In Norway, a court case is taking place against Jehovah’s Witnesses after the state withdrew their government funding. According to Norwegian authorities, the practice of disfellowshipping – especially in cases involving minors – violates fundamental human rights and places severe psychological pressure on those affected.

The financial stake is significant:
The organization has lost approximately 15–16 million Norwegian kroner per year, which corresponds to roughly 1.4–1.5 million US dollars. One of the central aims of the lawsuit is to regain this state funding, meaning the restoration of these financial resources.

During the hearing, an incident also occurred: the lawyer representing Jehovah’s Witnesses stated under oath that disfellowshipping does not result in family isolation. In contrast, the court heard excerpts read aloud from Watchtower publications as well as from the “Elders’ Book”, which clearly instruct members to avoid disfellowshipped persons and to restrict contact with them. This revealed a serious contradiction between the legal statements made in court and the organization’s own written teachings.

A further serious contradiction is that the organization has long emphasized in its teachings that it does not seek support from “the world,” meaning state systems, which it often describes as belonging to Satan’s world. Nevertheless, it is now fighting in a secular court to regain government-funded financial support from that very same state.

The essence of the case, therefore, is not a matter of faith, but whether public funds should be granted to an organization whose official teachings (Watchtower, Elders’ Book) and practices come into conflict with both human rights principles and its own professed beliefs.