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Tue, Feb 09 2010
US state department gives mixed review of religious freedom in Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious discrimination but designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the country's 'traditional' religion.
Photo: Assen Tonev
Intolerance by Bulgarian local authorities of non-Orthodox Christian religious groups and anti-Semitic messages by Volen Siderov’s Ataka party are among issues raised in the US state department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report, released on October 26 2009.
The report said that Bulgaria’s constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious discrimination but designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the "traditional" religion.
"Laws executing these provisions are ambiguous, giving scope to arbitrary decisions with respect to public practice of religion by unregistered groups," the report said.
The Government generally respected the religious freedom of registered religious groups, according to the report.
There were some concerns regarding government registration of religious groups and interference with religious disputes. There were also continuing reports of intolerance from local authorities during the reporting period, it said.
"There were ongoing reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. Discrimination, harassment, and general public intolerance, particularly in the media, of some religious groups remained an intermittent problem."
The Government generally respected religious freedom in practice; however, it did not apply existing laws on religious issues consistently, according to the report.
On January 22 2009, the Sofia City Court rejected the Jewish Centre Chabad Lubavitch's application for registration.
The court consulted with the Religious Confessions Directorate, which cited opposition from the registered Jewish denomination.
Article 27 of the Denominations Act requires all non-profit legal entities seeking to promote an already registered denomination to receive the consent of that denomination.
The court stated that the Jewish Centre Chabad Lubavitch had violated this provision by operating a synagogue and a kindergarten. Shalom, the administrative organization of Jews in the country, also submitted opinions to the court opposing the registration.
On April 21 2008, the court registered Mustafa Alish Hadji as Chief Mufti after he was re-elected at a Muslim conference convened by more than 1000 members of the community's local branches.
The conference followed competing court decisions, which ultimately reinstated rival Islamic leader Nedim Gendzhev. Gendzhev appealed the 2008 registration, alleging judicial corruption and document forgery. The court decision on this case was pending, as well as another case against him alleging embezzlement of about 800 000 leva when the court temporarily reinstated him to the Chief Mufti's Office.
The report said that some "nontraditional" groups continued to face discrimination and prejudice from local authorities in certain localities, despite obtaining a national registration from the Sofia City Court. Article 19 of the 2002 Denominations Act states that nationally registered religious groups may have local branches.
The law requires notification, although some municipalities claimed it requires formal local registration. Some municipal regulations prohibited the distribution of religious literature by groups that were not locally registered.
There report said that there were renewed reports of enforcement of these local regulations in Bourgas, Gabrovo, Plovdiv, and Pleven.
On October 8 2008, the Plovdiv municipal police stopped a member of Jehovah's Witnesses and issued her a warning not to distribute religious literature.
On November 3 2008, the Bourgas Administrative Court rejected a complaint filed by the Jehovah's Witnesses against the Bourgas municipality. In April 2008 the municipality sent a letter to all Bourgas schools instructing them to alert students to the mobilisation of nontraditional religious groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which the city described as the most prominent and dangerous sects.
In the letter, authorities claimed these groups attracted followers through manipulation, offers of money, clothing, and food, as well as free movie screenings. They said that the activities of these groups threatened the unity of the nation and exposed it to religious confrontations.
"Both Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons reported increased hostility, including public insults and stones thrown at their places of worship, following the distribution of the letter," according to the state department report.
The court dismissed the case, claiming it was unable to verify that the identity of the claimant (officially registered as Jehovah's Witnesses in Bulgaria) matched that of the Jehovah's Witnesses referred to in the letter. In November 2008 the denomination filed a second complaint, which was pending at the end of the reporting period. In December 2008 a school teacher read the same municipal letter to her class as a warning before the Christmas holidays.
Some local governments restricted certain forms of proselytizing.
In March 2008 the Mormons complained to the Ombudsman of reoccurring hostility from local authorities in Pleven and Plovdiv.
After submitting repeated reminders of their letter, the Mormons received a formal answer from the Ombudsman in April 2009 that cited the Government's obligations to ensure respect for religious freedom but did not address substantively the specific situation.
The Mormons reported a number of incidents in different localities, including Rousse and Varna where the missionaries were banned from engaging in conversations about their religion and distributing materials in public places.
In January 2009, the Religious Confessions Directorate warned the Jehovah's Witnesses of re-occurring complaints against them for engaging minors in religious conversations without their parents' consent.
The Jehovah's Witnesses rejected the allegations, saying their missionaries were entrapped. The group issued internal guidelines explaining the law's prohibition against including minors in religious activities without parental approval.
On March 20 2009, the Supreme Administrative Prosecution Service issued a ruling stating current city zoning plans did not permit the construction of a second mosque in Sofia.
The Service acted on a complaint received by a Member of Parliament alleging illegal financing of the construction project.
The Chief Mufti's Office rejected the allegations and complained that the construction of an Islamic Centre, comprising a complex of buildings for administrative, educational, and religious purposes, had been stalled by the municipal authorities on different procedural grounds since 2002.
The Mufti's Office also asserted the land had been rezoned several times during this time, leading to an inexplicable decrease in the area of the titled land and the portion available for construction.
On March 19 2009, the Bourgas municipality overruled its previous decision and banned the construction of a mosque, citing concerns for public peace and order.
The municipality had initially allowed the construction in response to the local Muslim community's outcry sparked by the December 2008 demolition of an illegally built mosque.
Again in March 2009, the Bourgas municipal authorities halted the construction of another mosque in the town, insisting that a separate permit was required for the mosque's minaret.
On February 26 2009, the Orthodox bishop of Veliko Turnovo led a protest march and presented a petition to the mayor of Gabrovo signed by 5000 city residents opposing the construction of a Jehovah's Witnesses prayer house in Gabrovo.
