Peddlers

The WTS has frequently bragged that it is the largest private publishing company in the entire world. It produces about a BILLION pieces of literature a year. That's a piece of literature for one out of six people on this planet.

They revel in their vast numbers of literature printed and "placed." They built vast edifices to their own glory from the profit they make on their literature. Their elite drive the finest cars, eat the finest food, stay in the fanciest hotels and travel first class whereever they go. They force their membership to remember the prime directive of the WTS: buy and sell our literature or God will kill you. No one, and I mean virtually NO one can become a dub without having bought, and sold WTS literature.

In view of that, and especially in view of the sheer scope and volume of WT literature produced and sold each year, can any honest person say the verses below apply less to the WTS than it does to any other religion? Can any other Christian religion even come CLOSE to fitting the description below, when compared with the WTS?

"...And who is adequately qualified for these things? [making the truth about Christ known] We are; for we are not peddlers of the word of God as many men are, but as out of sincerity, yes, as sent from God, under God's view, in company with Christ, we are speaking." - 2 Cor 2:16, 17

I was curious as to how the WTS would try to explain away that this verse cannot properly apply to them, and found this gem:

"11 Witnesses are taking the initiative and are discreetly preaching to people in large parking areas, shopping malls, factories, offices and businesses, schools, police stations, gas stations, hotels and restaurants, and on the streets. In fact, they preach wherever people can be found. And when people are at home, then the Witnesses continue calling on them there. This adaptable and pragmatic approach is resulting in increased distribution of Bible literature. Sheeplike ones are being found. New Bible studies are being started. The greatest educational work in human history is being carried out zealously by over five and a half million volunteer ministers! Do you have the privilege of being one of them? - 2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 3:5, 6." - WT 6/15/98, p. 19.

Priceless! They cite the very verse (verse 17) that condemns them for the very thing they are bragging about! Of course, dumb dubbies won't look it up and see the hypocrisy, and even if they do look it up, the irony of it all will go completely over their heads.

Here's another gem:

"Occasionally some have alleged that the Witnesses are paid for their ministry. Nothing could be further from the truth! They take seriously Paul's words to the congregation in Corinth: "We are not peddlers of the word of God as many men are, but as out of sincerity, yes, as sent from God, under God's view, in company with Christ, we are speaking."-2 Corinthians 2:17." - WT 8/15/94, p. 9.

This is a delightful strawman fallacy. They have argued that the lowest people on the WT totem pole, the rank and file do not benefit or get paid for their book selling. This is, true. I would assume to be considered a "peddler" of something, one would have to profit from a sale. The R & F are not profiting themselves, but they are acting as surrogate peddlers from the ones who ARE profiting. Their religious masters in Brooklyn take in far more than they spend. That is profiting. Therefore, the WTS leaders are peddlers of the word of God, and are the biggest peddlers of such on this planet. Not only that, the largest peddling of God's word they do is to their very own followers.

A reasonable person knows that while the Bible IS a big book, it wouldn't take a religion over a hundred years to explain it, no matter how they explained or interpreted it.  It wouldn't take a plethora of new books, new booklets, new pamphlets and new magazines every year for over a hundred years to explain it.  A wannabe prosperous and successful book peddler would also recognize this, as the WTS has done.  Hence "progressive revelation!"  Never-ending new and different explanations of the same verses would mean never-ending opportunites to print and peddler books.  But that should only be done in moderation, lest the flock grumble.  In the meantime, never-ending RESTATING the SAME explanations over and over and over would give never-ending opportunities to peddle yet more new books.  This is especially true if you've brainwashed your flock that they must buy these books or die. 



Why I was so stupid as to not make these simple conclusions when I was a dub and first read 1 Cor 2:18, I'll never know. Why dubs today cannot see how obvious this is, I'll never know.



Farkel

I have been reading Steve Hassan's book on Releasing the Bond.  I was surprised to see the number of groups that claim to be Christian but are really cults.  One aspect that most of them had was getting their members to sell something, and to make selling a big part of being a good member.

Hmmmm..............

Blondie

Very interesting points sir. I suppose in the beginning printed material was not a bad method of self-promotion. But it became the master. The JW's now serve the beastly press offerings. They changed the spoken word from the Bible to the printed interpretations of a printing company who uses bible-like subjects. The WTS throw around Bible terms and names to legitimize their tax-free status. They have convinced the RF of the value of their printed crap and these ones willing run around presenting it to the public all the while believing God will reward them! What a racket! Reminds me of Huck Finn and painting the fence! Maverick

13 years ago, I got involved in a multi-level company.  The entire process is very similar to how the JW's go about doing what they do. 

