by Mikhail Vignansky Segodnia,
7 July 1999
The patriarchate of Georgia officially demanded the prohibition of the activity of the sect of "Jehovah's Witnesses." A representative of the patriarchate, Georgy Andriadae, declared that the activity of the Jehovists, who are "representatives of totalitarian religious forces," is dangerous for society. The Georgian Orthodox church has charged that the activity of "Jehovah's Witnesses" drives members of the sect to psychological illnesses and alienates a person from public life. In the opinion of Andriadze, the prohibition of the activity of the "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect does not violate the principles of the protection of human rights, since the premises of this sect are directed against the interests of the state. The Jehovists themselves (adherents of this religious number about 40,000 in the Orthodox state of Georgia with a population of five million) maintain that their prohibition would be a violation of the standards of a democratic country which recently joined the Council of Europe. Andriadze noted that the church will not demand prohibition of such sects as the Baptists, Pentecostals, or Seventh-day Adventists.
Still another headache for the church are the satanists who are preparing for the end of the world. Georgian satanists maintain that the sword of Satan is buried on the territory of the southern Caucasus and that Georgia will become the epicenter of the struggle between forces of good and evil on the Day of Judgment.
(tr. by PDS) - from Stetson University History Department web site: http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/