NORWAY REJECTS JWORG ATTEMPT TO SANCTION ABUSE OF CHILDREN
No subsidies to hurt kids
Norway rejects JWorg’s appeal to a decision to stop religious subsidies due to their shunning policy for kids. As is common practice, lawyers for the child abuse policies of this organization tried to misrepresent the actual practices of how children are ostracized and emotionally blackmailed as members of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It was disgusting that the Governing Body attempted to amend the policy to get government money. The amendments changed nothing regarding actual policy as shunning remained intact for any child that refused to bend the knee to the will of church elders. Norway authorities saw through the misinformation and delivered a death blow to allowing JW’s to call themselves a religion approved by the Norwegian Government.
While this is just one small country, it is fair to say with investigations in Australia, England, Italy, France, and other countries that the abuse policies regarding children are being brought more and more into the light. It is the utmost insult to the Creator to use a religion to molest and abuse kids. We can only hope that actions like this will continue to expose and convict this religion of the atrocities it has and continues to commit against innocent children.
Decision – Request for Reconsideration Not Granted – Jehovah’s Witnesses
Recipient: Postboks 8036 Dep 0030 Oslo postmottak@bfd.dep.no
Office Address: Akersgt. 59
Website: www.bfd.dep.no
Phone: 22 24 90 90 Org. No.: 972 417 793
Department: Consumer, Belief, and Faith Affairs
Case Handler: Geir Telstø 22 24 80 28
Decision:
The request for reconsideration is not granted.
Conclusion of the Ministry:
The request for reconsideration of the following six decisions is denied:
The Governor’s decision dated January 27, 2022, rejecting the demand for state subsidies for 2021.
The Ministry of Children and Families’ decision dated September 30, 2022, upholding the January 27, 2022, decision.
The Governor’s decision dated December 22, 2022, rejecting the application for registration under the Religious Communities Act.
The Governor’s decision dated November 7, 2023, rejecting the demand for state subsidies for 2022.
The Governor’s decision dated November 7, 2023, dismissing the demand for state subsidies for 2023.
The Governor’s decision dated June 18, 2024, dismissing the demand for state subsidies for 2024.
The decision not to reverse the aforementioned rulings is not an individual decision under the Administrative Law, and therefore cannot be appealed.
Content of the Reconsideration Request
Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to the fact that the above decisions “are rooted in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ religious teaching regarding limiting contact with individuals who have been removed from the congregation or have voluntarily withdrawn.” Jehovah’s Witnesses wish to inform about “a recent adjustment, made globally, in our religious practices in this area.” The main adjustments are summarized in four bullet points, including the following:
• “If a baptized minor commits a serious sin, two elders will have a conversation with the minor and their Christian parents or guardians to determine what the parents have already done to help their child make the necessary changes and repent. If the minor has a good attitude and the parents are able to reach him, the two elders may decide that no further action is necessary. It is the parents who have the biblical responsibility to lovingly correct their child. For this reason, it will be even rarer for a baptized minor who has committed a serious sin to be removed from the congregation.”
• “Members of the congregation may choose whether to invite a person who has been removed from the congregation or has withdrawn to a congregation meeting. They may also choose to greet the person and welcome them to the meeting. If the person expresses a desire to return to the congregation, the elders may also arrange for someone in the congregation to study the Bible with them even if they have not yet been reinstated. A person who has been removed from the congregation or has chosen to withdraw may be reinstated within a few months if they show genuine repentance.”
In a letter dated October 31, 2024, additional comments are provided regarding the above letter. Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to an attached expert statement from Jean Zermatten, former chairman of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. They argue that it concludes “the relevant religious practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses are consistent with, and protected by, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Administrative Law § 35, First and Second Paragraphs
According to § 35, first paragraph of the Administrative Law, an administrative agency may “reverse its own decision without an appeal if:
a. The change is not detrimental to anyone the decision is directed at or directly benefits, or b. Notification of the decision has not been received by the party involved, and the decision has not been publicly announced, or c. The decision must be considered invalid.”
The second paragraph of § 35 states: “If the conditions under the first paragraph are met, the decision may also be reversed by the appellate body or another superior body.”
Assessment by the Ministry
The Ministry does not find that the reconsideration request presents information indicating that the decisions should be considered invalid or should be reversed on any other basis, pursuant to § 35, first and second paragraphs of the Administrative Law.
The content of the two cited adjustments confirms that the Governor and the Ministry have correctly interpreted Jehovah’s Witnesses’ practices regarding contact with excluded or withdrawn persons when making their decisions. The main features of the practices remain unchanged. Reference is made to the Watchtower Study Article 35 from August 2024, titled Help for Those Who Are Removed from the Congregation, where the following is stated in paragraph 14:
“Does what we have just reviewed mean that we should absolutely not contact someone who has been removed from the congregation? No, not necessarily. Of course, we would not socialize with them. But we can use our Christian conscience to decide whether to invite them to a meeting. For example, we might want to do this if they are a relative of ours or if we were close friends with them before they were removed from the congregation. How should we treat them if they attend a meeting? Previously, we would not greet such a person. Even in this case, each person must use their Christian conscience to decide what to do. Some may feel that they can greet them or welcome them to the meeting. However, we would not have a longer conversation or engage in other activities with them.”
The Ministry assumes that it remains the case that:
• Any baptized individual can be excluded from Jehovah’s Witnesses, including children.
• Exclusion entails strict, systematic, and deliberate social ostracism of the excluded person, even from family and relatives not living in the same household.
• Baptized persons who withdraw from Jehovah’s Witnesses, including children, are subjected to the same social ostracism as excluded persons.
The practice of exclusion infringes on children’s rights, as assessed in prior decisions.
Psychological and Social Impacts
The Ministry notes that Zermatten’s statement largely downplays the psychological strain associated with the practices described above. In the Ministry’s view, it is not accurate to characterize the consequences for a child who is excluded from Jehovah’s Witnesses as merely “less pleasant,” as Zermatten appears to suggest.
Denying a minor ordinary social contact with friends and family outside their household—and additionally, presenting them with the prospect that nearly all contact with family within the household will cease when they become an adult and move out—is, in the Ministry’s opinion, consistent with descriptions of negative social control and psychological violence.
Comparison with Sanctions in Other Religions
Zermatten also reviews sanctions within other religious communities. The Ministry notes that while rules for exclusion exist in many organizations, it is rare for these to require members to sever nearly all contact with close family members or others who have been excluded or left the organization. This aspect is not addressed by Zermatten.
Conclusion
The Ministry maintains that:
The practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding exclusion and social ostracism infringe upon children’s rights.
The reconsideration request does not provide sufficient grounds to deem the decisions invalid or to reverse them.
Signed: Erik Saglie, Director-General Geir Telstø, Head of Assessments