Searcher, the Charities Commission of course is not related to a Royal Commission, the latter set is up ad hoc to investigate public concerns such as abuses which may occur in large institutions in Commonwealth countries. The Charities Commission is a regulating body to oversee the running and irregularities in British registered charities.
In so far as the law reflects public opinion and based inevitably on traditional usage; the law still recognises religion as a "good thing" and therefore can be registered for charitable status and tax exemption. (Even if it is a polytheistic one which promotes self flagellation and is devoted to alien beings!)
By all means the Charities Commission should be aware of the selfish indifference shown by JW leadership to child sex abuse victims in its own ranks and the self protecting approach to deal with the information by excluding the police and local authorities.
There are many reasons we here can think why the JW org should not be a charity and I would add that its purpose is not so much religious but is a money farming exercise with a religious flavour.
I suggest to that is not in the public interest to give any concessions to the JW org because the work they do is blatantly not educational but indoctrination and millions are kept ignorant and poor and lacking in self esteem as a consequence of this so called charity's work. It does nothing for society or the individual. Its work is harmful.
But as I said if it's called a religion then the Charities Act of 2011 says you can register...even if you are the world's most suffocating, uncharitable, misleading, money hungry, ignorant, blind-guide religion.
The only opportunity we have is to promote the idea for the purpose of new legislation; it should dismiss "religion" as an automatic term to gain charitable status and instead charities should be made to demonstrate that all their work and money is intended exclusively for the common good, being publicly and legally recognised for the genuine welfare of others.
