by dgp 28 Replies latest jw friends
Corruption, bribery, greasing a palm
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/11/opinion/oe-steinberg11
| , grease someone's palm and oil someone's palm Fig. to bribe someone. If you want to get something done around here, you have to grease someone's palm. I'd never oil a police officer's palm. That's illegal. |
Simony - seeking to buy ecclesiastical privileges - has a close connection with the green handshake.
The origin of the term:
Acts 8:18-19 When Simon saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited, and said, "Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!"
20-23 Peter said, "To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that's unthinkable—trying to buy God's gift! You'll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes. Change your ways—and now! Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money. I can see this is an old habit with you; you reek with money-lust."
24 "Oh!" said Simon, "pray for me! Pray to the Master that nothing like that will ever happen to me!" MSG
Syl
I actually only gave the CO money once. He was a great guy and I really enjoyed being around him. His wife was fantastic which in my experience is pretty rare for a CO wife. Obviously, they had very little cash. So, my wife and I sent him and his wife a card with some cash in it. It was their wedding anniversary and we thought about taking them out but realized that they would have a much better time just the two of them and wanted to buy them dinner.
It was a gesture that I would have done for a friend. I also had several friends in Bethel and when we would visit them in NYC, we'd take them out and pay. That $120 doesn't go very far.
I do agree that some use it to gain favor with the CO. I've seen it happen often and it always seemed wrong to me but mainly because of the way it was done. But, as LWT says, it's not like these folks are wealthy. And if the donations on the accounts reports are any indication as to how generous JWs are, I seriously doubt they're getting rich.
I knew a guy who was giving the CO lot's of money and taking them out for very expensive meals when he was wanting to be appointed MS. Later, a scandal was uncovered that showed secret letters between them that talked of a soon afterward appointment to Elder.
Do CO's report green handshake money as income, like anyone else who has to report tips does?
Think About It
I truly believe that the "green handshake" is the way to get noticed and "promoted" by the CO. In all of the congregations I've been in, which is quite a lot, every PO (now CoBE) has been one of the more affluential or wealthy elders in the congo. The congo I'm in now has a multi-million dollar Coordinator. That is an exception, but most of the rest I know have their own businesses.
When the CO came by a couple months ago, a brother came up to me and asked about giving the CO some money. I said, "oh you mean a green handshake? Nah, he chose to do this job and live a life of poverty, let him rely on Jehovah." (I said that with a smirk). He just gave me that look like, what the hell? lol
Thank you, guys.
I think we shouldn't forget that some brothers used to give us, money, clothes, (I even received a car from a brother), just because they appreciated our work, not to expect something in return. We, as europeans, were surprised by the amounts of money they gave us every time we went to different congregations in the NY area just to hear experiences from our missionary assignment. and they couldn't expect something in return, so it was just generosity.
I never knew about this and I actually didn't find out about from this site. I found out last year from the mouth of two local elders that visited my house. I brought up the point how CO are able to support themselves in retirement. The elders told me it was common for the COs to get $20 here and there from members. One of the Elders mentioned some CO will get land donated to them and other high dollar items.
It wasn't until after they told me this that my eye would catch the attention to topics on this board about "green handshakes". Can you imagine some of the "handshakes" the GB get?
