The GM make Jim Jones look like an amateur.
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Jehovah's Witness woman refuses blood, then dies.
by Lee Elder inanother jehovah's witness woman has died while giving birth due to massive blood loss and refusing a blood transfusion.
she leaves nine children behind.
she finally consented to the transfusion but it was too late to save her.
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Norman v Watchtower Bible And Tract Society Of Canada
by Bangalore innorman v watchtower bible and tract society of canada.. http://www.pemselfoundation.org/content/norman-v-watchtower-bible-and-tract-society-canada.
"the law of charity is a moving subject" lord wilberforce.
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Norman v Watchtower Bible And Tract Society Of Canada.
http://www.pemselfoundation.org/content/norman-v-watchtower-bible-and-tract-society-canada
"The law of charity is a moving subject" – Lord WilberforceSearch form
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Home » Norman v Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of CanadaNorman v Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Canada
Date Published:Thursday, October 17, 2013This was a summary judgement in response to an application by the administrator of the estate of Lloyd Eugene Norman for:
- A declaration that all amounts advanced by Lloyd Norman and/or Lily Norman to the defendant, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, pursuant to a July 3, 2011 document titled ‘Conditional Donation Agreement’ and not subsequently converted to outright charitable donations (the Conditional Donations) were testamentary dispositions.
- A declaration that the Conditional Donations were invalid for their failure to comply with the Wills Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 489 (the Wills Act).
- An order that the defendant pay to the plaintiff the sum of $250,000 together with interest under the Court Order Interest Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 79.
- An order that the defendant pay the plaintiff’s costs.
The facts of this case were not in dispute. Lloyd Norman and Lily Norman were practising Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout their adult lives. The Normans made regular donations to the defendant, which is the registered charity that represents Jehovah’s Witnesses in Canada. The Normans also financially supported their local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
In January 1997, the Normans provided a $250,000 no-interest loan to their congregation to assist in the construction of a local place of worship referred to as a Kingdom Hall. The Normans held a mortgage over the Abbotsford Kingdom Hall property as security, specifying a zero rate of interest, $500 monthly payments and a balance due date of February 1, 2002.
On 17 June 1998 the Abbotsford congregation executed a promissory note stipulating three changes to the loan conditions: monthly payments were waived; the principal was to be repaid by May 1, 2000; and the congregation undertook to reassess its ability to make monthly payments once the construction project was completed. The promissory note made clear that in the event of the death of Lloyd or Lily Norman, the balance owing on the loan was to be paid to the survivor, and if both died, the balance owing would be paid to the estate of the survivor.
On 5 June 2001 Lloyd Norman sent a cheque for $200,000 to the defendant. This was stipulated to be for a ‘no-interest demand loan’. Mr Norman indicated in an accompanying letter that he understood that he could get the money back if needed, but that if he died it would ‘remain’ with the defendant.
In a letter of response dated 18 June 2001, the defendant wrote that both a no-interest loan and a ‘conditional donation’ could be given in a way that meant that the donors could request back the money, or some of it, if they needed it. The difference between these was that a no-interest loan was repaid on the death of the donor, while the amount in a conditional donation was not. The defendant stated that Mr Norman had indicated that he was giving a conditional donation, and enclosed a Conditional Donation Agreement for the Normans to sign. The Normans returned the signed forms on 3 July 2001, and these were executed by the defendant.
Between 5 June 2001 and 24 November 2009, the Normans advanced $310,000 to the defendant under the Conditional Donation Agreement, of which $60,000 was converted to outright contributions for which they received charitable donation receipts in the year of the conversion. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Norman ever requested the return of any portion of the funds provided by them pursuant to the Conditional Donation Agreement. In addition, between May 1987 and April 2011, the Normans made numerous outright charitable donations to the defendant. The defendant issued a charitable donation receipt for each of those donations in the same year that the donation was made.
Lily Norman predeceased Lloyd Norman. On the date of Lloyd Norman’s death there was a balance of $250,000 in the Normans’ conditional donation. It is this balance that is referred to as the ‘Conditional Donations’ in this judgment. After Lloyd Norman’s death, the defendant issued a charitable donation receipt in the amount of $250,000.
