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I had read a couple of books in the 70s but....the volume of material on the net is conclusive.
Balaamsass2
JoinedPosts by Balaamsass2
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From 1 to 10, how do you rate the value of the Internet in your awakening?
by Hidden-Window inas we all know, the internet is a real game-changer in allowing us to know the truth about the watch tower and its history.
i always had doubts and it was the internet that presented me with the ever-growing number of individuals who were going through a similar struggle.. i give the internet a 9 in my awakening.
what about you?.
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How Long Have You Been Here?
by minimus in12 years for me and before i actually became a member, i looked at this site (jwd) for a few months..
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Balaamsass2
Simon wins. Which brings up my question......Simon, what was going through your mind when you started the page?
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Jehovahs Witness elder jailed for 12 years for multiple sexual offences against young girl
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://ukpaedos-exposed.com/2014/11/29/david-dennis-gunnislakeharrowbarrow/.
david dennis gunnislake/harrowbarrow.
29 saturday nov 2014. posted by author in cornwall.
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Balaamsass2
Racheljr, The Mrs just showed this to me. Our hearts go out to you and your familiy.
Welcome to the group. Your world (and trust) must be shattered, please have everyone get counciling.
Too realise this happened AND the "spiritual paradise" is an illusion all at once can be devasating.
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Teaching Anthony Morris III names of common things.
by LogCon in"...what it is is this spanx, this skin-tight stuff they wear.
now, are you sisters wearing this in the ministry?
i can't say that i've ever seen that.
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Balaamsass2
Shame on you folks. Poor Tony has a "hard time" at Bethel morning worship. Satan is testing him! All those young bethel boys in tight pants...ohhh my
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Just quit quietly - the law is on your side!
by Ajax infreedon of religion guarantees any individual the legal right to abandon any religion at any time for any reason.. if you are a citizen of a country which champions human rights, then your government doesn t care what religion you join, but they will uphold your freedom to join it, without interference, coercion or persecution.
your countries human rights legislation will conversely uphold your rights when it comes time to abandon any religion you so choose.
those (elders) who incite others interfere, coerce or persecute those who have left will be in transgression of the human rights statutes.. a person is only obligated to ecclesiastic law if he exposes himself to it or transgressed it while still a member of a religious community.. when your time comes to abandon the jw-wt cult, do it while still in good standing, be proactive - be decisive -put it in writing!..and do it before the hounders set sights on you.. write a card or letter with as much or as little explanation as you one day might wish to share with pharisees and lawyers.. take this card to a notary public to have your signature witnessed and have the writing overstamped in several places with the date.
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Balaamsass2
Ajax, I found your thread interesting....a different slant.
Just from my own experiences as an elder and listening to family who are still-in Elders most JW elders will freeze up with a simple demand letter from an Attorney. The "desk" usually tells Elders to drop any actions if a lawsuit is even threatened. Most Elders shake when asked to testify for custody battles.
I know I may be twisted, but I would love to see an Elders get sued for slander and "Tortious interference" if only in Small Claims Court by a small business owner with a clientel of Jehovah's Witnesses. In California Small Claims can be for $10,000. OUCH!!!
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A public thank you to Joe Grundy
by Pams girl ini have been going through the most terrible time these past 4 weeks, which has nothing to do with the jw, and everything to do with being abandoned with anxiety, panic and agoraphobia, and a new diagnoses of an illness called pmdd, which robbed me of my career, and it seems, my marriage, as my husband has moved out and left me with our son.
this man, this "stranger", jumped in his car to offer me support, and travelled 2 hours to be with me, despite what was going on with him, just be with me for a few hours and try to help.
what an amazing selfless act.
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Balaamsass2
Get well soon Pam. Thanks Joe
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Why do ultra rich jehovahs witnesses get a free pass when it comes to being materialistic?
by hoser ini know a couple of jws in my town that are both very wealthy.
one has upscale retail stores and owns a property development company.
the other has a large service company and owns a lot of real estate.
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Balaamsass2
A smile, slap on the back and a generous "green handshake" solves many problems in Watchtower land.
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Illegal immigrants in the organization?
by silent ini had a thought today that might prove interesting.
i'm wondering if there are any illegal immigrants who are witnesses?
surely it would be a great position to be in as an illegal immigrant because you could play up your plight and prey on the sympathies of others within the congregation.
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Balaamsass2
In a past California hall I attended we had about 70 English publishers. We shared our hall with two Spanish Congregations with about 300 publishers. The two Spanish halls shared 4 elders (the 4 attended attended 2 meetings back to back) reason...? So few spanish JWs were legal residents and could read, they could not form a second servant body.
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Not on JW.ORG: Wall Street Journal : Can unhappy Jehovah's Witnesses demand return of donations to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society? Some thoughts.
by Balaamsass2 inmenu
markets dan's journal
live help
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Balaamsass2
JOURNAL REPORTS
When Unhappy Donors Want Their Money Back
Disappointed Gift Givers Increasingly Are Asking For—and Getting—Refunds From Charities
ENLARGE A legal dispute over a 138-acre land gift that Elizabeth Banks made to Johns Hopkins University in 1989 was decided by a judge rather than a jury. NEWELL FAMILY By CHARLIE WELLS Dec. 14, 2014 11:50 p.m. ET 2 COMMENTSFor most people, giving money to charity feels great.
Asking for the money back is a whole different story.
