by PublishingCult 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
WBT$ Literature is Free?..Since when?..
Try not paying the Congregation WBT$ Literature Bill..
You won`t be getting any more WBT$ Literature,until you pay the Congregation WBT$ Literature Bill..
Nothing is Free in Watchtower World..
The Watchtower Money Pig needs to be Fed..
........................
...OUTLAW
When I went out in service on Thanksgiving I didn't have any mags- they were all stacked up in piles on the counter- nobody was behind the desk- take all you need, they didn't care about the money on Saturday morning.
My question, do you ask for donations for the WWW if the person doesn't take any publications since the donations are supposedly not for the publications? So do jws say this to people who don't accept publications?
“You may wonder how we can afford to do this work. It is because our worldwide work is supported by voluntary donations. If you wish to make a small donation today, I will be pleased to accept it.”
“If you would like to make a small donation today toward our worldwide work, I will gladly accept it.”
so do the brothers also have to balance out moneys for the literature order too. that would make sense but i dont know for sure outlaw eluded to that? if so then you know they are getting double paid
During the 2010 service year the total monthly printing of the w & g was 82 million- it keeps going up each year.
I never burned or threw out my magazines. If I did not use that many in FS I cut down my order, I was only getting 1 of each issue at the time I stopped going to the meetings.
I rarely was given any money from householders. I did not contribute twice.
I do get the magazines and other literature from a sister from another cong- I don't give her anything for it and she never asks for a donation. I once asked if she makes a donation for the literature she gives me. She said no.
Of course the worldwide work includes everything related to the printing and distributing of the literature, well for kingdom halls and assembly halls, conventions- operating expenses too. But so what?
Every witness knows what the donations are used for.
factfinder wrote:
But so what?
What I got from PC's post is shown where he highlighted the sentence in which the KM says the contribution boxes are not only for the literature. He brings out an interesting point: if they're not only for the literature, what else could they possibly be for? The KM spends an entire paragraph listing various things like branch offices, etc., but all those things exist for one purpose: to create and distribute the literature. Therefore, the KM does not seem correct when it states that the contribution boxes are not only for the literature. From what I can tell, they are in fact only for the literature, so I think he asks a fair question: "what am I missing?"
· Publishers are to pay for the books and magazines they take door-to-door, and if they receive any monies from the householder, it is to go back to New York, thus getting double the money. And if the magazine and book counter doesn’t send in enough money to cover the “free” literature, the congregation is cut off from receiving more until their “bill” is paid. They literally send them an bill!
Why is it that they can't seem to evolve in the art of lying? They must confuse themselves sometimes!
Randy
The Watchtower Way of Laundering Money
by Sam Muramoto and Randy Watters
Tuesday, 11 July 1995 00:00
Previous to a major policy change in 1990, Watchtower literature was distributed at what was termed a "specified contribution" price for each item. Witness canvassers (called "publishers") bought their literature supplies from the congregation and then resold these from door-to-door. All monies were then remitted to the Society's headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. The new policy announced in 1990 detailed a complete donation basis for literature. It was now to be supplied without charge to congregations, but contribution boxes are placed by the counter for donations from the publishers, supposedly to cover the cost of printing and distribution. In the field, donations for the items are solicited, but are supposedly not necessary in order to obtain books and magazines. Such donations received from the public are then to be brought back to the Kingdom Hall and sent to the Society.
What was the motivation for these changes?
The Society's answer was that less paperwork would be needed and the literature could be more easily distributed.
"By adopting a method of literature distribution based completely on donation, Jehovah's people are able to greatly simplify our Bible education work and separate ourselves from those who commercialize religion." ( Letter from the Watch Tower Society to all U.S. congregations dated February 21, 1990 .)
