how do current jw's feel about where their contibutions are being spent? (page 2)

Rosalee

Untill reading here, I had no idea there was a cash settlement. Haven't really looked into it much anyway. As was stated by earlier posters, most continue to donate as usual, feeling the Society will use the money as they see fit.

journey-on

Haven't really looked into it much anyway.

That says it all. Most JWs don't look...don't care...and couldn't understand the "fine print" anyway. Just sign on the dotted line and trust in Jehovah. Sheesh!!!

greendawn

It's total trust towards the mother organisation the FDS can't go wrong when it comes to using the contributions and some dubs contributed major amounts as cash real estate etc. Given the dictatorial nature of the making such questions could be taken as "rebellion against God's appointed leaders over his people" something that will incur the wrath of jehovah God.

Above all in the JW org no one questions how the FDS runs it, the spiritual, the administartive or financial side of it. That is absolutely forbidden.

journey-on

One of my absolute pet peeves is JW parents willing most of their estate to the WTB&TS. Don't the idiots realize that families are a unit and wealth is built up over time by contributing to that unit what you have built up over your lifetime. It's passed down generation to generation to better the family. When a family has this contribution from its past, it makes it easier for them to continue the building for the next generation. Just look at the wealthier families in our country and you will see a lot of their success is because the previous generation helped them get a step up. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize this.

I'm going to shout this out to all you JWs and lurkers who give even one single dime to the WTB&TS: YOU ARE MAKING THEIR FAMILIES WEALTHY.....NOT THE SOCIETY! Sure, a portion may go for printing presses, and Kingdom Halls, and whatever else, but I can guarantee if you had a way to investigate it, you will find that the individual families involved in the upper leadership moguls, are not living out of cardboard boxes.

Edit: Sorry for the shout out, but this IS my pet peeve because I've seen families struggle to provide for their children's education, buy a better home, put some away for their future, while their stupid JW parents think they're earning extra points with Jehovah by willing their estate (no matter how meager) to an organization that would kick them to the corner in a heartbeat for a single transgression.

Burger Time

I talked to my Mom and brother about this, they both said the same thing. The WTBS doesn't make all of it's money off of the contribution work. So they probably used investment monies such as wall street and such to pay for it. Even though they didn't have an answer when I asked what the original money was to invest. Even so it's just like every other donation based organization. You can tell someone who donates to the Red Cross till your blue in the face the things they misuse money for but it doesn't matter if they feel the organization is good.

MidwichCuckoo

I agree with nvrgbk - local dubs here believe contributions are barely keeping missionaries (World Wide Work)..everything is on a 'shoestring' - lol

reneeisorym

im an active jw too. but you know what? i donated the big pile of around 8$ in my LIFE yet! i did it when i was like 13 years old and never again. i always thought i can do it when im older (felt guilty about that often). now im adult and i dont donate either because i learned to many things about the org... i dont wanna help them.

in my case the balance is negative. 8$ for 26 years of magazines, bibles and books. yay.

Haha -- I thought I was the only one. I left at 23 and I don't remember giving anything but the change when I cleaned out my purse. I actually had gotten a donation in field service towards the end of my leaving and I ended up buying a coke with it.

Rosalee

Most of you claim you didn't support the donation arrangement .. or still don't. Is that how you deal with other areas of your life? Very telling. If you are wishy washy in something so important .. are so stingy in other things?

journey-on

the donation arrangement

I can't stand JW-speak anymore. It just turns by stomach.

WTWizard

Back when I was active, I used to pay for my literature as everyone else did. I put very little into the donation boxes--and I saw people that were quite poor dropping in $20 bills like they were nothing. And in 1990 and 1991, I donated moderately (usually what I got at the door plus enough to bring it up to what I had been paying). I didn't fall for that bulls*** about donating full price plus what I got at the door. At that time, I thought the money was going into the Bible Education Work, not the Pedophile Protection Fund that is going on now.

Then, around the middle of 1992, I noticed a series of bad things that always coincided with my donating for the new Kingdumb Hell (which I knew was totally unnecessary). They told us that it was for future expansion. At that point, I stopped totally on donating for local needs. I only donated whatever I got at the door, and rarely mentioned the donations to householders. And by 1993, I started stipulating any a$$embly donations on favorable events (which never happened, thanks to the hounders in the local congregation and the hounder-hounder). That alone must have cost them a good $500 in donations.

Beyond 1995, I didn't donate a penny. Even if the money was supporting Jehovah's arrangement, if Jehovah was not going to support my needs for the opposite sex, then why should I support his arrangement? I didn't give a #$*@ if the a$$embly was running critically in the red, or even if the Kingdumb Hell or A$$embly Hell was to be foreclosed. Or, if it meant they were not going to spread into Africa. In fact, I always hoped for deficits to be announced, and liked it when the congregation balance dropped to below $500 and they needed critical work or had a big payment coming due (I didn't donate a penny for it). Of course, to my dismay, there would always be influx of donations from others, most of who were poor, that would always run about $3,000 in the surplus.

My biggest worry now is that some of the Kingdumb Hell donations in 1991-92 were by checks. If they have any way of accessing the account or routing number, it would be theoretically possible for them to use those numbers to forge electronic checks in any amount that would suit their needs, and regularly clean out my account. They could easily check daily, and any new funds would quickly be met with another electronic check forged. Note that anyone who is currently donating money to that organization by check, debit card, or credit card is at high risk of this. The more recently you have last donated, the higher the odds that they still have the routing or account numbers and can forge authorization to take your whole account and any credit line you might have and use it for their nefarious purposes. It is not good to donate to this organization, let alone with a check or debit/credit card.

I think current JWs are being tricked still into trusting the Tower with their money. They are being tricked into thinking it's for a good cause, that the expenses are legitimate, and that their account and routing numbers are safe. I hope they are ready to embarrass the s*** out of the Puketower Society when unauthorized withdrawals start coming up out of their accounts or when a $50 authorized debit becomes a $500 or $5,000 withdrawal.

how do current jw's feel about where their contibutions are being spent?

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