Ginger: if you invest in a company that lied to you, they must give that money back. That’s called white collar crime. People investing money in religion don’t do it to get return on their investment, but do it believing to help a cause, as it was presented to them.
I agree with you that if you do not agree with how the money was used, in must cases, you need to suck it up.
Here however, what differs is that the WT organization is not honest about its history, provides purposefully altered information (quotes out of context or even charts that don’t hold up, holding back on relevant data) and frowns upon seeking alternative media sources.
If you buy a house, here in Canada, it is the house owner who is responsible for presenting the house at it is. The buyer is not even required to call upon an expert to evaluate the house as the current owner is responsible to disclose any pertaining information that might have a bearing on the value of the house.
Hortenzie: You are right that no one held a gun to someone’s head for donation, but it was none the less provided based upon a false presentation of the organization. I remember a story of a girl who pretended to have cancer for years. She got thousands in donation and ultimately, 4 years in jail. You can’t trick people into giving you money.
BTW, if a store sold you a blander in a box, you go home, open the box, and behold, it’s a toaster! You go back to the store and there is now two options: (1) they give you the blander you wanted or (2) you get your money back. There is no scenario where you would be stuck with a toaster!
On this site, there are plenty of examples on how the WT has purposefully deceived people. People give money on the basis of the information they have received. Information that, ultimately, turns out to be false.