Yet philanthropy experts say donors increasingly are doing just that: requesting “refunds” on gifts they feel have been misused, ignored, or spent in a way that strays from their original reason for giving.
“Donors are becoming savvier, [and] they are becoming more engaged in how their money is being used,” says Doug White, director of Columbia University’s fundraising-management graduate program.
The ease of accessing financial data on the Internet, as well as a string of high-profile court battles involving donors seeking refunds, are behind the shift, he and others say.
JOURNAL REPORT
- Insights from The Experts
- Read more at WSJ.com/WealthReport
MORE IN WEALTH MANAGEMENT
- How Charities Can Get More Out of Donors
- Talking Philanthropy With Melinda Gates
- Investor Outlook for 2015
- How America Gives to Charity
“Twenty years ago, there was just no information market for nonprofits,” says Chuck McLean, a vice president of research at GuideStar, which publishes data on charitable institutions. “Nonprofits would just tell you what they wanted to tell you. And that was that.”
As the changes continue to unfold, there are a few key points donors should keep in mind:
Gift Rules Can Vary
One of the main problems facing refund seekers is the conflicting—and often confusing—information available on how charitable gifts are regulated.
Historically, U.S. law has operated on the principle that “once a gift is given, it can’t be taken back,” says Robert Bennett, a professor of law at Northwestern University who teaches a course on contracts.
ENLARGEThese days, however, the thinking on gifts is in a transition period, says Winton Smith, a lawyer who works with charitable organizations to set up planned-giving programs. Some courts are beginning to give donors more power over their gifts after they’ve been given.
Still, charitable-gift enforcement varies by state; different courts have different rules on whether a donor has “standing,” or permission to bring a dispute before the court.
“About 30 states have the Uniform Trust Code, which authorizes donor standing to enforce a charitable trust,” says Robert Sitkoff, a professor at Harvard Law School who studies wills, trusts and estates. But “a New York court has gone further, recognizing donor standing to enforce other kinds of charitable gifts, too.”
Craft an Agreement
The best way to protect your right to a refund is to draft a charitable gift agreement before making the donation, Mr. Smith says.
In an ideal world, such an agreement would include a “gift over” clause permitting the donor to request a transfer of a misused or unused donation to a different charity, one willing to carry out the donor’s original intent. There is less awkwardness, confusion and ill will if you tell a charity to give the money to another charity, Mr. Smith says.
Such agreements should give donors the right to go to court to enforce the terms of the gift, he says.
They also should protect the donor’s right to a jury trial, says Tim Newell, a 56-year-old from Hunterdon County, N.J. who lost a legal battle when Maryland’s highest court declined in 2013 to take up a dispute involving Belward Farm, a 138-acre land gift his late aunt, Elizabeth Banks, made to Johns Hopkins University in 1989.
The dispute over development of the farm was decided by a judge rather than a jury, a legal strategy Mr. Newell now says was a mistake. “There isn’t a doubt in my mind we would be in a completely different position if we had gone before a jury,” he says.
Johns Hopkins says it is grateful to Ms. Banks and her relatives for their generosity and is abiding by its agreement with them. “We have lived up to, and will always live up to, our agreement with them,” spokesman Dennis O’Shea wrote in a statement.
Talk It Through
While detailed gift agreements are a good idea, they aren’t the only way to prevent or resolve disputes.
Many disagreements between a donor and institution can be settled by having a rational conversation, says Eileen Heisman, chief executive of National Philanthropic Trust. She recommends focusing on finding the root cause of the dispute.
“Ask yourself why you are having these dissatisfied thoughts,” she says. “Are they emotional or intellectual? Are they actually based on what the charity is doing, or is this a personnel issue?”
When having this conversation, keep in mind that the charity’s interests aren’t necessarily at odds with yours.
Charities have a strong interest in cooperating with their donors—at least while the donor is alive, says Harvard’s Dr. Sitkoff. Happy donors tend to do something charities love: keep giving them money.
Prepare for the Consequences
Taking back a donation can have unexpected consequences. The biggest is likely to pop up around tax time.
“If you get money back, it’s just counted as income and you pay income taxes on it,” says Jill Horwitz, a professor who teaches nonprofit law at the University of California at Los Angeles. “That essentially undoes the deduction that you got before.”
Whether this will be better or worse for an individual depends on his or her income-tax rate at the time the gift was made, and the rate when the gift was refunded. There is no adjustment made for a changed rate, says Dr. Horwitz.
Perhaps the most important thing to calculate is how taking back a gift might make you feel, says Ms. Heisman, of National Philanthropic Trust. “It all comes down to one question,” she says. “How do you want to be remembered?”
Mr. Wells is a news editor in New York. He can be reached at [email protected]
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Sunday Washington Post: Gay Christians choosing celibacy emerge from the shadows.
by Balaamsass2 inlocal.
gay christians choosing celibacy emerge from the shadows.
despite encountering criticism, the lgbt community is finding greater acceptance, even in religious circles.
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Balaamsass2
Seemed common to me as kid. We had a lot of "confirmed Bachelors" in our 60s hall, Circuit and Bethel. Later they were called NPGs. At the time our family considered it almost like hair color.- A little "odd", but no big deal.
ENLARGE A legal dispute over a 138-acre land gift that Elizabeth Banks made to Johns Hopkins University in 1989 was decided by a judge rather than a jury. NEWELL FAMILY 
ENLARGE