| " noWrap width="1%" bgColor=#b71c0c>Nobody | Mar |
New York Times, March 19, 1999 - Associated Press Release In an unprecedented move, the United States Department of Justice
has taken action against a religious sect. After a two-year
undercover investigation of the religion known as Jehovah's
Witnesses, the Justice Department has indicted and arrested 11 of
the sect's leaders for violations of the United States
Constitution. Commenting on this action, United States Attorney General Janet
Reno in a press conference earlier today stated: "In the legal community, the Jehovah's Witness religion has
become well-known in its fights for rights guaranteed under the
United States Constitution. In particular, this group has been
successful in the litigation of freedom of speech, and freedom of
religion issues, including the right not to salute the flag or
stand for our National Anthem. We have no problem with this. "However, what we did not know until our two-year investigation
of the Witnesses was completed was that this religion has
systematically denied these very rights to their own members.
Our own Declaration of Independence states that there are certain
inalienable rights, rights which are given by God and cannot be
taken away by any man. These are "life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness." It is the position of the Justice Department that
the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses have in far too many
cases, deprived its very own members of these basic and
fundamental and inalienable rights. "In almost every instance the United States Government has no
right to interfere with anyone's practice of his or her religion,
but in this instance we must act. The leaders of the Jehovah's
Witnesses have passed unbelievably harsh and strict laws which
their members are required to follow. Failure to follow these
laws has in many thousands of cases resulted in the total
emotional destruction of those failing to follow them. Families
are required to forever avoid having any further contact with
members who break the Jehovah's Witness rules. This includes
even the closest of relatives like children and parents.
Following another Jehovah's Witness law of refusing to allow a
life-saving blood transfusion has resulted in other thousands of
deaths among members, many of them children as young as infants
and toddlers. "The United States Justice Department has issued a Cease and
Desist Order to the remaining leaders of this religion to stop
initiating the religious act of "disfellowshiping" or total
shunning of members who fail to follow the rules of the religion.
This Order shall stay in effect until the trial of the religion's
leaders is adjudicated. Speaking from his jail cell, Jehovah's Witness leader Ted Jaracz
stated, "We expected this kind of persecution sooner or later.
It is foretold in God's Word, the Holy Bible, that Satan the
Devil would turn the leaders of the World Governments against
Jehovah's people and persecute them. This is indeed a sign that
the great day of God is near, and that very soon God will wipe
out all oppressors of his people and liberate them through the
world-wide battle of Armageddon. Asked to comment on Mr.
Jaracz's statement, Attorney General Reno simply replied, "Mr.
Jaracz should talk. He is the oppressor, not of his enemies, but
of his very own followers. We will prosecute this case
vigorously to end these barbaric and Midieval practices. And we
will win." (Contributed to Hourglass2 Outpost's International Open
Forum for Jehovah's Witnesses and Other Interested Ones,
http://www.hourglass2.org/wwwb oard/hourglass2board.html
15:50:20 3/19/98 in file 63133.html) -------------------
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