LIFEISTOOSHORT: Reading your post makes me angry because I knew they would start saying audacious things like this. I was always of the opinion that pioneering was only for people who could support themselves. Nobody else has ANY business being on the pioneer list. I was criticized because I work full time but yet these rats have the nerve to target working people! The sickest irony is that I would have been the last to be helped! This may have the effect of alienating yet MORE people in the religion. People are barely hanging on to jobs and they are going to be targeted left and right by people who deliberately chose NOT to be in the workforce. As far as COs are concerned, I don't even want to know about them. All I can say is that I am glad I no longer associate with the religion because I could not tolerate this.
CO was asking for money in his talk last night
by life is to short 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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flipper
LIFE IS TOO SHORT- WASBLIND made a VERY good point in saying that this C.O. was NOT putting Jehovah first , he was putting a corporation first. And therein lies much of the problem. The WT society uses manipulative mind control tactics through these Bethel representatives to make Witnesses feel " guilty " if they DO NOT contribute to Joe & Anna pioneer who have sacrificed SO MUCH to serve in Zimbabwe , Timbuktu, or wherever ! They go on and on about the deprivations that these folks allegedly " suffer " to guilt Witnesses into coughing up $$$$ to support what Witnesses think are the pioneers- but in reality it's the WT society receiving the funds putting it to use however they want ! It's extremely dishonest and manipulative.
Then I really thought the C.O. was WAY out of line saying that rank & file Witnesses should fill up the gas tanks of pioneers . Yeah right. Interesting he says that as gas prices are soaring out of control at $ 4.00 per gallon now and no end in sight how much MORE it will rise. It's ridiculous. Hey- Here's a better idea- Everybody sitting at the Kingdom Hall take a vote and have a show of hands on how much money they've donated to the WT society since they've each been baptized ! Then have another vote and show of hands on how many have received money from the WT society for ANY compensation for their efforts. I agree with the other posters C.O's and pioneers need to get a job. And stop being financial leeches off of the other JW's who support them
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Desert Rat
LITS... I have been on the other end of that talk!! After pioneering for 3 years (and coming to the realization that it was all a lie) we were having the CO for a visit. He asked me one day in service how I was holding up, as he thought I seemed 'off'. Not ready to tell him what I really was thinking, I blamed my 'depression' on the congo. I complained that weekends were really the only time I had any support, and it was becoming a financial burden to me. I did admit that I was thinking of quitting. Which that was all true...
Our special needs talk was ALL on supporting me!! He lambasted every one for not going out during the week, for not ever filling my gas tank etc... Told them how their only pioneer was going to quit because of them! He had one of the elders set up a weekly schedule and from the platform, had people pledge to 'work with me' on certain days of the week! OMG!! I wanted to crawl in a hole and die!! I was so embarrassed!!!
I did make about 100 bucks that night though! Quit pioneering 3 months later.
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OnTheWayOut
Yeah, in congs. with more pioneers, I imagine such talks result in a boost for pioneers' gas tanks for a little while, then back to business as usual.
Better that the pioneers figure out to quit that time-wasting. Even in the cong., lesser-hours publishers figure they earned the Paradise ticket for their minimal effort.
It wouldn't surprise me if the WTS ended the pioneer program entirely within a few years when literature "selling" is no longer part of the game plan. It wouldn't surprise me if they included another drop in hours this year. Maybe the aux. pioneers will drop permanently to 30 and the regular pioneers to 50 or 60.
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flipper
DESERT RAT- Jesus Christ ! I bet you felt really embarrassed with the C.O. scolding the congregation on your behalf. Good gawd. No wonder you felt like crawling into a hole. Sometimes I feel the little brain particles that are left in C.O.'s have been sucked out through a straw by the GB's mind control tactics. Absolutely incredible. I'm glad you got out my friend
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satinka
I guess the CO didn't mention the $$$ in legal bills to hide the sex scandals.
Or the lobbying dollars to provide good press, "The Watchtower is Most Popular Magazine in the World"
satinka
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Murray Smith
I gotta tell ya'll about one occasion when "the worm turned"
Our presiding O/S, who wasn't well liked, was giving a "special needs talk" on KH funding (we were saving for a new build). It amounted to a severe "ticking off" for the lack of support the Congo was giving to the fund . . . at one point he said . . .
"seven thousand dollars in two years? . . . I could have saved that on my own"
A young wit at the back of the hall was heard to say through the stony silence . . . "Well why didin ya then?" . . . barely audible but still heard from the platform.
A few sniggers followed accompanied by the most voracious inquiry as to who was responsible . . . he was never outed . . . still dine out on it!
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Roski
Well, my parents didn't leave me any money in their will because I'm no longer a JW - so guess it cuts both ways.
And - in a missionary assignement we had to pay rent to the society for a small 'bush-material' house that was built, paid for and donated by the previous pioneers....no help there!
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Broken Promises
LOL @ "Well why didin ya then?"
Good on him, whoever it was.
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Scully
Isn't it interesting how the Circuit Overseers™ and Elders™ expect other JWs to Wait On Jehovah™ for financial assistance, but then they have the balls to go on the platform and try to lay a guilt trip on the Congregation™ to fork over money? I wonder what they'd do if every Joe and Jane Publisher decided that they needed to Wait On Jehovah™ for the money they need?
The ones that bugged me most were the obvious users - like the Sister™ who phoned and invited me to go in Service™ with her. I told her that I'd love to, but that I'd need a ride because hubby used our car for work. Her attitude suddenly changed and she promptly uninvited me and hung up before I could say another word.