Selling KH to another religion

blondie

I found this question box in the July 1969 KM

QUESTION BOX (JULY 1969, p. 4)

• Is it all right to buy a church building for use as a Kingdom Hall or, when a new Kingdom Hall is built, to sell the former hall for use as a church?

This is a matter for the brothers locally to decide. There does not appear to be any direct Scriptural objection to doing so. It is not a matter of cooperating in a religious way with representatives of false religion, but is simply a business transaction. It is a one-time real estate deal. Of course, if some in the congregation are bothered in conscience because of such buying or selling, then this can be taken into consideration so as not to stumble anyone. Renting a Kingdom Hall from a religious organization, however, requires close, constant relationship with representatives of false religion. There is a month-to-month contact in paying the rent and in the discussions regarding repairs and upkeep. Also, renting from a false religious organization might indicate to onlookers that there is not the distinct difference between the truth and false religion that we claim there is. It is best to avoid such rental arrangements. It is up to the brothers locally to decide if they should rent a pool from a false religious organization on a one-time basis for an assembly baptism. The same is true of renting an auditorium for an assembly. It is best to make other arrangements, if possible.

Ding

This from an organization which teaches that if you do something as innocuous as lighting candles and putting them on a birthday cake you are engaging in false worship because of what such activities meant to pagans in ancient times (Reasoning book, p. 69).

But selling a building you built and dedicated to worship and service of Jehovah for use in worship by a religious organization you condemn as pagan and satanic? Not a problem!

"There does not appear to be any direct Scriptural objection to doing so. It is not a matter of cooperating in a religious way with representatives of false religion, but is simply a business transaction. It is a one-time real estate deal."

Kind of like the Watchtower becoming a UN NGO so they can get a library card, I guess.

What's the big deal?

DwainBowman

I spent a couple months helping remodel an old church into a KH in Mississippi!!!

The stage still had a baptism pool underneath it! The last time I passed though that small town, it's a church again!! I guess it was a good ideal to keep the pool, incase the time came to sell it!!!

jws

My very first hall's next occupant was some religion. If I'm probably mistaken, but I thought it was some sort of play on JWs like Jehovah's CHRISTIAN Witnesses or something.

Now if the JWs actually bought an ex-church, that'd be so much of an improvement. Maybe even some windows.

I'm part of a running club where somebody lays a trail and we follow it. A few weeks ago, I was in a neighborhood I didn't know. You listen for things like voices. Maybe somebody else found trail. But the voices were coming from people coming out of some building. I didn't know the area and it was some distance away and my first thought was that it was a KH and a meeting had just let out. But as I got closer, I could see big windows for entrance area and knew it couldn't be JWs. It doesn't look like a bunker.

Listener

Thanks Blondie.

"There does not appear to be any direct Scriptural objection to doing so."

If that is the standard to go by then they can throw out just about all their rules, including no blood transfusions.

Diogenesister

It’s ok to sell and buy because ultimately that’s all about making profit for Watchtower. But no renting....we don’t want our donations going into someone else’s pockets!!

scruffmcbuff

My very first hall ended becoming a center for people with mental health issues to meet abd receive therapy and engage in confidence building tasks. As well as arts crafts yoga etc.

It feels fitting...