AndersonsInfo
JoinedPosts by AndersonsInfo
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Vice doc spotlights Jehovah’s Witnesses
by Rattigan350 inhttps://www.c21media.net/news/vice-doc-spotlights-jehovahs-witnesses/.
us cable network vice tv will debut an original documentary that claims to uncover corruption and abuse within the jehovah’s witnesses community.. vice versa: crusaders, which will air on july 28, is part of the channel’s vice versa brand, known for docs including fear of a black quarterback and the neglected pandemic.. the project comes from hollywood director aaron kaufman, who was shunned by his jehovah’s witness family after investigating paedophilia within the organisation.. crusaders is directed by kaufman and executive produced by lauren terp, as well as daniel levinson and robert fernandez for us-london prodco moxie pictures, and danny gabai and andrew freston for vice studios.
executive producing for vice tv is catherine whyte.. kaufman said: “after witnessing first-hand the cycle of abuse that runs deep within the jehovah’s witnesses, i could not rest until the dark truth of this organisation was brought to light.
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Article: HOLY SMOKE: LONDON SITE OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESS HQ TO BE MOVIE STUDIOS
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-site-jehovahs-witness-hq-movie-studios-netflix-b947841.html.
evening standard, july 26, 2021. london.
holy smoke: london site of jehovah’s witness hq to be movie studios.by .
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AndersonsInfo
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-site-jehovahs-witness-hq-movie-studios-netflix-b947841.html
Evening Standard, July 26, 2021
London
Holy smoke: London site of Jehovah’s Witness HQ to be movie studios.
ByRobert DexArts Correspondent
The former UK headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witness organisation is to be transformed into a huge film studio in an attempt to meet the massive demand from firms wanting to film in the capital.
The 200,000 sq ft site in Mill Hill was home to the religious group for decades and also housed the printing plant for its Watchtower magazine and the leaflets handed out at Tubes and in door-to-door visits.
It has been taken on by Purpose which specialises in building flexible workspaces and who will transform it into London North Studios.
It is part of a surge in demand for studio space in the capital with broadcast giants like Netflix attempting to meet increased demand for shows powered by a rise in viewing during lockdown.
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Another JW documentary coming soon...
by tresdecu inthis looks like a good one, another small blow coming straight from satan's system!!!
vice versa: crusaders.
(hollywood reporter article) .
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Article: Trial scheduled for Jehovah’s Witnesses elders accused of failing to report sexual abuse
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/news/crime-brief/2021/05/27/trial-scheduled-for-jehovahs-witnesses-elders-accused-of-failing-to-report-sexual-abuse/.
trial scheduled for jehovah’s witnesses elders accused of failing to report sexual abuse.
judge denies request to bar testimony regarding statements made during religious confession.
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AndersonsInfo
Trial scheduled for Jehovah’s Witnesses elders accused of failing to report sexual abuse
Judge denies request to bar testimony regarding statements made during religious confession
By Katie SmithMay 27, 2021 at 11:30 am CDT
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Article:Religious freedom case over Roy church discipline matter is revived by Utah Supreme Court
by AndersonsInfo intake my word for it, knowing this case as i do, this is an extraordinary decision.
congratulations go to all those involved on the plaintiff's side.
hopefully, the lower court will do the right thing this time.. barbara.
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AndersonsInfo
Take my word for it, knowing this case as I do, this is an extraordinary decision. Congratulations go to all those involved on the plaintiff's side. Hopefully, the lower court will do the right thing this time.
Barbara
- By MARK SHENEFELT Standard-Examiner
- Jun 7, 2021
Roy - The Utah Supreme Court has revived a religious freedom dispute, instructing an Ogden court to take another look at a suit filed by a woman who alleged Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders in Roy subjected her to humiliating discipline as a teenager after she accused a fellow church member of rape.
