Thanks for the link hsmew!
another thread about how to stop JWs calling would not go amiss!
Aaaaah! I think you missed this one my friend: . http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=13962&site=3
Enjoy!
Nic'
nicolaou
JoinedPosts by nicolaou
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25
Changing the Watchtowers charitable status (UK)
by nicolaou inthe uk charity commission lists 'the advancement of religion' as one of its 'first group charitable purposes'.. it makes the "general assumption that the advancement of religion is for the public benefit".
the advancement of religion.
for the advancement of religion to be charitable, a religion has to:.
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nicolaou
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8
Alain Garay - A Lawyer who works for the WBTS
by bj ina name that keeps appearing up, as representative of the watchtower bible and tract society, is alain garay.
but who is this lawyer?
is he one of jw?
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nicolaou
He's written a book (£49.95!) called 'L'Activisme Anti-sectes De L'assistance a L'amalgame'
Amazon review:
This work is presented as a non-partisan contribution to the subject of opposition to sects in contemporary France. The debate surrounding sects has been in the centre of the public arena, subject to deep social and religious discussion.
The book examines the national Union of Associations for the Defence of the Family and the Individual, and the Center Against Manipulation of the Mind, anti-sect movements who lobby heavily and are largely subsidized by the government.
They have compiled a list of 173 movements that qualify as sects, and criminal prosecutors in general and fiscal agencies in particular have plagued many of these associations. In this era of political and religious correctness, few voices are heard in France denouncing the aberration of the anti-sect discourse.One of the problems is that there is no legal definition of the word "sect" in France. The author argues that te creation of an independent panel for critical thought and deliberation is urgently needed.
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8
Alain Garay - A Lawyer who works for the WBTS
by bj ina name that keeps appearing up, as representative of the watchtower bible and tract society, is alain garay.
but who is this lawyer?
is he one of jw?
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nicolaou
Alain Garay was (is?) on the faculty of the European Congress on Bloodless Health care.
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25
Changing the Watchtowers charitable status (UK)
by nicolaou inthe uk charity commission lists 'the advancement of religion' as one of its 'first group charitable purposes'.. it makes the "general assumption that the advancement of religion is for the public benefit".
the advancement of religion.
for the advancement of religion to be charitable, a religion has to:.
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nicolaou
Thanks hsmew
I'm not familiar with the Guardian Weekly story, only the two newspaper articles (08/10 and 15/10).
Could you or anyone else please email or post this other article?
Cheers
Nic' -
25
Changing the Watchtowers charitable status (UK)
by nicolaou inthe uk charity commission lists 'the advancement of religion' as one of its 'first group charitable purposes'.. it makes the "general assumption that the advancement of religion is for the public benefit".
the advancement of religion.
for the advancement of religion to be charitable, a religion has to:.
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nicolaou
This is a letter I'll be sending to the UK Charity Commission governors in the next few days. Please review it critically and make any suggestions for improvement.
As it stands, the letter fits neatly onto a single page - I like that!
Nic'
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Mr J A Nicolaou
196 High Road
Wood Green
London
N22 8HHCharity Commission for England and Wales
Harmsworth House
13-15 Bouverie Street
London
EC4Y 8DPDate: 21st October 01
Ref: dnc/wt-2RE: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Britain
Charity Number: 1077961
Registration Date: 27th October 1999Dear Sir or Madam
I am writing to voice my concern about the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Britain, the organisation that represents almost 130,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in this country.
I have been associated with this organisation since childhood and was baptised into the faith more than 21 years ago. I remain a nominal Jehovah’s Witness.
My first concern centres on the way this organisation has been misleading both its members and the Charity Commission in that the charity may have been undertaking improper political activities.
In 1992, the Headquarters Organisation of the WTB&TS in New York gained official NGO status with the United Nations Department of Public Information. Following exposure in UK press articles (Guardian 08/10/01 & 15/08/01) the WTB&TS requested that its association with the UN be terminated.The resultant UN investigation by Mr Paul Hoeffel, (Chief NGO Section, UN-DPI) reached the following conclusion; in Mr Hoeffel’s words “the DPI has made a decision to disassociate the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York as of 9th October 2001”. A copy of his letter is enclosed for your inspection.
