Posts by Roddy

126

Let's play a game - Follow the WTS $$ trail

by watch the tower in

a huge question that i have in the back of my mind regarding the wts is where all of the money ends up.

no one really has a conclusive answer to that.

i think it would reveal a lot if we were able to find out.. i know there have been various threads in the past where it revealed a clue here and a clue there.

Roddy

Once Again for emphasis: it is not the WTS that OWNS the stock.
Further the WTS doesn't even CONTROL the Trust or have any management authority over the Trust Administrator.
It would be an entirely different matter if the Society actually owned the stock or could say what the underlying trust assets should be.

To be fair, I think he has a point. I have a 401k plan and I don't know how the asset management company is running my portfolio. All I know is that my money is invested in a pool of companies. And let's face it, the tobacco companies are vested in so many areas that has nothing to do with tobacco. Perhaps any of your investment accounts may be linked to a tobacco company either directly or indirectly.

24

Did you ever go out in Field Service on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning

by pratt1 in

.

i never had a problem with going door to door except for the holidays.. one, i felt like we were intruding on our neighbors who set aside time be with their loved ones.. two, it just made me feel more different and jealous that i was not celebrating the holidays with my family.. any thoughts?

Roddy

I never had a problem with going door to door except for the holidays.
One, I felt like we were intruding on our neighbors who set aside time be with their loved ones.
Two, it just made me feel more different and jealous that I was not celebrating the holidays with my family.

Sure. But that was the pressure you were on by the Society which made you go out and sell magazines and books no matter what. There are no days off for Witnesses. Why should worldy people have any favors?

33

Watchtower, January 1,2006. Study article, First paragraph.

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

to be studied on febuary 5th.

blondie will do her usual "comment" later.

i just want to point out how they start the 2006 study article, the first paragraph only.. a young man wanted to be more useful in his congregation.

Roddy

Nice way to start the rank and file off in 2006 Watchtower. ( there is more about not being anxious about everyday concerns and putting the Society / kingdom first. ) Blondie does a much more thorough job when its time to study this whole article.

The Society should become victims of their own success. When the contributions and donations start to dwindle, the valid excuse of the rank and file should be: "Hey, I got a lower paying job to simplify my life and attend all the meetings. I only have enough to support my family. Why don't YOU guys simplify YOUR lives?"

17

Society Needs to "Conserve Contributed Funds"

by Severus in

in another effort to crimp the production of materials, the society is asking jw members to consider reducing their orders of watchtower & awake!

audio recordings.. at service meetings this week, a letter is read to the congregation:.

publishers are asked to "conserve contributed funds" by considering which of the 3 formats of audio recording they really need.

Roddy

What is all the money for?

For the Society, I guess.

I wonder how Witnesses meeting in their kingdom and assembly halls would react knowing that all the money they pleged and continue to contribute for the upkeep of THEIR hall is actually tribute paid to the Society for using the facility? Unknown to them their elders, without so much as an announcement to the congregations, transfered ownership of the property to the Society for zero dollars.

(That's why I think all the parlimentary rules they follow when they ask the congregation for a vote for cutting checks and approving expenses for trivial matters as nothing more than a farce.)

The Society has it made. They get thousands of pieces of free real estate all around the world where all the maintenence is paid for by the Witnesses. They don't spend a penny.

And they keep looking for more money? I feel sick inside.

27

Ever think why the collection box is in the back of the KHall?

by biddie in

jw
friends

i used to thinik it was better... but now i realize it was a way for the elders to keep an eye on who was giving!

biddie

Roddy

I think that they place them by the doors on purpose so when people are leaving they see them and guiltily remember the many tirades on YOU MUST GIVE US MONEY.

If the friends only knew that their kingdom hall doesn't belong to them. No sooner did they pay for the land and the materials the ownership was transfered to the Watchtower without so much as a disclosure to the congregations meeting there.

28

AWAKE! JANUARY 2006, To Our Readers.

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

for those who have not yet seen this issue.

called "the golden age" in 1919, the name was changed to "consolation" in1937, and to "awake!

" in 1946. beginning with this issue, the format of awake!

Roddy

Going monthly? I'm shocked! What does it really mean? Any insider information on this move?

12

shepherding call

by stillajwexelder in

got a vist from two elders the other night - i lied (sorry guys) i told them what they wanted to hear - that is to say - the organization is wonderful

Roddy

- Theocratic warfare

- They aren't entitled to know the truth.

I had the same idea! Why should I say what I REALLY should say and have them cut my relatives and family away from me?

By the way, the shepherding call the elders wanted to give me months ago has never happened. LOL I was nervous. After writing to you guys about it I felt better. I even waited for them. And waited for them. And waited . . . . ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I guess I dodged that bullet. But when they eventually do so in the next months or years, I'll tell them the WTS is wonderful to have sent such wonderful shepherds to help me and that I think about returning to the kingdom hall all the time!

36

WHY DOES THE WTBS HOARD CASH

by Happy Guy :) in

they must have billions...annual revenue alone was almost a billion last year.

they must have close to 10 billion in assets and a large chunk of that is cash.

if the world is going to end any day that cash is useless.

Roddy

I wouldn't be surprised if the WTS keeps off-shore financials, even a Swiss bank account, in order to hide nest eggs for itself, for officers, or both. With Franz out of the picture and with lawyers controlling the WTS more and more each year, with obvious prophesies coming past due, the pedophile and other issues pressing on them, and the decline of membership and decrease of activity of the current membership, I think the WTS is preparing for lean times or, if it doesn't seriously re-invent itself, the long haul into mainstream.

36

Found an Awake at the rest stop today..and I knew exactly what to do....

by Dawn in

jw
friends

found it at a rest stop today while traveling.

i thought about tossing it, but decided it had a much better purpose.

it was an issue on what to teach your young child - cute picture of a little girl (about 4 years old) on the cover.. so - i took it to my car, got out a pretty purple pen and wrote on the cover "this religion has a major probelm with pedophiles and is hurtful to young children.

Roddy

Great idea!

19

"we're just going to be dead" Dec. 1 2004 Watchtower

by metatron in

jw
friends

the latest watchtower carries a warning (pg16).

" what if there are some in the christian congregation who live double lives?

.... "one day one of them said to me:'it doesn't matter what we do now because when the.

Roddy

- " What if there are some in the Christian congregation who live double lives? ...

Because the WTS is the prime example of double living. I think I don't need to remind anyone of how the WTS says one thing and means another. Or how the WTS assumes to put blame on the membership for anything but will never accept blame for anything it does.

- "One day one of them said to me:'it doesn't matter what we do now because when the new system comes, we're just going to be dead. We're not going to know that we missed anything.' That kind of talk came as wake up call for me. I do not want to be dead when the new system comes"

I think that is a boldfaced lie of a story. I think that's the pretense or excuse for the article. You have to be in WT brainlock not to see the obvious intent. Anyway. What person fed-up with the WT religion will ever admit something like that extreme and unreal belief to anyone, especially an elder? Not unless you are eager to face a kangaroo judicial meeting and disfellowshipping.

I think it has become obvious that the WTS has exhausted every possible way to recycle rewrites of past WT articles and are inventing situations in order to give some excuse to put ink to paper. What a waste of tree life!