I don't care what they call themselves. The elders perform the functions of clergy and exercise ecclesiastical authority over their congregations.
Posts by JeffT
-
31Does the WTS have a clergy class
by blondie inthis can be confusing because the wts has adjusted from not having a clergy class to not having a "paid" clergy class.. "a congregation of brothers precludes having a proud clergy class that honors itself with high-sounding titles and elevates itself above a laity" wt 6/1/2001 p. 12, pp 11. still same idea in 2021 wt october, p. 20, pp.
7, but 2022 in the wt publication, frequently asked questions about jehovah’s witnesses, page 13, the wts inserts "paid" in front of "clergy perhaps to shore up their current statement in secular courts they have clergy, just not paid) "following the model of first-century christianity, jehovah’s witnesses have no clergy-laity division.
all baptized witnesses are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work.
-
-
JeffT
-
31
Does the WTS have a clergy class
by blondie inthis can be confusing because the wts has adjusted from not having a clergy class to not having a "paid" clergy class.. "a congregation of brothers precludes having a proud clergy class that honors itself with high-sounding titles and elevates itself above a laity" wt 6/1/2001 p. 12, pp 11. still same idea in 2021 wt october, p. 20, pp.
7, but 2022 in the wt publication, frequently asked questions about jehovah’s witnesses, page 13, the wts inserts "paid" in front of "clergy perhaps to shore up their current statement in secular courts they have clergy, just not paid) "following the model of first-century christianity, jehovah’s witnesses have no clergy-laity division.
all baptized witnesses are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work.
-
-
JeffT
And as said above all the freebies that they receive courtesy of "voluntary" donations by the gullible sheeple are in fact pay. Just ask any CPA or tax advisor if it is considered income/pay for tax purposes in the U.S. when it is given to a member of a business.
Actually, gifts are tax free. But somewhere between local elders and the higher ups, that money paid to CO's, the GB etc might be determined to be payments for services, or payments for contract labor; or just plain pay, all of which are taxable income.
The WTBS is playing with fire on this. On top of trying to split hairs with definitions of "paid clergy" vs "volunteers" they may run into a tax issue if somebody decides to call all those "donations" taxable income.
-
11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
-
-
JeffT
In a bygone era "Crime of insult" was the sort of thing that led to pistols at dawn. If we still did things that way this thread would be about 250 pages shorter.
-
11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
-
-
JeffT
He's pretty inactive for somebody that calls himself an activist.
-
1
JeffT's Mystery Novel
by dropoffyourkeylee injefft, a frequent poster here, asked me to review his recent book published in 2021:.
--- armageddon's disciples, when prophecy fails --- by jeff thomas.
i found it very interesting and well worth the time to read.
-
-
JeffT
Thank you for the wonderful review. As a writer, it is always nice to get a pat on the back. I created a religion for the books because I didn't want this to be about one religion. I had hoped to provide my readers with a glimpse of the emotional impact of cult life, something that is hard to convey in academic discussion.
-
11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
-
-
JeffT
It's possible that his lawyer has asked him to keep the details quiet,
Again, drawing on the times I've been involved in such matters. Either there is no lawyer, or Lloyd isn't paying attention to him. My experience tells me the conversations sound like this:
Lawyer: Lloyd stop talking about this, I will handle it.
Lloyd: But...
Lawyer: Shut up.
Lloyd: But...
Lawyer: Shut the fuck up.
Lloyd: But...
Lawyer: Go find another lawyer.
-
11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
-
-
JeffT
If he thinks the lawyers are now going to "handle" everything and leave him free to do his activism (whatever that is) he is sadly mistaken. I've been on both sides of lawsuits, they are soul-sucking monsters that will take over your life.
Maybe the legal system in Croatia is different. I've never heard of a "criminal lawsuit." It will be interesting to see what happens. I hope the seven defendants counter sue.
-
11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
-
-
JeffT
What does it take for a girl to get noticed around Lloyd? 🤣
Are you sure you want the answer to that? I thought of several things, none of them nice.
-
20
Caleb & Sophia - The Watchtower gets weirder
by Listener inthe latest video release 4/4/22 (lesson 44 'don't give up') in the comic series of caleb & sophia just got weirder.
the plot is about caleb & sophia preaching door to door, caleb with his father and sophia with her mother.
it shows each of them having doors slammed on them four times.
-
-
JeffT
Dad sounds like he hit the edibles before field service.
-
11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
-
-
JeffT
Come on, who does a video telling his patron to keep donating even though he won't do what they patrons signed up for?
If this isn't against Patreon's rules it should be. Even if it isn't, it may be against the law in the US, or certainly a good case could be made for a civil suit.