The municipal authorities had issued a building permit for the prayer house in January 2009 but stopped the construction in February claiming that the Jehovah's Witnesses illegally had erected a concrete wall at the site.
The Jehovah's Witnesses demolished the wall on March 24 2009, and were awaiting a municipal permit to resume construction at the end of the reporting period.
Jehovah's Witnesses said that local authorities in Varna continued to obstruct their efforts to build a meeting hall.
In June 2007, after a long battle, they gained permission to begin construction. However, the mayor ordered a stop to construction in July 2007. On July 16 2008, the Supreme Administrative Court confirmed the November 2007 decision of the Varna Administrative Court, which ruled the mayor's order was legal because the construction foreman, a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, lacked a legitimate labour contract. All criminal charges against the foreman were ultimately dropped after a series of police interrogations and reported police harassment.
In January 2009, the Bourgas Free University expelled a student after she refused to take off her headscarf at an exam.
The student had already paid tuition and completed the semester but was required to remove her headscarf in order to take the test.
The university cited its internal rules, which prohibit wearing of hats, headscarves, and official uniforms during lectures or exams.
In Kurdzhali, a student was refused practical training required for graduation after attending school for four years because of her headscarf.
The state department report said that there were no indications that the Government discriminated against members of any religious group in restitution of properties that were nationalised during the communist period.
However, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Muslim community, Jewish community, and several Protestant denominations complained a number of their confiscated properties had not been returned.
Despite a decade-old court decision in its favor, the Jewish community was unable to regain possession of a state-run hospital in central Sofia until May 2009, when the Ministry of Health made premises available and the hospital was relocated to another building.
Prior to the relocation, the hospital's management had contested in court the Jewish community's ownership over the building.
On March 5 2009, the court terminated the case based on a letter by the Health Ministry confirming the relocation, but the hospital management's appeal of the court decision was pending at the end of the reporting period.
This paved the way for Shalom to take physical possession of the building, although its ownership remained contested.
The report said that on January 22 2009, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a ruling on the case filed by the Alternative Orthodox Synod after the 2004 forceful expulsion of its members from their parishes.
The ECHR held that the Bulgarian Government had violated the religious rights of the claimants and gave the parties three months to negotiate mutually agreeable compensation.
The leadership of the Orthodox Church disputed the ruling and called on the claimants to repent for what it viewed as illegal occupation of church property and false representation of the denomination.
The parties did not reach an agreement within the deadline, and the Government appealed against the decision in the ECHR's Grand Chamber.
On June 5 2009, the Grand Chamber rejected review of the appeal, and the court gave the parties a further three months to settle on the amount of compensation due from the state to the claimants.
There were some reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice, the state department report said.
Relations between religious groups generally remained civil and tolerant; however, discrimination, harassment, and public intolerance of some religious groups remained an intermittent problem.
There were renewed reports of societal discrimination against "nontraditional" religious groups as well as negative and derogatory media stories about such groups.
"The Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses continued to report numerous print and broadcast media stories with negative, derogatory, and sometimes slanderous information about their activities and beliefs," the report said.
On June 28 2009, Mormon missionaries were attacked by a group of agitated youths who were coming back from a soccer game. The youths, reportedly associated with a nationalistic movement, pushed the missionaries to the ground and beat them. Police opened an investigation into the incident.
The Chief Mufti's Office continued to report cases of mosque desecrations, the state department report said.
On March 3 2009, three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the mosque in Varna that had been vandalised with graffiti in May 2008. There were no reports of prosecutions in these incidents, and the Chief Mufti's Office expressed concern that the responsible parties went unpunished.
"The extreme nationalist political party Ataka continued to publish anti-Semitic material in its newspaper, on its website, and on its cable television channel Skat," the report said.
Protestants asserted heavily Muslim areas with a majority ethnic Turkish population sometimes place restrictions on their worship.
The report said that Bulgaria’s constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious discrimination but designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the "traditional" religion.
"Laws executing these provisions are ambiguous, giving scope to arbitrary decisions with respect to public practice of religion by unregistered groups," the report said.
The Government generally respected the religious freedom of registered religious groups, according to the report.
There were some concerns regarding government registration of religious groups and interference with religious disputes. There were also continuing reports of intolerance from local authorities during the reporting period, it said.
"There were ongoing reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. Discrimination, harassment, and general public intolerance, particularly in the media, of some religious groups remained an intermittent problem."
The Government generally respected religious freedom in practice; however, it did not apply existing laws on religious issues consistently, according to the report.
On January 22 2009, the Sofia City Court rejected the Jewish Centre Chabad Lubavitch's application for registration.
The court consulted with the Religious Confessions Directorate, which cited opposition from the registered Jewish denomination.
Article 27 of the Denominations Act requires all non-profit legal entities seeking to promote an already registered denomination to receive the consent of that denomination.
The court stated that the Jewish Centre Chabad Lubavitch had violated this provision by operating a synagogue and a kindergarten. Shalom, the administrative organization of Jews in the country, also submitted opinions to the court opposing the registration.
On April 21 2008, the court registered Mustafa Alish Hadji as Chief Mufti after he was re-elected at a Muslim conference convened by more than 1000 members of the community's local branches.
The conference followed competing court decisions, which ultimately reinstated rival Islamic leader Nedim Gendzhev. Gendzhev appealed the 2008 registration, alleging judicial corruption and document forgery. The court decision on this case was pending, as well as another case against him alleging embezzlement of about 800 000 leva when the court temporarily reinstated him to the Chief Mufti's Office.
