Update on the Henrietta Riley trust

by Aussie Oz 30 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Band on the Run

  Most people I know would not invest in BP. It is good to note the legal distinctions but the moral question is clear. I would not buy BP stock nor did I invest in companies doing business in South Africa. I am quite the capitalist tool. Everyone must make their own moral decisions. Perhaps law school is messing with your moral center. YOu would not be the first student to be turned around. I did turned around in many respects.

  Not in this direction, however. I believe moral distinctions are important. No one would care where JW money comes from if the regular members were not punished so severely. If such punishment helps them to stop smoking, it may not be so evil. Smoking is not a moral evil, however, but an addiction. I've read it is harder to quit than heroin is.

  This is a strange discussion. My sympathies are not with the smokers. Rather than severe punishment, some caring and effective nicotine cessation programs would be nice.

  I suppose everyone has to determine their moral center. All I see is clear hypocrisy.
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  rebel8

  I'm quite amused that I'm an evil apostate atheist and I take a much stronger stance against the tobacco industry than the wts does.

  I won't even invest my 401k in funds that have anything to do with it. I founded a charity and I signed a pledge not to take their $.
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  Justitia Themis

  Perhaps law school is messing with your moral center.

  I bought BP before law school.
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  Justitia Themis

  I'm quite amused that I'm an evil apostate atheist and I take a much stronger stance against the tobacco industry than the wts does.

  If a rich relative died and left you millions of dollars from stock sales, a tiny part of which came from the sale of PM stocks, would you turn down all the millions?
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  james_woods

  Fjor what it is worth, I think that Justicia Themis is correct on this will issue.

  I also think that she is wrong in her stubborn support of Islamic law.

  I was looking forward (from Justicia) to a comment on the recently publicized book about "how to control your Islamic wife".
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  Diest

  James how dare you condem the most modern of goat-hearder-legal-theories!
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  dozy

  I'm with Justitia on this one as well. ( Oh - and I bought BP at £3 as well after they tanked! )

  A beneficiary of a trust has no say in the investments or management of the trust. If the WTBTS "refused" the donation , where would the money go? It would just be rolled up in the assets of the trust.

  The only possible argument is that representatives of the WTBTS could ( perhaps annually ) quite easily determine the dividends accrued from any stock that the trust held that they determined was unethical , add or subtract the capital gain / loss on the stock and perhaps make an ex-gratia payment to another charity on an annual basis. I asked a solicitor friend & he reckoned that the WTBTS trustees would be acting ultra vires & it would be illegal ( albeit this is UK law - might be different in the USA.)
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  Band on the Run

  Do you notice there moral clarity is easily compromised by $? The disparity between the GB and regular members is too drastic. Quakers would refuse the money. I believe Jesus would refuse the cash.
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  Justitia Themis

  I believe Jesus would refuse the cash.

  Your evidence BOTR? I can't think of any scripture showing that Jesus turned down any donation! It appears that he lived off a lot of 'dirty' money from other people...considering HE was wasn't working.

  James...I'm never going out with you, regardless of how long you follow me around from thread to thread, begging me to notice you.

  Dozy...I agree; they could just pass that portion on to some other organization. However, just to clarify the record, the WTBTS isn't even the trustee. A third-party bank is. So the WTBTS is literally just receiving a period check from the trust.
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  rebel8

  If a rich relative died and left you millions of dollars from stock sales, a tiny part of which came from the sale of PM stocks, would you turn down all the millions?

  I would sell the stock as you said and keep the money.

  The wts is keeping the ongoing profits from the investment. Not really the same thing in my book. Nor in theirs--they teach new members to divest in disallowed things, not keep them and continue to reap the benefits.