daniel-p

Joined

• started 120 topics
• posted 4,509 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by daniel-p

• 
  14

  Raining Cats and Gods

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  im on the west coast (in ca), and it's pouring out here... real early storm... just waiting for the power to go out at work.. anyone else?

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Im on the west coast (in CA), and it's pouring out here... real early storm... just waiting for the power to go out at work.

  Anyone else? Maybe some ?
• 
  101

  Other Sheep will start taking the emblems.

  by hamsterbait in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  was at the kingdumb hell yesterday after a gap.. paragraph 11 planted the seed in the sheeples' heads for this.. remember last weeks study, where martha was quoted as saying: "i know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.

  " (jo 11: 24) the term "last day" was explained as applying to the millennium, in the same way as "judgment day" for those receiving an earthly resurrection.. now for paragraph 11 - i noticed some bemused faces, as usually john 6 is avoided in articles discussing earthly resurrection:.

  " "the bread that i shall give is my flesh," he said.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Well, needless to say, this owuld be the biggest change in doctrine, since... well probably since they created the "other sheep" class in the first place!

  I think most Jdubs would just go ga-ga over it. Who wouldn't love to be part of a more ritualistic ceremony? It would make them seem more mainstream and not so strange to younger ones and newcomers. It's always weird sitting in the hall and just passing the emblems around like idiots. Now they would have more purpose in being there.
• 
  30

  Problems: The Bethel Family and Social Security Tax Exemption

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i happened to be reading a website about the amish, and i came across this:.

  "do the amish pay taxes?

  ""self-employed amish do not pay social security tax.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Blondie,

  I think they established this special "Order" primarly to take advantage of tax exemptions such as the one above. But the questions remain: how do they demonstrate that they take care of their dependent members without just kicking them out, and how do they show that they are doctrinally opposed to insurance?
• 
  76

  Circuit Assembly This Past Weekend "Safeguard Your Spirituality" -Everyone Please Enter-

  by tryingtoexit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so we had our circuit assembly this past weekend, and it was the first one in my life that i told my wife i would not be attending.

  we had a brief conversation on why, and she said well just go to this last one with me, and then when we can discuss what we learn and compare it to why you've been expressing your "new" feelings towards the wts.. i love my wife, and as much as i thought i was gonna hate it i decided to go.

  now that i no longer want to be a jehovah's witness it really didnt bother me that nobody hardly talked to me despite me living in this same area for 4 1/2 years, everybody views me as spiritually weak because i dont go out in service, rarely attend meetings, dont comment, lesson is never underlined, so the "friends" never interact with me anyway and i'm use to it, actually that's the way i prefer it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Basically what it amounts to is this: you need to be a better man than before.
• 
  30

  Problems: The Bethel Family and Social Security Tax Exemption

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i happened to be reading a website about the amish, and i came across this:.

  "do the amish pay taxes?

  ""self-employed amish do not pay social security tax.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Mickey, you're probably right.
• 
  30

  Problems: The Bethel Family and Social Security Tax Exemption

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i happened to be reading a website about the amish, and i came across this:.

  "do the amish pay taxes?

  ""self-employed amish do not pay social security tax.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Of course, this is entirely circumvented in Canada with the universal health care system.
• 
  30

  Problems: The Bethel Family and Social Security Tax Exemption

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i happened to be reading a website about the amish, and i came across this:.

  "do the amish pay taxes?

  ""self-employed amish do not pay social security tax.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Gayle, I'm not sure when they started exempting themselves from SSI payments.
• 
  30

  Problems: The Bethel Family and Social Security Tax Exemption

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i happened to be reading a website about the amish, and i came across this:.

  "do the amish pay taxes?

  ""self-employed amish do not pay social security tax.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  So I happened to be reading a website about the Amish, and I came across this:

  "Do the Amish pay taxes?"

  "Self-employed Amish do not pay Social Security tax. Those employed by non-Amish employers do pay Social Security tax. The Amish do pay real estate, state and federal income taxes, county taxes, sales tax, etc.

  The Amish do not collect Social Security benefits, nor would they collect unemployment or welfare funds. Self sufficiency is the Amish community's answer to government aid programs. Section 310 of the Medicare section of the Social Security act has a sub-section that permits individuals to apply for exemption from the self-employment tax if he is a member of a religious body that is conscientiously opposed to social security benefits but that makes reasonable provision of taking care of their own elderly or dependent members. The Amish have a long history of taking care of their own members. They do not have retirement communities or nursing homes; in most cases, each family takes care of their own, and the Amish community gives assistance as needed."

  Now, I'm sure that the Society has already exploited the use of this exemption for its Bethelites. In fact, I know they have, since I remember signing a form that designated me as living under a "vow of poverty" as a member of a religious order, and would no longer pay any taxes, nor be contributing to SSI. This form can be found here: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4029.pdf

  If you look at the form, on page two it requires the SSI admin person to check a box that says: "This religious group is recognized as being in existence continuously since December 31, 1950, as providing a reasonable level of living for its dependent members, and as being conscientiously opposed to public or private insurance."

  I see two problems with this. First, what constitutes a "reasonable level of living for its dependent members"? Finding out that they have a minor or major health condition and kicking them out of the Bethel home? I suppose that by eliminating that person as a member of the Bethel family they don't have to demonstrate that they're taking care of them. But that doesn't really make sense, either. How would it look from a legal perspective if an Amish community expelled elderly or sickly members, no longer took care of them, and still expected to be designated as a "religious group that provides a reasonable level of living for its dependent members"?

  Second, how does the Society demonstrate that it is "conscientously opposed" to public or private insurance? The Amish do so because they have an extremely tight-knit community and to rely on insurers of any kind would be to, in their minds, turn their back on their community and not trust that God and their community will care for them. The Society, on the other hand, carries no such doctrine on insurance. To say that the Society is somehow "conscientously opposed" to public or private insurance is laughable, when speaking of either the religion at large, or whatever legal entity they use for the Bethel family.
• 
  35

  Which is your favourite single malt Scotch Whisky, and why?

  by lifelong humanist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a true scot, i'm deeply passionate about most things scottish, any possibly one of our small nation's most successful export is my main favourite - our single malt whisky heritage.. i'm writing this while savouring a 12 year old highland park - distilled in the orkney islands, the most northerly distillery in scotland.

  it is one of my favourites - it was my late father's favourite tipple.

  yet, only 500m from my house is scotlands oldest legal whisky distillery - glenturret, in crieff.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  Basically, chill and enjoy Scotch!

  Why should he tell me to "relax" or "chill"?
• 
  35

  Which is your favourite single malt Scotch Whisky, and why?

  by lifelong humanist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a true scot, i'm deeply passionate about most things scottish, any possibly one of our small nation's most successful export is my main favourite - our single malt whisky heritage.. i'm writing this while savouring a 12 year old highland park - distilled in the orkney islands, the most northerly distillery in scotland.

  it is one of my favourites - it was my late father's favourite tipple.

  yet, only 500m from my house is scotlands oldest legal whisky distillery - glenturret, in crieff.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  daniel-p

  .