The second reason given about `separating ourselves from those who commercialize religion' alluded to the real reason for the Society's change in literature distribution. Just one month before the new policy was announced, the Society watched how the Supreme Court ruled in California Board of Equalization vs. Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. California wanted to assess sales taxes on the sale of books and tapes and other items by Swaggart's ministry. The Watch Tower Society filed amicus curiae (a friend of the court legal brief) in support of Swaggart's position, that a religious organization should be exempt from such taxation. On Jan. 17, 1990, just a little over a month before the Society's change in policy, the Supreme Court ruled against Swaggart and permitted taxation. The Society's new policy avoided any liability for taxation by taking the financial transaction out of the picture (donations cannot be taxed).
The new policy was primarily a tax dodge. The side benefit to the Watchtower was that they received monies TWICE for the items, if all went as planned: Perhaps a dollar or two for a small book when you picked up the literature from the Kingdom Hall, and if you received a donation for the book from the householder, you were required to bring this back to the Hall and deposit it as well. (Hmmm..., something's fishy!)
The Society's letter outlining the new policy took great pains to emphasize that the donation policy was not a subterfuge for continued specified prices. The claim was made that "we will not suggest a specific donation." (Letter dated February 9, 1990.) Yet a subsequent letter gave instructions on how to suggest the old prices for Watchtower and Awake! subscriptions:
"It may be that the subscriber will ask how much is expected. The publisher should inform the subscriber that the making of a donation or the amount of such is entirely up to the subscriber. The publisher may inform the subscriber that some have donated $5 and others $10 or more, but the amount is left up to the subscriber. Whether or not a donation is made the subscription will be renewed ... If it turns out that a subscriber does not make a donation, as Jehovah God's fellow workers we have the opportunity to support that work, depending on our circumstances." (Letter dated February 21, 1990)
Here the WT Society is telling Witnesses to suggest $5 or $10 for subscriptions, which is the previous rate. Interestingly, the Society also suggests that if Witnesses can't collect that from the public, then the Witnesses themselves have the opportunity to donate to cover for the public.
So what happens when people currently write in to the Society asking for literature?
Apparently, literature, including magazine subscriptions, can rarely be obtained through the mail any longer. Even renewal notices for return mail are no longer sent, the householder being informed that they must obtain all materials through their local Kingdom Hall. Even at Watchtower headquarters in New York, only two or three items can be requested at a time from the Society's Furman Street literature counter. The Society's literature is free, but only in limited supply.
More recently, attempts to obtain the Watchtower's new CD-ROM computer disk (containing all of their publications on electronic media, some back to 1950) have yielded interesting results. Because the May 1994 Our Kingdom Ministry (p. 7) "suggests" a price of $25 or $50, though not in so many words, publishers are often requiring a minimum payment, sometimes up front, before they will order the CD-ROM disk. In one case, the JW is demanding $40 before he will place the order! It seems that Witnesses are taught to be more and more deceptive as time passes, which is merely a reflection of their mother (the organization).
Apparently, their recent significant drop in income, coupled with the failure of rank-and-file Witnesses to donate funds sufficient to their liking for materials received "free" has caused the Watchtower to make the following statement in the November 1996 issue (p.3) of their in-house bulletin entitled Our Kingdom Ministry :
Share With Others According to Their Needs
Jehovah makes provision to fill our spiritual needs through the faithful "slave". (Matt 24:45-47) Many of these provisions are in the form of books, Bibles, bound volumes, videos, audiocassette recordings, and computer disks for Bible research. What Jehovah supplies is always sufficient without being wasteful. He expects us to share with one another, making sure that all benefit equally. All such provisions are produced at tremendous financial cost. These expenses are cared for by the worldwide brotherhood. This is especially true since the organization instituted the arrangement to distribute literature without charge, depending entirely on voluntary donations to cover the expense. Additionally, many branches obtain these provisions from the Society at a cost that enables the brothers to have what they need for meetings and field activity even though they have very limited material resources.
How we can help. We can respond to Paul's admonition to share with others "according to their needs." (Rom 12:13) When we make financial contributions toward the worldwide work, we are directly sharing what we have with our brothers around the world. With this in mind, some have decided to set aside an amount to contribute to the worldwide work each month, just as they do for Kingdom Hall expenses. They recognize that these funds are used not only for literature production but for all facets of the work as well. Imagine the great benefit our worldwide brotherhood would experience if more would share in this way on a regular basis.
