by JWRESEARCH 43 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Gary,
Great description of the history of the real estate development and publishing cult. But one detail you missed. There was a large board at all KHs with all our production statistics and each month the congregation would review magazine and book sales and compare these statistics to the benchmarks established by the society. If we were behind in production the numbers would be in red.
ah, the good ol' days...
Is this the start of selling all the KH properties in the future and having all meetings in the homes of JWs.?
Gas prices bring a halt to the meetings eh? Sheesh why did Hitler go to the bother of unleashing the SS to stop the Witnesses? All you have to do is increase travel costs now and they will call it a day.
That is a truly pathetic excuse and I am really curious to see if it is indeed mentioned in the letter.
Gas prices bring a halt to the meetings eh? Sheesh why did Hitler go to the bother of unleashing the SS to stop the Witnesses? All you have to do is increase travel costs now and they will call it a day.
That is a truly pathetic excuse and I am really curious to see if it is indeed mentioned in the letter.
No kidding. How do "gas prices" affect the brothers who swim uphill both ways through crocodile infested quicksand just to make meetings?
And, after taking inflation into account, weren't gas prices higher in the late 70's / early 80's anyway?
How do "gas prices" affect the brothers who swim uphill both ways through crocodile infested quicksand just to make meetings?
You read my mind Sir82!
I was also thinking of how ones who spend their last rouble and travel a whole week on a rickety train to get to a Russian Convention are put up as examples of those who appreciate 'Jehovah's provisions.' I don't think this decision is because of sympathy with the R&F's economic difficulties.
I don't think this decision is because of sympathy with the R&F's economic difficulties.
That's how they will spin it anyway. The letter will make it sound like such a loving provision that takes
into consideration the hardships of the brothers and sisters. Baloney! It's about $$$ and lawsuits and
high control, imo.
The letter will make it sound like such a loving provision that takes into consideration the hardships of the brothers and sisters.
I continue to be astounded by the apparent lack of consistency checks by the guys who write this stuff.
How many articles have appeared on the backs of Watchtowers, extolling Brother Mandingo who, trusting in Jehovah, sold his family farm and used the money to buy a used bicycle so as to never miss any of the 5 meetings? And brothers risking their lives in places where life-and-death persecution was taking place, so as to never miss a meeting?
And now, for the first time in JW history, the US publishers are slightly inconvenienced by rising gas prices, and so let's drop a meeting night?
If you were Brother Mandingo and made so many sacrifices to attend meetings, buying the hype that they are oh so vital, how would you feel when you read about how it's a "burden" for Brother Yahoo to fill his Hummer H2 every week so he can attend book study?
Something tells me the explanatory letter will read a wee bit different in African / South American countries.
I continue to be astounded by the apparent lack of consistency checks by the guys who write this stuff.
How many articles have appeared on the backs of Watchtowers, extolling Brother Mandingo who, trusting in Jehovah, sold his family farm and used the money to buy a used bicycle so as to never miss any of the 5 meetings? And brothers risking their lives in places where life-and-death persecution was taking place, so as to never miss a meeting?
Well, it has reached critical mass now.
To quote Spock (Star Trek)...."The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
When it was just poor ole Bro. Mandingo struggling...so what!? But now, it's everybody, and the WTS cannot afford to lose them all to high gas prices!
You wrote: "Great description of the history of the real estate development and publishing cult. But one detail you missed. There was a large board at all KHs with all our production statistics and each month the congregation would review magazine and book sales and compare these statistics to the benchmarks established by the society. If we were behind in production the numbers would be in red."
Good save! I almost blew it! Our company had two swing out boards. One for the west unit and one for the east unit. Those were years of objective growth. They sort of had something to brag about. The statistics weren't religious statistics though, there were a sales company's distribution record.
We did actual cash sales. No giving books away! We bought the books and magazines at a discount at the literature counter at the government hall, went out in the cold and sold em and pocketed the two cent spread on the magazines. The sales price was printed right on the magazine cover.
We did our best to hide who were selling for at the doors. We'd lay the Awake! magazine over the Watchtower, we'd tell the homeowner's we were Bible Students, we'd tell them the Jehovah's Witness literature was non-denominational. All deceptive!
We were under-qualified people representing an unpopular group, delivering an unreliable message, to unappreciative people in a deceptive way.
All that work, all those sales meetings, all that paper wasted and nothing of value was accomplished, nothing at all.
Geez... Am I ever old. I remember the door to door sales in the evening in the 1950's before the book "study"
Garybuss ... Do you remember when they discontinued this practice? I was only a kid but it seemed to me not too many people were enthused about evening whitlessing and this was in their gung-ho period.
Thanks to New york44 for a trip down memory lane for the "sales result chart" that was held monthly to chastise us if our quotas and goals were not met. After all if a 90 year old blind woman in a wheelchair could get in her 10 hours a month why couldn't we..
I am glad to see the BS going down in history. I am leaning towards legal liability issues as the real reason for it's demise but perhaps things will become clearer as time goes on.
No kidding. How do "gas prices" affect the brothers who swim uphill both ways through crocodile infested quicksand just to make meetings?
Just noticed this LMAO...
