Eduardo
Could you please re-post these in a separate thread to keep this one on topic?
Thanks, Scully
The Watchtower & the cigarette company
by expatbrit 207 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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Eduardo Cruz
Hello Scully,
re-post with my own title in the section 'scandal & coverups'?.
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Scully
re-post with my own title in the section 'scandal & coverups'?.
Yes, that's the general idea. Please and thanks.
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Eduardo Cruz
Hello Scully;
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sf
~nevermind~
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Legolas
I needed this smaller
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Disillusioned JW
Note the quote said "He should, of course, be discreet about what stocks or bonds he buys. When he knows that a corporation is DEVOTED ENTIRELY entirely to manufacturing merchandise that is used for a morally wrong purpose, it would be improper for him to violate his conscience by investing money in the stock of that company. - Awake!, February 8, 1962, p. 23." In the above example of the trust (and of mutual funds), the trust is the corporation referred in the quote of the Watchtower. The trust in that example is NOT "devoted entirely to manufacturing merchandise that is used for a morally wrong purpose" and thus the Watchtower is consistent regarding their action of owning that trust. Likewise they would likely feel it fine to own stock in large grocery store, though the store sells tobacco products - because the tobacco products are only a very small portion of the stores sales. Many years ago I asked an elder in my local congregation if it is ok for Witnesses to purchase mutual funds where a small of amount of mutual fund is invested in businesses which make military weapons, and he said that would be fine since I would have no control on the actions of the mutual fund managers. I said some Witnesses work for the Boeing airplane company even though it makes military aircraft and I asked him how could it be ok for a Witness work for such a company. He said that would be a conscience matter for the Witness employee if the Witness was not making the military equipment. Based upon that understanding I decided it would be ok for me to invest in General Electric (a conglomerate where a small percentage of the operations are in the making of equipment for the military) and in broad market mutual funds (even though those mutual funds often times hold a small percentage of their assets in tobacco companies). However whenever there is a shareholder proposal for (my investments) which asks shareholders to vote on a proposal to force the corporation (or mutual funds) to cease from manufacturing (or investing) in military products (and activities which harm the environment and/or cause global warming), then I vote in favor of such proposals. I have also called and written to the management team of my mutual funds asking/demanding that they cease from investing in certain types of corporations which I consider unethical. I thus feel that I am acting in harmony with my beliefs and I believe that the Watchtowerseems to have the same outlook about investing in trusts/mutual funds.
