Hi everyone
I am delighted to announce that a new campaign has been launched to try to petition the government to revoke the charitable status of Jehovah's Witnesses in the UK.
An e-petition has been started by cantleave, and if you have no qualms about revealing your identity, and you are a British citizen, you can SIGN THE PETITION! Once 100,000 signatures are collected (we have one year in which to collect them) the matter will automatically be debated in the House of Commons.
What if, like me, you're a fader who needs to remain anonymous?
- I have prepared an article entitled "Where is the public benefit?" on my blog, and you can get as many non-Witness friends and relatives as possible to check out the information and sign the petition. Use facebook, use YouTube, spread the message far and wide!
- You can write a letter to your local newspaper expressing your dismay that Jehovah's Witnesses receive millions of pounds in gift aid and a tax exempt status despite emotionally and physically endangering their members. Ask your fellow readers to sign the petition, and use the information contained in my blog article.
- You can write a similar letter to your local MP, and tell him or her about the petition, urging that they raise the issue in parliament (even before the petition is delivered if possible) given the urgency of the matter, particularly in the current economic climate. Again, use the information contained in the blog article if it is helpful to do so.
- Finally, if you're feeling REALLY brave (and are still participating in the ministry), you can download print-ready sheets of the following flier:
I realise that this won't be for everyone (least of all myself) but here's the idea...
If you are an active Witness living in the UK and you feel you are able to 'pull it off' without being discovered, you can print off a few of these fliers (there are four on each page) and hide them discreetly in your ministry bag. Next time you go on the ministry, if you are asked to work by yourself (or if you volunteer to do so), you can post a flier through the letterbox if you find yourself at a house where there is obviously nobody at home. Make sure none of the other brothers or sisters notice you!! You will note that the flier is worded in such a way that it would not incriminate you if the householder presented it to whoever calls next, because it would appear that a local resident who opposes the Witnesses has posted it. I realise that you would STILL be taking a huge risk, but if even a few of you can find the inner fortitude to distribute this flier while on the ministry, we will increase the likelihood of getting the much needed 100,000 signatures. If, like me, you simply cannot afford to do this, then I completely understand.
Of course, it may be that you're disfellowshipped or disassociated, and you feel like printing out and distributing the fliers in your local community anyway - in which case, by all means go for it!
If anybody has any questions or ideas on this, please let me know. PLEASE keep bumping this thread if you can, because it's important that we try as hard as possible to make this campaign a success - especially since today it appears the Unthank case in Victoria is floundering. Let's be nimble and agile and keep up the pressure elsewhere in honour of Steven and his excellent work.
I would like to say a big THANK YOU to cantleave for having the courage to launch the petition in his name. Obviously he has less to lose than I do, but it was still very kind of him to lend the project his support. I understand he will be launching his own YouTube video soon to promote the petition, so look out for that on this thread.
So that's it for now, let's make this a success!
Cedars