JeffT

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Posts by JeffT

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  44

  New Financial Arrangements

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  dear friends.

  i never was a dub.

  i am not a qualified lawyer or accountant.

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  JeffT

  I wonder just how independent this auditor will be?

  The AICPA has a very strict definition of "independent." Anybody with a financial or other significant interest in the subject of the audit is disqualified from conducting the audit. If caught, they'll loose their license. That penalty is enough to keep almost all CPA's on the straigth and narrow as far as that part goes. Since the Enron mess I believe they have also required that the audit firm cannot provide consulting services to the client.
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  44

  New Financial Arrangements

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  dear friends.

  i never was a dub.

  i am not a qualified lawyer or accountant.

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  JeffT

  Suppose the new donations are being made to a different Corporation than the old Corp that held the loans. I think the goal is to liquidate the old Corps that have risk in law suits. Send the BILLION$ out of the US where the trail lawyers can't get to it.

  A successor corporation will, in all probability, still be liabable. The only way to get rid of the lawsuits would be to dissolve the WTBS and pay the bills. The courts don't like shell games to get rid of things like this.
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  44

  New Financial Arrangements

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  dear friends.

  i never was a dub.

  i am not a qualified lawyer or accountant.

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  JeffT

  What I've been trying to get my head around is the idea that they replaced the loans receivable with real estate owned. I THINK (but I'm not sure) that part of the current deal was to transfer ownership of the halls from the xyz congregation to the society itself. Let's say the land and building are worth $200,000 and they had a $100,000 loan. The WTBS writes off the receivable and the congregation writes off the debt. So far we're even. But as part of the deal, the local elders turned the hall over to the Society, which now has a 200,000 building where it used to have the loan. A net gain of $100,000.

  I'm working with a non-profit right now, a school which is trying to raise money for a new building. I've learned that banks are leary of donations because they can go away. A pledge, especially one in writing, is much more favorable. The banks regard pledges as much more solid sources of income. In this case the pledge comes from the congregation, not its individual members.

  I just had a bad feeling about this, has anybody seen the actual form by which pledges are transmitted up the food chain? I'd sure love to see one.
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  44

  New Financial Arrangements

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  dear friends.

  i never was a dub.

  i am not a qualified lawyer or accountant.

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  3. 
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  JeffT

  I'm an accountant. I've had major concerns about this from the get go. Unfortunately the lack of transparency in the Watchtower organization makes financial analysis impossible. Clearly this is a major money grab as both assets (the kingdom halls) and cash are now under the control of the WTBS, where they were not before. This could equal billions of dollars net gain on the Society's books.

  Unfortunately, since the local elders seem to be voting to go along with it, its probably legal.
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  32

  International conventions - Seattle

  by Lynnie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just found out from my jw mom that the congregations located in the suburbs north of seattle.

  will be renting buses to shuttle people back and forth to the international convention at husky.

  stadium.

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  JeffT

  I live near Seattle. Husky stadium is in the city itself, and isn't easy to get to. The university mostly blocks one side, Lake Washington the other. That leaves three roads to the site itself. I wondered how they were going to get people in and out of the place.

  edited to add, parking down there is also a mess.
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  15

  Human Rights -ignored often, not far reaching enough, more than often.

  by Phizzy in

  1. social
  2. current

  human rights are clearly laid out in a number of places, and are upheld by legislation in many nations, and yet they are ignored, or when they are invoked, do not go far enough.. this is a sad state of affairs in the 21st century.. human rights are simply trodden in to the ground where we have war, where we have totalitarian regimes, and where we have ignorant clerics who rule.. even in enlightened countries that broadly accept the principles of human rights, they often are not given the priority they should receive.. take freedom of religion for example, this right should enshrine the right to freedom from religion.

  the fact that we in the u.k, canada the u.s.a, europe etc etc are unable to really be free of the wt/jw religion if we wish to choose to do so shows this right is unenforceable at present.. the same with the right to family life, the jw/wt cult is allowed to ride roughshod over this basic human right.. it is time their power, and the power of religion in general, was reigned in, and they be made to respect human rights fully..

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  JeffT

  Look at it this way: you have a right to be free from their religion, they have a right to be free from yours.
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  37

  A PERSONAL QUESTION to help me finish my NOVEL

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here is a personal question:.

  is it disturbing to you when an author jumps into the flow of history and radically departs in order to drive an important lesson home to the reader?.

  in this novel i have several watch tower leaders meeting incredibly violent deaths at the hands of --well, i won't give anything away.

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  JeffT

  Is it disturbing to you when an author jumps into the flow of history and radically departs in order to drive an important lesson home to the reader?

  I hope not. I'm trying to get an alternate history novel published. Check your PM.
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  115

  Survey---who is inactive, disfellowshipped/disassociated or active?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am inactive for about 10 years now..

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  JeffT

  Converted in 1973 at age 22. Letter of disassociation dated March 18,1989, mentally out for a year or two before that.
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  119

  Get well Grace (Mouthy)

  by label licker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a loud get well grace from all of us to you.

  everyone, grace has been in and out of the hospital and i'm sure she would love to read your get wells.

  we miss you grace:) wish i could post pictures.

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  JeffT

  Get well soon.
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  22

  Why has the watchtower never written a commentary on the Greek scriptures?

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they have writes hundreds of other repetitive books, but no bible commentary.

  is it because an actually commentary would destroy their doctrine and prevent them from being able to cherry pick scriptures?.

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  JeffT

  Googled "what is a Bible Commentary" and got the answer to your question:

  1. Web definitions
     1. Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "biblical exegesis" is used ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_commentary

     Definition: A biblical commentary is a written systematic series of explanations and interpretations of Scripture. They are written by some of the most knowledgeable theologians in church history. Through a personal narrative, they provide deeper understanding and insight into the Bible, and can be valuable tools to assist both casual reading and serious study. http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/g/Commentary.htm

     As we all know, the WTBS likes to explain the Bible by jumping from verse to verse. A commentary, being a line by line examiniation of a text, does not allow this type of interpretation. Studying the Bible text using a line by line sytematic approach would destroy the Watchtower's interpretations.