Watchtower and Jimmy Swaggart?

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
Watchtower filed an Amicus brief (friend of the plaintiff) in Jimmy Swaggart v California Board of Equalization (the tax board) on behalf of Jimmy Swaggart.

Another strange bedfellows case in Watchtower history.

Read the brief in its entirety here:

 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
At issue was whether religious materials distributed by a ministry could be taxed. The Supreme Court ruled against Swaggart stating that such materials could be taxed. In 1990, the Watchtower Society stopped asking for a fixed donation price for literature distributed and began offering all materials on a voluntary donation basis (new light!!! haha).

Supreme Court legal briefs are public domain items.
 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
Can you imagine Joe publisher having to charge the householder sales tax on a 25-cent magazine?
Joe Publisher used to recoup that money- now that it’s been converted to a “voluntary donation”, WT gets it and Joe Publisher don’t get squat.

WT also very happy to align itself with Satan’s minion, Jimmy Swaggart- when money is at stake.
 

BagdadBill

Well-known member
Can you imagine Joe publisher having to charge the householder sales tax on a 25-cent magazine?

Ike Godsey splitting a jawbreaker for the Walton kids because they were too proud to accept charity
 

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יהוה_saves

Well-known member
Still, I would guess that the numbers aren't what they used to be. Thus the focus on less frequent magazines and digital media. Just a guess.
i think that is a pretty good guess. I wonder if it’s in anyway connected to WT’s ultimate decision to end the door to door/cart public witnessing?

I personally believe that WT’s 500 board of directors, comprised of attorneys and hedge fund managers, place budgetary concern$ as its primary fiduciary trust.

welcome to the forum. (-:
 

SusanB

Well-known member
I am of the strong opinion that the KHs will all be sold at some point. I assume it will be to fund the many costly construction projects such as Ramapo. However, I really felt they would never return to in-person meetings. Obviously, I was wrong on that so I should stop trying to be a prophet. ;)


Thanks!
That’s what my husband just said. The strange, illogical, impractical may be something like they all have to Zoom thru the GT and they will sell all of the KH’s. But I think we will find out for sure very soon. No problem with being wrong, I am wrong a lot too, but at least I’m examining things, asking questions and trying to put the puzzle together.
 

4JahandChrist

Well-known member
I got raked over the coals on this topic....indirectly at least.

When the USA switched to voluntary donations in 1990 none of us in Australia knew anything about it. Australia didn't switch to Voluntary donations till 2000....almost 10 years after the US.

I found out about the Voluntary Donations around 1994 as New Zealand switched to a GST(Goods Services Tax) so they had to follow the example of the US.

In 2000 Australia switched to a GST and then of course we stopped charging for literature and switched to the Donation method.

The reason I got raked was I quite innocently told the Brothers that the switch was to do with Tax. Many of the Brothers were not aware that Countries like the US and NZ had been on the Voluntary Donations for years previous.

The Elders decided to have a Local Needs talk and they said "It has been said by some in the Congregation that the Australian Branch has switched to Voluntary Donations because of changes to the Tax Laws. Brothers this has nothing to do with Tax. It is simply the Organization working together in Unity. Australia is now unified with our Brothers around the World in using Voluntary Donations for literature".

I already had knowledge of the Swaggart/JW case because a JW MS mate of mine was a Tax Accountant so I knew that there was more to it then meets the eye.

In an Organization where everyone walks, talks, burps, flatulates in Unity how on earth could Australia and NZ lag so far behind the US in changing to the new donations system? And why did they change when the Tax laws changed?

All the US branch had to do was write a simple letter to the Aussie branch and we all would of been on the same system. But Australia lags almost 10 years behind and keeps charging the 60 cents (can't remember if that was the actual price) because we simply were a bit slow in accepting the change? Rubbish.

I heard also that many of the Brothers in the USA were unaware that other Countries did not switch to the Donations system till much later. Apparently they thought the change was a World wide adjustment for the whole Brotherhood but it most definitely wasn't.
 
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4JahandChrist

Well-known member
You, BROTHER, are a true “wordsmith”.
I should qualify that statement. No one could talk and flatulate as much as my late Mother. It was like living with a full time version of the duelling Banjos. That's why our Cat chose to live outside and the Old Man kept a well stocked Bar Fridge in the Shed. 🙃

When Mum passed Global Climate Scientists said the temperature of the Earth dropped by a full 2 degrees. When Mum comes back in the Resurrection the first thing I'm gonna do is give her a drink full of Charcoal and some Psyllium husks. Can't have Mum upsetting Paradise. (y) :)
 

SusanB

Well-known member
I should qualify that statement. No one could talk and flatulate as much as my late Mother. It was like living with a full time version of the duelling Banjos. That's why our Cat chose to live outside and the Old Man kept a well stocked Bar Fridge in the Shed. 🙃

When Mum passed Global Climate Scientists said the temperature of the Earth dropped by a full 2 degrees. When Mum comes back in the Resurrection the first thing I'm gonna do is give her a drink full of Charcoal and some Psyllium husks. Can't have Mum upsetting Paradise. (y) :)
Man if I had a comedy show, you’d be my writer!
 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
I am of the strong opinion that the KHs will all be sold at some point. I assume it will be to fund the many costly construction projects such as Ramapo. However, I really felt they would never return to in-person meetings. Obviously, I was wrong on that so I should stop trying to be a prophet. ;)


Thanks!
i don’t think their return to in person meetings is all that meaningful, and will last very long. they still have to wear dehumanizing masks (though not all do) and follow Fauci protocol. It’s a matter of time before the “aw-thor-uh-teez” come up with some new or recycled scapegoat for vaccine injury and the Gov Body is going to be right there pushing the narrative.

