Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia

I’ve always admired Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I think the religion, like other religions, is misguided and futile, but I admire their persistence.  Anyone who has canvassed for an unpopular political candidate knows how difficult it is to approach people on their front porches and endure insults and nastiness.

I also admire the way they have expanded religious freedom in this country.  West Virginia had a law that school children had to salute the flag.  Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t do that, so the Witness kids were expelled.  Then their parents were jailed for violating school attendance laws.  In 1943 in West Virginia v. Barnette, the U.S. Supreme Court said that was unconstitutional.

At least we weren’t as bad as Nazi Germany.  Jehovah’s Witnesses were killed along with Jews.  In Stalin’s Russia they were also killed.

Now, in Putin’s Russia, the Justice Ministry has put the headquarters of the group on this list of groups banned “in connection with the carrying out of extremist activities.”  The Ministry has asked the Supreme Court to outlaw the group from spreading “extremist” texts.

The next time a couple comes to your door with their literature, don’t be nasty.  Thank them, tell them you aren’t interested, and be happy you live in a country where people still have religious freedom.