In 2008, four church elders at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Roy convened a disciplinary hearing to determine whether the 15-year-old girl had engaged in “unclean sexual conduct” and, if so, whether she was “sufficiently repentant.” They had an audio recording of the rape, which had been provided by the male, and played it while questioning her, “suggesting that she consented to” the sexual acts, the lawsuit alleged.
The suit alleged the church intentionally inflicted emotional distress and humiliation on the girl, and the church advanced a defense of religious freedom from government interference in church disciplinary matters.
Second District Judge Mark DeCaria in 2016 dismissed the woman’s civil suit, saying the court could not disentangle the claimed damaging conduct from religious freedom protections under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
DeCaria ruled — and the Utah Court of Appeals later agreed in 2019 — that the woman’s claims “expressly implicate key religious questions regarding religious rules, standards, discipline and most prominently how a religion conducts its ecclesiastical disciplinary hearings.”
DeCaria said he viewed the elders’ conduct as “reprehensible” and said he would have “no hesitation in sending (the claim) to the jury” if it the case had “occurred in a secular setting.”
But in an opinion issued Thursday, the Utah Supreme Court said it was overturning the claim’s dismissal because DeCaria’s and the Appeals Court’s rulings relied on a case-law test that has since been discarded by the U.S. Supreme Court.
That old standard, established by the nation’s high court decades ago, set out a test for lower courts to judge whether “excessive entanglement” of religious practices barred successful civil litigation.
Under the new approach adopted by the high court in a pair of recent cases, the lower court now should “focus on the particular issue at hand and look to history for guidance as to the correct application of the Establishment Clause in this case,” the Utah justices ruled.
“In vacating the district court‘s order, we are in no way criticizing the district court or the Court of Appeals for failing to follow the approach identified” in the more recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, the justices said.
DeCaria has since retired, so a different judge in the Ogden court will handle the case upon its return. Efforts to contact attorneys who argued the appeal — Karra Porter for the church and attorneys from Georgetown Law who represented the woman — were not immediately successful Monday.
The lawsuit said that upon hearing the recording, the teenager cried, trembled and pleaded with the elders to stop forcing her to relive the scarring experience. They did not stop, and instead continued to play the recording, on and off, for hours, it said.
The suit said the girl suffered humiliation, anxiety, nightmares, loss of appetite and poor performance in school.
In their arguments to the Utah Supreme Court last year, her attorneys said she “continues to experience distress, including embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and spiritual suffering.”
Summarizing the constitutional issue in its analysis, the Utah court said the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause protects religious bodies to govern themselves in accordance with their own beliefs, free from government interference. On the other hand, the court said, no segment of society and no institution within it “can exist in a vacuum or in total or absolute isolation from all its other parts.”
Background: https://casetext.com/case/williams-v-kingdom-hall-of-jehovahs-witnesses
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Jehovah's Witnesses plan mega facility in Ramapo. Here's how to provide comment.
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/ramapo/2021/05/21/jehovahs-witnesses-ramapo-project-public-comment-period/5180955001/?fbclid=iwar0bembbr-j-1w9_zn6hwyomwfk3spjznwjwvgqcaalpbinpqnlpbynjcw4.
ramapo – residents can offer ramapo officials their views on the jehovah's witnesses' planned mega audiovisual-dormitory complex and the development's environmental impacts.. a written comment period is open until june 21. the ramapo town board will host a virtual public hearing on may 26 for residents to comment on the environmental impact of the worldwide religious organization's potential tax-exempt development.
the board is the lead agency on approving the development.. jehovah's witnesses, also known as watchtower, has petitioned ramapo to build a production center for its religious materials amid 242 acres outside sloatsburg, with seven acres extending into the orange county community of tuxedo.. .
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AndersonsInfo
May 21, 2021RAMAPO – Residents can offer Ramapo officials their views on the Jehovah's Witnesses' planned mega audiovisual-dormitory complex and the development's environmental impacts.
A written comment period is open until June 21. The Ramapo Town Board will host a virtual public hearing on May 26 for residents to comment on the environmental impact of the worldwide religious organization's potential tax-exempt development. The board is the lead agency on approving the development.
