Millionaire JW Elder hypocrite?!

by Alostpuppydog 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  prologos

  k99:--"The WTS has never condemned wealth in itself or required a life of privation--

  of course wt has not condemned wealth, how could they, wealth is central to their position, and their strength, but they have emasculated their workers, robbed them of the opportunity to get a grip on reasonable advancement by stealing the best years of their lives. Wealthy elders? naturally, done everything right to be wealthy, good managers, useful in any organisation like the wt. The real treason comes in, when such individuals go on the platform and take their " be a watchtower slave, pioneer during high school, right after high school, and while you raise your kids--" part, because look at me, I am sometimes on the pioneer list, and I am on the platform, and you are not.
  
  
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  WTWizard

  I do not have a problem with people having money they honestly earned or that is a result of shrewd investment (such as seeing a major silver shortage and investing in the stuff when everyone else thought it was going nowhere, then seeing the shortage hit and becoming extremely wealthy on it). What I do have a big problem with is when they pompously glorify poverty and hardship on everyone else. You have a little extra, you need to throw it away. Even children's ice cream money has to go. And then you yourself are not willing to follow that example.

  In recent years, I have seen this trend quite a bit. They wanted people to cut way back on their regular work, and throw away whatever extra money they happened to have. (And shortly after, they were expected to buy expensive computers and electronic devices, which require maintenance--hardware and software). Then it was the ice cream cones. And now, they want people to move out of their houses and rent tiny studio apartments. Even quitting their jobs if they can't attend all the boasting sessions and do all the field circus they are supposed to.

  And among this, those at the top, those who are issuing these directives, are getting filthy rich at the expense of the flock. Filthy, not because of how much they are making, but how. They are effectively stealing from the flock, glorifying hardship and misery, and then living first class. Off the money they stole, not off money they made honestly or that is a result of investing wisely. I have a huge problem with that.

  However, anyone that quit donating to this scam, you have the right to all the money you honestly made. If you are not the type that pushes hardship as a necessity to serve god, you are fine being rich. (Poverty is a punishment, not a virtue.) You make wise investments--suppose someone used to donate enough money to buy a tub of silver a month, and then uses the money to buy the real silver and donates nothing. Later, when the currency craps out, they have quite an abundance of wealth. Nothing wrong with living first-class under those circumstances.
  
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  ToesUp

  The GREATEST joy and satisfaction that we have received over the past 3 years of being out of this cult is....THEY ARE NOT AND NEVER WILL RECEIVE MONEY/OR TIME FROM US AGAIN. It really is a great feeling.
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  baker

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9LliGZiG18 Televangelists have been scamming suckers since the invention of television. When I was growing up, i remember Oral Roberts on Tv asking for the weak and sick to send in at least $500 to just get prayed for.
  
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  Alostpuppydog

  See this is what I am saying... Like sure you invest wisely and become wealthy that's fine and all. But when you start making yourself out to be Mighty Men and you then look down upon those with less and say they are less God-fearing than I or that you somehow deserve to drive around in a brand new Mercedes Benz while your 'brother' drives a 1980s Geo with 300,000 miles I just find it ludicrous. And no this isn't my situation, but I do see it in the congregation and wonder why this person can't even be let in stage or let alone even hold a mic because he is poorer than dirt. Yet, the rich elder's son could be banging 20 of the sisters for all we know, and nobody would even bat an eye.

  I see no difference in the WT society as compared to mainstream 'Christianity'. Their doctrines may be different but they both function the same. Rich>poor. Sounds like the Pharisees in Jesus' day. And he flipped over their money changers that were making the Pharisees rich didn't he?

  So if you want to be rich go ahead. It's not my life goal, but if you want to portray you are serving God then modesty is the only thing that makes sense. And if you can't even do your own laundry like the GB members can't because their poop-stained underwear is holier than thou, that's just sad and I feel bad for those that willingly oblige to do so.

  One other I would like to mention as far as if I am jealous or not of this rich elder in particular. Umm... his own daughter wants to date me and wants other girls' hands off for when I get baptized (ain't gonna happen, obviously why I am here on this site 😅) but I have absolutely no interest seeing the priveledge she has had growing up with Daddies money and lauding over the congregation with his arrogant smile... Just nope. Not in this lifetime 'sister'.

  i do appreciate what you've all said though on this subject, I never thought there were actually people out there that felt similar in the way that I do about the JWs and WTBTS. You guys are too cool to be true. 👌
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  konceptual99

  Yup puppy - there are more people than you might think out there who have escaped the chains of the organisation.

  Don't get me wrong, I am not accusing you of being motivated by jealousy. There sure as hell are plenty of In hypocritical wealthy elders out there. The truth is, however, that when you consider the personality of the person then most of them would be hypocrites regardless. They might sneer at others but I bet they found a way of sneering at people before they were wealthy.

  Sure, someone's wealth may amplify their opportunity to behave like a twat but few genuinely nice people turn into utter twats, most twats have always been like it.
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  hoser

  I don't have a problem with rich people in "the truth". Some people think I'm rich. I just work more hours than the average. So I make more money and I spend less because I work so much.

  The problem I have with weathy elders is when they criticize fellow witnesses for getting an education or buying a house or working shift work / overtime to make a living. That is what pisses me off.
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  ZAPPA-ESQUE

  Truly "Rich" people - .................................

  http://kalahari-meerkats.com/fileadmin/files/guides/Bushmen_light.pdf

  

  Bushmen were hunter/gatherers, with traditionally about 70/80% of their diet consisting of plant food, including berries, nuts, roots and melons gathered primarily by the women. The remaining 20/30% was meat (mostly antelopes), hunted by the men using poisoned arrows and spears on hunts that could last several days. They made their own temporary homes from wood that they gathered.
  
  Their hunting & gathering economy and social structure had remained virtually unchanged for tens of thousands of years until very recently, a socio-economic culture that has sustained mankind universally during their evolution until the advent of agriculture. The Bushmen did not farm or keep livestock, having no concept of the ownership of land or animal.
  
  
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  fulano

  Well Zappa move over to their paradise, would love to meet you after a month without cel-phone, internet, iPad, normal clothes and electricity to watch your plasma.

  Beatiful dreams.....for a adolescent.
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  stillin

  Another problem that people who are doing well financially have in the congregation is that less fortunate ones feel that they are "owed" something from the wealthier ones. "You have so much and I have so little," they whine with their sad little stories of how putting the kingdom first has cost them that big promotion, that college scholarship, fill in the blank. That gets really old and the ones who have more money withdraw to an extent from the others to keep their joy alive. Oh, sure, they still help others but on their own terms, which is much more rewarding.