counties, and in fact was a major contributor to the formation of Western Civilization.
From Britain to the Holy Roman Empire to the Byzantine Empire and beyond.
It’s superior to Godless Communism, which stalks the West today.
Constitutionally it is not. The Russian law is mostly aimed at Wahhabi cells infamous for underground terror-preaching mosques. Protestants are collateral damage but it doesn’t mean they aren’t allowed to have real Churches in Russia. Another point is some protestants historically were a front for CIA in Russia. That is the reason why government doesn’t trust them much.
As per Russian belief, these people are not Christians.
This is true. Women pastors are not Biblical but that is not the reason Putin persecutes non-Orthodox Christians in areas under Russian control.
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