The report said that some "nontraditional" groups continued to face discrimination and prejudice from local authorities in certain localities, despite obtaining a national registration from the Sofia City Court. Article 19 of the 2002 Denominations Act states that nationally registered religious groups may have local branches.
The law requires notification, although some municipalities claimed it requires formal local registration. Some municipal regulations prohibited the distribution of religious literature by groups that were not locally registered.
There report said that there were renewed reports of enforcement of these local regulations in Bourgas, Gabrovo, Plovdiv, and Pleven.
On October 8 2008, the Plovdiv municipal police stopped a member of Jehovah's Witnesses and issued her a warning not to distribute religious literature.
On November 3 2008, the Bourgas Administrative Court rejected a complaint filed by the Jehovah's Witnesses against the Bourgas municipality. In April 2008 the municipality sent a letter to all Bourgas schools instructing them to alert students to the mobilisation of nontraditional religious groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which the city described as the most prominent and dangerous sects.
In the letter, authorities claimed these groups attracted followers through manipulation, offers of money, clothing, and food, as well as free movie screenings. They said that the activities of these groups threatened the unity of the nation and exposed it to religious confrontations.
"Both Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons reported increased hostility, including public insults and stones thrown at their places of worship, following the distribution of the letter," according to the state department report.
The court dismissed the case, claiming it was unable to verify that the identity of the claimant (officially registered as Jehovah's Witnesses in Bulgaria) matched that of the Jehovah's Witnesses referred to in the letter. In November 2008 the denomination filed a second complaint, which was pending at the end of the reporting period. In December 2008 a school teacher read the same municipal letter to her class as a warning before the Christmas holidays.
Some local governments restricted certain forms of proselytizing.
In March 2008 the Mormons complained to the Ombudsman of reoccurring hostility from local authorities in Pleven and Plovdiv.
After submitting repeated reminders of their letter, the Mormons received a formal answer from the Ombudsman in April 2009 that cited the Government's obligations to ensure respect for religious freedom but did not address substantively the specific situation.
The Mormons reported a number of incidents in different localities, including Rousse and Varna where the missionaries were banned from engaging in conversations about their religion and distributing materials in public places.
In January 2009, the Religious Confessions Directorate warned the Jehovah's Witnesses of re-occurring complaints against them for engaging minors in religious conversations without their parents' consent.
The Jehovah's Witnesses rejected the allegations, saying their missionaries were entrapped. The group issued internal guidelines explaining the law's prohibition against including minors in religious activities without parental approval.
On March 20 2009, the Supreme Administrative Prosecution Service issued a ruling stating current city zoning plans did not permit the construction of a second mosque in Sofia.
The Service acted on a complaint received by a Member of Parliament alleging illegal financing of the construction project.
The Chief Mufti's Office rejected the allegations and complained that the construction of an Islamic Centre, comprising a complex of buildings for administrative, educational, and religious purposes, had been stalled by the municipal authorities on different procedural grounds since 2002.
The Mufti's Office also asserted the land had been rezoned several times during this time, leading to an inexplicable decrease in the area of the titled land and the portion available for construction.
On March 19 2009, the Bourgas municipality overruled its previous decision and banned the construction of a mosque, citing concerns for public peace and order.
The municipality had initially allowed the construction in response to the local Muslim community's outcry sparked by the December 2008 demolition of an illegally built mosque.
Again in March 2009, the Bourgas municipal authorities halted the construction of another mosque in the town, insisting that a separate permit was required for the mosque's minaret.
On February 26 2009, the Orthodox bishop of Veliko Turnovo led a protest march and presented a petition to the mayor of Gabrovo signed by 5000 city residents opposing the construction of a Jehovah's Witnesses prayer house in Gabrovo.
The municipal authorities had issued a building permit for the prayer house in January 2009 but stopped the construction in February claiming that the Jehovah's Witnesses illegally had erected a concrete wall at the site.
The Jehovah's Witnesses demolished the wall on March 24 2009, and were awaiting a municipal permit to resume construction at the end of the reporting period.
Jehovah's Witnesses said that local authorities in Varna continued to obstruct their efforts to build a meeting hall.
In June 2007, after a long battle, they gained permission to begin construction. However, the mayor ordered a stop to construction in July 2007. On July 16 2008, the Supreme Administrative Court confirmed the November 2007 decision of the Varna Administrative Court, which ruled the mayor's order was legal because the construction foreman, a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, lacked a legitimate labour contract. All criminal charges against the foreman were ultimately dropped after a series of police interrogations and reported police harassment.
In January 2009, the Bourgas Free University expelled a student after she refused to take off her headscarf at an exam.
The student had already paid tuition and completed the semester but was required to remove her headscarf in order to take the test.
The university cited its internal rules, which prohibit wearing of hats, headscarves, and official uniforms during lectures or exams.
In Kurdzhali, a student was refused practical training required for graduation after attending school for four years because of her headscarf.
The state department report said that there were no indications that the Government discriminated against members of any religious group in restitution of properties that were nationalised during the communist period.
However, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Muslim community, Jewish community, and several Protestant denominations complained a number of their confiscated properties had not been returned.
Despite a decade-old court decision in its favor, the Jewish community was unable to regain possession of a state-run hospital in central Sofia until May 2009, when the Ministry of Health made premises available and the hospital was relocated to another building.
Prior to the relocation, the hospital's management had contested in court the Jewish community's ownership over the building.
On March 5 2009, the court terminated the case based on a letter by the Health Ministry confirming the relocation, but the hospital management's appeal of the court decision was pending at the end of the reporting period.
This paved the way for Shalom to take physical possession of the building, although its ownership remained contested.
The report said that on January 22 2009, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a ruling on the case filed by the Alternative Orthodox Synod after the 2004 forceful expulsion of its members from their parishes.
