Glad they gave it back to the publishers too.
Abuse of Authority and Tax Exemptions in the WT Organization
by OnTheWayOut 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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OnTheWayOut
OTWO- How long ago did this happen?
The Hall was built about 1993 and this took place shortly after, say 1995. It is a double hall on the near south side of Chicago (18th Street).
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Gayle
Makes me think that the WTS knows how to 'play' Mexico government as evidence of the 'bribe' system of the past in that country. Maybe part of why they closed the Central American branches and sent up to Mexico branch. The WTS headquarters leadership have no conscience taking from the poor.
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undercover
The C.O. wanted to hold onto the bankbook and contact WTS to see what should be done with the money. The former elder telling this thought that the C.O. might actually have wanted to keep the money for himself...
I bet it would have ended up in the WTS' pocket.
I'll share something that happened in my area. I'm copying this from previous usage. I've edited it to try to condense it.
Three congregations shared one building and one was saving to purchase land and start their own building. There was a controversy over that even because the congregation saving to build a hall would not chip in on remodel costs to the existing building - costs that exceeded $200,000.
Then along comes the Circuit Overseer and he tells the congregation that has been saving money for a new building that they aren't going to get their own building. The lines for the city are going to be redrawn and a new congregation formed. Many in this congregation are going to be moved into the new congregation. The elders are told the best thing they can do is donate the money to the Building work and move on.
In the meantime, the hall that many of these folks will be moving into, shared with yet another congregation went up for sale and they hope to build a new hall themselves. So, many that move into this building will have lost the money they already saved and will have to start over saving.
And the RBC or the Society has said that the new hall for this congregation will be built will be in a certain part of town where no one wants to be. Over the last couple of decades, most of the JWs with the means have left the bad parts of town and the congregation with the hall for sale is down to about 60 people, all minorities and all poor. The Society wanted to redraw the lines, forcing more people into this congregation and forcing a new congregation to use the same hall, splitting expenses. But the hall and it's land is worth about half a million dollars. So they'll sell that, take some of the money and buy land. The new hall will be built in a poor part of town, a cheap cleared off lot somewhere. The members of the congregation will end up with a new mortgage to pay for the building, though the money made from the sale should pay for everything. Guess who gets the bulk of that half a mil?
What's amazing to me is that there are several real estate agents and mortgage brokers in this area who are JWs. Of all the people to see problems with how the Society works with real estate, you'd think they would see it first. But they don't. They're so blind to what the Society does. -
JeffT
Accountant speaking here: what the CO attempted to do was outright fraud. If he had succeeded and some one called the cops he would have been in deep do-do.
Essentially the various congregations involved had done exactly the right thing, they worked up an agreement to do something for the benefit of all and placed the money in escrow to wait until all the pieces were in place. At that point there are two (and only two) things that can happen legally, the money is used for its intended purpose or it is returned to the people that donated it. I suppose a third option would be to pay down the mortgage and adjust the payments from the congregations accordingly. But they would all have to agree to that.
From what I've been able to determine some of what goes on with the WTBS' kingdom hall funds would embarass a sub-prime mortgage broker.