I would like to ask that the Charity Commission make enquiries of the British branch to ensure that there is no further infringement of this charities political impartiality.Secondly, I notice at your website . http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/cc21.htm#11 that:
“In some cases the advancement of religion is not charitable. This is where public benefit is clearly lacking. Examples of this include:
(1) organisations where the benefit is wholly private (such as an entirely enclosed religious order where the activities consist only of private prayer); and
(2)where an organisation is set up to promote the beliefs of a particular religion which undermine the accepted foundations of religion and morality, or are otherwise contrary to the public interest.”Where the activities of this charity endanger life by prohibiting life-saving medical procedures, when hundreds of families in the UK have been torn apart by the charities official policy on shunning family members and when child abusers are reputedly offered protection from the law by local congregations it seems difficult to see where the “benefit” or “public interest” really lies.
Please be assured that these are not the ravings of a disgruntled ex-member. I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and intend to remain such for as long as it is within my power to do so. However, I have come to the unavoidable conclusion that this organisatition cannot change for the better via internal efforts alone.
Therefore, for the sake of thousands of ordinary families and innocent children within the UK I respectfully ask that the Charity Commission investigate the propriety of awarding the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Britain charitable status.
Yours faithfully,Mr J A Nicolaou
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12
Nominal UK JW's. IMPORTANT NOTICE!
by nicolaou intuesday october 23rd d.p.a .
uk jw's who wish to limit the involvement of the wtb&ts in their personal lives should be aware that on tuesday 23rd october the provisions of the data protection act empower you to obtain copies of all information your local congregation is holding on you, this now includes written data as well as electronically stored information.
you may also make request to the uk branch office in mill hill.. the request needs to be made in writing to your local congregation 'data controller'.
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nicolaou
Hi Thirdson
Chapter 29, Part 1, Section 5 of the Act seems to make clear that the weight of legislation lays on the data controller.
It shouldn't matter that you are non-resident, the fact is that your old congregation secretary is under a legal obligation from 23/10/01 to disclose this information to you.
I've reproduced the relevant section of the Act below.
As for writing to your MP, I've made that REAL EASY TO DO from the dnc site.
Just go to . http://www.do-not-call.org/faxmp.htm
Type in your old postcode and send a fax directly to your Member of Parliament!Good luck
Nic'-----------------------------------
5. - (1) Except as otherwise provided by or under section 54, this Act applies to a data controller in respect of any data only if-
(a) the data controller is established in the United Kingdom and the data are processed in the context of that establishment, or
(b) the data controller is established neither in the United Kingdom nor in any other EEA State but uses equipment in the United Kingdom for processing the data otherwise than for the purposes of transit through the United Kingdom.(2) A data controller falling within subsection (1)(b) must nominate for the purposes of this Act a representative established in the United Kingdom.
(3) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2), each of the following is to be treated as established in the United Kingdom-
(a) an individual who is ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom,
(b) a body incorporated under the law of, or of any part of, the United Kingdom,
(c) a partnership or other unincorporated association formed under the law of any part of the United Kingdom, and
(d) any person who does not fall within paragraph (a), (b) or (c) but maintains in the United Kingdom-
(i) an office, branch or agency through which he carries on any activity, or
(ii) a regular practice;
and the reference to establishment in any other EEA State has a corresponding meaning.
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12
Nominal UK JW's. IMPORTANT NOTICE!
by nicolaou intuesday october 23rd d.p.a .
uk jw's who wish to limit the involvement of the wtb&ts in their personal lives should be aware that on tuesday 23rd october the provisions of the data protection act empower you to obtain copies of all information your local congregation is holding on you, this now includes written data as well as electronically stored information.
you may also make request to the uk branch office in mill hill.. the request needs to be made in writing to your local congregation 'data controller'.
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nicolaou
TUESDAY OCTOBER 23RD D.P.A
UK JW's who wish to limit the involvement of the WTB&TS in their personal lives should be aware that on Tuesday 23rd October the provisions of the Data Protection Act empower you to obtain copies of all information your local congregation is holding on you, this now includes written data as well as electronically stored information. You may also make request to the UK Branch Office in Mill Hill.
The request needs to be made in writing to your local congregation 'Data Controller'. Almost invariably this is the congregation secretary. Your request needs to comply with the provisions of the Act and might be worded something like this;
Dear XXXXXXXXX [do not use terms like 'brother']
As is my right under the UK Data Protection Act I would like to request:
(a) Whether personal data relating to me or any member of my family is being held or processed.
(b) A description of the data held, the purpose for which it is being held or processed and the recipients or classes of recipients to whom the information may be disclosed; and
(c) A copy of the information held by the Data Controller and the source of that information.
Under the terms of the Data Protection Act, you have 40 days from the receipt of this letter to comply with my request.This is not a letter of disassociation and no attempt should be made to treat it as one.
