Concerning Watchtower Cash and Possible Changes

by metatron 58 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Gill

  I agree with Mary that the Internet is a very big problem to the WTBTS.

  Whilst the older generation are not used to checking everything out on the internet, the younger ones are.

  Every bit of crap that spews forth from Brooklyn is checked up on by the youngsters when they can get on the net without their parents watching them.

  Schools and libraries allow kids internet time, so parents can't control their reading there.

  When the kids discover one thing is rubbish they pretty soon discover that so is the rest.

  The end result, the WTBTS is bleeding to death from its youngsters leaving. Give it twenty years. As long as we have no major world wide power failiure and no idiot decides to impose censorship on the Internet, the WTBTS, along with other cults is doomed.

  I hope to live to dance on its grave!
• 

  moshe

  I hope they announce a mandatory 10% tithe at the KH- the JW's are so cheap that half the brothers will do an "exit stage right" to avoid the expense.
• 

  dozy

  Cash wise , the WTS have always been restricted by Russell's infamous statement that ( paraphrased ) "When we have to solicit funds , it is evidence that Jehovah is no longer behind the work and it is time to stop printing the Watchtower". I've heard a couple of the WTS financial guys say that this has tied the WTS hands and made it very difficult to openly ask for donations. Notably it has been a while since the WTS has drawn any attention to this statement , and they are possibly hoping that the R & F forget about it.

  The WTS also does not have the wealthy profile of members required to bankroll the work. I remember when I processed the Gift Aid donations from the Inland Revenue in the UK for the congregation and receiving in error the return for a neighbouring church and was gobsmacked to see the huge donations that were being made. Most JWs have relatively low income and capital ( due to the lack of a college education and a failure to invest in long term assets such as shares or property ).

  I think that it is inevitable that there will be more emphasis on each individual congregation mandating a monthly payment to the WTS (and not just the £10 or £20 per month that most do at the moment). An obvious move would be a letter "encouraging" (ie demanding) a £X per month per publisher requirement from each congregation in the same manner as congregations currently donate to the convention and circuit funds , presumably "sold" with reference to growth in the 3W (as there cannot be an open correlation with the literature "purchases" and donations).

  Something along the lines of this letter would open the purse strings...

  Dear Elders,

  We appreciate very much your current resolution of £10 monthly towards the worldwide work.

  As you will be aware , the cost of raw materials , property and fuel continues to escalate. Jehovah is also greatly blessing the work in Africa and Asian countries and we have an huge ongoing Kingdom Hall and Bethel building program that is largely financed by contributions from overseas. Many brothers have willingly given of their time and labour in such projects , but many who are not in a situation to do so have asked how they may assist the work in a material way.

  Many congregations have reviewed their monthly contributions to the Society to better reflect this need and we are suggesting that a contribution of £10 per month per publisher would allow us to "speed up" the program and greatly benefit our brothers in these lands , as well as more adequately serve the needs of the work in our own country. You may wish to consider your current donation at the next elders meeting.

  We know that Jehovah will "open up the storehouse" and greatly bless his people at this time and we pray his rich blessing on all your activity.

  Yours faithfully,

  WTBTS
• 

  Mary

  The WTS also does not have the wealthy profile of members required to bankroll the work. I remember when I processed the Gift Aid donations from the Inland Revenue in the UK for the congregation and receiving in error the return for a neighbouring church and was gobsmacked to see the huge donations that were being made. Most JWs have relatively low income and capital ( due to the lack of a college education and a failure to invest in long term assets such as shares or property ).

  Then perhaps the morons at the top shouldn't have been discouraging the R&F from getting an education, a good paying job, make long term investments or anything else that makes sense. The Mormons encourage the R&F to get a good education and a good job. Why's that? Because they practice tithing, so it just makes sense that the more someone makes per year, the more they can donate. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.
• 

  metatron

  I don't think the potential spin on this is that difficult, given that Witlesses are so eager to believe whatever they tell

  them. They just talk about "paying Caesars things to Caesar" and how the End is So Close, blah, blah, blah and

  the average Witness idiot buys into it. They could offer the latest publications for download on the 'Net to cover

  any criticism about people being too poor to purchase their crap.

  As for the internet and associated apostasy, I repeat , I think it's a minor irritation in relative terms. Why do I say

  this? Because of the pitiful lack of response to the challenge it presents!

  Don't look at it from your own viewpoint, sitting at your monitor. I grew up in an organization that was outrightly

  reactionary in its response to any doctrinal challenge - and where did that spirit go? It evaporated, apparently,

  especially after the deaths of Knorr and Franz. Their response to the internet is downright flaccid, weak,

  a spiritual form of erectile disfunction. Sure, they drag out an occassional talk about apostasy at the

  assemblies each year, but that feels increasingly perfunctory. Contrast any remarks about the internet with

  all the emphasis placed on contributions! It's the money., folks!

  From their viewpoint, they see 6 million mindless thralls , who increase by a percent or two each year, regardless

  of whatever the internet says. Even in lands with deep internet exposure, you could make a case for simple

  malaise and "materialism" taking their publishers slaves away. I don't think they can quantify their losses

  carefully enough to single out the internet, as opposed to Jonny Witness being part of a Giant Exodus out of the

  "truth" because of fornication or smoking weed.

