When did you stop supporting the WT with $$$ ?? (page 3)

CuriousButterfly

Originally known as the Peoples Pulpit Association, the organization was incorporated in 1909 when the Society's principal offices moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1939, it was renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc., and in 1956 the name was changed to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. [10] Until 2000, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses was president of both the Watch Tower (Pennsylvania) and Watchtower (New York) corporations, as well as Britain's International Bible Students Association (IBSA) corporation; in 2001, it was decided that the corporations' directors need not be members of the Governing Body. [3] In 2001 the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York was listed among the top forty revenue-generating companies in New York City, reporting an annual revenue of about 951 million US dollars. [11]

From wikipedia.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporations_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses

Wonder what their annual expenses are?

palmtree67

I stopped when I saw too many incidents of wasteful spending.

For instance, at the same time as couselling the flock to "live simply" and "not take too many vacations", they purchased 2 new blinds for the K-Hall at a cost of $5000. The RBC was handcuffed into only using a prominent elder's decorating business for all K-Hall renos and building. He was making a pretty penny from it, too. His wife would wander around the renovations, doing nothing to help, in her matching Linda Lundstrom coat ($1500) and boots ($700)

That's when I said, No More.

miseryloveselders

I stopped when I saw too many incidents of wasteful spending.

For instance, at the same time as couselling the flock to "live simply" and "not take too many vacations", they purchased 2 new blinds for the K-Hall at a cost of $5000. The RBC was handcuffed into only using a prominent elder's decorating business for all K-Hall renos and building. He was making a pretty penny from it, too. His wife would wander around the renovations, doing nothing to help, in her matching Linda Lundstrom coat ($1500) and boots ($700)

That's when I said, No More.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I know many on here like to joke about JWs being window washers. However, more than a few JWs own businesses involved in cleaning, maintenance, or trades. Quite a few of them make a good buck off of Kingdom Halls, and Assembly Halls.

CuriousButterfly

Funny you say that PalmTree. John Barr's (GB) wife, Mildred is known to live in the Turks and Caicos very comfortably I might add. The "higher ups" are known to visit/vacation warm weathered and expensive islands.

hamsterbait

When I read the account of Da Troof in the Solomon islands.

The Witchtower Rag praised the (presumably little brown-skinned) sisters (patronise, patronise) who dug the foundations of their noo Kingdumb Hell with their bare hands, because they didnt have money to buy shovels.

The Society is worth millions and millions, but they would not GIFT a few shovels unles the cost was paid back?????

Where was MY money going?

HB

St George of England

John Barr's (GB) wife, Mildred is known to live in the Turks and Caicos very comfortably

Didn't know that! Does that mean she lives there permanently instead of Brooklyn?

George

undercover

I stopped when I saw too many incidents of wasteful spending.

For instance, at the same time as couselling the flock to "live simply" and "not take too many vacations", they purchased 2 new blinds for the K-Hall at a cost of $5000. The RBC was handcuffed into only using a prominent elder's decorating business for all K-Hall renos and building. He was making a pretty penny from it, too. His wife would wander around the renovations, doing nothing to help, in her matching Linda Lundstrom coat ($1500) and boots ($700)

That's when I said, No More.

I used to volunteer on the RBC. I saw instances of wasteful spending and rigged contracts. Probably nothing illegal since it was all private money but only JW businesses and services were used...even when cheaper quotes were obtained from "worldly" sources.

It was frustrating to see a "worldly" roofer come in and say he would remove the old roof, install the new one and haul off the waste for a third of what the RBC contracted for from a "brother". And on top of that we had to provide the free labor and feed everyone. How does it make sense to pay more and do the work yourself vs hiring a professional who'll do it all for much less (and you don't have to feed him)?

And I volunteered to help on another crew led by a brother who did a lot of work for the RBC projects. An elder friend of the family told me that even though it was good to want to help volunteer on the project, I was basically free labor for the head of that crew because he was contracted to do the work and was getting paid. So everyone "volunteering" for him were increasing his profits in that he didn't have to pay for labor.

That's when I stopped working on RBC projects...several years before I actually freed myself from the beliefs.

AnnOMaly

When I read the account of Da Troof in the Solomon islands.
The Witchtower Rag praised the (presumably little brown-skinned) sisters (patronise, patronise) who dug the foundations of their noo Kingdumb Hell with their bare hands, because they didnt have money to buy shovels.
The Society is worth millions and millions, but they would not GIFT a few shovels unles the cost was paid back?????
Where was MY money going?

Just wow. I had to look this up. Anyone who's interested can read the article in the 1992 Yearbook. They were actually building an Assembly Hall! And it looks like the project was plagued with difficulties.

P. 238-9

"The construction work crew was eager and ready to start! However, the only equipment they had was two claw hammers and two chisels. Of course, there were a lot of willing helpers ready to lend their hands to the task."

P. 247

"This Assembly Hall on Malaita serves as an example of how great things can be accomplished without modern construction equipment and commercial materials. It stands as evidence of how Jehovah blesses the efforts of those who put full trust in him. Frequently the work went ahead without even the most basic tools, such as spades or shovels, which would be regarded as an absolute necessity in more affluent countries.

"When it was necessary to have coral-based dirt excavated and loaded into sacks for transportation to the building site, sisters dug the coral gravel from a quarry with sharp sticks and then scooped the sharp, jagged gravel into bags with their bare hands. In just one day, the sisters dug and loaded 13 three-ton truckloads of coral fill!"

Yes, you'd think the WTS could have stretched to donating (or even loaning?) some basic construction tools!

LongHairGal

WOBBLE,

Back in the day when I was naive, I just threw a 20 dollar bill now and then into the box to cover general overhead. That was it. One time when they had a renovation I gave a modest amount. I may have taken a poor friend to lunch now and then and paid their gas or groceries but I never gave money to deadbeats. I also never gave what some here refer to as 'green handshakes'. I suppose this is something a man would do for some circuit overseer or missionary. I had no intention of doing it. I didn't believe in 'gifts' to people who chose not to be part of the workforce. After all, this religion claimed it had 'no clergy', so I had no intention of treating anybody there as such!

When my eyes were opened as to the religion's disdain and contempt for college education and careers and their appalling attitude towards single women (they couldn't care if we starved to death and we would be the last ones to be helped), I was determined never to give anything to the religion. As far as I was and am concerned, the religion can go to hell.

I was even more outraged when I found out in the year 2000 the religion's scandals. What an eye-opener!

coffee_black

Yes, Curiousbutterfly, that is for one year. I saw a Dunn & Bradstreet report for the WT in the early '90s... and it showed income for that year a2 1.25 Billion. for the year. Their income has gone down since then. Wish I still had a copy of it...

Coffee

When did you stop supporting the WT with $$$ ??

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