What happens when one of the world’s most secular countries starts deciding how believers should live? Norway is so secular that it risks going too deeply into private matters. In this way, especially religious families can suffer from state interventions.

The Court of Appeal in Norway rebuked the country’s government for not respecting the religious freedom of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW). The state’s accusation that the group is guilty of “psychological violence” against minors is just not true, according to the judges.

The court in Norway will come with a decision about the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) mid-March. But experts already know that this verdict on religious freedom in Norway will be historic and crucial.

Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide have eased the discipline for youth members after “serious wrongdoing”.

For years, the number of baptisms declined in the community of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide. Now, the tide has changed. In total, the number has grown by 85 per cent this year.