Her Honour held that the conditional donations were not testamentary in effect. There was relevant law on the issue which yielded the following principles:
- The question of whether a disposition is or is not testamentary depends upon the intention of the maker;
- The intention of the maker is a question of fact. In determining the intention, the court is not restricted to the wording of the document alone, but can and should consider extrinsic evidence relevant to the transaction;
- If the document is not intended to have any operation until the maker’s death, it is testamentary;
- If the document is intended to have and does have the effect of transferring some interest in the property or of setting up a trust thereof in praesenti, it is not testamentary;
- The reservation of a right to revoke the transfer or bring a trust to a close does not necessarily have the effect of making the document testamentary;
- Cases where documents are held to be testamentary often include the following factual elements: 1) no consideration passes; 2) the document has no immediate effect; 3) the document is revocable; and 4) the position of the donor and donee does not immediately change;
- Even where an intended disposition is revocable by the maker or where enjoyment of it is postponed until the death of the maker, if, at the time of its execution, the document is legally effective to pass some immediate interest in the property, no matter how slight, the transaction will not be classified as testamentary;
- The level of control the donor exercises over the property during his or her lifetime is a factor to be considered in determining whether a disposition is inter vivos or testamentary and the more control the donor exercises, the more likely the disposition will be considered testamentary;
- The central question is whether the maker of the document intended the document to pass some immediate interest or whether the maker intended the document to have no effect until his death. The degree of control the donor retains over the property during his or her lifetime is relevant to ascertaining that intention. However, if it is clear that the document is intended to have immediate effect it is not testamentary even if the donor retains control, such as the ability to call for the return of the property during his or her lifetime.
Applying these principles to the facts of this case, Her Honour said that the Normans intended the conditional donations to have immediate effect. As such, they were not testamentary in nature. Although Mr Norman usually referred to the donations as ‘conditional loans’, it was clear from his letter of 5 June 2001 that he intended that the money should ‘remain’ with the defendant after his death. The defendant thus had a proprietary interest in the money immediately (at [30]-[31]-, [33]-[34]):
I agree with the defendant’s submission that the gift vested in the defendant when the cheque was cashed but could be divested if the Normans exercised the right they reserved to personally request in writing the return of all or a portion of their gift. I also agree with the defendant’s submission that an inter vivos trust is implicit in the Conditional Donation Agreement...In my view, it is clear that by signing the Conditional Donation Agreement, the Normans intended the defendant to hold the funds for the benefit of the defendant and also for their own benefit during their lifetime. The language of the Conditional Donation Agreement is sufficient in my view to establish the certainty of intention...In my view, the other two requirements, certainty of subject matter and certainty of objects, are also established. The subject matter of the trust was clearly the money donated to the defendants pursuant to the Conditional Donation Agreement and the beneficiaries were clearly the defendant and the Normans.
Thus, the conditional donations were a gift with a subsequent condition that created an inter vivos trust. They took immediate effect upon execution, and therefore could not be testamentary.
The plaintiff’s application was dismissed with costs.
The case may be viewed at: http://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2013/2013bcsc2099/2013bcsc2099.html
Implications of this case
The defendant in this case was very clear in its correspondence, carefully explaining what the donors were entering into. They also regularly offered to return any of the money if it was needed. This kind of careful explanation and dealing with donors illustrates the benefit of a professional relationship with donors. In this case, the donors may have themselves not used correct terminology in relation to their donations, but they had been well-informed of their effect. Nevertheless, it is always advisable for large donors to obtain legal advice before entering into donation programs.
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Jehovah's Witnesses 2015 Regional Convention Saturday PM experience parents shunning children
by Watchtower-Free inclip 3 minutes long.
ron and brenda sutton ................warwick 3 children
it was the missed association with family that brought them back.
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Bangalore
So much emotional manipulation. What a sick,twisted cult.
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I found something useful the Witnesses do for society.
by adjusted knowledge ini'm currently working at a rehab facility.
it also has assisted living, long term care, and hospice.
the facility allows churches to sign up for planned activities.
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Bangalore
They are indeed doing useful things for the society.The Watchtower Society that is.