Jehovah's Witnesses, also known as Watchtower, has petitioned Ramapo to build a production center for its religious materials amid 242 acres outside Sloatsburg, with seven acres extending into the Orange County community of Tuxedo.
Public hearing: Signing up to speak on the development and zone changes
Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious group eyes Ramapo for mega audiovisual center with dorms
Environmental review: Jehovah's Witnesses' plan for development in Ramapo for public hearing.
Group officials have said the development and living facility would be self-contained off 155 Sterling Mine Road. The development would integrate work and living buildings designed for followers to support the Christian denomination's increasing production of Bible-based audio and video programs.
The complex would resemble a small village and include 645 apartments in 10 buildings for up to 1,240 residents.
Energy efficient plan
Known for its door-to-door proselytizing, the Jehovah's Witnesses are going high tech.
Spokesperson Jarrod A. Lopes said the plans exceed some of the most ambitious goals of New York state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy generation from renewable energy sources, and increase statewide energy efficiency,
The energy-saving measures are estimated to save $740,000 annually in utility costs when compared to a conventional oil-fired boiler/chiller system, said Keith Cady, the project’s architect.
Matthew Mordecki, one of the project’s directors, said, “The best way to reduce a facility’s environmental impact is to reduce the need for energy to begin with.”
The facility would generate energy through 120,000 square feet of photovoltaic panels, producing two megawatts of electric power, or 20% of the site’s energy demand, Lopes said. The live/work nature of the site means vehicles generally are not used for commuting to and from work.
The complex would include offices, 600 housing units in multiple-family buildings, underground parking, a fitness area and a visitor center for the public.
Zoning, tax questions
The Jehovah's Witnesses website provides details on the 1.7 million-square-foot project, known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
The organization is asking Ramapo to rezone part of the site to a mixed-use zoning district for a residential commercial complex.
Ramapo officials also have to remove from its 2004 Comprehensive Plan references to the tax-generating former Lotterdan adult residential housing development.
Lopes has said the Jehovah's Witnesses plan to seek tax-exempt status.
"The purpose of the complex is strictly religious," he said. "As such the facility is tax-exempt. However, significant tax revenue will be generated for the region through the procurement of goods and services from local suppliers, contractors and consultants."
Continual expansion
The Jehovah's Witnesses announced plans for the Ramapo property in 2019 during a meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, according to the organization.
Hudson Valley: Jehovah's Witnesses, other sects flock to Hudson Valley town
The denomination bought the 249 acres in 2009 for $11.5 million and, later moved from their 4,000-square-foot headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to Warwick.
Former Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright has said the village has no say on the development, although the Sloatsburg Fire Department and district would have involvement.
His preference would have been to leave the land barren, noting the wildlife — turkeys, bear, deer, rattlesnakes and copperheads — and rural nature bordering the state parks.
"I always prefer the land remain vacant," Wright said. "When we start cutting down trees, we do affect the environment, add traffic to secondary roads, drainage issues.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at [email protected]. Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
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Ramapo Accepting Public Comment On Proposed Jehovah’s Witnesses HQ In Sloatsburg
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://rcbizjournal.com/2021/05/18/ramapo-now-accepting-public-comment-on-proposed-jehovahs-witnesses-hq-in-sloatsburg/.
may 18, 2021. a deis hearing will be held may 26; public comments period ends june 21. by tina traster.
the town of ramapo will be accepting public comment on the proposed new world headquarters of jehovah’s witnesses audio/video production center now that the deis (draft environmental impact statement) is complete.
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AndersonsInfo
https://rcbizjournal.com/2021/05/18/ramapo-now-accepting-public-comment-on-proposed-jehovahs-witnesses-hq-in-sloatsburg/
May 18, 2021
A DEIS Hearing Will Be Held May 26; Public Comments Period Ends June 21
By Tina Traster
The Town of Ramapo will be accepting public comment on the proposed new World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses Audio/Video Production Center now that the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) is complete. There is a DEIS hearing on May 26 and public comments will be accepted until June 21.
