Czech Jehovah’s Witnesses Fear De-Registration

The following is a developing story. Further details would be provided as they become available.

Written by Zdeněk Vojtíšek in Czech on December 27, 2024. Translated by Google.
Published on Náboženského infoservisu.

Editor's Comments by Lester Somrah - January 1, 2025

In the congregations of the Religious Society of Jehovah's Witnesses (NSSJ), a Notice was read in recent days, which was sent out by the Czech leadership of this society (the so-called branch) on December 18, 2024. [1] According to it

"The branch has learned about steps being taken by the separate department of churches and religious societies of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, which could lead to the cancellation of the registration of our legal entity, NSSJ."

According to the Notice, witnesses are threatened that the Ministry will act pursuant to the provisions of Section 22 of Act 3/2002 Coll., [2] which states under letter c) that

“(1) The Ministry shall initiate proceedings to cancel the registration of a church and a religious society, … c) if a registered church and a religious society … carries out activities in violation of Section 3 letter a), Section 5 or Section 27 paragraph 5, …”

The ministry considers the preaching and application of two doctrines as possible activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in violation of this law. The announcement states this in the following sentence:

“The government states that it has reservations about several of our teachings, including (1) the application of the Bible principle of abstaining from … blood (Acts 15:28, 29) in cases where parents make decisions regarding minor children, and (2) the application of the Bible principle of limiting social contact with those who have been disfellowshipped or who have disassociated themselves from the congregation. (1 Cor. 5:11)”

The words Notice refer to Section 5 of this Act, which in the part under letter e) states:

A church or religious society whose teachings or activities pursue a violation of the law or the achievement of some goal in an unlawful manner may not be established and operate, especially if … e) it restricts the personal freedom of persons, especially by using psychological or physical pressure to create a dependency that leads to physical, psychological or economic harm to these persons or their family members, to damage their social ties , including limiting the psychological development of minors or limiting their right to education, or prevents minors from receiving health care appropriate to their health needs , …“

The Religious Information Service highlighted the parts that are likely to be discussed in the negotiations of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The second part of the Announcement contains two pleas. The first of them calls for

"any publisher in the Czech Republic who wishes to do so, to consider sending respectful letters containing a complaint against the threat of deregistration of the NSSJ, to the following state representatives: (1) the President of the Czech Republic, (2) the Prime Minister, (3) the Minister of Culture, (4) the Minister of Justice, (5) the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and (6) the separate Department of Churches and Religious Societies of the Ministry of Culture."

In the second request, the branch calls on members to pray.

Comment:

[1] The letter was sent to the editorial office of the Religious Info Service (not a branch). Its authenticity was verified by the editorial office from several mutually independent sources.

[2] Act on Freedom of Religion and the Status of Churches and Religious Societies and on Amendments to Certain Acts (Act on Churches and Religious Societies).

The preview image was created by DALL.E artificial intelligence.

Editor's Comments

The Czech Law - Act Nr. 3/2002 Coll

Article 5 states the following regarding Conditions of establishing and operating of churches and religious societies:

"Church and religious society cannot be established and cannot operate, which activities are at variance with this legal act, whose teaching or activities pose a threat to rights, freedoms and equality of citizens and their associations including other churches and religious societies, which pose a threat to democratic grounds of state, its sovereignty, independence and territorial unity and

is in conflict with protection of public morality, public order, public health, principles of humanity and tolerance and safety of citizens,
contests or curtails personal, political or other rights of natural persons because of its nationality, sex, race, origin, political or other conviction, religious confession or social status, inflames hatred and intolerance from these reasons, supports acts of violence or violating of legal acts,
curtail personal freedom, especially through using psychical or psychological pressure to make dependence, which leads to physical, psychological or economical hurting of these persons and their family members, to hurting of their social relationships including curtailing of psychological development of juvenile and curtailing of their right to education, bar juvenile to take health care appropriated to their health needs, or
is restricted as a whole or in some parts, as well as organization structure of the church and religious society and relations to foreign parts, if it is a part of church or religious society operating out of territory of the Czech Republic."

Can the Religious Society of Jehovah's Witnesses (NSSJ) successfully claim in a law of court, that the “teachings and activities” of Jehovah’s Witnesses, does not:

pose a threat to the rights and freedoms of citizens.
curtail personal other rights of citizens because of other conviction, religious confession or social status
inflame hatred and intolerance from these reasons, supports acts of violence or violating of legal acts
curtail personal freedom, especially through using psychical or psychological pressure to make dependence, which leads to physical, psychological or economical hurting of these persons and their family members, to hurting of their social relationships
curtail of psychological development of minors and their right to education
bar minors to take health care appropriated to their health needs.

Further developments would provide answers to these questions.

Announcement to All Czech Congregations – December 18th 2024

Lester Somrah

Lester Somrah writes about the beliefs and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses on his social media platforms and was baptized as a member in 1998.