Bangalore
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The FBI Is Operating A Small Air Force To Spy On Americans
by Bangalore inthe fbi is operating a small air force to spy on americans.
read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-fbi-is-reportedly-operating-a-small-air-force-to-monitor-americans-2015-6#ixzz3c6kkkpxl.
bangalore.
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Bangalore
The FBI is operating a small air force to spy on Americans
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New to the site
by LexIsFree inmy name is alex.
i have been a reader/lurker of this site for over a year now.
first time i am posting.
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Bangalore
Welcome to JWN,Alex.
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Jersey City Jehovah's Witnesses Reach Out To Indian Americans
by Bangalore injersey city jehovah's witnesses reach out to indian americans.. http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/05/jersey_city_jehovahs_witnesses_reach_out_to_indian.html.
on a recent sunday morning, isaac mata, a boston-based indian american software-engineer, drove some 200 miles to jersey city, not for a family or business get-together, but to participate in the jehovah's witnesses' biannual circuit-level convention for people of indian origin.. inside the jw assembly hall in the historic old stanley theater building at journal square on april 19, mata along with his wife, kalyani, a medical doctor, sat in one of the second-floor side auditoriums with their two small children listening to the daylong proceedings that focused on seeking peace and pursuing it in family and social life.. the couple -- both of whom are from hyderabad, india, and born to hindu parents -- faithfully held copies of the bible in hindi in their hands like all others present throughout the six-hour-long convention.
on the podium were two people one reading from the bible and the other translating the gospel in chaste hindi.. "it was such a wonderful experience, and so enlightening for all of us," mata said afterward.
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You seem to be right,Steve.
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Does your product contain blood? 1960/70's twottery!!
by punkofnice inback in the 1960's early 70's i remember my congregation going on a witch hunt and making a list of products, ice creams, confectionary or anything that might contain blood!.
i remember one zealous brother asking an ice cream vendor if the ice cream contained blood.
the vendor just looked gone out!.
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*** w64 11/15 pp. 680-683 Employment and Your Conscience ***
KEEPING FREE FROM BLOOD
Christians are told to abstain from blood. (Acts 15:20, 28, 29) Just how far-reaching is that? What do the Scriptures require of a dedicated servant of God? If you are killing an animal or a bird, then, to comply with God’s law and to render that creature suitable for food, you must drain the blood. According to God’s law you must refrain from eating blood or taking it, as in a transfusion, to sustain life. Genesis 9:3, 4 and Deuteronomy 12:23, 24 contain Scriptural commands. Leviticus 17:10 points out that those in ancient Israel who willfully took in blood would be cut off by Jehovah. However, if an Israelite happened to eat the flesh of a clean animal that died of itself or was torn by a wild beast, he was declared unclean until the evening, provided he cleansed himself. (Lev. 17:15, 16) With Christians too, if someone partook of the meat of an animal that had not been properly drained of its blood when slaughtered, and it was not deliberate on his part and he repented when it later came to his attention, avoiding a recurrence of such wrongdoing, Jehovah would mercifully forgive him.
Various uses of blood today are objectionable from the Biblical standpoint. Blood could be used on the altar under certain circumstances in ancient Israel, and if it was not used in that manner it was to be disposed of. (Lev. 17:11-14) Not only is blood being used in connection with modern medical practices, but it is reported that blood is now being used in a variety of products, such as adhesives for making plywood, particle board, hardboard, bottle crowns, furniture and musical instruments. Blood is also being used in polymerization of rubber compounds, insecticidal binder, settling compound for industrial waste treatment, clear water purification (paper industry), uranium purification, foaming agent for lightweight cellular concrete, fire foaming agent, wine clarifying agent, paper coatings and binders, paper flocculants and sizes, replacement of casein in latex emulsions, emulsified asphalt, cork composition, photoengraving platemaking solutions, leather-finishing operations, water-resistant binder of pigments for print dyeing on cotton cloth, fertilizers, animal foods, and amino acid production, such as histidine and histamine, for example. Perhaps additional uses of blood will come to light in the future. In the world the uses of blood are numerous and none of these is in accord with the Biblical method of handling blood, which is to be spilled on the ground. However, the Christian is not responsible for the worldly misuse of blood, what other people do with it, and he cannot spend all his time undertaking detailed research regarding the various misuses of blood in the world of mankind, especially when it comes to nonedible products. If he did so, he would have less time left for preaching the good news of God’s kingdom. To some persons, it may be a hard decision to make as to where one should be employed. It resolves itself to a matter of conscience.