Further, we can share with them by always being conservative when requesting items that are readily available to us. Ordering only what we actually need allows our brothers elsewhere to receive the spiritual provisions that they also need to keep strong and to advance the preaching of the good news in their part of the world.-Heb.13:16.
We should especially bear this in mind when we request items that are produced at considerable expense to the Society. These include videos, CD-ROMs, large reference books, bound volumes and audiocassette subscriptions. Rather than requesting one item for each member of the household, could the entire family get along with just one? If we limit what we take for ourselves, it will allow others to obtain the same good things that we enjoy. -Phil. 2:4. The cost of literature that we place in the field may be offset in part by donations to the Society's worldwide work offered by us at the Kingdom Hall and by interested ones who accept it. However, when it comes to literature items we request for our personal use, including songbooks, Yearbooks, deluxe Bibles, and so forth, we cannot expect outsiders to care for our needs. Jehovah's dedicated servants are the primary source of this financial support. With that in mind, many publishers estimate what these items might cost if commercially produced and then they contribute accordingly. For example, a deluxe gold-edged Bible can easily cost $20 or more, a reference book may be $40 and up, a full-color wall calendar may sell for at least $5, an encyclopedia on CD-ROM costs from $50 to $100 or higher, music compact discs commonly cost close to $20 and some videos are often sold for much more. A failure to contribute enough to cover costs will ultimately restrict what the organization may otherwise be able to accomplish in furthering the worldwide work.
Jesus declared that his true disciple would be clearly identified by their love for one another. (John 13:34, 35) Our generosity in giving materially and our unselfishness in sharing with other according to their needs are surely fine ways to prove ourselves to be genuine Christians.
contributed by Sam Muramoto
Additional notes:
It is interesting how they have even "raised the price" of a number of items! They appear be suggesting a donation of $50-100 for the CD-ROM instead of $25 to $50, and $40 for reference works such as Insight on the Scriptures. Since their costs of producing CD-ROMs could not exceed two dollars each (probably closer to $1), one wonders who they are trying to deceive.
One investigator sent in a donation to the Watchtower "equivalent to that once specified" for some literature, just to see what would happen. A letter, and an additional card was sent back. The letter was a "thank you" letter acknowleding a donation, but containing no hint as to any literature involved. But the card sent with it stated, "We are pleased to inform you that your request for Bible literature has been honored and will be mailed seperately." Using this technique, the WT feels they are going to avoid legal complications. Time will tell as to whether the State of California decides to reopen the case with regards to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
Wednesday, 24 April 1996 00:00
by Rolando Rodriguez
As was pointed out in the article, The Watchtower Way of Laundering Money, their current donation arrangement is simply a gimmick to avoid paying sales tax on items sold in the United States and a few other countries where this arrangement has been utilized.
Apparently, their recent significant drop in income, coupled with the failure of rank-and-file Witnesses to donate funds sufficient to their liking for materials received "free" has caused the Watchtower to make the following statement in the November 1996 issue (p.3) of their in-house bulletin entitled Our Kingdom Ministry:
Share With Others According to Their Needs
Jehovah makes provision to fill our spiritual needs through the faithful "slave". (Matt 24:45-47) Many of these provisions are in the form of books, Bibles, bound volumes, videos, audiocassette recordings, and computer disks for Bible research. What Jehovah supplies is always sufficient without being wasteful. He expects us to share with one another, making sure that all benefit equally. All such provisions are produced at tremendous financial cost. These expenses are cared for by the worldwide brotherhood. This is especially true since the organization instituted the arrangement to distribute literature without charge, depending entirely on voluntary donations to cover the expense. Additionally, many branches obtain these provisions from the Society at a cost that enables the brothers to have what they need for meetings and field activity even though they have very limited material resources.
