Article in Australian newspaper regarding jw shunning and charity (page 2)

just fine

Someone should send him the video from the assembly about the parents shunning their daughter. Oh shunning is a myth, but these people are held up as examples of how to treat your children that try to leave the cult.

JWdaughter

Losing tax exempt status to some great degree (by religious and dubious 'charities' for anything not expressly and truly charitable) would sure be a great way to "judge" the real charitableness of a religion. Are they generous and kind if they don't taxes abated? Would they think that the publishing was worth it? Would they remove every bit of church activity or charitable things that they value now if they were not getting all taxes removed? If they had to pay for land taxes and employment taxes for ministers and they didn't get anything beyond normal business deductions (another tax issue that needs to lose some wiggliness)-would they bother?

If actual PREACHING activity was not tax deductible, but only actually feeding or housing, heaing needy people was-would churches bother with other 'outreach' activities? How would it work? I hope I live in a world sometime that knows!!

OzGirl

I remember when this was announced from the platform that the Watchtower Society had to be registered with the Australian Charity and Non-Profit Commission.

The brother was visibly annoyed about having to announce this. Then he brightened up as he went on to deliver the "theocratic announcements."

It's as if they think they are above the law.

umbertoecho

This a portion of the newspaper article

Late last year the federal government set up a body called the Australian Charities and Not For Profits Commission (ACNC) to regulate charities with tax-exemptions. It can de-register charities. A treasury spokesman said the government could soon redefine charities and boost their requirement for 'public benefit.'

"At the moment groups like the Jehovah's Witnesess and Scientology are subsidised by the taxpayer," Senator Xenophon said. He said the French government's cultbusting agency Miviludes had been effective.

Victoria's current state inquiry into how churches handle child sex abuse has submissions from former Jehovah's Witnesses. One includes allegations of rape, sexual assault, blackmail and death threats. Others include allegations of paedophilia.

A spokesman for the church in Australia, Sydney solicitor Vincent Toole, dismissed the allegations and said shunning was a"myth."

Mr Aron, who has written two books on cults and has investigated them for thirty years, said the Jehovah's Witnesses were an outwardly benign group but they withheld information from potential recruits. Jehovah's Witnesses cannot celebrate Christmas, Easter or birthdays. They are not allowed to have blood transfusions, sing the natiuonal anthem or salute the national flag.

"They come to your door on a Sunday morning and you have a wonderful discussion about God but they never tell you that once entrenched in the religion you may never be able to say happy birthday to your children again."

They don't celebrate birthdays because they say there are no birthdays in the Bible, which Aron, an observant Jew, maintains is not true. "There's no Moomba in the Bible either," he says. "And no football. Does that mean we shouldn't do those things either?"

Jehovah's Witnesses believe they have God's messages to themselves, that all other religions are wrong, that the end of the world will come and only those in 'The Truth' will survive. They have predicted the end of the world five times. They also believe Satan has ruled the earth since 1914.

Frazzled UBM

Uk also needs to review the granting of charity status to the WBTS. As Senator Xenophon says - the tax payers are subsidising the cult and by implication the psychological abuse perpetrated by the cult. As for the lawyer saying shunning is a myth - he should be struck off for dishonesty.

Frazzled UBM

I am minded to make a complaint to the NSW Law Society

OzGirl

"I remember when this was announced from the platform that the Watchtower Society had to be registered with the Australian Charity and Non-Profit Commission.
The brother was visibly annoyed about having to announce this. Then he brightened up as he went on to deliver the "theocratic announcements."
It's as if they think they are above the law."

I forgot to mention that the body of elders provided only one copy of the information to be shared with the whole congregation. Made sure that I read it afterwards. I have a keen interest in the financial and legal matters of the Watchtower Society.

When the company I work for wants all of its members to be aware of new information, they make sure that each member has their own copy of the information.

FayeDunaway

Well they don't officially call it shunning, they officially call it disfellowshipping, which is of course the same as shunning. But following the 'letter' of the law as they do, and not the spirit of the law, 'shunning' is a myth. I'd like to hear him say 'disfellowshipping is a myth.'

Vidiot

"Jehovah's Witnesses believe they have God's messages to themselves, that all other religions are wrong, that the end of the world will come and only those in 'The Truth' will survive. They have predicted the end of the world five times. They also believe Satan has ruled the earth since 1914."

I firmly believe that if a concise, point-by-point list were made of all the unique beliefs that the Org requires its members to subscribe to (echewing any creative euphemisms or theological rhetoric), not only would said list it still be really, really long, but virtually anybody - upon reaching the end - would come to the conclusion that the WTS was as batshit crazy as the church of Scientology.

disposable hero of hypocrisy

I showed this to an elder friend today, he's seeing the batshittery, bit by bit, but is still a true believer. I wish they'd included the full quote from Vincent about it being a myth, that was the first thing he picked up on..

Article in Australian newspaper regarding jw shunning and charity

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