Just like alcoholic family members you cannot in all good conscience give her the money for this purpose. I had a family member who made the rounds asking for money, after awhile we all had to get together and say no cash! If they needed groceries, go with them or drop them off. You can attend to their needs without giving cash.
She asked for money
by noontide 29 Replies latest jw friends
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Highlander
I agree with many of the above posts.
Continue helping your mother as needed, but do so in a non-cash form.
Maybe you can buy her what she needs and deliver it yourself?
Gift certificates at specific stores of yours and her choice is a great idea as mentioned above.
Have her electric bill delvered to your address for you to pay for.
Much better to go through this hassle then to risk having your money support this cult.
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Odrade
I'll be the dissenting "yes." Your mom wants to be generous with the "special" speaker. It sounds like this speaker is not the traveling overseer, but rather someone who was invited specially from Bethel to give their "special talk."
These guys are not making a haul, not traveling first class, and probably have agreed at considerable expense to themselves if the congregation is not a rich one. (Probably even if they are a rich one.)My parents accepted these "invitations" a few times, and always went back to Bethel hundreds of $ poorer than before they accepted. Usually they get their airfare paid for (or mostly. My parents were asked if they had airmiles, which they did, so the congregation expected them to use their miles, which they WERE going to use for vacation.) Usually they get to stay at somebody's house and sleep on an air mattress (whoopee!), and they get taken out to some crappy-assed family restaurant or go to "potluck" after the talk. But nobody really helps them with eating expenses for the travel days, car rental (if needed,) eating expenses for the rest of their stay- usually an additional day or two. This isn't the cushy job that being a C.O. can be. The guys who take these talks, some of them, are the good ones... the ones that sacrifice because they think they are doing it for God.
Your mom sounds like she has a generous spirit, and she wants to help somebody else who quite possibly has a generous spirit. Yes, they're in a rotten stinkhole of a cult, but they're people.
If you decide to not give her the $20, (which is not much all things considered,) please just tell her you're not comfortable passing your money through to a group you can't support. But don't play the little "i forgot" game. She's doing it out of love for her "brothers." That's really what it's all about.
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bebu
I vote no, but I loved your post Odrade.
If mom presses for money, tell her that you are very sorry, but charity is a personal issue, and you deal with your charitable giving directly. Asking anyone for money in order to give it away as your own is not the kind of giving God wants anyway, is it?
If your mom wants to give to this brother, let it be from HER. Even if it's just $5.
bebu
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ferret
NO!
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avidbiblereader
I would not give it to her but tell her that you gave it to a poor person on the street, and do that. Then give her a scripture to hand to the brother
1 Tim 5:8 Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith.
Then tell her that this Bethel life is not scripturally supported, living off others and tell your parents that you would give to them in a heart beat but not to this.
abr
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noontide
Odrade your reply was very calming and thought provoking. Thank you. It's just when she first asked, the only thing I could do was get upset. You are right, he could be one of the good ones, but I still don't support what he stands for. And it's not about the money; it is after all only $20 dollars. I'll have to think about this some more. I appreciate everyone's advice.
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greendawn
The WTS has a policy of isolating and boycotting the ex JWs, it acts like a ruthless enemy so obviously its people and especially high standing ones should not be supported. It's like feeding the snake that bit you.
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ninja
dont do it...!!!...youll just encourage them
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jaguarbass
If you want a vote. I say NO!