by Calebs Airplane 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
i think it's more about control and convincing members that they are in a special club that is the only one that knows these things are wrong
You nailed it on the head.
So many things that are done is to make it like JWs are different from the rest. Be it politics, holidays, education, school, employment, etc.
Money donated via contributions stays pretty consistent throughout the year,
I suspect overall contributions are DOWN from what they were several years ago.
Why?
For one thing, cost of living is higher.
GAS/energy costs have soared. Food costs way up.
Employement & wages are down in many places.
But also, because there is NO EXCITEMENT among the Rank & File.
They are all just "going through the motions".
They are spending their money on THEMSELVES. New homes. New cars. Vacations (esp exotic vacations).
And it gripes the hell outta the WTS!
Plus, many of the R&F are shocked at the exhoirbitant charges for SADs and CAs when they "rent" the Assm Halls that they've already paid for!
Their heyday is over!
Doc
There is also the undeniable fact that refraining from celebrating birthdays, Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, etc. has the immediate and direct effect of socially isolating JWs from non-JW family members who might otherwise - by generous and loving actions on said holidays - plant little seeds of doubt and/or questions in the mind of an otherwise participating, dutiful JW as to whether he or she really is better off...
From an ideological POV, this is the predominant reason the WTS forbids these things (whether it's conciously aware of it or not), IMO; everything else is gravy.
I could be wrong.
Isolation is the key...think about it, if you celebrate birthdays you would have a party, you would go to others kids parties. This could easily be upwards of 30 parties a year when kids are young. That's means hours & hours of worldly fun & association. Same with sports.
Once kids know that you don't celebrate birthdays, or Xmas, or Easter, and you can't join the netball team, or go to their house after school, and no it's not ok for their mum to pick you up etc etc friends dry up pretty fast........you have years & years of aloneness with only the KH for company.
its a miserable thing to do to a child.
Isolation is the key...
Good point Pickler
The WTS. wants their devout members only associate wtih other members, in this way they can contain indoctrination and all of self induced programing.
Other religious cults act in the same manner.
Thats why you see JWS from child to elderly not associate very much with non-JWS., its essentially frowned upon.
This has the effect of putting up walls and boundaries around the flock so there's a decrease of losing obtained members.
And as for the WTS. receiving $2.1 billion a year, is so nonsensical and ridicules, I'm surprising someone would even post this.