The 1.7 million square-foot project, known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, is slated for 155 Sterling Mine Road in largely Sloatsburg and partly in Tuxedo in Orange County. Of the 249 acres, 242 are located in Ramapo; the balance is in Tuxedo. The Tuxedo portion of land will be used for secondary driveway access.
The religious order, known as the Worldwide Order of Special Full Time Servants of Jehovah’s Witnesses, is hoping to build an A/V production center with audio and video production studios and facilities to support operations of the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The facilities include offices, maintenance and set production workshops, and a central chilled/hot water plant with geothermal heat recovery system. Accommodations for resident staff include 645 residential units (545 one-bedroom and 100 studio units), dining/assembly spaces, recreation/wellness/fitness facilities, and a clinic.
The project also includes a Visitors Center, which would welcome the public to the campus and offer Bible-related exhibits as well as exhibits on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The proposal would rezone the portion of the project site within the Town of Ramapo to a new MU-3 Mixed-Use Zoning District to permit the applicant to develop an integrated residential and commercial campus.
The Ramapo portion of the project site was previously subdivided into 293 lots for the “Sterling Mine Road Active Adult Community,” which was commonly known as the “Lorterdan Project.” No physical improvements were made to the property following the subdivision approval.
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Article in The Australian: Jehovah's Witnesses facing tax turmoil
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.theaustralian.com.au/.../64acd93d531eb6b7301d.... .
sorry, the article is behind a paywall.
however, here's a copy of it without the photo:.
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AndersonsInfo
The article in the Australian titled "Jehovah's Witnesses facing tax turmoil" which I posted yesterday (April 18, 2021), was withdrawn (retracted) by the newspaper. It was replaced by another article "Jehovah's Witnesses resolve legal stoush with legal watchdog" that states that "Jehovah's Witnesses have resolved their legal action with Australia's charity watchdog." Further, sorry to say that the updated article stated, that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission "will not be revoking Watchtower's charity status" ... "and the matter is closed."When I receive a link to the new article that is not behind a firewall, I'll post it.Barbara -
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Article in The Australian: Jehovah's Witnesses facing tax turmoil
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.theaustralian.com.au/.../64acd93d531eb6b7301d.... .
sorry, the article is behind a paywall.
however, here's a copy of it without the photo:.
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AndersonsInfo
Sorry, the article is behind a paywall. However, here's a copy of it without the photo:Jehovah’s Witnesses facing tax turmoilFormer Jehovah's Witness Lara Kaput says revocation of Watchtower’s charity status would be a ‘watershed moment’.Picture: Rob Leeson.EXCLUSIVEKIERAN GAIR JOURNALIST@KieranGair• AN HOUR AGO APRIL 18, 2021The Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken legal action against Australia’s charity watchdog after it revoked the organisation’s tax-exempt status over concerns with the religion’s opaque global donations structure and alleged failure to protect vulnerable people.The organisation’s charitable arm, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia, which posted an income of $32m in the year to August 31, has been - accused of pushing cash offshore after directors splashed $16m of its total expenses on undisclosed donations and “overseas aid”.The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission informed Watchtower in November of its intention to revoke the organisation’s charity status, citing a litany of concerns about alleged contraventions of the Corporations Act and a failure to comply with a host of governance and conduct standards.Lawyer and abuse survivor Alec Spencer, a PhD candidate at James Cook University, said the ACNC’s decision was comparable to the abolition of the socalled “Ellis defence” in NSW in 2018, which ended the Catholic Church’s longstanding immunity to lawsuits.“If registration were to be removed, it would serve as a wake-up call for many other religious charities who have systemically failed to protect sexually abused children,” he said.