Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This video is ment as a critism of Jehovah Witnesses having a double standard when it comes to integrity. It is NOT a claim that Watchtower benefits from gambling.
The heading is "Jehovah's Witnesses accept money from Norwegian Gambling Authority" and this is factual and correct. I now realise some have jumped to the conclusion that Jehovah witnesses make money directly or indirectly from gambling. This is not what I said, and its not the case.
The fact that Jehovah Witnesses accept money from the Norwegian Gambling Authority is dubious from a RELIGIOUS perspective, and that RELIGIOUS perspective is what i am talking about in this video. Its a critisim of the double standard the organisation use when it comes to money.
Not all religions in Norway accept government funding because they dont want to be a part of the world.
But most religions in Norway are ok with accepting money from The Norwegian Gambling Authority, and Watchtower might argue that they are just doing exactly the same as everyone else. I would agree with this. Watchtower are doing exactly as everyone else and thats the problem.
Would you not expect an exceptional religion to have exceptional integrity?
My father was a blacksmith and we made small gadgets that we sold on markets. I remember he was working long days at the "Christmas Market" in Stockholm. He did not come up with the name "christmas" market. He was just and average joe trying to feed his children. If it had been called "winter" market there would be no problem. But since it was called "christmas market" he was publicly humiliated and had to step down as an elder. He also could no longer sell his product at this market even if he had children to support.
The name "Christmas Market" was so important that the elders imposed sanktions on his oportunitys to feed his family. Why is it then ok for Watchtower to accept money from the "gambling authoroty". Maybe they will argue that "gambling" is just in the name, but so was Christmas Market for my father.
The fact that Watchtower accept money from the Gambling Authoroty is not entirely unknown among the Norwegian rank and file members, since the lokal elders must apply for the money. And if asked, their "conciense" would allow them to do it because "this is the direction from bethel". However most rank and file members would not know it, and when informed about it will normally react with suspicion and disapointment.
Most Jehovah Witnesses in Norway will produse and explanation that is just a refund of salestax thru the Gambling Authoroty and if Bethel say we should do it we must follow direction. This bothered me as a beliving JW, because if we trust in Jehovah we should have the integrity and faith to avaid being cauth up in the dark corners of "satans system". As a young JW i remember that those that stumbled over "the norwegian gambling authoroty" was seem as weak and inmature christians and considered bad association. I therefor conformed like everyone else and made up excuses. The money watchtower recieves have an indirect link to gambling and a more direct link to taxation. The law would permit Jehovah Witnesses to get a more direct link to gambling income with a scheme called "grassrotsandel" that mean gamblers can chose to direct a percentage of the proceeds of the gambling to Watchtower. Also the law would open up for Watchtower to have their own lottery to benefit Watchtower. Its fair to say that watchtower have the integrity not to use these two options to make money.
But why is it ok with the double standard for Watchtower when it comes to money?
Young Jehovah Witnesses should throw away their dreams, their education, their worldly family to keep their path absolutly clean. School is a place for bad association, work its bad association etc. And every Jehovah Witness should stay away from anything that might stumble... Should not "gods spirit directed organisation" stay away from anything associated with gambling? I personally know Norwegian Jehovah Witnesses that have been stumbled by this. Was it worth stumbeling a fellow beliver?
If there is no good excuse to stumbling others or to bring reproach to Jehovah's name in any tother situation. Why are JW willing to let go of all these "principles" when it cames to MONEY?
Support my activism on Patreon:
patreon.com/user?u=21842830
Norwegian Gambling Authority: https://lottstift.no/en/
Anual Rapport 2022: lottstift.shinyapps.io/moms_utbetaling
Norwegian leigslation: https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2018-10-23-1600/
This video is ment as a critism of Jehovah Witnesses having a double standard when it comes to integrity. It is NOT a claim that Watchtower benefits from gambling.
The heading is "Jehovah's Witnesses accept money from Norwegian Gambling Authority" and this is factual and correct. I now realise some have jumped to the conclusion that Jehovah witnesses make money directly or indirectly from gambling. This is not what I said, and its not the case.
The fact that Jehovah Witnesses accept money from the Norwegian Gambling Authority is dubious from a RELIGIOUS perspective, and that RELIGIOUS perspective is what i am talking about in this video. Its a critisim of the double standard the organisation use when it comes to money.
Not all religions in Norway accept government funding because they dont want to be a part of the world.
But most religions in Norway are ok with accepting money from The Norwegian Gambling Authority, and Watchtower might argue that they are just doing exactly the same as everyone else. I would agree with this. Watchtower are doing exactly as everyone else and thats the problem.
Would you not expect an exceptional religion to have exceptional integrity?
My father was a blacksmith and we made small gadgets that we sold on markets. I remember he was working long days at the "Christmas Market" in Stockholm. He did not come up with the name "christmas" market. He was just and average joe trying to feed his children. If it had been called "winter" market there would be no problem. But since it was called "christmas market" he was publicly humiliated and had to step down as an elder. He also could no longer sell his product at this market even if he had children to support.
The name "Christmas Market" was so important that the elders imposed sanktions on his oportunitys to feed his family. Why is it then ok for Watchtower to accept money from the "gambling authoroty". Maybe they will argue that "gambling" is just in the name, but so was Christmas Market for my father.
The fact that Watchtower accept money from the Gambling Authoroty is not entirely unknown among the Norwegian rank and file members, since the lokal elders must apply for the money. And if asked, their "conciense" would allow them to do it because "this is the direction from bethel". However most rank and file members would not know it, and when informed about it will normally react with suspicion and disapointment.
Most Jehovah Witnesses in Norway will produse and explanation that is just a refund of salestax thru the Gambling Authoroty and if Bethel say we should do it we must follow direction. This bothered me as a beliving JW, because if we trust in Jehovah we should have the integrity and faith to avaid being cauth up in the dark corners of "satans system". As a young JW i remember that those that stumbled over "the norwegian gambling authoroty" was seem as weak and inmature christians and considered bad association. I therefor conformed like everyone else and made up excuses. The money watchtower recieves have an indirect link to gambling and a more direct link to taxation. The law would permit Jehovah Witnesses to get a more direct link to gambling income with a scheme called "grassrotsandel" that mean gamblers can chose to direct a percentage of the proceeds of the gambling to Watchtower. Also the law would open up for Watchtower to have their own lottery to benefit Watchtower. Its fair to say that watchtower have the integrity not to use these two options to make money.
But why is it ok with the double standard for Watchtower when it comes to money?
Young Jehovah Witnesses should throw away their dreams, their education, their worldly family to keep their path absolutly clean. School is a place for bad association, work its bad association etc. And every Jehovah Witness should stay away from anything that might stumble... Should not "gods spirit directed organisation" stay away from anything associated with gambling? I personally know Norwegian Jehovah Witnesses that have been stumbled by this. Was it worth stumbeling a fellow beliver?
If there is no good excuse to stumbling others or to bring reproach to Jehovah's name in any tother situation. Why are JW willing to let go of all these "principles" when it cames to MONEY?
Support my activism on Patreon:
patreon.com/user?u=21842830
Norwegian Gambling Authority: https://lottstift.no/en/
Anual Rapport 2022: lottstift.shinyapps.io/moms_utbetaling
Norwegian leigslation: https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2018-10-23-1600/
