Taking Back The Kingdom Halls.

by RunAsFastAsYouCan 19 Replies latest jw friends

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  JeffT

  The Watchtower has plenty of lawyers. I suspect that no matter how the land is titled the Watchtower Society has a lien against it, which would make transfer of title impossible without paying off the lien.

  Edited to add, I think the society could also foreclose on the property if the agreement between the local congregation and the Society is breached. A few years ago a bank served my boss with notice that he was in default of his loan agreement due to crime in one of his apartment buildings. We were current on the loan, but violating other terms of the agreement is still a breach of the contract.
• 

  The Searcher

  Nowadays - no chance!! The Org has learned by its mistakes and have the KHs tied up legally in the Kingdom Hall Trust.

  Not even a Body of Elders and a majority of the congregation could get away with it.

  Before anything happened, someone in the cong loyal to "Mother", would have alerted the C.O., the D.O., or the Branch to their fears about the way elders were speaking against the "truth" or the Org.

  The MiB would be knocking on the BoE doors pretty quickly and dealing with them - as happened many years ago in Falkirk, Scotland - if someone can provide further details.
• 

  RagingBull

  The ORG is too strong for that. Property can't be "stolen" that way. They'd be labeled apostates, removed, and the R&F would feel sorry for the GB/WT that those evil apostate brothers tried to greedily steal a KH.

  There would be talks of it being the beginning of a "Great Apostasy" happening as we go into this "great tribulation" and that the derailment of it was Jehovah "cleaning his house" and providing protection to HIS EARTHLY ORGANIZATION.

  it's best to just say... "fuck'em" and leave them be. If you seek revenge of sorts. Move about with FREEDOM. Go to a meeting or assembly and try to socialize with them. Have a 'worldly friend" accompany you so they can see it first hand...and when they shun you or say mean things...look at them strangely and shrug. If elders want to talk with you, ask them if they mind you recording it, just as a protection to yourself. If they want to have a JC Meeting, and you agree, inform them that you'll bring your lawyer with you and will be recording it. (They'll always avoid it.) If you are FREE, BE FREE.
• 

  steve2

  The OP raises this as a hypothetical musing. As others have documented above, it has already been legally tested and legally tested and legally tested ...it is fair to say it has been very, very, very legally testing.
• 

  Band on the Run

  I recall that in the NY area the bishop of NY kept all the property of breakaway parishes when women were first ordained. It sounds confusing.
• 

  SadElder

  At some point there was a leter from "mother" to all Florida congregations telling them to change the articles of incorporation / bylaws to include specific language regarding the WTBTS. I can't recall the exact wording, but it basically gave final control to the Brooklyn JW mafia. The circuit overseer was to check that this language had been included. While I was an eldub I remember him checking this every time he visited. Likely the society lawyer staff scoured the laws of each state and made silmilar adjustments. They aren't going to let that money get away, no way, no how.

  After a little searching I found the language to be inserted (notice the Governing Body is mentioned yet didn't they state in court that the GB was a religious non-person?):

  ARTICLE IV, NO DISTRIBUTION OF NET EARNINGS

  No part of the net earnings of the Corporation shall insure to the benefit any member, trustee, director, officer of the Corporation, or any private individual having a personal and private interest in the Corporation (except that reasonable compensation may he paid for services rendered to or for the Corporation), and no member, trustee, officer of the Corporation, or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of arty of the corporate assets an dissolution of the Corporation. The property of this Corporation is irrevocable dedicated to religious purposes.

  ARTICLE V. DISTRIBUTION UPON DISSOLUTION
  Upon winding up and dissolution of this Corporation, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the Corporation, the Corporation, the remaining assets shall be distributed to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.. which is organized and operated exclusively for religious and charitable purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue. Code. If Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc„ is not then in existence and exempt under Section 501(00), then said assets shall be distributed to another organization designated by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, which is organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501(ex3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
• 

  flipper

  SAD ELDER- Wow, very interesting quote . The quote, " If Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. IS NOT THEN IN EXISTENCE , then SAID ASSETS SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION designated by the GOVERNING BODY OF JEHOVAH"S WITNESSES. " So it definitely looks like they have a back-up plan if everything goes south for them financially. Translation : They will not go bankrupt and there are back-up organizations ready to catch them financially already in place. Wow. It truly is like the mafia
• 

  Splash

  "Irrevocably dedicated"??

  What about all of the NY property and worldwide branches that have been sold off. Weren't these also irrevocably dedicated?

  And once a building is dedicated to God, is it then ok to reverse that dedication and sell it for some other purpose?

  If the Soc can reverse the dedication of a building, can you also reverse the dedication of a person?

  Splash
• 

  frankiespeakin

  BTTT for further consideration. You never know.
• 

  geevee

  Here, where I live in Australia, "we" built a new hall. The solicitor that helped a great deal when "we" purchased the land and the subdivided the unnecessary portion off to be sold had great reservations in "us" signing over the title of the property to the Watchtower Hall Trust.

  He spent a lot of time warning against it, saying that we could hold it locally in trust... Sorry, but that "is not how WE do it" ! We lemmingly signed it over, probably worth well over the Million dollars [au] by now!