The ECHR held that the Bulgarian Government had violated the religious rights of the claimants and gave the parties three months to negotiate mutually agreeable compensation.
The leadership of the Orthodox Church disputed the ruling and called on the claimants to repent for what it viewed as illegal occupation of church property and false representation of the denomination.
The parties did not reach an agreement within the deadline, and the Government appealed against the decision in the ECHR's Grand Chamber.
On June 5 2009, the Grand Chamber rejected review of the appeal, and the court gave the parties a further three months to settle on the amount of compensation due from the state to the claimants.
There were some reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice, the state department report said.
Relations between religious groups generally remained civil and tolerant; however, discrimination, harassment, and public intolerance of some religious groups remained an intermittent problem.
There were renewed reports of societal discrimination against "nontraditional" religious groups as well as negative and derogatory media stories about such groups.
"The Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses continued to report numerous print and broadcast media stories with negative, derogatory, and sometimes slanderous information about their activities and beliefs," the report said.
On June 28 2009, Mormon missionaries were attacked by a group of agitated youths who were coming back from a soccer game. The youths, reportedly associated with a nationalistic movement, pushed the missionaries to the ground and beat them. Police opened an investigation into the incident.
The Chief Mufti's Office continued to report cases of mosque desecrations, the state department report said.
On March 3 2009, three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the mosque in Varna that had been vandalised with graffiti in May 2008. There were no reports of prosecutions in these incidents, and the Chief Mufti's Office expressed concern that the responsible parties went unpunished.
"The extreme nationalist political party Ataka continued to publish anti-Semitic material in its newspaper, on its website, and on its cable television channel Skat," the report said.
Protestants asserted heavily Muslim areas with a majority ethnic Turkish population sometimes place restrictions on their worship.
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That I know of, no State is "Christian", "Muslim" or "Jew" (Or any other), only people are. That means that Bulgaria can’t be, as such (a State), Orthodox, Muslim or anything else. The very fact that someone says that it is a majority of Bulgarians that consider themselves Orthodox makes room for the idea that a minority does not. And the fact that freedom of religion, according to article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (of which Bulgaria is a signatory), states that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion shall include “freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching”. This implies that there must be options, for what would freedom be without options? (“Option”, from the Latin “optio”, “choice, free choice”). Therefore, the idea of a State religion (even if traditional) that does not allow for other options goes against this fundamental right. This leads us to say that the idea that proselytism is wrong "per se" is also absurd. The dictionary defines proselytize as “1 : to induce someone to convert to one's faith; 2 : to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause”. If “induce” means “ to move by persuasion or influence”, and if the person being persuaded or influenced is *free* to do as he/she chooses, what’s wrong with it? Yes, you may say that it’s about minors who have not developed the capacity to distinguish between the options, and therefore are neither free nor able to make a right choice. OK, there are laws about it. Then you say it’s about people being misled, but wouldn’t it be taking people as either too blind or too stupid? Do you really believe people are led astray so easily? Let’s be honest, it’s not about minors we are mainly talking, or adults supposedly being misled, it’s about people wanting to freely exercise their rights to choose. Then, who’s going against that right? Someone who wants to persuade or influence them (allegedly), or a State or society that says they can’t choose because to choose they need options, and those options (a few at least) are denied to them. Why? Simply because they may choose otherwise than what’s supposed to be “traditional”, and therefore their freedom may act against the people/State/history they supposedly share. If it is acceptable that people vote different parties (and parties campaign, persuade and want to influence others even more than most religious communities), why would it be wrong when it comes to religion? Maybe what’s wrong is to sustain a national identity on religious grounds… and that is why religion institutions and State must be separated, not because they must not collaborate (they can and certainly do), but because a State (a Polis – a political body) is by definition plural, a plurality: otherwise, as Aristotle wisely said, it would be a family or an individual.
I haven’t talk about religions’ truth claims, or about “right” and “wrong” religions, and as long as we trust those around us and respect their choices (new or old), we will not enter “publicly” into this discussion: that’s a matter of conscience, and if you believe JW or LDS or any other group is on the wrong, you are free to *individually* tell people to believe in your tradition (or in none), but the State can’t make use of its funds, resources or people to do that, and much less prohibit, persecute or ban those who have a different conviction. That’s what separation of religion and State means.
Lots of religions are conscious objectors not just Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jehovah's Witnesses defenders will highlight that they,"don't kill in war" none the less this is deceiving as they have just as much criminal activity as any other Fundy group maybe more because they cover it up.
Thousands maybe tens of thousands of been 'martyred' for refusing whole blood transfusions all over a man made rule that is unfairly applied.
They have virtually no public charities like food pantries,soup kitchens,hospitals or schools but billions in real estate that is tax free.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
;)) no harm done. The least of my worries;)
Don't know if you caught my earlier post on the topic, but I am contemplating investing in a medical lab as a side thing with my investment buddies.
What are you in exactly, you said you are in the medical field in BG right?
My bad dude, except my sincere apoligies.
Stefcho
All these facts & points to ponder here and all the Jehovah's Witnesses TROLL can do is personal attack on Danny who is a HERO for his speaking out about the very destructive Watchtower WORSE than Scientology.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
mormon girl:
"If we don't learn to have respect for each other first as human beings and then respect our beliefs, there will be always conflicts..."
Who could argue with that? And yet it's you folks coming to our country with the intend to convert.
Does that sound like you "respect our believes"? Bulgaria is a Christian Orthodox country - that's our official religion. We do have Muslims left over from the worse page in our history of foreign conquest and oppression, but we've learnt to live with them and they are treated much better in BG than any Christians anywhere in the Muslim world. In fact I think we respect the Muslims more than you us, because we don't try to change their believes.
