Posts by ScenicViewer

No, the GB don't 'live it up' in the style of some televangelists, or even in the style of Judge Rutherford (who would have made a great modern TV preacher), but there is a tremendous amount of money being funneled into the Organization over the last few years

(Brooklyn property sales, required amounts being donated every month by congregations, congregation bank accounts being drained by headquarters, pleas for donations to support a KH building program that never happens, and accepting credit card donations that Watchtower used to ridicule Churches for.)

How many billions have they raked in over the last 5 years? It is unprecedented in the Society's history.

Couple this with all the financial cut-backs.

(Magazines are almost nothing now, no new books released ever, missionary program cut, special pioneer program cut, District Overseers cut, Bethel workers being sent home, Bethel services such as waiter and laundry are cut, no new KHs being built, and more that I can't remember as I write this).

Some say law suits are taking it, but they only amount to a few 10s of millions of dollars, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the multi-billion dollar windfall currently taking place.

Where on earth is it all the money going.

22

2 bilion income from selling HQ now

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

the wts has a tax free income of 2 bilion dollar now by selling the brooklyn hq (beside other recent money schemes).

were has the money gone?.

it must be somewere.. g..

ScenicViewer

I, too, would like to see a list of property sales and their prices.

Early on, news articles said the value of Watchtower properties in Brooklyn were valued at over a billion dollars. Jared Kushner has bought 3 major ones that sold for well over $300 million dollars each, so that's a billion right there, and there were between 30-40 properties that Watchtower owned in total, from single unit dwellings to major factory buildings.

It's not at all unreasonable that the total, when complete, might exceed $2 billion.

Is anyone keeping close track?

27

Article - Wales - Daily Post: 'Sly' Anglesey Jehovah's Witness preacher jailed for sex with a child

by AndersonsInfo in

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/sly-anglesey-jehovahs-witness-preacher-12361109.

dec. 22, 2016 by derek bellis.

elder, daniel anglesey pleaded guilty at caernarfon crown court and was sent to prison for two years and eight months.

ScenicViewer

D. Arthington, JW elder: Age 46

His young sex partner: Age 14

What has this religion come to?

Cha Ching: It is refreshing to see that this sexual abuse of a 14 year old minor was treated as a crime rather than a sin.

Yes, that is refreshing. It is sad that you have to be a non-JW to see the episode as a crime and report it.

Remember the New World scenes in the publications that refer to JWs belief in a paradise earth as a 'refreshing' hope for the future?

33

Another "pull the football away just before you can kick it" comment made by Circuit Assembly's special guest, Thomas Chicky

by sir82 in

jw
friends

i started a thread on this guy's comments about building kingdom halls here.. the guy also said this (again, not a word for word quote, but the gist of his comments):.

"the primary hope of salvation is the resurrection.

jehovah does not promise anyone that he will survive armageddon.

ScenicViewer

It was a huge campaign in the early 1920s. Note the words "It means what it says," and "It is a fact."

It even encourages us to "Investigate." It is a shame that JWs today are so unwilling to investigate the true history of their own religion.

33

Another "pull the football away just before you can kick it" comment made by Circuit Assembly's special guest, Thomas Chicky

by sir82 in

jw
friends

i started a thread on this guy's comments about building kingdom halls here.. the guy also said this (again, not a word for word quote, but the gist of his comments):.

"the primary hope of salvation is the resurrection.

jehovah does not promise anyone that he will survive armageddon.

ScenicViewer

The words at the bottom, circled in red, are not legible in this small scan, but they read...

"I want the statement, "Millions Now Living Will Never Die," to be taken literally as it is, in the light of recently fulfilled prophecy & probable Biblical proposition." --J.F. Rutherford

33

Another "pull the football away just before you can kick it" comment made by Circuit Assembly's special guest, Thomas Chicky

by sir82 in

jw
friends

i started a thread on this guy's comments about building kingdom halls here.. the guy also said this (again, not a word for word quote, but the gist of his comments):.

"the primary hope of salvation is the resurrection.

jehovah does not promise anyone that he will survive armageddon.

