by InterestedOne 56 Replies latest jw friends
I know at least one GB members has a $100k mercedes benz. Dude that got back from bethel told me. He insisted that it was a "gift."
-Sab
Can you sell gifts like that? If so, I would "counsel" him to sell it, give the money to the www, and drive a honda accord - reliable car, less money, and the "work" is furthered.
Is there any documentation for this kind of thing - expensive gifts, etc.?
Another thing my JW friend says to me when I question the WT is, "what would their motivation be? They're so humble and no-one gets paid except a basic living allowance for the workers at Bethel.
You could reasonably make the same argument about Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. Jones was not getting very rich off of it - the Guyana complex was arguably a slum - but he got to be the big master over his people with power over every aspect of their lives, including life and death.
Same for the Watchtower heavies - the ultimate power trip, except in their case, with far more money to play with - building buildings, new halls, factories, selling one facility or another, and having absolute power over their followers. For the right kind of personality, this is more important than a big personal salary or a big personal bank account.
Practically all the literature leads back to the root purpose of perpetuating this power trip for the elite. Not just the governing body, either, there must be literally a few hundred who get to lord it over the rank & file and have guaranteed lifetime easy streets off of it.
For the right kind of personality, this is more important than a big personal salary or a big personal bank account.
I'm continually amazed at how my personality affects how I evaluate things. I'm pragmatic and not interested in power trips. I tend to ask practical questions like "why bother with all this nonsense unless there is some practical benefit like making a living, etc." But, you're right, why would Jim Jones bother to move his whole thing down to Guyana? The only answer is that he was on a power trip. Wow. So that's how these guys are. They do this because they like it. They come up with strained defenses for their doctrines and write all this literature telling people what to do because they like the exercise. Wow. It's completely alien to how I think, but I guess these types are out there who would take it this far.
Wow. So that's how these guys are. They do this because they like it.
Well, remember - it is just my theory...but yes, I really think they do this simply because they like it. They like the power, the authority, the adulation, and the complete feeling of security without ever having to work a real job.
Yeah I know it's only a theory, but it makes sense the more I think about it. It could be that simple. Like in a regular corporation, the GB are at the top and the District Overseers and CO's are like middle management. They have a feeling of power, and their living expenses are taken care of. They need to keep it going, or they would lose the career they have invested themselves in. Once you get below the CO level, you have to work a regular job, so I would think there would be a lot of competition among local elders hoping to be appointed to a paid position.
Am I missing any other paid (i.e. don't have to work a regular job) positions connected with the org? I recall reading that it is broken up into several corporations, so I would think there could be other positions involved. Just trying to understand the overall picture. That's why I was asking things like what exactly is this "legal department" and how does it fit into the picture financially. What about the actual president and board of directors? Are they already independently wealthy, or do they work day jobs?
So, I hope we're not saying that this is like the Jerry Sinfeld show...just a show about 'nuthin'!?
Or, are all these phoney & deceitful actions taken by the GB are 'cause they believe theyr'e doing a good work. That they want to perpetuate it, for their own welfare, aggrandizement and a roof over their heads,...well maybe partly.
If we only could...follow the money....where would it lead? hmm illuminatti? By all the donations, what could we actually be contributing to? War weapons? ?????????New world order????
my 2 cents
clarity
bttt......I am interested in answers to some of this too . When someone is used as a consultant for the WTBTS how much are they paid ? What about the legal department what kind of wages do they get ? Is it listed somewhere ?
Interested,
Yes, I made some money off of this non-profit that I'm not naming for a reason. Everyone on this board knows them and trusts them unless they worked for them at the level I did. I quit because I had a meeting with all of highest level people from across the country. They were actually going to go back and collect money, through strong arm tactics, from people that had gone through bankruptcy (baiting them that they were "here to help"). The greed of these people was unbelievable.
The people at the top of a non-profit get the bucks but not through a salary necessarily. There are many books on how to make money through non-profits and organized religion are the best at it.
Ever sit at a picnic table to eat your potato salad and have an annoying fly buzz over your food? It lands and you shoo it away. Again and again and again.
It is deterred by nothing you can do.
But, this isn't anything more than single-mindedness reduced to instinct without a mind.
With Jehovah's Witnesses it is about that simple, too.
Reward is RIGH THERE just so close....so close....so very close...
but, day to day annoyances keeping shooing their reward away agains and again and again.
What else would they do?
Flies buzz around an annoy seeking a morsel.
Jehovah's Witnesses buzz around and annoy while seeking the reward.
MOTIVATION? That's a bit too profound for what they do!
Once you buy the PREMISE of Jehovah you are in for the long haul.
Being waved away from the promise over and over and over again is just part of the dance......
I think we should think of them as Jehovah's NITWitnesses.
Badcompany, I totally understand not saying the specific name of the company you dealt with, and I wouldn't ask for it. The specific name doesn't really matter to me anyway. The thing that matters is the method. I'm curious about the structure of the WT, how it compares to other nonprofits, and how it could possibly provide a framework for people to make money. I'm trying to look past the idealistic facade of them claiming to be so "spiritual" to see if there is another basic motivation for them to keep their organization going. As you said, I'm sure there are books about how people make money with nonprofits. I haven't read up on it (I welcome any reading suggestions though), but I was just wondering if some people here might have more expertise in this area & could break it down as it applies to the WT. It would be really cool if the WT itself provided a diagram of its organizational structure including its budget. They provide those elaborate diagrams of their Bible chronology. Why not provide an accurate, clear diagram of how they are organized so people know exactly what they are giving their money to?
