“From one day to the next, everyone turned their back on me.” She means that literally and figuratively: Witnesses physically turn away from members who are being shunned. “I knew hundreds of people in the congregation almost every day someone came over to visit,” she told Het Nieuwsblad.
Cecile Temmerman was a Witness for 35 years when her son began to ask critical questions of the congregation's elders. Several more former Witnesses have joined the complaint, and stories have flowed out from former members who have been shunned. They declare that this person must be avoided because they have a mental illness that is contagious.” “From the highest levels of the organisation comes the order that no one is allowed to talk to you, not even your own family. “It’s worse than just being excluded,” Haeck told Het Nieuwsblad. Jehovah’s Witnesses use shunning as a tactic to keep members from being disloyal to the group, he claims. When he exposed a case of sexual abuse within the congregation, he was officially shunned. Haeck was a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses for 35 years and was an elder – someone with considerable authority within his local congregation in Ghent. “How is it possible that a religious community can commit a crime under the guise of freedom of religion?” “It’s an important precedent,” Haeck told VRT. The case follows a five-year investigation by a court magistrate in Ghent in response to complaints filed by Patrick Haeck, an ex-member.
#Jw congregation trial#
The congregation, which is based in Kraainem, is being given several months to prepare their case the trial begins next February. It is the first time that the Jehovah’s Witness are being tried in a criminal court anywhere in the world. They made clear there was no known active threat to the public.The Belgian congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses attended a hearing yesterday in criminal court in response to charges of discrimination based on religious beliefs and incitement to hatred. Police had begun calling the incident a homicide early in the day - and not an active shooter event.
"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who have been traumatized by the heinous actions that took the life of an innocent victim and threatened the lives of many others." In a statement, the Sherrelwood Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses said it was "shocked and deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and loss of life" at their hall, adding they are cooperating with authorities investigating the shooting. There were no other injuries, and police say there are no safety concerns. No church service was taking place at the time of the shooting. The Adams County Hazardous Materials Unit "rendered safe and collected" the materials. He then shot and killed himself.Īuthorities found three "incendiary devices" at the scene. There, two individuals - who were married and former members of the congregation - were found dead after a woman was shot and killed by her husband.
Thornton Police responded around 9 o'clock Christmas morning to a structure fire at Kingdom Hall. Multiple agencies - including the Adams County Sheriff Department’s Hazardous Materials Unit - responded to the scene early Sunday. Police have confirmed that two people are dead after a shooting at the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Thornton on Christmas morning.
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