In what ways does the Watchtower Society resemble a business?
THE WATCHTOWER COMPANY
by anewme 11 Replies latest jw friends
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Stealth453
In everything they do.
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anewme
Thanks Stealth! I guess I should have thought it all out a bit more before I posted the topic.
Im sure its been dealt with a million times before on this forum.
But I thought for the sake of the newbies it would be healthy for them to see how much the Watchtower Society resembles a business and not a religion.
It has a president and not a leader
It has a work force (granted a FREE LABOR workforce)
It has a the business of printing and disseminating Bible literature
It has reports, accounts, published tallies or hours,
And last but not least it has FIRINGS -
crazyblondeb
It puts pressure on it's "salesmen" when "quota" isn't made!!
SALE MORE, MAKE MORE MONEY!!
After baptism, you might as well sign a confidentiality paper. If you devulge secrets, or question them, YOU ARE OUT!!
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garybuss
All Watch Tower Society (Corporation) activities have to do with the books the leaders published.
Personal study is reading the books the leaders published. Meetings are studying the books the leaders published. Service is distributing the books the leaders published. Bible studies are sessions indoctrinating new workers by using the books the leaders published.
Kingdom Halls are distribution centers where inventory is stocked and a special literature counter is provided and staffed with volunteer workers for the sales people to pick up the books the leaders published. Contribution boxes are conveniently placed for "publishers" to pay by donation for the literature the leaders published.
The worldwide ministry is to increase the distribution of the books the leaders published. The Corporation's school for missionaries is called Gilead, and it's purpose is to teach members how to start new congregations using the books the leaders published.
Member's weekly schedules revolve around the study and distribution of literature the leaders wrote and published. That schedule is set up by the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation.
Saturday morning is devoted to distributing magazines the leaders wrote and published.
Sunday public talk meeting is given from an outline the leaders wrote and published on a topic selected by the leaders and referenced by books the leaders wrote and published.
Sunday Watchtower Study meeting is reading from and studying a magazine the leaders wrote and published.
Tuesday book study meeting is reading from and studying a book the leaders wrote and published.
Wednesday is preparing for Thursday night meetings by reading books the leaders wrote and published.
Thursday Theocratic Ministry School is speaking from and reading from books the leaders wrote and published.
Thursday Service Meeting is a sales meeting training for presentations to distribute books and magazines the leaders wrote and published. The Service Meeting is also used to announce staff additions, changes, or deletions as approved by the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation.
Daily texts are read daily from a book the leaders wrote and published.
Yearly conventions are sponsored by the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation. The highlight is the release of new publications the leaders wrote and published and the water baptism of new "Publishers" who agree to be identified with the Publishing Corporation, calling themselves the "Spirit Directed Organization".
Members are called "publisher" and only qualify to be recognized as members if they engage in the distribution of books and magazines the leaders wrote and published and then report that engagement on Field Service Report forms that the leaders published.
("Publisher" is dictionary defined as One that is engaged in publishing printed material.) -
edmond dantes
Gary,
You are spot on.The kingdom hall is more like a place of corporate sales than a place of worship,more like a hotel function room.
Worship they say .More like a duff insurance policy scam with no pay out at the end.
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What-A-Coincidence
This question reminds me of a morning worship session at bethel from a Governing Body member, it went somewhat like this, "Without morning worship, and the Bethel Family Watchtower study...we would just be another company."
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Pahpa
Rutherford was probably closer to the truth when he called the congregations "companies" with "company servants" taking the lead. When I first attended meetings in the early 50s, service charts that recorded time, placements, studies, etc. were prominently displayed on stage especially during the Service Meetings. Time was devoted in analyzing these charts and considering ways to improve the numbers. It was just like a business meeting. Eventually, these charts were relegated to small notices that were posted on the bulletin board in the back of the Kingdom Halls. But the "company" spirit continued especially when the Circuit Servant visited and evaluated the Service Record Cards of each individual in the congregation. No wonder the Watchtower used the terminology of business to describe its markets: circuits, districts, zones.
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DJK
One thing they don't do that a well recognized business or corporation will do, REFUNDS! MONEY BACK GAURANTEES!
Caveat emptor.
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garybuss
In 1917 the Society was obviously populated with people who appreciated Rutherford and his political agenda to turn the company completely into a political lobbying venue. Canada quickly recognized what the Watch Tower Company was and soon followed by the United States.
The Society officers were convicted for political crimes and sent to prison. After his prison stay and solidification of his power base, Rutherford appreciated that he didn't have the laws supporting the kind of a company he wanted to run, so he set out to change the laws.
Rutherford successfully and legally made everything from politics to door to door sales a religious behavior. Rutherford was like the Watch Tower Corporation leadership today, he had contempt for the people who were doing the work for him. He disrespected them on every level possible and took pride in putting them in harm's way.
The first meeting I remember was the district assembly in Sioux Falls in 1949 when I was 5. We didn't attend meetings regularly until I was 7 in 1951. All through the 50's we had large lettered wall charts showing hours worked and number of items sold. Once a month there was a service meeting segment analyzing the wall chart that was mounted on a hinged frame. The chart was unhooked and swung away from the wall for easy member viewing.
The Society's success is still measured by them in terms of literature distributors and items distributed. Their yearly reports never report on the number of square feet of buildings they control or any real financial information such as income, cash reserves, or investments. The sleeping giant is their expenditures in the context of undisclosed conflicts of interest. A company that has secrets has something to hide.