by James Jackson 43 Replies latest jw friends
About my previous post. Sorry for the vent! Money means very little to me anymore since I'm getting older and wiser. Atlanta brothers and sisters, I aplologize. I love Atlanta. Take comfort that your money will provide the gb with nice new. luxury accomodations in warwick.
just saying!
eyeuse2badub
There's a real simple fix, in my opinion. Instead of your volunteer workforce wasting its time in pointless "field service," convert them into a construction crew. Let publishers count their time for building projects. Train them to perform useful tasks. Then flip those properties a few years after they've been built. Leadership could simply give out lame excuses for the sales and the flock would either buy it or not ask questions.
The infrastructure is already in place. If the Watchtower ever moves in that the direction, it will signal to me that the men running the organization are more cynical than I imagined.
I was looking for the quote about never soliciting and found this article referenced here http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/donations.html
Awake! 1975 September 8 pp.24-26 Economic Woes Strike the Churches
Where Is Spiritual Food?
There is another reason for the economic woes and it is related to this matter of wrong teachings. It is the growing awareness on the part of the public that the churches have not provided real spiritual benefits for their members.
No doubt this is the reason that a number of religious periodicals have folded up and gone out of business in recent months. Says The Christian Century: "The fact is that within American Protestantism the general religious periodical is almost extinct.''
But is there a religious group that does not accent the material side of things? Are there publications that lead one to forsake wrong habits and practices and thinking, and that really assist one to make one's mind over to be Godlike?
Well, consider: Back in 1879 in the second issue of The Watchtower (then called Zion's Watch Tower), it was noted:
"'Zion's Watch Tower' has, we believe, JEHOVAH for its backer, and while this is the case it will never beg nor petition men for support. When He who says: 'All the gold and silver of the mountains are mine,' fails to provide necessary funds, we will understand it to be time to suspend the publication."
That issue of the magazine cost five cents. Today The Watchtower still costs five cents in the U.S.A.—in spite of much higher production and mailing costs. It has grown from a circulation of a few thousand to almost ten million copies printed every two weeks. Would that not indicate that it has had a real and powerful effect in changing people's viewpoint for the better? Yes, it has emphasized spiritual values, not material ones.
During more than ninety-six years of publication, The Watchtower has constantly advocated the high principles of Jehovah God, as taught in the Bible. Many persons have been reading The Watchtower for decades. Logically, they have come to appreciate how it directs one's attention to the Bible. True, they, like everyone else, have their share of personal financial problems. But is it not a comfort for them to know that in the local congregation of Jehovah's witnesses they will never be tithed to pay out a percentage of their income? Nor will unscriptural money-raising schemes be imposed on them. It is at the Kingdom Hall that an unobtrusive contribution box is located for use by those who wish voluntarily to give money to support the work of the congregation. Donations mailed to the headquarters of the Watch Tower Society are also unsolicited and entirely voluntary.
So it appears that the woes that have come upon the churches are not simply the result of current economic problems. Does it not seem to be that they have lost the backing of the people because they no longer pursue spiritual riches, but, rather, material ones? Why give your support to them? Instead, associate with those who are enjoying real and lasting spiritual good.
Chinny reckon!
There are many forms of stealing. This deceit is one form of it. And they so love this teaching by the GB! NOT! My guess is some will stop donating or even hitting the zeal killswitch. I certainly would.
IMO soon there will be no more WT and/or Awake for the large public, maybe another scaling down to 8 pages will do it also.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see the congregations with bunches of money saved up...tell the wts "NO! It belongs to our congregation." Or better still.... give it all back to the members.
*** w59 5/1 p. 285 Sharing the Good News by Contributing Personally ***
BACK in August, 1879, this magazine said: "‘Zion’s Watch Tower’ has, we believe, JEHOVAH for its backer, and while this is the case it will never beg nor petition men for support. When He who says: ‘All the gold and silver of the mountains are mine,’ fails to provide necessary funds, we will understand it to be time to suspend the publication."
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w87 12/1 p. 30:
"Unlike the churches of Christendom, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not take up collections or send out envelopes to solicit donations."
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PROCLAIMERS BOOK chap. 21 p. 341 - "There are no emotional appeals for funds in their congregations or at their conventions......... Christians...........do not tithe, nor are they under obligation to give any other contribution of a specified amount or at a particular time." (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 7:6; Col. 2:13,14)"
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BOE Letter, 3-29-14:
"...all congregations will have the opportunity to support Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall construction worldwide by resolving to make a monthly donation from congregation funds.
....The elders in congregations currently making loan repayments would likely propose a resolution that is at least the same amount as the current monthly loan repayment
...determine the amount of the new resolution. This can be done by passing out slips of paper to be filled out anonymously by the publishers indicating how much they are able to contribute monthly
....If necessary, the elders may take a new financial survey, as described above, to determine whether the resolved monthly contribution
....The elders should determine what amounts from the congregation funds that are available at the end of the month will be applied toward the resolved monthly donation(s) and whether the shortfall should be made up in future months. However, it would be appropriate for the elders to remind the congregation of the resolved monthly commitments."
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Kettle (WT), meet Pot (all the religions WT condemns)
I believe there will be the opposite problem now. One of been so over zealous to have a KH re-furb/quick build to now trying to squeeze blood our of a stone to get any work done. Especially if that money is been used for things other that what it was nominated to.
I bet CO's won't be so quick to recommend remodels or new halls anymore. But of course if you give more....*dangles carrot*
I just finished up a psychology class about behavior. This is doomed to fail. People will catch on fast that their donations that used to have a tangible benefit to them will no longer. They will still donate because that gives them a good feeling but they won't be giving as much. Now, maybe if the higher ups in the org had any sort of that "worldly education", they might have known that.
@ADCMS- correction, if I may sir, "Listen, pay, and be pissed!"
@ sparrowdown: @ADCMS- correction, if I may sir, "Listen, pay, and be pissed!"
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sparrow, it's a "privilege" to "donate" your hard-earned but meager janitor's pay to the multi-billion dollar real estate/publishing corp. known as WT. I thought you knew that. Why would a JW be "pissed" about being steamrolled to finance the I'm-always-short-of-cash god known as Jehovah™ ???
A JW janitor will gladly forfeit this weeks groceries so WT can build a bigger swimming pool in Warwick or pay off another pedophile victim. It's all for Jehovah™ and his hasn't-done squat-for-100-years Kingdom, right??
