Sectarian Tactics

[salimondo]

[yes, true believers -- the Stitch-Faced American Sweetheart lives on, but the third part is stretching my head and will appear as soon as it achieves manageable shape

Comments

[stevensteven]

Nice!

[salimondo]

Thanks. I really want to see sects handle as much of their members' educational and retirement needs as they can in-house because there's no sense in throwing all that money back to the secular establishment. And I would expect that devotees would much rather retire to a profess house than agonize over their portfolios. I know I would!

It might be unfortunate to say groups should "eat their own dog food" in this context but you know what I mean.

[thiebes]

Excellent. The grudging/generous bit is especially thought-provoking.

As for providing needs... every Thelemite needs a Liber Oz Poster, no? ;)

[thiebes]

LOL well, calling it scarlet would be correct (crimson, not so much) but the other colors are actually descriptive. The olive is greenish brown, like olive, see. The slate has a blue hue to it. The lapis is a deep and rich blue, rather than primary blue. The red, however, is bright-god-damn-red. :) But maybe I should change the name to scarlet like you suggest.

[revlainiep]

Hrm. Facinating. What about encouraging members to take out life insurance policies so as to benefit the organization?

Double Down

[salimondo]

Thanks. This is a good idea in line with the burial society model. What I would suggest actually is that the group act as underwriter for any policies that get taken out:

SECULAR MODEL
1. Members insure themselves with the group as beneficiary.
2. Secular insurance company pockets the premiums and fees.
3. If policy is still in force when member dies, group gets the benefit.

SECTARIAN MODEL
1. Members pay into a licensed and legit group "widows and orphans" program.
2. The group gets to reinvest the money here and now.
3. Widows and orphans are taken care of.
4. Instead of waiting for me to die, the group has had a few decades to use my money, perhaps buying a working farm or apartment building to generate income.
5. I have successfully cheated my aeonic competitors in the insurance company out of my money.

Re: Double Down

[revlainiep]

Good thinking, though the outside insurance idea might be a good stepping stone for an organization that needs to raise the cash to begin a legit widows and orphans fund.

Building a Bridge

[salimondo]

Nothing wrong with membership naming the group as a beneficiary on existing policies -- but then we need to wait for the membership to die before doing anything, and in the meantime we're still pumping money into the secular insurers