How the Watchtower Perverts Compassion

by metatron 35 Replies latest jw friends

  • blondie
    blondie

    How the WT manipulates it members re charity:

    First they pick an extreme case:

    g93 6/8 p. 26 Charitable Contributions—A Christian Obligation? ***

    LESS than ten years ago, the PTL (Praise the Lord) Club, headquartered in the southeastern United States, solicited donations as a religious charity. Using a satellite-TV network and the mails, they collected hundreds of millions of dollars, which came pouring in to fill their coffers—ostensibly to spread the gospel.

    Then they tar every other charitable organization as being the same

    Religion is not alone in zealously pushing the emotional buttons of contributors and then pocketing most of the money. It is not unusual for some fund-raisers to keep more than 90 percent of the donations they solicit.

    Then they say that everyone is not donating any more.

    Is it any wonder, then, that people are getting fed up with such charities? However, what are Christians to do? Are they obligated to give to organized charities? What guidelines does the Bible give to ensure the wise use of funds when helping others? What is the best and most practical way to help others?

    In other words, beware of accepting the claims or promises of charities at face value. How is the collected money really used? Are the organizations funded those that a Christian should support? Are their activities political, nationalistic, or connected with false religion? Is the avowed purpose practical and not in conflict with Scriptural principles?

    Then they concede that some do good even helping JWs.

    Some charities are able to do much good for people in need. When affected by natural disasters or catastrophic illness, many times Christians themselves have received benefits from such charities.

    But then they demonize them again. Notice they don't mention any specific charities, basically demonize all charities.

    Other charities, though, have high administrative costs or high fund-raising costs, with the result that only a small portion of the money collected is actually used for the advertised purpose. For example, a recent survey of 117 of the United States’ largest nonprofit organizations, including charities, found that more than a quarter of them pay their top executives a yearly salary of $200,000 or more. Audits often reveal expenditures for luxury items and the financing of an opulent life-style. Regardless of the name of the charity, it would take a long stretch of the imagination to believe that contributing to such schemes would fulfill the Bible’s command to help those in need.

    And here is how the WTS avoids helping individuals as an organization even at the congregation level. Elders are told only to help people who are "long-time, faithful JWs." Whatever that means. Did Jesus only feed the long-time faithful Jews?

    Many prefer to help by personal, direct gifts to needy individuals and families

    If JWs have money to give, they are told it is best to give it to the WTS.

    Similarly today, Christians realize that the time, energy, and money spent in supporting Kingdom witnessing—which improves lives and gives hope—is charitable giving of the best kind.
  • Mary
    Mary
    LongHairGal said: Going out in service is supposed to cover all bases with them. It is a white-wash for anything bad you may perceive about them. For instance, let's say brother so-and-so has a glaring fault, some will say: "well, he is always out in service..." So you see, this covers a multitude of sins and in their eyes exempts them from other humane obligations.

    Ah yes, but let us not also forget meeting attendance .......it's the two combined that assures you ever-lasting life. As we've seen, you can be a drunk, a pedophile, a wife-beater, and child-beater, a thief, a hypocrite or have '666' tatooed on your ass-----just make sure you attend 5 meetings a week and get at least 10 hours of coffee-breaks knocking on doors every month and Jesus will guide you to the Waters of Life.

    Similarly today, Christians realize that the time, energy, and money spent in supporting Kingdom witnessing—which improves lives and gives hope—is charitable giving of the best kind.

    Ya, reading the latest issues of the Botchtower and Asleep magazine is really comforting to someone with an empty belly........Blondie, I shouldn't have read that while eating my breakfast!

  • Jankyn
    Jankyn

    Blondie,

    Once again your expertise has provided amazement for me. I had no idea that the WT had published such prejudiced, cold-hearted advice to people with AIDS as that. Good grief.

    Jankyn, who thought she couldn't be surprised by the WT any more.

  • Justin Matton
    Justin Matton

    I remember after Tsunami a letter was read telling us to send donations to the WTS instead of the relief effort. Shameless

  • Dogpatch
    Dogpatch

    In a post a while back, "undecided" made this statement:

    My sophomore year I was accused of interfaith after participating in a charity event to 9/11 victims.

    http://www.freeminds.org/stories/undecided.htm

    Can you believe it?

    I always found that the Witnesses were the tightest people around with their money, from everything to tipping in a restaurant to doing kind things for others. Funny, they are just modeling the Governing Body, most of whom I knew were the same way!

    Randy

    Net Soup!

    http://www.freeminds.org

  • EvilForce
    EvilForce

    I sincerely doubt the WTBS could pass an audit whereby over 90% of their income goes to "good works". Folks like CARE (92% to the actual cause), Doctors Without Borders (86% to actual cause), and Feed the Children (92% to actual cause) have independent audits done to assure people that their donations are being used correctly and not simply used to send out more junk mail for appeals. To see a report on your fav charity you can go to evaluation sites such as: http://www.charitynavigator.org for research.

    I would challenge the WTBS to open their books and show where they spend the money. NOT ON GOOD WORKS I CAN ASSURE YOU. It is spent on administration and junk magazine appeals to grow the ranks (meaning grow the subscriber base).

    While the WTBS may not be "huge" as far as donations go.....they spend virtually NOTHING on traditional good work, so all the monies they bring in simply would be considered "waste" by independent auditors.

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    Evilforce:


    What is the likelihood they will ever open their books to anybody?

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    Further to the claim of them helping needy individuals:

    I used to hear that they would privately help certain select ones. These people were usually pioneers or were in the right clique. If you didn't happen to be in the "right" category you would not receive any help. This even went to far as to announce certain people from the platform as being ill or whatever but others were virtually ignored.

    Years ago, I made mention of what I saw was a glaring injustice whereby a family whose house was destroyed in a fire was not even mentioned. Meanwhile certain others who were popular were constantly being mentioned if they had a sniffle, e.g. "Sister So-and-So is home and not feeling well...."

    When I complained to an elder about this I was told it wasn't their fault because it was how they were fed the information. Whatever.

  • Dragonlady76
    Dragonlady76
    I remember after Tsunami a letter was read telling us to send donations to the WTS instead of the relief effort. Shameless

    I didn't see that, does anyone have a link to this?

    What did the society do with the "donations" they collected?

    DL76

  • talesin
    talesin
    Years ago, I made mention of what I saw was a glaring injustice whereby a family whose house was destroyed in a fire was not even mentioned.

    LHG

    Yah, that happened to my aunt and family. If memory serves me correctly, they may have been at the KH when it burned to the ground with everything they had! No insurance, and no help from the 'brothers' either!

    The WTS trains folks to have no compassion or empathy.

    tal

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