Where to begin? Its not always simple as the first blush....
This is being discussed by others and has been discussed before, though, maybe not as vigorously. And there are other strong discussions of this currently going on.
1: Check into RATIFICATION. If you continued on as a JW as an adult, after passing your age of majority, it could be considered that you RATIFIED the CONTRACT. (This is similar to using your Credit Card AFTER the 10% rate hike. That usage of the Credit Card RATIFIES your approval of the new rate. Read the fine print.) Similar arguments are held for ANNULMENT of Baptism. See a recent thread (~9 June 02) with ANNULMENT in the title.
YOUR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES WILL CHANGE THIS ALL OVER THE LANDSCAPE.
2: FINE PRINT. Therein lies a good question: where is all this JW "fine print". Frankly, you wont see it UNTIL you take on Brooklyn with a lawyer. Then they roll out 20 tons of cases that have been fought before. Now, not all of them REALLY won and not all of them are completely in their favor. Some may only be fragments of arguments that could have been settled either way. See Alan Fs dissertation on this (under Osarif website, I believe). Metratron or Amazing( I think) mentioned that LACK OF DISCLOSURE is probably a better basis for an approach; it may have to be combined with something else.
LACK OF DISCLOSURE may be a more powerful contender, for the future, though UNDERAGE BAPTISM could get a ball rolling.
3: These things dont necessary fall under SECULAR LAW. Most WTS actions come under CHURCH LAW, which is alive and well. I have several pages of precedents that have been used to knock the props out from under most such discussions. WTS is not alone; many Churches have used these and they all ultimately fall into bed with each other by copying.
Church Law essentially allows ALL Church decisions to be viewed as a LAW FROM A SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT, until or unless the CHURCH LAW violates a secular CRIMINAL LAW. So, unless the Church is involved in a felony, the SECULAR COURT bows out, due to JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES. Secular Courts have been known to say "...we are not competent to adjudicate this matter".
This assumes that the offended party has agreed to the Churchs ARTICLE OF FAITH or such. These become a DE FACTO law and the Church is allowed RELIGIOUS TRIBUNALS and even PUNISHMENTS (i.e DF/DAing).
SINCE YOU WOULD BE ATTACKING THE VERY STRONG FOUNDATION AND A MAIN SECRET OF THE RELIGIOUS EMPIRE, expect a big disagreement leading to a fight from WTS; expect no help from the Secular Court. They will bow out faster than your hat can hit the ground. On the Civil front, you can fight this as FAR AS YOUR POCKETBOOK WILL TAKE YOU and the outcome is likely a crap shoot favoring Brooklyn.
I am not a WTS exponent but I have observed this for over half a century and have studied the annals further back than that.
There are other approaches and a huge amount of reference material is available. Do not give up, this is worth doing and somebody may come up with a way to approach this. I feel that this idea will have merit in time, when combined with other approaches.
You should follow the other threads, with Amazing and Dutchie.
There's more...
Mustang
Nothing that I write or utter is to be considered legal advice. Consult proper counsel for such matters. Further, all that I write or utter, is protected by religious freedom under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as the "free exercise", as well as "freedom of speech" clauses.
Edited by - mustang on 11 June 2002 1:38:1
Edited by - mustang on 11 June 2002 1:43:20
Edited by - mustang on 11 June 2002 1:47:37