Our State and Church are not separated. We are Orthodox. If you respect us, you should respect that fact, come visit, keep your top on at the beach, if your culture says you should, (free country) but keep your believes to yourself as well - that way we all get along;).
P.S.
I read all the posts below, and I don't see anyone calling anyone else a name. Very civilized exchange. (In fact I think one of yours just asked me on a date - speaking of - Stefcho, I am a dude - sorry;) We'll do the beer thing some day though just the same.
Mormon girl, can you copy and paste for us examples of the intolerant disrespect you site? You too Stefcho, give me examples of how wrong I am about the US, please.
I read the report and I read the comments below and the only feeling I have is instead of people trying to be respectful to each others beliefs and try to reach out to a peaceful way of communication and existence, everybody seems to harshly judge the beliefs of others. So why is that? Why people call each other names? If we don't learn to have respect for each other first as human beings and then respect our beliefs, there will be always conflicts. there will be always contentions if there is no desire to see the people as people and not as objects. If there is no humanity, no matter what religion someone has, it doesn't profit him/her because as long as a person or a group of people is seen as object(s), they will be belittled and hated and chased and stepped over. Isn't that sad? Instead of embracing the fact that we are all different and it is good to be different (cuz all the smae will be too boring) and everybody has different talents, we tend to make a big deal of it in a very negative way. After all all people need food, they need clothes, a home to live in and a job, and a family and friends. We all have the same needs and we all need love and support. Nobody needs hatred and killing not only physically but morally and killing people's dreams.
I try every day to see the people on the street as people.No matter if they look Muslim to me or if they are Jewish or monks with orange clothing. I know they are all people with their needs and their wisdom and faith in a better world. We better try the change from inside of us first and then it will be easier to reach out to the world outside and make the difference.
That may be true but DNA medical evidence counts as a witness, so there need not be two persons witnessing the event. Pretty much the same laws as the laws of the land in that one persons word against another is often insufficient evidence for a prosecution. Why won't silent lambs who criticize Witnesses release their secret database of known pedophiles?
Jehovah's Witness religion is known as the "pedophiles paradise" FOR A REASON.
The Jehovah's Witnesses religion requires TWO WITNESSES to a crime before they will consider it to have happened. How often are there two witnesses of an act of pedophilia?
Settlement with victims of child abuse have required the victim to sign a gag order as documented by NBC.
Please protect your children.
Sexual Abuse/Child abuse issues among Jehovah's Witnesses
http://www.exjws.net/sexabuse/
What makes Scientology and Jehovah's Witnesses cults in common?
Both have two offensive practices they need to get rid of:
Scientology A.) Rabid irrational rants against psychiatry.
B.) Shunning and demonization of ex members who tried them out but didn't like it.
Jehovah's Witnesses A.) A twisted and deadly opposition against the use of *WHOLE* blood transfusions.
B) Shunning and demonization of ex members who tried them out but didn't like it.
Watchtower society (Jehovah's Witnesses) are a religious racket.
The JW followers are mostly sincere sheep, the cult bosses are wolves in sheep's clothing.
It's estimated that over two and a half million Jehovah's Witnesses no longer believe what the Watchtower is teaching them. Millions of Jehovah's Witnesses have "one foot in and one foot out"
Just a CULT!
Look at the previous posts. The one from Tonya:-"Jehovah's Witnesses are considered a dangerous cult in many European countries and definitely under investigation because governments are concerned by the mind manipulation, child molestation cover-ups, breaking up of families due to shunning, as well as other atrocities taking place within the religion.
Victims of Watchtower hard-line organizational policies are speaking up to government officials about their experiences and they are responding with assistance."
and the one from Solomon:- "Jehovah's Witnesses are considered a dangerous cult in many European countries and definitely under investigation because governments are concerned by the mind manipulation, child molestation cover-ups, breaking up of families due to shunning, as well as other atrocities taking place within the religion.
Victims of Watchtower hard-line organizational policies are speaking up to government officials about their experiences and they are responding with assistance."
These copy cat postings are to be found quite regularly on the internet. Must be from the same person or a small group with nothing better to do.
And as for the web sites he mentions, people need to remember that the internet is essentially a font of personal opinions, not necessarily of facts and truths.
That should read baseball bat wielding fanatics.
I don't know who the fanatics are Solomon describes. Generally the Witnesses I know are little old ladies, pensioners, children, ordinary working guys and girls, a large minority of whom can feel quite nervous and inadequate when going from door to door sharing their faith. Hardly the baseball wielding fanatics you might meet at a fascist demonstration.
I have to say that from my observations there is so much drivel written about JWs from obsessive individuals who seem mentally unstable. Most of the negative stuff written is either a half-truth, a deception or simply not true. Take Solomon's fantasy about the "atrocities" perpetrated by Witnesses. Is he referring to a secret genocide within the Kingdom Hall where the blood of victims is washed from the walls before the next meeting?
Valeri, O how I so enjoy your post, I'm being very serious and not trying to be sarcastic, I do enjoy your reply's to different subjects, this forum would not be the same without you input, you put things into a totally different light, that at times I really fine myself sitting here and saying,hm she has a point. But with all the US bashing you make yourself sound almost silly, most of the things you say about the USA in mostly propaganda that you picked up during your short stays in the states. Like I said, I enjoy reading your words at time and would even like to buy you a beer sometimes to talk about our different opinions on things. Again, I'm not being sarcastic, I really mean this, you do add a certain something to this forum.
Enjoy your weekend.
Jehovah's Witnesses are considered a dangerous cult in many European countries and definitely under investigation because governments are concerned by the mind manipulation, child molestation cover-ups, breaking up of families due to shunning, as well as other atrocities taking place within the religion.