I should stop trying to be a prophet. ;)

Please feel free to express yourself- you're among friends and nobody will judge you.

I don’t think very many folks figured they’d go back to in person meetings including even JWs.
 

Medi-tator

Well-known member
I am of the strong opinion that the KHs will all be sold at some point. I assume it will be to fund the many costly construction projects such as Ramapo. However, I really felt they would never return to in-person meetings. Obviously, I was wrong on that so I should stop trying to be a prophet. ;)


Thanks!
My thoughts exactly but Driven already let that cat out of the bag. I am her hubby. Welcome to this forum xrt469!!
 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
@4JahandChrist

you are spot on.

The year WT changed its policy to “voluntary donations” was a direct result of Goods and Services Tax law in Canada which was enacted that same year- the huge volume of literature sales would have cost WT millions in taxes- and so they called the switch over to contributions “new light”. That’s why the brothers gave that talk- you were over the target- you know exactly what was going on but WT needed JWs to believe the change was guidance from God in the form of new light.

Apparantly Jimmy Swaggart got the same “new light” down in California hahah.

Ugh it makes me want to scream!!
 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
I should qualify that statement. No one could talk and flatulate as much as my late Mother. It was like living with a full time version of the duelling Banjos. That's why our Cat chose to live outside and the Old Man kept a well stocked Bar Fridge in the Shed. 🙃

When Mum passed Global Climate Scientists said the temperature of the Earth dropped by a full 2 degrees. When Mum comes back in the Resurrection the first thing I'm gonna do is give her a drink full of Charcoal and some Psyllium husks. Can't have Mum upsetting Paradise. (y) :)
teeeeeheeeeeeeeee
 

Revvzone

Well-known member
Can you imagine Joe publisher having to charge the householder sales tax on a 25-cent magazine?

@4JahandChrist

you are spot on.

The year WT changed its policy to “voluntary donations” was a direct result of Goods and Services Tax law in Canada which was enacted that same year- the huge volume of literature sales would have cost WT millions in taxes- and so they called the switch over to contributions “new light”. That’s why the brothers gave that talk- you were over the target- you know exactly what was going on but WT needed JWs to believe the change was guidance from God in the form of new light.

Apparantly Jimmy Swaggart got the same “new light” down in California hahah.

Ugh it makes me want to scream!!
The WT presently reminds me of the Titanic on a collision course with a granite rock the size of Gibraltar, waiting for it to rip through the WTs bowels.. It'll be a Great Day alright, and when it sinks like a stone, financially speaking, she'll be raped and burned with fire same as the other whores of Babylon, when the lawyer rats jump from the watchtower ship, there will plenty of sharks circling.. A nice limerick would say, Over the boat and in into the dark, goodbye rats and hello sharks...
 
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4JahandChrist

Well-known member
@4JahandChrist

you are spot on.

The year WT changed its policy to “voluntary donations” was a direct result of Goods and Services Tax law in Canada which was enacted that same year- the huge volume of literature sales would have cost WT millions in taxes- and so they called the switch over to contributions “new light”. That’s why the brothers gave that talk- you were over the target- you know exactly what was going on but WT needed JWs to believe the change was guidance from God in the form of new light.

Apparantly Jimmy Swaggart got the same “new light” down in California hahah.

Ugh it makes me want to scream!!
I felt the same back in 2000. After the Local Needs part I said to some of the Brothers "But so what if it's to do with Tax. Why is it such an issue?" You are quite correct. They wanted it to sound like it was "Theocratic " direction rather than a work around to avoid Tax.

The same Elder that did the Local Needs was going to be on my Judicial Committee for immorality. Just days before the case the sister I was involved with confessed to me that she was having an Affair with one of the Elders. He was the PO so they quickly had to find someone else to replace him on my Judicial.

Without me having in any knowledge the Sister did a deal with the PO and they denied that anything had taken place. This made me look like a Slanderer as I had informed the Brothers of the Adultery.

The Elders that disfellowshipped me were best mates with the PO. I was D'd before I even walked into the committee.

Even worse. The whole reason the PO lied was that the Elder that was sent into investigate had himself committed Adultery. The same sister that got it on with the PO had a fling with the other Elder as well. She had told the PO about the other Elder and PO had to cover her sin as he was also hiding his.

The reason I brought this up is you said you "feel like screaming". Can you imagine how hard it is to get kicked out of the Congregation by men who are committing Adultery? I wanted to barge through the door in a live meeting , grab the microphone and expose them. Not that I would do that but that is how I felt.

My indiscretion with the Sister was relatively minor. 3 times we stepped over the line of acceptable conduct but it wasn't all the way. They said I committed Spiritual Suicide. I've seen Brothers shown mercy for far worse sin but I got the opposite treatment.

Can't have people in the ORG talking about the Jimmy Swaggart Case/Tax Laws and exposing the Elders corruption can we?

The PO's demolition campaign against me lasts till this day. The Brothers think the PO stood down for health reasons and that I misled the sister into fornication. The reverse was the case. The sister had offended many times before I met her but she had a free pass as the PO was protecting her. So so corrupt!!!!!
 
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