Posts by DarioKehl

20

Question: What would it take to get the BORG'S tax exempt status REVOKED?

by Black Man in

jw
friends

i've always wondered about this.

i've always felt the main reason the borg made publishers do time slips/field service reports was to show that they are doing a community service to justify their tax exempt status.

we all know about their money grabs with the kh build scams, their selling off millions of dollars in real estate, etc.

DarioKehl

If it ever does happen, you know what they'll say...

The wild beast eats the harlot? Yeah. It'll just make the R&F more resolute.

27

Help Me Undertand...

by DarioKehl in

according to the 2014 annual report:.

"worldwide, there are 115,416 congregations of jehovahs witnesses and 8,201,545 publishers.".

i don't understand how the borg is facing financial difficulty.

They way they've restructured their corporations tho, isn't it possible that IF they get sued for a bunch of child abuse cover-ups that they could simply bankrupt a corporation they set up (just for that purpose) and get out of it all that way?

I also agree there may have been a bad investment in the last 10 yrs or so. They were listed as attendees to a conference on hedge funds a few years ago. Could it be something that simple?

27

Help Me Undertand...

by DarioKehl in

according to the 2014 annual report:.

"worldwide, there are 115,416 congregations of jehovahs witnesses and 8,201,545 publishers.".

i don't understand how the borg is facing financial difficulty.

DarioKehl

I have heard that the governing body only leads the religious side of things--that the actual corporation(s) handle the finances and operations. I can't see Lett or Herd being capable of understanding the complexities of running a corporation.

You're not the first person I've heard that conspiracy theory from an I think there may be something to it. The actual WT corporations of NY & Penn all have presidents & boardmembers that the average dub isn't even aware of.

Obviously, the GB aren't living it up gangsta style. Sure, they have the nicest accommodations and get to travel, etc, but they personally don't get to spend the society's money. However, I've heard rumors that the chairmen of these corporate boards might actually indeed be personally profiting from it in some way. I'm dying to know if that's true & how that works.

27

Help Me Undertand...

by DarioKehl in

according to the 2014 annual report:.

"worldwide, there are 115,416 congregations of jehovahs witnesses and 8,201,545 publishers.".

i don't understand how the borg is facing financial difficulty.

DarioKehl

According to the 2014 annual report:

"Worldwide, there are 115,416 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses and 8,201,545 publishers."

I don't understand how the bOrg is facing financial difficulty. With all the leaked info today, I'm confused about this 180 turn they're making.

For starters, I used to be the accounts servant in my Congo back in the late 90s/early 2000s. After paying the monthly utilities, we would have anywhere from a $300 monthly deficit to a $1500 surplus (our funds on hand hovered around $3000-8000). Under this new policy, ALL surplus funds go directly to the bOrg now. I understand that globally, the amounts will vary and there's also currency exchange, etc, but let's say for the sake of argument that each Khall sends in $200/month (probably a low estimate). That's still almost $277 MILLION annually.

Or, based on my observations collecting accounts, not everyone donated. Those who did would donate regularly by check each month. Those contributions varied fr $10-200. It would average out to be about $20 per publisher per month (that's probably a high estimate). If that average donation is extrapolated to the number of publishers globally, that's $1.9 BILLION. Annually. Not to mention the windfall they made earlier this year when they gobbled up the funds on hand from every congregation. Not to mention stocks and property left in wills.

Either way you look at it, this organization is making a BUTT LOAD of money. Selling real estate in Brooklyn heights and assembly halls, smaller branches around the world in addition to moving everything to a web site (so the pubs can print with their own ink or use tablets), reducing page volume and frequency of magazines and axing 1600 bethelites (and removing the traveling DO's), I don't see how it's possible that they're in a financial mess. Even if every molested kid settled for financial damages, it's still a drop in the bucket if they're always taking this much money in.

What I see is a hostile corporate takeover by a younger GB. It's glaringly obvious that they've hired a slick, expensive independant group to advise them on restructuring, PR, marketing and cost reduction.

The Conti case was an initial judgment of $18 mil with the bOrg successfully reduced on appeal ( with bethel lawyers who work for nothing). They know that in most countries, they can't be sued for the "2 witness rule" or for not reporting molesters due to protected clergy status. The most they'll do is settle for a modest sum and put a gag order on it. I truly believe they don't see the child abuse lawsuits as anything to worry about. In fact, the recent corporate restructuring puts greater distance between the bOrg and congregations. Revised verbiage also puts a distance between congregations and individual publishers.