It is also known as "The Big Store" con.

Corvin

 

But Farkel!

They don?t sell anything! They place their literature with honest hearted people!

No one is making a profit, it?s just to cover the cost of printing!

I knew this at five years old doing door-to-door work (alone). After my first success I excitedly ran back to the car group and announced ?I sold ?em!?.

Boy did that embarrass my grandmother in front of her friends.

She sternly said, ? You placed them. Don?t you ever say sold, ever!?

I wonder how much of this is true with christendom...."they take in far more than they spend"

Churches in my area seem to flourish with add on's, Building bigger ones for the outgrowth, and such. I suppose they too operate in the positive class flow system for the most part, ........but how many inclusive churches are as succesfull as the dubs? We can all be proud that we were of a select few cults in the world who can build an empire  as they have, out of poop. Even sharpie Charles Manson, couldn't get past the white trash level on the financial totem pole......but Russell and Rutherford.........they were good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gumby

I recall my mother has this "we are not peddlers" scripture noted in the endpages of her bible where she keeps all her notes.



I'm not sure exactly how her thought process works on this, but it is probably as simple as this:



Householder: why are you selling God's word?



Mom: No, we are not selling, because we are not peddlers, see this scripture says so: "we are not peddlers". Q.E.D.

Quotes....lol

I well remember the mindset your mom had.

Gumby

Farkel, if the time ever comes when you decide to write your book about the Watchtower, I think you've got your title:

BUY THIS BOOK

OR GOD WILL KILL YOU!

"No one, and I mean virtually NO one can become a dub without having bought, and sold WTS literature."

Hmmm.... sounds like a challenge...

Mustang

Please note, I am not a WT apologist, but.....

Really?  The finest?  Like a Porshe 911?  A stay at Trump towers?  Sorry, Farkel -- I don't think so.  The Watcthower elite don't stay at Motel 6's but not exactly the "finest" either...

Yours in pedanticism,

Bradley

Nothing is further from the truth!

Priceless

logansrun,

: Really?  The finest?  Like a Porshe 911?  A stay at Trump towers?  Sorry, Farkel -- I don't think so.  The Watcthower elite don't stay at Motel 6's but not exactly the "finest" either...

: Yours in pedanticism,

Yep.  You are a pedant allright!  Their are several (four at last count) GB members who are in their mid 90's.  I'm sure a Porche 911, or even a Porche 959 would not  be their car of choice.  But you know what?  If they WANTED one, they would have it.

Trump Towers is not the "finest" hotel in Manhatten.  Milton Henschel stayed in a five STAR Hotel in Malta, and we know the pattern established by JFR that the GB ARE treated like royalty whereever they go.

My argument is that basically, they are treated like kings and travel like kings.  Whether they always stay in the BEST hotels in every place they visit, does not negate that argument.  They are not the least bit frugal when it comes to their own comfort, Mr. Pedant!

Farkel

What about all the literature that goes in the trash.  We threw out all of my mother's old magazines and tapes last week.  She had accumulated a huge stack, but told me to throw them out.  She isn't keeping the old ones anymore.

We also sent two big boxes out with a charity pickup.  Saved us a trip to the dump.

3 entries found for Pedant.

ped·ant    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (pdnt) n. One who pays undue attention to book learning and formal rules. One who exhibits one's learning or scholarship ostentatiously. Obsolete. A schoolmaster.

Damn I hate it when I have to look up words!

Gumby

As far as the mags that get trashed.  I was magazine servant in two congregations and P.O. in another and I personally burned thousands (no exaggeration) of mags that published never picked up or secretly returned to the KH and discretely left there.

One of the, if not the, most vocal group that accused the WTS of being nothing more than a book-selling operation was (surprise, surprise!) those who left the WTS in the late 20s; sick and tired of "service directors" running around and harassing them to distribute Rutherford's "rainbow." These disaffectioned complainers were subsequently classified as the evil slave (damn them anyway):

W7/15/30 215

The ?evil servant? class represent the great enemy, and under his influence insist that the Society is a book-selling arrangement operated for the benefit of man. This charge not only is false, but is a blasphemy against God because it brings reproach upon him and his work.

This "evil slave," who watched firsthand as Rutherford changed the WTS into a publishing company, and had the guts to tell the truth of it, continued to be a pain in his side till the day he died.

The "insiders" saw, and knew.