The Israelites were told: “You must not eat any body already dead. To the alien resident who is inside your gates you may give it, and he must eat it; or there may be a selling of it to a foreigner, because you are a holy people to Jehovah your God.” (Deut. 14:21) So whether a Christian who works in a store will dispose of blood goods, such as blood sausage, by selling such goods to persons of the world who are willing to pay for them is a matter of conscience. It is also a personal matter as to whether another Christian will sell blood items to worldly persons in a drugstore or will spread blood fertilizer on the field of a worldly employer at his request. Naturally, a Christian could not properly encourage persons to obtain blood goods rather than those free from blood and he could not advocate any misuse of blood. However, we must leave it up to the conscience of the individual Christian as to what he will do when it comes to matters of this nature in handling such products. One Christian should not criticize another Christian for the decision he makes, just as one Israelite could not reasonably criticize another Israelite for selling to a foreigner an animal that died of itself and hence had not been properly drained of its blood.
The use of blood in adhesives for manufacturing plywood and other commonly used materials has now come to the attention of Christians, and we use plywood as an example. Much plywood is made using blood glue, but some plywood is blood-free. A Christian purchaser or contractor may seek to obtain blood-free plywood if he can do so; however, if he decides to use all types of plywood, it must be left to his conscience. It is not always possible to determine just how the plywood has been made. Because blood may be used in some plywood, this does not mean that a Christian could not buy, sell or rent a home or purchase a trailer in which plywood is found. The extent to which he would check on such matters is for him to decide.
Also, if a Christian is working for a company that uses blood glue in some of its plywood or other products, he would not necessarily have to quit his job. He may work in the woods, cutting down the trees. Part of the lumber is used one way and part another. The employee is not responsible for what happens to the wood after he has done his job. Of course, if a Christian worked in a plywood plant and it was required that he prepare the blood glue or apply it to the plywood, he might feel he could not conscientiously do this. He might request that his employer give him some other kind of work not handling blood. But even this is a personal matter. By doing other work for the same company, such as working as a truck driver, salesman, and so forth, the individual may feel he is free from responsibility for any misuse of blood. Since blood is used in the manufacture of so many common products, it becomes almost impossible for the Christian to avoid all contact with them—leather goods, furniture, bottle tops, cotton cloth, and so forth. So just what the Christian will do is a matter of conscience, and others should not criticize him. Certainly it would not be fitting to disrupt the unity of a Christian congregation in a certain locality by becoming involved in detailed discussions and contentions over the personal decision in this respect on the part of some Christian associated with that congregation.—Ps. 133:1; Prov. 26:21; Jas. 3:16-18.
The Society does not endorse any of the modern medical uses of blood, such as the uses of blood in connection with inoculations. Inoculation is, however, a virtually unavoidable circumstance in some segments of society, and so we leave it up to the conscience of the individual to determine whether to submit to inoculation with a serum containing blood fractions for the purpose of building up antibodies to fight against disease. If a person did this, he may derive comfort under the circumstances from the fact that he is not directly eating blood, which is expressly forbidden in God’s Word. It is not used for food or to replace lost blood. Here the Christian must make his own decision based on conscience. Therefore, whether a Christian will submit to inoculation with a serum, or whether doctors or nurses who are Christians will administer such, is for personal decision. Christians in the medical profession are individually responsible for employment decisions. They must bear the consequences of decisions made, in keeping with the principle at Galatians 6:5. Some doctors who are Jehovah’s witnesses have administered blood transfusions to persons of the world upon request. However, they do not do so in the case of one of Jehovah’s dedicated witnesses. In harmony with Deuteronomy 14:21, the administering of blood upon request to worldly persons is left to the Christian doctor’s own conscience. This is similar to the situation facing a Christian butcher or grocer who must decide whether he can conscientiously sell blood sausage to a worldly person.Bangalore
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Jersey City Jehovah's Witnesses Reach Out To Indian Americans
by Bangalore injersey city jehovah's witnesses reach out to indian americans.. http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/05/jersey_city_jehovahs_witnesses_reach_out_to_indian.html.
