JW's tried to cheat state in Norway

by Aaac 6 Replies latest jw friends

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  Aaac

  JW's tried to cheat money of the Norvegian government. They told the authorities that they have more members than they actually do. Eventually, they got nothing. Three questions rise:

  1) Why are JW's in Norway begging money from "worldly" authorities, Satan's world?

  2) What is this hypocricy: they count they have as many members as attend the Memorial. Why do they count all "Sunday members" now, too, after criticizing other churches of doing that very same?

  3) Why don't they let their accounts to be audited?

  Well... answers are obvious.

  (If someone from Norway could translate this article...)

  http://nytt.net/showarticle.asp?article=3434269&tb=0&site=AFTENPOSTEN
• 

  JanH

  The essence of the case is that Norwegian authorities demand to see the audited books of the WTS in Norway before they pay the money -- NOK 231 per member (~US$30). The WTS has refused to open its books to an auditor and the authorities. Thus, they will lose NOK 3.4 million ($444,000).

  Since there's been lots of membership fraud in religious groups, particularly Islamic ones, the authorities has now started to require an authorized auditor to go through the community's books. It seems the WTS is willing to pay a good price to avoid that happening. One can speculate why...

  - Jan
• 

  Francois

  I must be missing something. How do JWs get money from the gummint of Norway? Is this some sort of state subsidy of religion?

  -francois

  Edited by - Francois on 5 August 2002 16:42:16
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  nancee park

  Yes, Francois. This occurs in many countries. Governements help out groups, religious or not, that are deemed charitable but naturally want to make sure it is going to a bona fide cause. The WTS is too secretive; maybe embarrassed too because auditing would show their membership is in severe decline in Norway.
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  JanH

  Frank,

  I must be missing something. How do JWs get money from the gummint of Norway? Is this some sort of state subsidy of religion?

  Yes, it is. For historical reasons Norway has a Lutheran state church, which is financed by the state. To compensate for this, registered religions apart from the state church receives funds from the government based on membership. The argument is that the "church tax" from its members should go to whatever religion they belong to, not to the Lutheran state church.

  It's a stupid idea, but here we are.

  - Jan

  Edited by - JanH on 5 August 2002 16:47:54
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  plmkrzy

  "Pay back Ceasers things to Ceaser but Gods things to God" hummmm.
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  sunscapes

  Well, pay would be nice, but now they're relegated to the social welfare class of collecting government subsidies. Yet they want to have the taxpayer cake and eat it too by concealing their (likely cooked) books.