Victims of Watchtower hard-line organizational policies are speaking up to government officials about their experiences and they are responding with assistance.
Criticism justifiable
When Jehovah's Witnesses leaders receive criticism for misleading followers it's because they have hurt a lot of people.
The JW are actually the ones who attack other faiths and they do it a lot.
They will get in-your-face on my private doorstep about all the other *false religions* fanatically deflect any exposure of their
false doctrines,and smear as "hate monger" anyone who rebuttals.
There is clearly a lot of vitriol spinning around the Jehovah's Witnesses, which is of course exactly what they expect--it's been prophesied.
Convenient that a systematized religious culture of insularity, sexual discrimination, legal manipulation, child abuse and isolation, and brainwashing tends to bring that up in people.
There are a lot of web pages out there on Jehovah Witness do a little browsing
Lol,
Joshua wants us to repent, Jim tries to tell us that we were better off commie, and Sonia here is with the "be nice" society...
Damn, I feel good about being Bulgarian! One of the last normal peoples on earth....;)))
Quite apart from all the back-biting posts, I must say that Bulgaria is lucky not to have Scientologists!
I guess a lot of people know nothing about the witnesses, they only hear twisted stories. The witnesses respect the fundamentals of human right. a person who stops being a jehovah's witness writes his congregation about his discision, and no disciplinery action is taken, he leaves with his dignity. and for you, danny and other readers of the bible,remember what paul said about an unrepentant sinner? that he should be readjusted, and during that period of readjustment, it is the duty of the elders to speak with him with a view to repentence, and such a person logically will be a curupting infulence on other members, so he is taken as a non member, ie, not having any religious dealings with such one, and being careful so he does not drag you into same low sink. before you say stuffs bout people's character and religion, sure its a good thing to get your facts right. I have been with the witnesses and i sure know their believes, so stop painting them colors they aint got
Internationally, the noise USA propaganda machine makes the most is about the human rights issues. The reason for this is the sad fact that the, so called, leader of democratic world, USA, has the worst record of human rights among the developed countries. This statement can be easily proven. Consider this. The basic human rights must be the rights that secure the basic needs of a person. The natural human rights, apparently, are the rights of life, wellbeing, and security. The American society does too little to provide these right to every citizen of USA. This is so, because one can lose every moment employment and immediately health insurance and the house. The majority of US citizens are exposed to this risk every day. Once I plunge into this predicament, it is not the government that will come to rescue me, it will be different non profit, non government organisations, i.e. US society represented by its government do not care about my basic human rights. Instead, they care about you my freedom of religion. The question is how I, having been religiously free, would feed myself and my children and could assure shelter and medical care for my family. As we speak, American society is in, all time, perpetual cycles of economical crisis and near 10% of Americans do not have jobs. I do not even start with arguing about the record of USA on racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination which are thriving in the contemporary societies in North America. Over 47 million Americans, more than 10%, have no health insurance.
Do not wary Bulgaria; you have had better human rights record than USA even during the times when the society was lacking freedom of speech and freedom of expression. At least, people had job, shelter, and medical care for everybody.
George:
"Every ex-communist coutry and especially of Orthodox affiliation is attcked by the Americanos because they want to get their own evangelicals with their finance based perverted version of Christianity.."
The problem is their fanatic separation of Church and State.
What most Americans don't realize, that the very separation has made them the "Iran of the Christian world" - separation means nor taxation and no regulation - it also means no state support - the perfect condition for wild growth for any business, and it is a business.
"State support" for anything is the surest way of rendering anyone or anything impotent. No person on welfare can be competitive, anymore than a Church on the same can be.
Take our government supported Orthodox churches - the priests couldn't care less if you come back or not - that's the way I like them!
By separating their Churches from their State, they have created a monster that's spreading its tentacles world wide - it needs to grow to survive. Sadly, the more secular among them, happen to also be on the Left, and as such have no way of truly appreciating the power of Market.
one opinion:
"They just make this assessment each year of several countrys so it's not just about you, for them it's about statistics. Get over yourself's"
I didn't say that we are the only ones. Just the opposite - I said: "multiply that by a few million world wide, villages and instances.." Hate isn't too strong of a word for people who feel some inherent right to rank the rest. If this was the EU or the UN, I have no issues - we are part of that. Do we need improvement? You bet - everywhere! Do you have a right to rank and judge in a foreign sovereign country? No way in hell! The State Department is YOUR institution and we have no involvement in that.
It's amazing how Americans are so "innocently ignorant" of National sovereignty, until you try to cross their border - they'll look into your annal cavity with a magnifying glass, and treat you like a criminal.
Bulgarians aren't "the only" poor country that feels that way towards the US. The Brazilians just imposed visas and finger prints for all Americans visiting - I think we should do the same, instead of letting them build military bases....
P.S.
Why would I care if you are an idiot? You get over yourself...
Only about 15 % of Jehovah's Witnesses are from the USA and they live in.....the USA! That leaves 85% who come from...somewhere else, including native Bulgarians. The vast majority of Witnesses don't even come from English speaking countries.
Every ex-communist coutry and especially of Orthodox affiliation is attcked by the Americanos because they want to get their own evangelicals with their finance based perverted version of Christianity into the Bulgarian people. Good for the Orthodox who don`t want the Americano evangelicals polluting their people.
Even the Catholics have sent their Jesuits under the pretext of caring for the underpriviledged Roma in Sofia to get their claws into what is a majority Orthodox country.
Keep the Americanos out!!!
