Any diminishing of the pressure on Witnesses to engage in door-to-door activity with the publications flowing from that system could eventually cause that empire to crumble or require its being largely dismantled. I seriously believe that for many of those in the organizational leadership, the very idea of this is unthinkable."
The Watchtower is essentially a gigantic paid clergy publishing company which makes its money off of volunteer labor and real estate. Anything or anyone that doesn't contribute to it, is viewed as a threat. When I was at the KM School last year, Bro. Mercante was the chairman, and he did the part on Education. The part he did was pretty much a prelude to the Divine Education part done at Service Meetings a couple weeks back. During that part at the KM School, he pretty much stated that if any one decides to either themselves or support their young adult sons/daughters in persuing a college education, that person is displaying a lack of faith in The Slave, and by their actions are saying that they know better than the GB. During that part he went out of his way in a personal attempt to awe us in attendance of the fact that he personally gets to report to those of the annointed who will someday be in heaven. I guess he's on the Writing Committee or the Teaching Department, or whatever. He stated that he and another non-annointed brother would sometimes say amongst themselves in more words or less, "Wow, we're working for and with someone who's going to be in heaven someday!"
At that point, I had a couple thoughts to myself, one being he's really delusional and at the same time creature worshiping. But the other thing that really stood out to me was that his entire way of living is directly tied up with the going ons of average every day JWs. If those JWs aren't out there volunteering their time and resources for the Org, than Bro. Mercante's way of life is threatened, and at his age, that can't be a good thing. I couldn't imagine being Medicare aged and having to fend for myself for the first time in my life. Ya know, getting a job, paying bills, washing my own clothes, saving money and all the other things that go in harmony with, doing for self. Those in powerful places in WT-Land, just can't afford this gravy train coming to an end.
edit post: I was starting to wash some dishes, and I thought about the couple JW families I know with cleaning companies. For the record I hate the gross stereotype of JWs being window washers as I find that offensive considering the far majority of JWs that I know who DONT make a living doing such. However, there are plenty of JW who are in good standing, and plenty who are Circuit Stars who have businesses in construction, maintenance, and cleaning amongst other trades, who make a signifcant amount of their living due to the social network and readily available customers amongst their fellow JW brothers and sisters. In my congregation alone, I can think of 3 families at least who would take a significant financial loss if the congregation dissolved overnight. You could say that those same families have a lot at stake with this organization and stand to lose as much as WT Heavyweights if something were to ever impact this organization in a negative way.
