Hmmm...what DOES the Bible say to do with the poor?
Does the Watchtower follow this command of Jesus?
Luke 12:33. "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys."
Mt. 5:42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
Mt. 19:20 The young man said to Him, "All these commands I have kept; what am I still lacking?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Mt. 6:2-4. "When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Are they following the example of the 1st century apostles? Notice:
Gal. 2:9 Recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John... gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor-- the very thing I also was eager to do.
Acts 2:44. All those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began to sell their property and possessions, and share them with all, as anyone might have need.
Eph. 4:28. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.
So it seems to me that the Watchtower is the one at fault here. Also, they pain a far different picture of Christianity (outside the JWs) than I have seen. I've learned more about the Bible after being out than I EVER learned in the Watchtower. And half of what they taught 50 years ago was lies. And there are things that they are STILL teaching that are lies.
Using the babysitter analogy: The parents left the kids with the Babysitter, and the Babysitter fed them...but it was full of poison. That babysitter also said that because they complained about the poison being in their food, they could never again talk to their family and friends. I'll take the Christian babysitter over the Watchtower babysitter ANY DAY!!!!!