JW leadership hypocrisy 1975

by Half banana 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Half banana

  It is felt that there is one law for the rich and another for the little people who are made to toe the line. Money equals power and it is a sad historical fact of humanity that where there is power there is abuse.
  

  Andersoninfo a few days ago produced the facts here that in 1975 the Watchtower had spent nearly 2 million dollars to buy the Neo Baroque building in New York known as The Towers. When they sold it recently for 200 million dollars they made a profit of more than 10,000%. Well that’s all fine and dandy if you can do it. But the point is we are talking about a religion which made heavy demands on its members to ignore worldly success, to give up education, get a crummy job and serve only the interests of the JW org. Of course they claimed it was in God’s interest.

  (Just imagine how horrified the org would be if they discovered a JW who spent his time speculating in property, using virtually free labour by conning the builders into thinking that they are working for God!)

  The Watchtower Society as it was known in 1975 made it very clear that the good JW should believe that the end of the old world system was at hand and all should be distaining worldly interests and pioneering their socks off doing their bidding telling the world the end is nigh. Many humble JWs sold their houses and began pioneering.

  By contrast, the JW org invested heavily in property looking for future profit. Did Jesus reckon that Venetian style palaces are what Christians should be aiming to have? This just goes to show where their heart really is; in making money from their religion racket. It also goes to show that the JW org does not put its money where its mouth is. Had they truly believed their own propaganda they would have sold up at that time to fulfil the ‘divinely ordained’ purpose in fully preaching worldwide with the profits. (Most of the world never get to hear the JW message.....which is probably better for their sanity because it is “fake news” anyway)

  The only information the Watchtower has ever got right is that “Religion is a snare and a racket”. Well done Watchtower! And the JW org lives on well past its sell by date to prove the absolute truth of this statement.

  Expose JW org hypocrisy, pity the 'little people' and help them wake up, what else can we do?
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  Drearyweather

  HalfBanana,

  Regarding your comments,

  they made a profit of more than 10,000%

  JW org invested heavily in property looking for future profit.

  Most JW's are fine with WT selling properties and making money. Many believe that it is Jehovah's will.

  When we say 'profits', the real waking up will happen only if someone is able to prove that individual members/directors of the WT Corporation are making personal wealth out of this money. Do we know the net worth of these directors or the GB members? Is there a proof of misappropriation of donated funds? Do we know if any current individual GB member has used these funds for building his own wealth or luxury property in any part of the world? (Beth Sarim sort of)

  Did Raymond Franz, mention anything in this books about any type of fraud where profits were used for invidual wealth creation?

  Such type of information will help a big section of JW's to wake up. Till then everything that comes in the WT's cash coffers is a proof of Jehovah's blessing.
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  Half banana

  Dreary, I hear you but you ignore the thrust of my argument which is that the WT leadership were not acting according to the propaganda they were disseminating in 1975. They were riding the wave of several million believers bringing in an unprecedented increase of membership (and money) in the hype and hope of surviving 1975 and on into paradise. At the same time making the most of the world by investments for the growing WT empire.

  This was a classic doomsday cult manoeuvre.

  This harmful cult has never got anything right or discovered anything original by which it could claim to have evidence of divine approval.

  To the contrary it has always got every prophetic statement wrong. It only has property investment and eight million abject, deluded, humiliated, repressed followers to show for one hundred and thirty eight years of spouting Biblical interpretations.

  The GB are hypocrites, they have been shown not to practice what they preach and they imagine they are above the law. . . but I think the big waking up will occur not through JW financial practices but the public realization that their outdated religion is anti-social and intellectually unsupportable.
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  days of future passed

  I have been giving this subject some thought recently because of parents becoming old and possibly donating money to the WT.

  Because my mother grew up poor, she is a penny pincher. I would like the buying of property in New York (more expensive than in other places) and the selling of the properties for millions - to get her thinking that they have more than enough money and don't need hers. But as Drearyweather said, they see it as a positive. I tried it on a "friend" and that was their response.

  For me, a much more simple illustration in the here and now for my mom, showing the hypocrisy is - the poor little old sister who has very little in her fridge and is encouraged to drop everything she has in the contribution box. (picture and story in the Wt) And then say, "and yet, when you see the GB on the screen, most of them are obese. Are they missing any meals or going hungry? No they aren't. They are eating from what that starving poor sister put in."

  That is the theme of the WT. I wish I could remember what study article it was or book, but some "leader" encouraged the bros and sisters to make sure they eat a sandwich while out peddling books. It was supposed to show how much they "loved and considered" the other sheep. But in reality, there was Beth Sarim. Millions of dollars in real estate and free labor - brothers and sisters tortured in mallawi and no help from the WT. Warwick - brothers and sisters keep your lives simple. The list goes on....
  
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  Finkelstein

  The Watchtower Corporation never made a vow of poverty, that's why it exploits its members for labor in building up its real estate holdings, this includes Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls and Branch centers.

  As its known the WTS made over 2 billion dollars in the last 2 years selling many of its branches around the world including what it held in Brooklyn New York.

  The WTS will never come out and reveal that to its members though.

  The WTS GB heads know what and how to keep this organization operational or afloat also how sustain themselves in their lofty position and that is money $$$
  
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  James Mixon

  Catholic church wealth, gifts from Satan. WT wealth is a blessing from Jehovah, righteous money. Catholic church a charitable organization, gifts from Satan given to the needed. WT blessing from Jehovah where does it go????
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  steve2

  You make valid points, Half Banana, but please be aware that the organization has never scorned anyone making a profit from sales. Never. Sure, they will warn against materialism and the "love of things" but show me anything in print that would earn disapproval for making a huge profit from property sales. BTW, JW organization is not alone is achieving an exponential profit from property sales in New York - especially on a property purchased over 40 years ago.

  I agree that such profit does not sit well with the poverty of JWs in countries such as Malawi - but again, that is more reflective of life in Malawi (as an example). And yes, it would be nice if JW organization shared the profit. But your main point that they scorn profit is incorrect.
  
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  Half banana

  My main point Steve was that in 1975 it was urging the flock to give up worldly interests and pioneer instead because it was "the end of the system of things". The leaders however carried on ploughing money into property instead of using it to urgently get the message to the remoter parts of the world. Their actions belied their teaching.
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  steve2

  Cool, as I said you made valid points - and the one about purchasing property whilst 'encouraging' brothers and sisters to sell off in preparation for the end is an excellent point. Perhaps a little bit too much focus thereafter on profits 40 years down track - when that really isn't an issue at all, in my view.
  
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  LongHairGal

  HALF BANANA:

  Yes..If the religion TRULY believed the end was imminent, they should have sold all THEY had and did everything in their power to aid in this supposed "warning work". This was the message: telling the gullible rank & file Witnesses to do without. Busybodies in the congregations made it their business to compel people there (younger people) to pursue poverty.

  I came in shortly after '75 as a young single working woman. Nobody ever spoke about 1975...I was told by older people in the congregation (who lived a cushy life) that I SHOULD pursue poverty and pioneer!!...Thankfully, I never listened to these hypocrites and I'm retired now.

  I'm sorry for any JWs today who are suffering because they believed bullshit and pursued poverty. Meanwhile many of the hypocrites who told them this went to their graves after living a comfortable life.