Picked up the Salvation Army newsletter at my job's lobby and
read an interesting article before driving home.

A Russian court has finally overturned a decision by
the government for being unfair in the Salvation Army's
request for Chruch status in 1999. The country must now
pay 10k Euros to the organization.

The government argued the Salvation Army encourages violence,
is a paramilitary organization, and works to undermine the
state...

That's like accusing the Red Cross of being a paramilitary group.

For those who don't know the Salvation Army is like the Red Cross
and other charities. Doing nothing but good, just religious. They
are their own religion who believe in serving God and doing good
in the service of the Salvation Army.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct...nuary/1.19.html

"The ECHR decided unanimously that the government overstepped its bounds when it attempted to determine whether the Salvation Army's "beliefs or the means used to express them were legitimate." Furthermore, the court criticized a key provision of the 1997 law that disallows foreign nationals from founding religious organizations."

"In mid-October, the national government introduced legislation to more closely monitor the activities of nongovernmental organizations. Dozens of foreign aid groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, had to suspend work while awaiting approval of their registration applications.

"It's just one further sign of the tightening that's going on," said Russian Ministries president Anita Deyneka, "and the increased control and restrictions under Putin."

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Electric Zoo 2010! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVE-RutexSE

Last edited by DevilDogUSMC on Dec-14-2006 at 13:40