Might it have started in 1995?
I "worked" for them for more than 9 months in 1994. During that period, no Social Security taxes were sent to the government for me.
Problems: The Bethel Family and Social Security Tax Exemption
by daniel-p 30 Replies latest jw friends
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leavingwt
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daniel-p
Blondie,
I think they established this special "Order" primarly to take advantage of tax exemptions such as the one above. But the questions remain: how do they demonstrate that they take care of their dependent members without just kicking them out, and how do they show that they are doctrinally opposed to insurance?
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blondie
That was the 1995 YB referring to 1994. It could be that not taking out social security then started in 1994 in conjuction with the "order" starting per the yearbook.
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cha ching
We just had an old friend (who moved away yeaaaarrrs ago) pop in with a surprise visit. He is from the East Coast, U.S.
We have a Bethelite "friend" in common, who has been their for years. We were told this common "friend" said "Yeah, I get an SS check every month, like getting free money in the mail!"
When the Bethel guy left here, he was 27? His family was very rich, but he signed a vow of poverty. So, even if they died and left him money, he couldn't accept it, right?
He may have worked when younger (but not sure because of rich family) but even if he did get SS wages, how can Bethelites accept money if they signed a vow of poverty?
Will Bethel take their checks and cash them?
thx, cha ching
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Apognophos
Well, if they're no longer at Bethel then they're no longer under the vow, right? This is an interesting subject, though, I had no idea that this changed in the '90s.
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RottenRiley
Do you think the Bethelites should receive 10 years of Social Security credits for not performing any credible or beneficial work to aid Society? Circuit Overseers come off the work with nothing, very few of these Jokers ever saved any money and are at the mercy of the Watchtower for financial support in their Golden Years.
Who is left holding the wet-paper bag? The Congregations are, they are told to build homes for the former faithful Bethel servants while many of the Witnesses are living off Government Aid. Why should those on Government Aid, who listened to the Slave, have to live like Skid-Row so the Circuit Overseers can live in better homes than many of the JWs do? The COs still get invited to all the functions and the richer JWs hand them money and pay for their utilities, who pays for the utililites of JWs who are too poor to have a warm home? Take a look at all the angles the Watchtower screws the rank-and-file members with, most are in deep financial debt, some have filed bankruptcy every Seven years before the more aggressive BK reform was activated.
I told you about the Kingdom Hall "Creep Side" Congregation, it's where the Witnesses were browe-beaten for three months and those who did not agree, were taken to the Rehabilitation Stress Camp (Elders Room, Priveleges were stripped off immediantly from Elder to RF, taken to the Elders room many of times and harrassed in Field Service why "You are not being loving by giving the $48 a month for life".
In all, the Watchtower has a pretty good scam, telling the poorest members of Society to blindly follow and draining them of their saving to keep up the appearances that the Watchtower treats the Traveling Brothers and Branch Members so good! Wrong!
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Chaserious
Cha ching: The vow of poverty does not prohibit Bethelites from inheriting money. The vow has been posted in full in another thread here and more or less specifically allows Order of Full-Time Servants members to inherit:
Although the term "poverty" is used in the Vow, this does not mean that the
Governing Body is asking you to relinquish ownership in property that you now possess or that
you may acquire in the future. -
RottenRiley
JW Friends have left money, inheritances (Pissed off the Organization because they like the Traveling Brothers begging, eating out of their hands) to the Traveling Brothers who were smart enough to demonstrate extraordinary attention to the Rich Widow. I know two very personable, kind and educated COs who actually got a six-figure inheritance, by keeping in touch, calling up Old Annie and sharing the stories from the Front Lines of the Good News Work. The CO and his wife got $600,000 out of a $5,000,000 Estate, I call them smart!
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Gypsy Sam
Marked