Yours sincerely,
XXXXXXXXX
Of course you'll need to be prepared to face the question 'why are you making this request'? But in my opinion the best course is not to get drawn into it. Make your request in writing and leave it at that. If at the end of the statutory 40 day period your request has not been complied with you can then follow up with something like this:
Further to my letter of [date] requesting disclosure of information held about me under the terms of the Data Protection Act, I would like to remind you that you were legally obliged to answer my request within 40 days but have apparently decided to ignore the law on this matter.
Regretfully, I must give you notice that if I do not receive a satisfactory response to my request within the next 7 days I will be raising a formal complaint with the Data Protection Registrar.
I would remind you that this is not a letter of disassociation and no attempt should be made to treat it as one.Yours sincerely,
XXXXXXXXX
If you'd like to wade through the UK Data Protection Act yourself go here: . http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980029.htm
One more thing.
I strongly suspect that at a Service Meeting within the next month or so the Brothers will be 'asked' to sign new consent forms allowing the congregation to hold personal information about them.
No doubt this will be passed off as 'just a formality - it's necessary for field service records'. Don't buy it and, more importantly, don't sign it!Nic'
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11
How to Disperse the UN Story
by indireneed inas i always am when i turn to your discussion board.. after reading the unbelievable news about the bestiality practiced by the governing body, i have been looking for a way to break the news in my local area.
i would really like to have the newspaper to pick up the story so it could in turn provoke a discussion with my wife.. i was thinking an opinion / letter to the editor article might help in this respect, and so i wrote one up.
i am posting it here to see if anyone has any comments or suggestions.. the worship of the seemingly powerful.
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nicolaou
include copies of the three Guardian articles which tell the UN story very nicely.
Three? I'm only aware of two articles - Mon 8th and Mon 15th October.
Which one have I missed Slipslidemaster?
Nic'
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Become a JEDI priest!
by nicolaou inthe uk office of national statistics has published an official list of religions - jedi knight will be registered in its computer analysis of the 2001 census.. jedireligion.com claim they will be ordaining priests in the near future, their site at .
http://www.jedireligion.com/forum/ looks hauntingly familiar!.
nic'.
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nicolaou
The UK Office of National Statistics has published an official list of religions - Jedi Knight will be registered in its computer analysis of the 2001 census.
jedireligion.com claim they will be ordaining priests in the near future, their site at . http://www.jedireligion.com/forum/ looks hauntingly familiar!
Nic'
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Jedi Knights force way into census religion list.
By Robert Uhlig, Technology Correspondent
(Filed: 11/10/2001)JEDI KNIGHTS, the galactic order of warriors from the Star Wars films, were celebrating a small victory last night in their campaign to be recognised as an official religion.
The Office of National Statistics has published an official list of religions it will register in its computer analysis of the 2001 census.
Jedi Knight comes towards the end, after Catholicism, Druidism, Hare Krishna and Vodun, but before heathen, atheist or other.
Although the statistics office insisted that the inclusion of the brown-robed, sabre-wielding warrior caste was a statistician's quirk, it was seen as a victory for thousands of Star Wars fans and a potent sign of the power of email campaigning.
For the first time, this year's census asked people about their religion.
Encouraged by an email chain letter that started in New Zealand, armies of budding Luke Skywalkers declared their religion as Jedi.
Up to one in 20 people said they were Jedi Knights on their forms, according to some estimates.
Many did so in protest at being asked about their beliefs. Others were motivated by the email's closing plea: "Do it because you love Star Wars. If not, just do it to annoy people."
Entering false details on a census form is an offence that carries a heavy fine. But that threat was lifted for the religion question.
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12
FREE FLYER TO DOWNLOAD AND DISTRIBUTE!
by nicolaou inthe volunteer section at the dnc site is coming along now.. in addition to the affiliate scheme there are now labels and an eyecatching a5 flyer to print off and distribute.. .
it's simple - no fancy graphics - and can be printed 'black on white' very cheaply.. a 1000 flyers can be produced for very few 's or $'s.. how about spending a bit extra for two-color printing, the bright red warning!
is really worth it.. don't say there's nothing you can do because now there is!.
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nicolaou
In another thread Englishman made the excellent suggestion of "designing a leaflet outlining the WT / UN debacle? Could be great fun pushing them under the windscreen wipers of JW vehicles outside the Kingdom Hall."
Design the leaflet and I'll post it for free download on the dnc volunteer section . http://www.do-not-call.org/volunteer.htm
Nic'