George
The "Only in BG"'s post has some good points but ultimately ends up in a typical, neo-con rant with a lot of preachy attitude, arrogance and bad spelling. Yes, Bulgaria has a host of different problems and not many Bulgarians are willing to help themselves get out of the misery, but I'd be damned if I were to have somebody like you teach me how to improve my country or any country. Good thing not all Americans are like you, I'm very surprised why you've chosen to come to Bulgaria in the first place with your holier than thou attitude. Have you taken a good look at your debt levels? Did you know that an extra digit had to be put on the Times Square debt counter to fit in the increased amount? What about your unresticted consumersim attitude based on borrowing money for things you don't need in the first place and then paying 18.6 % on top of what they cost to pay them off? Is that something smart and something us, backward Bulgarians should copy and emulate? And all those expensive mortgages that people can never pay off but get anyway? That too? Look at all your SUV gas guzzling cars, look at how much pollution you generate per capita, besides according to the latest Gender equality report, Bulgaria's well ahead in terms of gender equality compared to the US, we're at position 38 whereas you're somewhere around 50. And then you go on lecturing other nations how to treat women. And what the hell has Obama's "socialised healthcare" got to do with this news article anyway? Will I be wrong to assume you come from some progressive southern state that's probably outlawed with a big margin homosexual marriages?
Rely on your own good healthy common sense? Are you smoking crack or something? I'm certainly not saying that religion is the anwswer to everything that is wrong but for sure your common sense is not doing a dam thing at all, it's time to reconsider something else Reality check. Goodluck with that OK
Only in BG will you find an article talking about relgion and the peopel that comment on it turn it around to a USA bashing discussion. This is how things work even in BG, you point out one of their so many problems and they get so defensive it's amazing. I think it's great that they enjoy there little piece of heaven, with their 300lv per month pays, a govt. so corrupt that it's the laughing stock of the most of the EU and yet still have no shame, they just don't care, care about their selves or there children or future children. How sad that you settle for the last and then even defend it, I'll give you credit for it, it takes a lot of balls to do. American don't try to police the world, actually we could give a shit about these camel jockey's that go and kill each other and I hope that stupid Obama realizes that because American or any other countryman's blood is not worth this, including Bulgarian soldiers too. I wish American would just stay out of all of these conflicts as well but we are pulled in by NATO and the UN and since now that most of the EU countries have turned there back on what they promised then the USA has to pick up the slack. I say let all of them peopel in the desert just kill each other with there 5000yr old traditions. They don't want progress and equal rights for woman to allow them to be educated and not abused everyday and yet you still defend it. Look, this is closer to your borders then America's and I would love to save some tax money for Obama to waste on socialized healthcare which will cause a revolution here in the states if it happens. American needs to get Obama out at the end of his first year or he will destroy this great country. It is and always will be the land of opporntunity, there is no doubt about that at all, I suggest that your little EU club start to take up arms to defend and protect the ones that need it the most in your part of the world and we'll take care of our own in the future. I promise you within 48 hrs you PM will be begging us to stand beside him as well as France, UK,Germany, the Dutch because indivually these countries can't do a thing for themselves but I think we need to learn to walk away and let the Taliban come into your country and force you to comply by there rules and see how you like it then, my bet is you'll be on the phone with the USA Embassy begging for help and you can say all you like that you wouldn't do this but it's so obvious you will. Because you need us, it's just a simply, logistal fact, get used to it people, I don't like it anymore then you do but it is what it is. Welcome to BG the land the size of Tenn. what can you do for yourselves? NOTHING DO what your best at and that is spreading corruption throughout your land and screw the working man and his family. That's the way it's been and with all of your attitudes that's the way it will remain. I pray that the next generation will be much smarter then this one because if not BG is screwed. You sold off your banks to evey other foeign bank in Europe and not you don't even own one single bank in Bulgaria. What were all these great minds thinking back then? It's easy, take the money and run and screw the people of Bulgaria, it's the people of Bulgaria that have been getting screwed all along for sll these years and yet they still want to protect the vey people that put them in this position. I just don't get it, never will,while I work in Bulgaria, I wouldn't live there for all the tea in China. It is just a backwards country and I have a feeling it always will be sadly because of it's great potential.
I missed this before, Valeri are you having a bad day or something, your telling this guy to just don't come to BG we don't need you here? You certainly need something there, the place is so behind all the other EU countries in almost every catagory such as education, health care, corruption, should I continue? You know better then that and I'm not saying it's the USA that should do this, you should want to do this on your own. you cannot ignore this fact. Now go ahead and tell me what an idiot I am, I'm waiting
Yeah, you all hate the State Dept. until your in a Q for hours kissing there asses for a visa to come to the states, don't be two faced morons, Valeri, I expect more from you, to 'hate' this is a strong word to just throw around. They just make this assessment each year of several countrys so it's not just about you, for them it's about statistics. Get over yourself's
Josh:
"I love Bulgaria but I wish that they would be a little more tolerant."
Don't love us, but stay away! You don't come to BG to experience our culture, but to sell yours. We don't need this new form of colonialism - stay away - we don't love you back!
"If the USA continue to play this role of "teaching" and "justing", it is not
strange that they are earning less admiration, even hate worldwide."
And that would be the least of their troubles...
This here is the second "report" on BG in a month. Last time it was on "race relations" and it had numerous references about questionable instances in some obscure Bulgarian villages - multiply that by a few million world wide, villages and instances, thousands of military bases, wars and support of all kinds of regimes, and this is what the US is borrowing so much money from China for!
I fear the 100% certain demise of the US, but only because I can't picture the aftermath. Otherwise, I will enjoy watching their inevitable joining the ranks of the Third World...
Valeri, you are completely right,
many people are feeling the same: Who is this "State Department" to be THE JUDGE of THE WORLD ? A new "Central Committee" ? If the USA continue to play this role of "teaching" and "justing", it is not
strange that they are earning less admiration, even hate worldwide.
