Will the Watchtower Company in the near future start asking for a tithe? (page 2)

stan livedeath

dubs that dont contribute are of no value to the watchtower. so if a tithe pushed them out the door--so what ?

OrphanCrow

sir82: Actual implementation of it would be pretty solid evidence that they really are hurting for money

Actually, it could be simply evidence that the org has adopted the same funding model as all other churches. That's all.

A mandatory individual "tithe" (wouldn't necessarily have to be exactly 10%) would be another useful benchmark to use to see who qualifies for "special privileges of service".

Which makes sense seeing as that is how other churches maintain their membership roll. Once a person becomes a donating/tithing member of a church, it qualifies them for church membership and things like funeral privileges, etc. At one time, that was the main reason for being a church member - to be on church records. Which a person got in return for giving $$$ to the church

sir82

sir82: Actual implementation of it would be pretty solid evidence that they really are hurting for money
Actually, it could be simply evidence that the org has adopted the same funding model as all other churches. That's all.

I dunno, they've avoided doing it for 140 years (or 100 years, or whenever you count the beginning of "JWs").

No tithing has worked very well for them in the past - it's even a point of pride (no collections taken, no paid clergy, etc.).

Why would they change unless there was a need?

OrphanCrow

sir82: Why would they change unless there was a need?

Maybe there is a need.

Once the JW religion was split off from the main corporation and tried to become an independent entity, maybe, just maybe, all those big private donations to "the society" ended up bypassing the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and going directly into "the society's" coffers.

The need could simply be the need for this smaller corporate structure to pull its own weight within the WT corporate structure.

stan livedeath

they will be selling pardons before you know it.

Half banana

If the JW org began to tithe it would be the worst value-for-money religion going.

The Seventh Day Adventists and the Mormons do tithe but the social benefits gained in return are exemplary, if you could stand being stuck inside such belief systems.

The point is that these religions actually organise care for the welfare of their flocks and provide them with social insurances, clubs, lectures, sports and entertainments. Part of the deal is that there is a whole life-style arranged for members outside of the religious meetings, something the JW mentality could not cope with.

Tithing on top of present JW demands for money, ostensibly "for the worldwide preaching work," would be the last straw even for loyal sheep.

Prov 30;16 New International Version (slightly edited!) says:

the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, the Watchtower finance department and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'

sir82

sir82: Why would they change unless there was a need?
Maybe there is a need.

LOL - my point!

Thank you.

blondie

Unless people have to attach their name and guarantee to a donation, the WTS will have little hope of getting money out of jws. The Mormons sign a contract and have their tax return auditied to determine what their 10% is. Comments by WTS: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200004429?q=tithing&p=par https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2009571?q=tithing&p=par

sir82

Unless people have to attach their name and guarantee to a donation, the WTS will have little hope of getting money out of jws.

Even "run of the mill" JWs can now set up their own login ID and password on JW.borg. There is a system there to accept single or repeated credit / debit card donations, or even direct bank drafts.

Such registration on the website is voluntary - at least for now.

It would be remarkably simple for the GB to require that anyone up for a "special privilege of service" (elder, MS, pioneer, LDC work, etc.) have their JW.borg contribution levels measured. If too low, no "special privilege of service" for you!

blondie

I doubt that it sill be easy to enforce, sir82. jws are notorious for not keeping secrets. If they use such donations, I can see jws dropping them altogether like some fading jws do, voting with their pocketbook. As one elder said, jws would rather break a ten commandment than break a twenty.

Will the Watchtower Company in the near future start asking for a tithe?

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