I see that the Watchtower has formed new corporations. I never thought I would ever see one of them as "The Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses." What next? "Bethel Vatican" or "Gilead College of Cardinals?"
Religious Order???
by Pahpa 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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codeblue
lol...thanks for the laughs...
I guess the need for new names is a way to divert their money so it is NOT taxed???
Someone answer WHY they need so many corporations???
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blondie
To qualify as not being required to pay taxes under the US system, the WTS has put the Bethel members who have taken a vow of poverty under a corporation called "religious order."
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Atlantis
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/3883/order/order.html?200524
The Order of Special Full-Time Servants
When I read my 1995 Yearbook for the first time, I spotted something I had never seen in any literature before. This is the paragraph that made me stop and wonder:
*** yb95 5-6 ; Jehovah's Witnesses-1995 Yearbook Report ***
Among the full-time workers were 15,145 members of the global Bethel family. They help to provide literature, supervision, and other beneficial services in support of the worldwide work of Bible education. Of these, 5,082 serve at the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and at nearby facilities. All of them are members of the Order of Special Full-Time Servants, a religious order that is devoted exclusively to the ministry - (italics mine).
Then I saw it again in the 1996 Yearbook. Here's the quote from that book:
*** yb96 8-9 ; Jehovah's Witnesses-1996 Yearbook Report ***
Among those in full-time service are 16,468 Bethel family members around the globe. Of this number, 5,709 serve at the world headquarters; all of these are members of the Order of Special Full-Time Servants.
Additionally, 4,374 care for assignments that require them to travel from one assembly to another in an assigned district or from one congregation to another in a circuit. One of the principal activities of all such traveling overseers is taking the lead in the field ministry.
The Order of Special Full-Time Servants! According to the Yearbook, this is a religious order, although I have failed to find any other reference to the "order" in any other publication.
When I asked a variety of Elders about this, none seemed to know anything about this "order". Even Circuit Overseers and District Overseers didn't seem to know anything about it.
Then, after extensive investigation, I found someone who was able to offer an explanation. Apparently, when brothers or sisters are accepted for Bethel service, they are asked to take a "vow of poverty"!! So by doing, they become members of this "religious order".
Why should they be asked to take such a vow? Why should there be a seperate "order" if we are all God's servants? Does all this not have undertones of "sects" and "divisions" amongstthe congregation?
It seems the short answer to all this is that it is another tax dodge!! By taking this "vow" and entering this "order" the members avail themselves of various tax consessions.
*** Rbi8 ; Matthew 22:21 ***
" Then he said to them: "Pay back, therefore, Caesar's things to Caesar, but God's things to God."
*** Rbi8 ; Galatians 5:19-21 ***
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness............................... divisions, sects, 21 envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning YOU, the same way as I did forewarn YOU, that those who practice such things will not inherit God's kingdom."
It seems to me that the WBTS is quite prepared to compromise Bible principles in order to evade paying "Caesar's things to Caesar"! It was just the same in the way the literature was suddenly offered "free of charge" , not to give freely what we had received freely, but rather because it allowed them to avoid paying sales tax!
Cheers! Atlantis-
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SadElder
This is another despicable act by them to avoid paying social security taxes on the monthly stipend provided the Bethelites and others in the "full time service" of the Lord. So now they are kicking out members who have been there many years and leaving them with a terrible financial burden for their waining years. Oh yes some are offered special assistance, but with strings attached that some are finding unacceptable. Unfortunately, my last remaining contact at the "House of God" has also been downsized, so I've lost my inside track on the mood of the family to all this.
Sad, Sad, Sad. To give a life of service and be told your too old or sick, now get the hell out of here.
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GermanXJW
In Germany, by means of this, they also avoid being under normal work laws like having dismissal protection or a works council.
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TopHat
There should be law to make religions in the USA pay social security for their proverty stricken workers. Because they know damn well they are going get old, sick and need assistance. That is just such a shame on the WTS NOT to provide for those who gave more than their work...BUT also their lives to that God forsaken religion!
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Atlantis
They have also added another "word" to their Order title! They have added the word "Worldwide" to this title. Now its, "Worldwide Order Of Special Full Time Servants" Yearbook-2005-p.30 Worldwide, a total of 20,092 ordained ministers staff such branch facilities. All are members oftheWorldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Cheers! Atlantis-
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jgnat
The tax dodge helps the corporation, not the Bethelites. As others have said, if a Bethelite is "downsized", they are left in a terrible predicament. Their "religious order" has not made any contributions towards social security. They face a life of abject poverty until death.
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Pahpa
There was a time that the Watchtower would avoid any appearance of being similar to the Catholic church. But in the Bonham, Texas case the Watchtower's lawyer argued that it was a "hierarchy" and thus had full property rights to the Kingdom Hall. Now, the Watchtower even embraces the Catholic sounding titles like "religious order of..."
It always involves money or property. Reminds one of the Pharisees who were "lovers of money." (Luke 16:14) But in the same chapter Jesus warns: "You cannot serve both God and Money." (Vs. 13)