“The removal of charitable registration would be an extraordinary outcome, both for the commission and the religious charity sector in particular.” The charity, which is seeking judicial review of the ACNC’s decision in the Federal Court, has been accused of “operating outside of Australia” and breaching its requirement to protect vulnerable people, including children, when conducting operations overseas.In a statement, Watchtower director Terry O’Brien denied the ACNC had moved to strip the organisation of its charity registration. “The ACNC has assured the - directors that they do not intend to revoke Watchtower Australia’s charity status,” Mr O’Brien said.However, court documents filed last week reveal the ACNC sent a notice to revoke Watchtower’s charity registration to the group’s directors in November.The ACNC has accused Watchtower’s directors of failing to comply with key conduct standards, including a requirement to disclose conflicts of interest and a requirement to protect children who are accessing benefits under the charity’s programs.If the court upholds the ACNC’s decision, Watchtower will lose its status as a registered charity and will not be entitled to receive tax concessions, including lucrative tax breaks.According to an application for judicial review filed by Watchtower, the ACNC’s decision is “unlawful” and an “unreasonable and inappropriate exercise” of its discretion.The organisation, which has nearly 70,000 members in Australia, has allocated almost $120m from 2014-20 to “donations and overseas aid”.“As a donor, I would be very troubled by this,” Mr Spencer said. “And as a regulator, their hands are tied due to the differential treatment bestowed on basic religious charities.“The ACNC could deregister a charity but the decision and why that occurs is not disclosed,” he said. “It allows them to operate in a cloud of secrecy.”Watchtower argues that the decision contains multiple errors of law, including that the legislation confers “no function with respect to child protection” on the ACNC.The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse warned that there were systemic problems within the Jehovah’s Witness religion in dealing with abuse, including a failure to report credible allegations to the police.The commission heard Jehovah’s Witnesses had documentation of abuse allegations by 1800 children involving more than 1000 perpetrators since 1950.Former church member and child abuse survivor Lara Kaput said revocation of Watchtower’s charity status would be a “watershed moment” if it were upheld by the Federal Court.“They were reticent to revoke their charity status because the charity commission knew it would set a precedent, and they don’t want that to happen,” Ms Kaput said.An ACNC spokeswoman said it was unable to comment on the “particular circumstances of a charity” and whether or not a charity was being investigated.JOURNALIST Kieran Gair is a reporter at The Australian. He has previously reported and produced for the ABC, Sky News, Sky News Business, and The Sydney Morning Herald. He studied Law and Journalism at UTS. -
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Article: Passing the Time By Firing Back at Jehovah’s Witnesses — With Letters
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/under-the-sun-why-a-local-woman-wants-to-nail-the-jehovahs-witnesses-11545704.
kayleigh had run out of postage stamps and was waiting for new ones to arrive.
it was slowing her assault on a local congregation of jehovah’s witnesses.. she pointed to a stack of letters she’d already written to what she liked to call “the jws.”.
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AndersonsInfo
Kayleigh had run out of postage stamps and was waiting for new ones to arrive. It was slowing her assault on a local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
She pointed to a stack of letters she’d already written to what she liked to call “the JWs.”
“These are ready to mail. I’ve got 16 letters written and 34 to go, but it’s only Tuesday. I’m way ahead.”
After she lost her waitressing job last year, Kayleigh contracted a nasty case of COVID. “I was bored, I couldn’t work, and my after-thingies kind of laid me out,” she said of the post-COVID vertigo and lung damage she’d been left with. “And then I got this JW letter in the mail and I knew my purpose in life.”
That purpose, she explained, was to do battle with people she thought were forcing their religion on her. Her former brother-in-law’s ex-wife used to be a Jehovah’s Witness, and back when they’d both been married to the Jones boys, she’d filled Kayleigh in on how things worked in that religion.
“They go door to door to preach, right?” she asked no one in particular. “But then the pandemic hit, and they couldn’t do that. So they started writing to people. I don’t mean like emails or texts. I mean, they wrote letters. To strangers. With a pen!” (Fact check: It's true.)