ScenicViewer

The subtitle of the book Harp of God is great. It not only declares that 'millions now living will never die,' it adds the phrase 'Proof Conclusive.'

49

Steven Unthank and his work.

by WHATSGOINGON in

hi everyone, .

i have been trying really hard to find the court case transcript where steven unthank was in court in australia and one of the wt lawyers or a wt spokesperson said the faithful and discreet slave does not exist.. i hope that this is correct i remember reading about this a long while back and would love to get evidence of this.. i found steven on facebook and messaged him about 6 months ago and he didn't respond, he probably wants to let all this go, and i don't blame him for that.. any suggestions would be very much appreciated.. thanks wgo..

ScenicViewer

There was a thread on this.

Among the things that Watchtower attorneys said was....

During the court hearing on October 11, legal counsel for the Watchtower Society, Rachel van Witsen, from Vincent Toole Solicitors (the Watchtower Society’s in-house law firm located inside Bethel, Australia) made a statement on behalf of the Watchtower Society that:-
“The faithful and discreet slave is not a legal entity.”
Vincent Toole Solicitors then went on to present arguments that the “faithful and discreet slave” do not exist as a “person” nor do they exist as an “unincorporated body” and nor do they exist as a “body” of Christians.

At the time the remarks were made that the 'faithful slave does not exist as a person, an unincorporated body, nor a body of Christians' the organization had a very fuzzy definition of who the slave was, which was the remaining ones of the 144,00 left on earth at any given time, even though the Organization had no idea who they were in total.

Since then the FS has been redefined as the 'Governing Body when they are gathered together and in session.' To now say the Slave does not exist as a definable 'body of Christians' is no longer true in any sense.

15

Video of my stand up comedy

by usualusername1 in

jw
friends

one part of me is petrified of showing this video.

on the one hand my comedy is not very funny yet.

i also have not let people know who i am.. on the other hand this website has been the most important even after attempting suicide.. ladies and gents i give you my stand up comedy routine.. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10211223943093218&id=1197882608.

ScenicViewer

Hello Paul. The opening joke about how your wife lost her virginity caught me off guard and was very funny!

Listening to more now.

14

Jehovah's Witnesses did not protect children from abuse, inquiry finds.

by pale.emperor in

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/28/jehovahs-witnesses-did-not-protect-children-from-abuse-inquiry-finds.

im printing this off and spending my next sunday morning doing some door to door work posting this article through all the letter boxes of the street my local kh is on.. it's shocking that none of the r&f know about this.

i have a feeling that the 2 witness rule will be revised in 2017 and made to look like it was jehovah's proper time.

ScenicViewer

Steve2:
This issue is different from JW rhetoric on hallmark JW doctrines and policies.
This is not the issue JW organization wants to make a stand on.

I agree with the above remarks. In the past JWs have fought for the right to preach publicly and neutrality issues such as not having to salute a flag or join the military. These are freedom of religion issues.

Regarding child protection policies they will likely make changes eventually if the heat gets high enough, then claim that Jehovah gave them New Light through a deeper study of His Word. That is, if it's even made known to JWs. As DesirousOfChange mentioned, it might only need to be a letter to Elders that explains the changes leaving JWs in the dark about the whole issue.

Child protection is a social issue, not a freedom of religion issue. Whatchtower has changed on social issues before, such as taking the "spare the rod" scripture as a metaphor rather than literally, acknowledging that homosexuality may be a natural trait rather than a personal choice, and not allowing men to grow beards even though Bible characters had them. In all of these cases JWs have put aside what the Bible literally says and embraced the prevailing social standard.

The only reason Watchtower's child protection policies are so horrible now is because they are a cover up attempt to prevent the public in general, and JWs themselves, from knowing that a serious child abuse problem exists in the Organization. It would be humiliating and damaging to the reputation of JWs for that to be known.

If the exposure of Watchtower's child protection policies becomes more damaging to them than the child abuse issues themselves Watchtower will change. It will take the purifying effect of shedding lots of daylight on the issue. The ARC is doing a beautiful job of it. What is needed is more exposure in other countries, which may be brewing.