Why do Jehovah Witnesses get special treatment?

[Baitball Blogger]

I wish I could put this on GD, but I know someone will alert it. I just got a flyer from a Jehovah Witness. It was stuck in the door jam. In big letters the flyer reads: A World Government.

Then below that it says,

Why do we need one?
Is it possible?
Who is qualified to rule?

Hear the answers at a free public event

This is your invitation.

- - - - -


Doesn't the wording of this flyer cross the line between government and religion?

[CBGLuthier]

1. Religions are allowed to take positions on the type of government they want

They just can not endorse candidates from the pulpit. Perhaps this informative guide will help.

http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/02/answers/#q5

Actually any religion can cross these lines if they choose. They merely lose their tax exempt status if they do.

[edhopper]

2. Good question

but since we now live in a country where churches regularly interject into political situations (i.e. The Mormons and Prop 8) they aren't being treated special as a church, religion is being treated special and allowed to what they want.
As we saw with hobby lobby, religion trumps all other rights (excerpt baring arms perhaps)

[rock]

4. So you heard about how I treat them when they come by my house did you?

Oh wait. Did you mean "get special treatment" in the positive way?

[The Magistrate]

7. Cool Story, Bro....

[Baitball Blogger]

12. LOL!

[cyberswede]

8. Ugh.

[Kali]

9. right

dear penthouse...

[rock]

10. Neat!

They sound kind of slow.

[mr blur]

6. I'd be very surprised if the answer to "Who is qualified to rule?" wasn't "God"

Or perhaps Jebus. Thus it's not politics at all, it's just the usual Kumbaya drivel.

[hunter]

11. The Jehovah's Witnesses are anti-political.

They don't stand for or recite the Pledge of Allegiance, they don't even vote.

Political activism will get you kicked out of their church.

My mom was JW when I was a kid. Her political activism was just one of the things that got us kicked out of their church.

The right wing conservative Mormons and Catholics are among the worst in politics; they were especially foul during California's Proposition 8.

I'm nice to the Mormon kids on their bicycles. I'm nice to the Jehovah's Witnesses. But they always go away before I get too deep into the stories of my own religious adventures. I'm a heretic wherever I go.

[Baitball Blogger]

13. Thanks for the info.

I wasn't aware of this info.

[cbayer]

14. I think you need to do a little studying on the 1st amendment.

This has nothing to do with it.

[Baitball Blogger]

15. This was all about the tax exemption.

If they had promoted a certain candidate at that meeting, they would have been in jeopardy of losing their tax exemption. I was assuming that the flyer was leading up to that possible scenario.

Hunter did a good job of filling in the blanks. This was probably just the bait to lead up to the answer that God or Christ is the only leader of the world.

[cbayer]

16. Tax rules for non-profits (501.c.3's) are the same whether they be religious or not when

it comes to politics.

They can promote political causes but not political candidates.

Surely you would not want the exemption to be removed for all groups that have political agendas.

It's a fine line at times, but a slippery slope to suggest that some groups should lose their status because they promote a cause you may not agree with.

[goldent]

17. This sounds pretty far "out there"

I don't see it as political in a real way. And I believe Churches are free to give advice to governments - the Catholic Church does it extensively.