What they've done in the meantime is liquidate, reduce expenses and drum up calls for more donations. May broadcast, this weeks wt article, the mortgage scam are all the average JW sees. The bethelites and eventually average dubs will hear the news of the bethel layoffs BEFORE they hear the info from the annual meeting. I believe this is 100% intentional. It will spook the average JW into thinking, "holy shit! we need to fork over even MORE $$$--they're obviously in trouble" when they're actually back stroking in cash like Scrooge MacDuck.

If my hypothesis is correct, my question is why? WHY are they sucking up so much money an what on earth are they planning to do with it? Warwick cannot possibly be that much.

If I'm way off, please enlighten me. If you're a bethel insider, PM me if you know what's really going on.

53

What's the craziest thing someone INFORMED on you about?

by Londo111 in

the culture of jws as encouraged by the watchtower is one of informing on one another, reporting to either the elders or ones designated head.

whats the wackiest thing that someone reported on you?

im not talking about a black-and-white watchtower rule that would land you in a judicial committee, but some judgmental nonsense that someone thought they should turn you in about?.

DarioKehl

I was ratted out to the elders by a troublemaking ne'er do well for "underlining in Sunday's WT article during the preceding Thursday night service meeting."

One Sunday, after morning meeting, a big group of us young folks went to a local place for lunch. We were all early to mid-20s at the time; 5 guys, 4 girls, all single and only in the "friend zone." We saw a cranky pioneer sister sitting alone in a booth at the opposite end of the room. I knew her well, she liked me, I was an MS/pioneer at the time & attended pioneer school with this lady. We all saw her & felt bad she was by herself, so after placing our orders, we all got up and walked over to say hi (a rare thing for most young JWs to do). She was super friendly and we invited her to join us if she wanted to. She politely declined. Anyway FFWD a week and we were all individually pulled back to the B-room after the Thursday night meeting by an old nazi elder and his shivering sidekick. We were scolded for going out last Sunday as a coed group of singles without "proper adult supervision." The elders usually don't name names, but this time they did. They said, "Sister Solobitch was appalled that you all did such a thing." It totally surprised me. I attended that hall for 4 more years & for the rest of my time there, I only threw shade at her and never spoke to her again. ~DONE~

180

What is the most bizarre counsel you received as a JW, from a JW?

by Funchback in

there were many addressed to me.

for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.

i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.

DarioKehl

One crazy "on the fringe" family wouldn't allow their kids to watch any cartoons in which animals talked. Obviously, not a mainstream ideology, but they were just... weird. They also beat their kids mercilessly, always had a filthy house and the dad never progressed beyond a publisher (he gave nothing more than talk #2 the entire 20 years I knew them). Needless to say, not ONE kid remained in the bOrg. On one hand, they had crazy strict rules like that, but at the same time, they allowed their kids to go to school dances, play soccer and one was in a go-cart racing league that travelled the country (and many meetings were missed). This is the same family that put up christmas lights outside AND inside their house and excused it because they left them on all year and, "they're just lights!"

talk about sending mixed signals.

180

What is the most bizarre counsel you received as a JW, from a JW?

by Funchback in

there were many addressed to me.

for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.

i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.

DarioKehl

I've had 2 coworkers (elders) on 2 different occasions express their grievances about 2 specific inter-racial couples.

both elders sighed and said, "it just doesn't look good."

180

What is the most bizarre counsel you received as a JW, from a JW?

by Funchback in

there were many addressed to me.

for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.

i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.

DarioKehl

If you've not yet lurked at jwtalk forum, those members are constantly climbing all over each other to one up themselves. You can see crazy "counsel" being slung around over there on a daily basis--it's hilarious. Uber dubs checking Uber dubs. Grab some popcorn & go watch if you don't believe me. It's brutal.

180

What is the most bizarre counsel you received as a JW, from a JW?

by Funchback in

there were many addressed to me.

for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.

i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.

DarioKehl

My "clapping looked insincere" at the 2011 convention.

180

What is the most bizarre counsel you received as a JW, from a JW?

by Funchback in

there were many addressed to me.

for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.

i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.

DarioKehl

A cute young couple from my hall were eagerly planning their wedding. Everything was going splendidly, until....

I shit you not: they received an RSVP to their wedding (invitations THEY PAID for, sent with postage THEY PAID for) from a horrible, pretentious couple in the hall. They'd checked "Will not be attending" but then thought it appropriate to take a pen and cover the RSVP with a paragraph explaining WHY. The condensed version was, "We believe you are both too young to be getting married."

They were both above drinking age (21 in USA).