by Dogpatch 62 Replies latest jw friends
These revelations about their financial straits prove what I've been saying for years: one or two 'Catholic-level' lawsuits could finish off the Watchtower Society, once and for all, in a practical sense.
Cut off the head of this monster and the congregations will drift away. A prolonged, expensive legal struggle would be wonderful.
metatron
Several people on here have said it before - the glory years of the WTS were the late 1950's to 1975. They were having massive conventions, they were recruiting 'normal' young people who were on a post-war high, and they had a specific date for the end of the world.
1975 punctured the tyre
1995 completely deflated it and running flat from 'our' perspective - as far as we are concerned the Borg is not attractive. Other people see it differently.
See the 20 year picture? This organisation is not going to blow up anytime soon, unless they self-destruct somehow
My prediction:
2015 - move out of Brooklyn complete. Healthy cash balance and operating costs properly aligned with decreased income.
2035 - fully adjusted to the new operating cashflow model they are 15 million strong (3% net growth per annum will get them there in that time scale) with English nowhere near the predominant native language. Low operating costs combined with small but numerous contributions from the 3rd World will keep the GB and HQ leadership in lifetime comfort, if not in style. (The newly appointed GB member born in 1985 has not yet attended the MTS and is currently 25 years old) The Nigerian villagers speak in awed tones of Ramapo and Kerplunkadunk.
Check back later to see if I was anywhere near the money :-)))
EDIT - I agree with Metatron - a black swan event could take 'em down at unparalleled speed
Watchtower Pulls Out
The contraceptive method used by the GB in most areas of their lives....
This has to be the new WT theme song with the move out of the city to 'Green Acres' Warwick.
The GB would be the Eddie Albert class and the Lisa class all the Bethelites missing the city life.
WOW -dynamite - thanks Randy
It's a one time only stunt though. What will the sell next time the coffers get low?
Different religions have different revenue models - the Mormons (for example) prosper on their 10% tithe on the incomes of followers. They generally don't build properties for eventual re-sale - there isn't much of a market for second hand temples these days.
The WTBTS mainly brings in funds by the pool of free labour it uses to build and refurbish properties. As most of the properties are accommodation modules , they have a clear re-sale market as high quality apartments , hotels or for other purposes. So the idea is to build , sell on (tax free) a few years later at a huge profit (labour can make up to 70% of construction costs) and then reinvest in more properties. I just see this process continuing indefinitely. It isn't rocket science. I don't doubt that in quite a few years time the properties in NY State will be rolled over and new ones built somewhere else.
They are trying to set themselves up for the new century and distance themselves from their history in Brooklyn.
New grounds, new look, same old Apocalyptic religion.
'Do a little good each day'
The end of an era: can't help feeling this is a bit of a shame.
Plus I always wanted to visit Brooklyn one day.
This seems like a huge loss of prestige for them; out in the middle of a farm field, versus Brooklyn.
Who wants to vist a factory in the middle of nowhere?
