I'm shocked!! I think I found the REAL reason for no voting, for tons of preaching and no public charity!! The IRS and taxes!

by EndofMysteries 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  cofty

  The Watchtower would only have to avoid backing any particular political party in order to comply with the rules.

  Their prohibition on members expressing their opinions on political matters is based on their fundamental belief that the whole world is under the control of "Satan".

  Also, they do not need to do "door to door" to provide a charity. Simply holding religious services to which the public are welcome is sufficient. This is the situation with most other religions.

  There is enough reasons to condemn the Watchtower without inventing more.

  It's long past the time when all religions should be denied charitable status.
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  bigmac

  to give back money for real charity!!

  very good point..many really worthwhile charities need every penny they can get. these rich religious scams do very nicely without bilking the treasury out of tax reversals.
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  Focus

  While the OP is right that the WTS has a permanent eye kept on its tax-exempt status, there's many more reasons that that.

  1) As long as if the WTS kept reasonably clear of politicking, its status (in the US at least) would be unaffected. There's no connection between this and whether its adherents are apolitical or not in their personal lives - the organization's tax status would be unaffected.

  2) The more time and money spent on politicking, the less time there is for kingdumb proclaiming (i.e. vectoring this awful disease to new victims) and the less money there is to be squeezed into the Watchtower's coffers. This is a more important reason.

  3) Likewise with charitable giving or work by its duped adherents.

  4) There is an additional factor, and its importance should not be underestimated.

  Any loony cult (and there's no big one as loony as the WTS) needs some DISTINGUISHING or IDENTIFYING MARKERS making it stand out - preferably ones that are unique to itself. There need be no logical or rational reason for them. Indeed, the more arbitrary and stupid they are, the better - this is because of the EMPEROR WITH NO CLOTHES syndrone:.

  "No one else but we are smart enough to see why God prohibited vaccinations, oops transplants, oops blood transfusion, oops whole blood, or to ban birthdays, or any hundred other crazy senseless idiotic rules - perhaps even soon to ensure that pet cats are theocratically-inclined," etc.

  Gives the dubdubs a sense of superiority, and many are far too stooopid to realize they too don't understand the reason for the rule themselves..

  "... who are always learning and are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. " - Aramaic Bible in English, 2 Tim 3:7

  So - in common with many other cults - politics is almost taboo.

  __

  Focus

  ("Kill the Faithful & Discreet Slave" Class)
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  nonjwspouse

  exactly EOM, the requirement of time sheets is for the corperation to have proof of "giving back" to the communnity (the only way they claim that they do)

  No time slips for proof and the tax exempt status is jepordized. This is one reason why those elders push so hard to get those slips filled out.
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  blondie

  There have been articles on line that some religions in the US have stepped over the line regarding political activities but so far the IRS has not followed up. First the IRS is going after people that are identified as required tax payers.

  http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/02/preaching-politics-from-the-pulpit-2012/

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/03/political-activity-religious-groups_n_2069128.html
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  jgnat

  Lots of religious organizations have tax free status without instructing their followers not to vote. Now, if the religion endorsed a single candidate and asked congregants to vote as a bloc..... But as blondie pointed out, even this hasn't been frowned upon.

  No, I think the rule exists because rules keep people tied up in knots and differentiates them from the "world".
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  EndofMysteries

  cofty - if the WT only provided meetings and no literature and no placing of literature then how would they account for all the donations and money they ask for? The literature is the way for them to keep all the money. It's like the charities where 99.5% is spent on direct mail campaigns and those running the charities happen to own the direct mail companies they send the checks to to provide that service.
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  EndofMysteries

  On those who brought out that lots of religions allow it's adherents to vote. The reason this is a key issue w/ the WT though is because those other religious organizations are very broad and not controlling.

  Those other organizations don't control every little aspect of it's adherents lives. The WT goes as far as how loud to play music at weddings, how many should be invited to a wedding, what board games are acceptable or not. Voting is a BIG THING. ANd for a religion that is God's direct channel, they can't be telling people God's will on using 1 paper towel at meetings and not able to give direction on God's will for voting should the members be allowed. It would show either A. The GB fear man and reprecussions for giving an answer like they do for everything else. B. If they don't have to lead on that, then why are they leading on everythign else in their lives?

  The field service time reporting is a very good point I hadn't thought of.