The Yearbook is always beaming with pictures, descriptions, and glowing testamony of the new buildings the Watchtower purchased, renovated or built. Is this in fact "Building Worship"? I mean do the poor 3 Million Witnesses who meet in shacks on dirt floors, really care or understand these pictures, from their rich western society Brothers?
Yearbooks= Does Bethel "worship" new Watchtower buildings and branches?
by Witness 007 9 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Gopher
They usually hold fancy dedication ceremonies, and fly in a representative from world headquarters to addressed those "privileged" to attend.
I think the worship is more directed towards the organization behind those buildings. "Look at US! We have Jehovah's blessing! Keep following US! "
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the_end_of_eternity
It looks like it, in a limited way indeed.....
those people from the more poor countries like mine, do not have that feeling, that it is all rich. It is relatively to other buildings, churches etc not too bad, and far away.
They don't care to much for those pictures.Maybe a bit more for the regional bethel building which can be quite nice in comparision with the average buildings in those countries. And teh stanard of living of the bethelites, CO, DO etc, is mostly a lot higher then 'nornal' brothers and sisters. I think that this last is much more painfull then the building in crooklin...
end of eternity
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Justitia Themis
Interesting you mention this. We had a Bethel speaker for our Memorial this year. Rather than sing during the opening song, he kept his head bowed and eyes closed in deep, deep prayer..sitting in the second row from the front so EVERYONE could see him. (insert eye roll here)
During his talk, he spoke of what motivated him to "believe" that we are God's organization and implanted in him the desire to go to Bethel. You are not going to believe what he said...I kid you not...he said, "I looked at all our buildings and thought, "LOOK HOW RICH WE ARE!"
AFTER I recovered from the shock, I whispered to the sister next to me, "Good thing he didn't visit the Vatican first! They are "richer" than we are, so I guess he would have become a priest!"
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steve2
Related question: Has the JW yearbook for next year been released yet?
The January 15th Watchtower discreetly informed readers that the annual report of JW activity will no longer be published in the Watchtower but, as usual, still be in the yearbook. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest activity figures to see how they are doing in terms of growth or shrinkage.
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Witness 007
The Mormons have some incredible buildings...and the muslims...and all religions in general. It's funny how poor Witnesses scrounge and save money for a Kingdom Hall...and then give it to Bethel, rather then keep it in the comunity.
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fresia
wont matter how they are doing in growth or shinkage.
growth is up....the last shout is comin' and Jehovah is speeding up the work the end is nigh
no growth.......we are near the end all the sheep are almost in, we should expect this as the day draws near.
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2112
When I was still in the borg I went to a South American country to visit my wife's family. While there we went to their hall. It was appaling, crumbling walls, a tin roof full of holes. The seats were concrete blocks with a rotting piece of wood laid across them. The few lights they had were strung up using bare wire under some of them were right under some of the holes in the roof and if it rained they would lose lights as they would short out.
Well I came beck from they and I told the elders in my hall of the situation that their fellow brothres in Christ were in, and asked if we as a congregation could help. I have to say that during the two years prior to my trip our hall had been making plang, voting etc on remodling our hall. We as a congregation had already paid this "brother" architect three different times to design the thing. (Then four more times after that mind you). Our hall was by no means a wealthy one, and with each new set of plans paid for the funds would be depleted for the remodal so we would hear the cries for more money. But I digress....
I told the elders that what we have is a palace compaired to what they have. I was given the old - "We can't make a hall that stands out like the churches do, it has to blend in with the neighborhood it is in." I said that their hall stands out now because it is the dump of the neighborhood it is in. I was then told that if I wanted to send them a few dollars that would be ok as long as I did not neglect our own hall. Or I could ask Brooklyn to help them. I then said why don't we ask the congregation what they would like to do and then as a congregation make a dicision. I was told no and then told not to try and start something by talking to anyonw about this.
They told me that "We need the hall remodeled since other local halls were remodeled recently. Well the recently remdeled hall they were refering to housed three congregations that are in very affluent areas, $500,000 homes and up. Their hall was re-carpeted, and re-wallpapered about every six to eight months. Just so you know it took that hall four more years to actually get remodeled, I had left the borg by then and so when I was told,four years later, that they started their remodel project, I just laughed.
This came at a time when I was starting to have doubts and was a real turning point for me. Love among themselves my butt!
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Witness 007
Our hall had the roof re-done in tin because the tiles were too heavy...maybe built too quick!! Cost a fortune.
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Bangalore
Now that the WT is closing branches in many areas, I wonder how they feel.
Bangalore