Dear Friends,
On various fronts there has been much discussion on the children of Jehovah's Witnesses being pushed into premature baptism. The statement that The Society prepared for The European Commission on Human Rights, however, is quite revealing. Aware of the WT's differing stance on issues - from Malawi to Mexico, from Europe to the USA - you don't require a full-blown explanation as to the whys and wherefores. Please note the following statement from the WT, particularly the emphasized text:
"As regards the ALLEGED involvement of children, the applicant association [WTS] submits that children CANNOT BECOME MEMBERS of the association but only participate...In respect to the refusal of blood transfusions, the applicant association submits that there are NO religious sanctions for a Jehovah's Witness who CHOOSES TO ACCEPT a blood transfusion and that, therefore, the fact that the religious doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses is against blood transfusions CANNOT AMOUNT TO A THREAT to public health." ECOHR, re: WT seeks legal recognition in Bulgaria, 1997, www.AJWRB.org [CC: emphasis]
Is there any way to discover the true status of children of JW parents in Bulgaria? That is, could it be possible that the WT articles on baptism in primarily Western countries would be altered to deal with legal issues in Bulgaria (as well as other European countries where the WT is having trouble acquiring legal recognition)?
Thank you,
Compound-Complex