The financial pitfalls of being a jdub

lovelylil

I recently learned that a brother who used to be my husband's best friend sold his home and moved into his fathers house with his wife and two young kids. This poor guy was always struggling with money issues because of not working extra because of the meetings and he was an elder so he had a lot of responsibilties and could not do much overtime. Also he never went to higher education and was a self taught painter but had no medical insurance which put a strain on the family financially.

I know other people outside the jdubs have financial problems too but don't you agree the witnesses seem to have a large proportion of their members living on or below the poverty line? I mean with all the time you devote to the org. and you are always being told not to get an education, not to reach out at work, etc.

Since leaving the org. my hubby and I are doing much better financially. We both went back to school for a while and I have a new career which pays well. And the funny thing is I am not hurting spiritually at all. Actually, I am doing better spiritually than before because I am not constantly worried about where my next meal is coming from. And my new job enables me to give more money to charity including a new church I am attending.

I was wondering how being a Witness impacted others financially, did it hurt you? Lilly

lovelylil

anybody out there?

jeanniebeanz

I was wondering how being a Witness impacted others financially, did it hurt you? Lilly

Argh... without a doubt. Going back to school after I left the org in order to support myself and my kids was so tough. I'm so behind the eightball financially, but many of the elderly witnesses that I know are falling on hard times. Give it another 10 or 15 years and we will all be being asked to come back and support them. I'm wondering if the shunning policy will be ammended to allow for this because you know damn well that the borg won't want the responsibility.

MinisterAmos

The whole system is built around members being controlled to the point where they are asked to drop everything at a moment's notice to do Org. bidding; that includes their jobs.

A case in point would be the visitation of the CO or DO. Rather than doing the "humble" thing and adhering to the meeting schedule that the Dubz have in many cases painfully organized, a CO visit means that every congo member, their families, Employers and co-workers need to make an "adjustment" so that the CO can keep his own schedule.

In many cases the JS's jobs are hanging on by a thread because of all the crazy schedule requests they are forced to make already.

Then the CO is almost certain to scold and mock the working members of the congo because they like to be able to buy food for their kids.

Then he will accept cash donations from all.

emy the infidel

This is probably one of those thorny issues that hurts too much to think about, for most out here.

My only relative in the troof had moved with his wife "to serve where the need was greater" 30 yrs. ago in a very depressed area. They were able to live pretty well even on odd jobs. About 14 yrs. ago I reconnected with them and went to visit. They had sold their nice little house and moved to a transient type apartment, in an industrial area (!?) of that same town. I guessed that the house was probably their only asset. It freaked me out. Now they'd closing in on 60 yrs. old. It's sad.

lovelylil

Thanks for your comments so far. I agree that when we leave we are kinda behind the eight ball. My hubby and I had to start over close to being 40 years old and it is a lot harder to catch up to where we should have been financially at our age. We both went into the borg in our 20's. But I guess it is never too late. I'm glad we got the chance by leaving at a relatively young age because we are still far away from retirement.

We know couples still in the same age and they are really not doing as well as we are. Most cannot even afford to buy a nice car or their own home and the rents up here in Boston are ridiculous. Lilly

jaguarbass

I was wondering how being a Witness impacted others financially, did it hurt you? Lilly

It hurt me. The lack of education and having to take employment with out a degree still affects me today.It didnt seem to me that it affected a lot of the other witnesses that I was around. When I lived in Cleveland, a lot of the brothers were union drywall hangers, they seemed to do real well and live in expensive houses. When I moved to Florida in 81, I wasnt doing very well, but it seemed to me that many of the witnesses were doing well, especially the ones in construction. The 2 congregations that I went to seemed to me to be very affluent. People braged and flaunted about having money, which really bumbed me out because I couldnt figure out how to get any. In my congregation in Cleveland the presiding overseer owned a Buick Dealership, Then another elder was a project manager for the Zarembas who were big builders in Cleveland.

wha happened?

brothers counseled me on working full time

The financial pitfalls of being a jdub

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