  I can recall old internet sites that featured long, involved debates over every aspect of Watchtower doctrine.

  and why did that disappear? Because it isn't about doctrine! Why does any one bother debating about

  "607 BC" when you have more than 120 years of false prophecy at hand? If that isn't enough, what is?

  It's because of that - that I see them as almost collectively deranged. I can't blame critics who talk

  about "brainwashing".

  All this is OK by me, because I don't think they appreciate the subtlety of what the internet achieves.

  metatron
• 

  metatron

  And here's one more thought about their economics and future:

  What might their arrogance lead to?

  Think about it: You have 6 million people who act like utter idiots and fools in believing whatever junk they excrete.

  Now, how do avoid an eventual sense of contempt for publishers? Doesn't that lead to sitting back in your leather

  chair and quietly laughing at how gullible the organization is? Do you think that might cause them to quietly conclude,

  "screw them! The assets belong to us, and that's it. If they don't feel like contributing for our stuff, so what?"

  Want to know the future of the Watchtower? Then try and guess how deep their cynicism and hidden disbelief

  is. I am greatly heartened in hearing about Herd's verbal embarassments in this regard.

  metatron
• 

  Gill

  'Collectively deranged' and 'It's about the money' are the phrases that stood out for me, Metatron.

  That being the case, 'collective derangement', there's really very little hope for those caught in the WTBTS trap.

  They will only wake up when they are hit in the face by whatever it takes for 'them' to come round.

  Money, however, now that has to be whatever the changes to come will be concerned with. Right down to splitting the WTBTS into smaller corporations, it had nothing to do with 'God', 'Religion', 'Doctrine' etc.

  The WTBTS holds it's trump card that the silly little R and F JW looks up to - 'Do what WE say and you MIGHT live forever'. Like the battered, foolish, brain dead sheep that JWs are, they continue to follow their evil shepherds, the GB, of the WTBTS.

  All changes from now on will be about 'The MONEY'.

  I wonder who 'GETS IT ALL' all the billions they have away should they ever be disbanded?

  Any ideas! I understand that there are no 'shareholders' and would be fascinated to know what would happen to all that money if Armageddon ever comes for the WTBTS. Do you know, Metatron?
• 

  Sunspot

  I don't agree that they view the internet as a "minor irritation". It's by means of the internet that their false doctrines, the UN scandal, the pedophile problem and everything else, has been exposed. I think they view it as a major problem. If they didn't, there wouldn't be the constant "reminders" warning everyone about the "dangers of the internet".

  I agree! In my estimation, the men that run the WTS fear the freedom of the internet as no other freedom that a JW would want to avail themselves of! They are running scared and doing whatever they CAN to counteract what the JWs are reading....AND what the householders are asking the JWs when they get to the doors!

  It's all good !
• 

  done4good

  I tend to agree that the WTS underestimates the internet. But truth be known, they really do know how to handle it, so they don't deal with it head on. Instaed, the choose to put blinders on, (and hope the R&F do also), and continue with the same drivel about the "dangers of the internet", and so on. It really is their only defense. If they become too specific, obviously that would only incite curiosity, and they certainly don't want that. It is far easier to criminalize the act of using the internet, than provide a rebuttal, (which we know they can't do).

  If we see the WTS as a corporation, (which it is), it has been a very successful one. 130 years is quite a good run, (GM, IBM, Toyota, etc can't claim that). Thier methods do work. However, their methods have no way of directly combating the threat of the internet. If any corporation is going to remain successful, one of the things it needs to do is adapt to current technology. The WTS is indeed a book publishing corporation, and as such, unless it adapts to current media technologies, (such as the internet), it will fail if given enough time.

  j
• 

  Jourles

  As for the internet and associated apostasy, I repeat , I think it's a minor irritation in relative terms. Why do I say

  this? Because of the pitiful lack of response to the challenge it presents!

  I think you're a little off here and I'll tell ya why...

  Once a jw reads up on the WTS via the internet, one of two things happens - They either go into full defense mode or they begin having serious doubts. There's no way to actually pinpoint what that ratio would be, but I would go out on a limb and say it might be 50-50. The influence of the internet does in fact relate to their cash flow. How? I'll use myself as an example. Prior to finding out the truth about the truth, I was a regular contributor. Once I began my apologist defenses on H2O and read many things that disturbed me greatly regarding the org, my contributions dropped. I still donated occasionally(mainly at the prodding of my jw wife), but once I was mentally out, my donations came to a complete halt. I was still counted as a jw, but I was not donating. As I've said in the past, a non-donating witness is the same as a df'd witness in the eyes of the WTS. They're both dead money. And we all know it's all about the money.

  If the internet wasn't such a nuisance, then why would the WTS incorporate "chat rooms" into an assembly part? I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for the internet, none of us would be communicating on the scale that we do now. News on jw's would likely be limited to the local level. How many of us would have heard about Cano? How could we get new light before it was ever shipped out from NY? Bethel has to be pissed that we get the information and leak it on the web before it is properly presented to the congregations. At least we are now able to be somewhat organized with the internet, albeit disfunctional at times. We may not be the most well oiled machine to fight the WTS, but our guerilla tactics seem to be wearing down our enemy.