property tax and the home bible study

heathen

Since the j-dubs have home bible studies that can be considered religious gatherings , I was wondering if anyone knew if the JW can claim their property under the tax exempt status of a church .

Any info would be appreciated .

That would be a serious stretch. The "connection" is informal at best. The "volunteer" who donates the use of their home has NO formal connection with the "business infrastructure" of JW's, either by connection with the local KH and it's incorporation or connection to one of the WTS Corporations.

The IRS/State would ask questions and the WTS Legal would definitely frown on this. It would get them into too much trouble.

If you are into fighting the Tax System, you might could try this, but you had better have a few lawyers in the wings.

There is a remote possibility that something could be done with the DONATION aspect of offering your home. A problem here is that it is too "intangible. And no KH/WTS/Brooklyn will write a receipt acknowledging any $ amount for the "arrangement".

Trying this would be extremely ill-advised. File this along with pyramid schemes.

Mustang

Disclaimer: nothing that I write or utter is to be considered legal advice. Consult proper counsel for such matters.

VM44

mustang wrote:

File this along with pyramid schemes.

Good advice! --VM44

alt

heathen

Well I'll tell ya if I could get away with it I probly would found some religion or church just for the exempt status. I do know the WTBTS has meetings at the KH but some of the congregation have the bible studies in their home regardless and was seriously wondering if anyone knew if just doing that was some kind of tax loophole as we know the WTBTS loves those .

mustang

VM,

I gotta hand it to you: you have found the most outlandish tombstone/funerary marker/memorial/whatever that one would ever see in a cemetary. If I stumbled onto this in a cemetary, unsuspecting, I wouldn't know whether to $*&% or go blind!!!!

That is almost worth going to see, just for the gawking value.

Now, does anybody know whether Russell PLANNED this, or did somebody that was a prankster or really mad at him do it after his death???

Mustang

Poztate

I was wondering if anyone knew if the JW can claim their property under the tax exempt status of a church .

I know of a book study that is held at the home of one of the anointed.Given the FACT that ALL the anointed are in charge of this silly little religion this should qualify as a tax loophole.......or not.

POZ.

RR

Mustang, there is no evidence that this was Russell's wish, this was the brain storm of J.F. Rutherford, and it took a few years after Russell died to build it and a few mor years for Rutherfod to denounce it!

RR

VM44

Hi mustang,

Charles T. Russell died in 1916, and the pyramid monument was constructed in 1919. It also turns out that he pyramid was a time capsule! Placed within in were photos of Russell and his writings!

I wonder if the time capsule is still inside?

--VM44

AT THE GRAVE On Monday, a party of about 150 was conducted by Brother Bohnet to the grave of Brother Russell. Upon a hillside, sloping towards the south, we joined hands around the grave and sang: ?Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.? Our last lingering look upon the scene recalled the peaceful manner of our Pastor?s ?passing beyond the vail.? Brother Rutherford?s words came to mind: ?I am glad this prison experience was reserved for us, rather than for our dear Brother Russell.? We visited the marble works and there watched the workmen slowly but surely chisel out the monument to be erected as a memorial to the Society. The Watchtower Society burial lots in Rosemont United Cemeteries, five miles due north of Pittsburgh City, contain ample grave space for all the members of the Bethel family, and the pilgrims and their wives ? in all more than 275 adult graves. In the exact center of the Bethel lot will be erected diagonally the Pyramid Shape Monument as designed by Brother Bohnet, and accepted by Brother Russell as the most fitting emblem for an enduring monument on the Society?s burial space. The size of this structure is nine feet across the base, and its apex stone is exactly seven feet above the ground surface level. It rests upon a concrete foundation five feet deep and heavily reinforced with barbed wire, the work of Brother Bohnet, who would not entrust this important task to anyone else, so we are assured that the job was well done. The brother gave a full description of the securing of the rock material at the time he piloted the conventionists to the cemetery and urged us to help ourselves to souvenir chips in the shop of the granite worker nearby ... Each slope of the pyramid will face one of the large lots, and on each of these slopes is cut in four-inch embossment a Teacher?s Bible, on the pages of which will appear the names of the ones buried there. The burial space for Brother Rutherford was indicated and his name, like that of Brother Russell, will be at the top of opposite Bible pages. A Bible space is being set apart for the Pilgrims ? all in one lot of forty eight grave space[s], so all their names will appear on the same Bible. Above the Bibles are spaces for inscriptions in full, W.T.B & T.S., I.B.S.A., ?Dead with Christ?, ?Risen with Christ?, etc. And above these the Cross and Crown and Wreath, and the whole capped with the apex stone, highly polished ? its shape of course being pyramidal. Within the structure, incased [sic] in a block of granite, will be a sealed metal box in which is a complete set of Karatol Scripture Studies, the Memorial Tower, and one of every tract, photographs of Pastor Russell, a copy of the Society?s charter, and many other things to interest the people who at some future date may open the pyramid and find them. It is expected the monument will be in place before the next Decoration Day. Any truth people desiring a chip of the stone may send postage enough to carry a piece about the size of an egg, with enough additional to pay the Society for the trouble of having it wrapped for the mail.? [Souvenir Report of the Bible Students Convention, Pittsburgh, PA., January 2-5, 1919, p. 7.]

http://www.midwestoutreach.org/02-Information/02-OnlineReference/04-Etc/01-TheJournal/Volume5/No4-EnduringMonumentToPaganOrigins.html

RR

The Society opened the pyramid in 1994 to retrieve the items, but it was found empty, apparently someone beat them to it!

RR

mustang

Whoa!!!! Empty??? How did the Holy Spirit miss this???

The WTS opened it??? Hmmm... this begs the question: how are they getting along with the Russell heirs (if any)? How did they get permission???

My apologies, if we are hijacking the thread, but this is just too interesting

Mustang

property tax and the home bible study

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