Religions are opium for the people,
especially the sects. Their members are totaly dependend, do you remember the suicide in Jonestown?
How somebody can talk about freedom ?
I feel free, because I am atheist.
Sects are extremly dangerous for the kids and have to be prohibited
at schools.
I hope very much that such "missionary" like Josh would not have success in Bulgaria. Our nation survived so long due to the healthy common sense of its people.
There we go again... who the hell is "The State Department" to rate countries like that?
This is why we hate the US!
Stop acting like you are in charge of the world!
JW's are a big set of hypocritics who point out everyone else's faults but don't like you pointing out theirs. They have double standards, it's ok for head office to not pay taxes, be dishonest and join the UN while the poor followers would be kicked out. The top dog JW'S ned to be kicked out themselves.
If I go to the local church in Sofia next Sunday will I hear about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Will I be encouraged to know Him and the power of His resurection? Will I be told that I can pray directly to God through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus is my intercessor before the Father?
So "Kelsey in Brazil" you believe religious liberty should give you the right to choose, but that people who choose "new" religions should not be allowed to choose? Where's the religious liberty there?
The right to choose also gives people the right to say no. In the past, there have been places (such as Plymouth Colony) where people were not given the option to choose no. They were persecuted and fined for not attending church.
So you don't like someone's religion, do you want the right to choose not to participate in it? If you do, then you should also be championing their right to participate in it if they choose. You can't have one without the other.
I am a Catholic and live in Sofia and I fine that everyone at the church are all very nice people and I've never felt any pressure while going to church on Sunday, I'm American and we have the JW here and they are very pushy and will bang on your door every Sunday trying to sell you a copy of the watch tower and if you don't buy it they will begin to preach to you until you close the door on them, here they are pretty much the black people in the states. I believe that all people should be able to practice what ever religion they wish and should be left alone to do so, most of the people that give people a hard time have no religion or practice any kind of religion, they just do it for the sake of doing it, I find that most Bulgarians don't practice there own religion and will only do so when required such as holidays and what not and my friends often agree and they also fine there own religion confusing at times as I've learned during many conversations with them. So, I don't know, let people do as they please and just move on with life, God is an important part of a lot of people's live's so leave them alone.
I was a missionary in Bulgaria for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and lived there from 2006 until 2008. I love the Bulgarian people and have many cherished memories from my time there. I will say though that it is true that I was met by some with much persecution. I was attacked twice by people I had never met who had police sticks and used them to beat me and my companion. I was also taken into custody once and interrogated by 10 Bulgarian police officers. I love Bulgaria but I wish that they would be a little more tolerant.
I think that the deceptive communist ideals that are remnant within the Bulgarian government and the general lack of moral conscience within the society are of much grater concern than these "non traditional" religious denominations that, for the most part, strive to be a positive influence in the lives of their members. At least they're not supporting popular cultural notions such as "your weird if your 16 and you haven't been laid" that's just fantastic(sarcastic undertone)
Whether or not they're right or wrong isn't the issue of this article. The issue is that these legally registered religious groups are being persecuted, even if only mildly, while the law decrees that they should be able to worship and proselytize without such persecution.
I have known many Jehova witnesses and most of them have been anything other than the claims of these posts. Although I don't agree with all their doctorine, I truly believe that they are doing the best their best to follow the teachings of "Jehova" (as they understand it) and share the joy that it has brought to their lives. People need to wake up and stop being so judgmental and paranoid of other people just because they live their religion instead of simply paying lip service. It's interesting to me how many people call "religous people" "Judgemental". They are hypocrits because the very statement is passing judgement on "religious people."
I can feel the clamour reaching fever pitch. "Freedom for everyone, except Jehovah's Witnesses. Freedom for everyone, so long as they conform to society. Grab the pitchforks: Frankenstein is coming, lock up your children." People are so aggressive and nasty - it saddens me.
Jehovah's Witness and protestants they preach saying that everybody is wrong and they are right. Where is the liberty, i choose my religion an don´t want anyone preaching for me. I go to the internet and i choose, so shut up and do your service, if i want to share the experience i do go. Don´t try to convence me, cause i live the religion liberty. Bulgarians keep taking care of your children, new religions makes damages!!!
In a truly free society, people should not only have the right, but should be encouraged to choose any religion they want.
The Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower religion uses coercive deceptive recruitment tactics.
After you find later on that it's mostly fraud for God, and try to get out you get severely shunned by your own family if they are also JW.
Like the lyrics in the popular song,"Hotel California" you can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave"
They are all nutters.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained срещу журналисти
Or below for that matter.
I quite like them. Nice people. Not like the cranky posters above.
Jehovah's Witnesses are considered a dangerous cult in many European countries and definitely under investigation because governments are concerned by the mind manipulation, child molestation cover-ups, breaking up of families due to shunning, as well as other atrocities taking place within the religion.
Victims of Watchtower hard-line organizational policies are speaking up to government officials about their experiences and they are responding with assistance.
Jehovah's Witnesses and their *lack of* religious tolerance freedom of speech.
They will extol and preach *God's Kingdom* and this sounds attractive,what they hide from you is their Watchtower society version that Jesus has already had his second coming in 1914 and is working *invisibly* through them.
They have won 37 of their 46 US Supreme court cases assuring us all of freedom of speech and assembly and equal protection under the law.
The sad irony is that the Watchtower Society *daily* abuses the human rights of thousands of its members. It denies current members the right of free speech by forbidding them to speak to former members, even close family members.
And it denies former members their right of freedom of worship by refusing to allow them to leave the religion with dignity, should they come to disagree with Watchtower's practices or doctrines.
The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is an oppressive cult that controls every aspect of its members' lives.