on a recent sunday morning, isaac mata, a boston-based indian american software-engineer, drove some 200 miles to jersey city, not for a family or business get-together, but to participate in the jehovah's witnesses' biannual circuit-level convention for people of indian origin.. inside the jw assembly hall in the historic old stanley theater building at journal square on april 19, mata along with his wife, kalyani, a medical doctor, sat in one of the second-floor side auditoriums with their two small children listening to the daylong proceedings that focused on seeking peace and pursuing it in family and social life.. the couple -- both of whom are from hyderabad, india, and born to hindu parents -- faithfully held copies of the bible in hindi in their hands like all others present throughout the six-hour-long convention.
on the podium were two people one reading from the bible and the other translating the gospel in chaste hindi.. "it was such a wonderful experience, and so enlightening for all of us," mata said afterward.
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Bangalore
Jersey City Jehovah's Witnesses Reach Out To Indian Americans.
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/05/jersey_city_jehovahs_witnesses_reach_out_to_indian.html
On a recent Sunday morning, Isaac Mata, a Boston-based Indian American software-engineer, drove some 200 miles to Jersey City, not for a family or business get-together, but to participate in the Jehovah's Witnesses' biannual circuit-level convention for people of Indian origin.
Inside the JW Assembly Hall in the historic old Stanley Theater building at Journal Square on April 19, Mata along with his wife, Kalyani, a medical doctor, sat in one of the second-floor side auditoriums with their two small children listening to the daylong proceedings that focused on seeking peace and pursuing it in family and social life.
The couple -- both of whom are from Hyderabad, India, and born to Hindu parents -- faithfully held copies of the Bible in Hindi in their hands like all others present throughout the six-hour-long convention. On the podium were two people – one reading from the Bible and the other translating the gospel in chaste Hindi.
"It was such a wonderful experience, and so enlightening for all of us," Mata said afterward. "It was really worthwhile to come all the way from Boston.''
Almost similar were the feelings of people like Jeevan Gozzlamudi of Westchester and many others among close to 500 attendees, an overwhelming majority of whom were originally from India.
The zeal and religious fervor among those present seemed somewhat infectious. People shared smiles and signs of devotion, placing their hands on their chests. Their heads dropped in reverence and eyes were riveted on the Hindi Bibles on their laps.
Besides New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, attendees came from Pennsylvania and other Eastern states.
Kaushik Macwan of Union City, an Indian American from Gujarat, the state India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to, said that there is no doubt that the following among Indians Americans is increasing.
"We started with one congregation in 2004 in Edison,'' he said. "From there today we have four, five congregations in New Jersey. Our presence and following also are increasing in Jersey City. ... There has been a tremendous growth of followers because Indians are hungry of spiritual knowledge and they want to learn the ultimate truth.''
Organizer Ralph Joseph, who described himself as a "community elder,'' said the convention started several years ago with some 200 hundred people of Indian origin and has now soared to well over 1,000 -- both in-person at the Square and through simulcasts being shown in other locations.
"The great part is the impact that it has made on the lives of people, he said. "Attendance here today was 493 people, to be exact. If you add the six other locations, including Toronto, where this is being live-cast, the number will be well over 1,000. This definitely is a progress."
In India, Christians comprise less than 3 percent of the country's 1.25 billion population and are targeted for re-conversion back to Hinduism through a controversial program known as ghar wapsi, or homecoming, which was started in 2014 in some parts of India.
Recently, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom noted with concern that in December, Hindu nationalist groups announced plans to forcibly "reconvert" at least 4,000 Christian and 1,000 Muslim families.
"I know there are political connotations of conversion and the so called homecoming in India," Mata said in response to a question, nothing that he and his wife became Jehovah's Witnesses seven years ago in Chicago. "I do not want to talk about this. For me, it is not a conversion in the religious sense of the term. But for me and my family, it has more to do with spirituality than religion. I got converted on my own will and volition and to satisfy my spiritual thirst."
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Bangalore
