You make them sound so terrible with your condensed version. Let's put back a few elements.
Watchtower loaned out money at interest for the building of Kingdom Halls, provided the local members purchased the land and could make the monthly payments. Watchtower lovingly eliminated the interest either because of some kind of legal reasons or because it was all part of their grand scheme to take away properties and money.
Watchtower started assuming the title to properties upon loaning money to congregations or upon approving a remodeling of the properties. Local members still paid the mortgage, but now had the privilege of doing it for the corporation.
Watchtower forgives all the loans in their entirety that members were paying to Watchtower for the money they lent them so that the Watchtower could own the building. Just so everyone is clear- Watchtower owned the money and held the mortgage, Watchtower arranged for all the building supplies and who would be building the building and set all the prices and fees. Watchtower demanded that people attending the meetings pay back the loan for their set prices and fees and building supplies, but when the loan is paid off the members do not own the property but Watchtower does. And all that is forgiven, but on the condition that the members keep paying the same amount or more forever to Watchtower.
Watchtower takes all the money in any accounts where local members were saving up money for a Kingdom Hall or to pay for a new Assembly Hall in their area. Well, it's going to be Watchtower's buildings anyway, so as long as the project gets built, who cares if they take the money and say they will build soon or if the building isn't done until the locals save up enough money to pay for it? I mean- it might even get built sooner with this new arrangement. Oh, and Watchtower is taking all the local bank account money from congregations too. It's needed to build your new Kingdom and Assembly Halls. You remember all those pretty drawings and architectural cartoons of new Kingdom Halls that Watchtower is going to build for you, dontcha? It's really happening, so we need that money.
Oh, remember that scripture Watchtower throws at you to discourage secular plans? That one about calculating the cost before doing something? Well, Watchtower leaders who are guided by God didn't do that. They seriously miscalculated something. It was probably them assuming that local Kingdom Hall contributions would go up while Assembly Hall contributions would also go up and none of that happened somehow. It was probably part of forgetting that in hard economic times, the people without an education get the axe first or get pay raises last (if ever) while the cost of living continues to go up. Well, whatever it was- forget all the reasons Watchtower took your money and demanded a monthly "voluntary" contribution of at least a set amount. They already got your money and they will not be building so much. Even as they tell you that, they will make it sound like those pretty Kingdom Halls are going up "SOMEWHERE ELSE," so be proud that your money is supposedly going to such wonderful causes and not to lawsuits or luxury apartments in rural New York.
Cofty, do you see how you can't give the short answer or else you make them look bad?
