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