How we can help. We can respond to Paul's admonition to share with others "according to their needs." (Rom 12:13) When we make financial contributions toward the worldwide work, we are directly sharing what we have with our brothers around the world. With this in mind, some have decided to set aside an amount to contribute to the worldwide work each month, just as they do for Kingdom Hall expenses. They recognize that these funds are used not only for literature production but for all facets of the work as well. Imagine the great benefit our worldwide brotherhood would experience if more would share in this way on a regular basis.
Further, we can share with them by always being conservative when requesting items that are readily available to us. Ordering only what we actually need allows our brothers elsewhere to receive the spiritual provisions that they also need to keep strong and to advance the preaching of the good news in their part of the world.-Heb.13:16.
We should especially bear this in mind when we request items that are produced at considerable expense to the Society. These include videos, CD-ROMs, large reference books, bound volumes and audiocassette subscriptions. Rather than requesting one item for each member of the household, could the entire family get along with just one? If we limit what we take for ourselves, it will allow others to obtain the same good things that we enjoy. -Phil. 2:4. The cost of literature that we place in the field may be offset in part by donations to the Society's worldwide work offered by us at the Kingdom Hall and by interested ones who accept it. However, when it comes to literature items we request for our personal use, including songbooks, Yearbooks, deluxe Bibles, and so forth, we cannot expect outsiders to care for our needs. Jehovah's dedicated servants are the primary source of this financial support. With that in mind, many publishers estimate what these items might cost if commercially produced and then they contribute accordingly. For example, a deluxe gold-edged Bible can easily cost $20 or more, a reference book may be $40 and up, a full-color wall calendar may sell for at least $5, an encyclopedia on CD-ROM costs from $50 to $100 or higher, music compact discs commonly cost close to $20 and some videos are often sold for much more. A failure to contribute enough to cover costs will ultimately restrict what the organization may otherwise be able to accomplish in furthering the worldwide work.
Jesus declared that his true disciple would be clearly identified by their love for one another. (John 13:34, 35) Our generosity in giving materially and our unselfishness in sharing with other according to their needs are surely fine ways to prove ourselves to be genuine Christians.
Comment:
It is interesting how they have even "raised the price" of a number of items! They appear be suggesting a donation of $50-100 for the CD-ROM instead of $25 to $50, and $40 for reference works such as Insight on the Scriptures. Since their costs of producing CD-ROMs could not exceed two dollars each (probably closer to $1), one wonders who they are trying to deceive.
One investigator sent in a donation to the Watchtower "equivalent to that once specified" for some literature, just to see what would happen. A letter, and an additional card was sent back. The letter was a "thank you" letter acknowledging a donation, but containing no hint as to any literature involved. But the card sent with it stated, "We are pleased to inform you that your request for Bible literature has been honored and will be mailed seperately." (See laundering.) Using this technique, the WT feels they are going to avoid legal complications. Time will tell as to whether the State of California decides to reopen the case with regards to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The following letter(s) illustrate the outworking of this policy. Here is the letter:
Dear Randy:
I thought I'd tell you of an experience some years ago when I served as an elder in Jersey City, New Jersey, during the first month of the change from selling books to the "Voluntary Donation" system. It seemed everyone one and their mothers decided that now was a good time to stock their libraries. Pioneers were now doubling up on their magazines for service. Witnesses who rarely bought anything, were now ordering, the New World Translation on Tapes [which, when price sold for over $100.00] everything and anything was being ordered. I was in charge of the literature counter. The invoices included in the orders were now dollarless. Three months later, the elders received a letter from the Society. It basically stated that they [the Society] noticed an enormous increase in literature orders. That the congregation had made purchases of some $3,000.00 and our donations were only somehere around $500.00. They told us we [the congregation] owed the Society $2,300.00. I'm thinking to myself..."hey wait a minute, isn't the literature "FREE" on voluntary donations?" Obviously not! The Society had it all planned out. In the envelope was another letter, addressed to the congregation. That letter basically told of the great work the Society was doing and how support was needed.
In view of that I had announced that we [the congregation] were donating to the Society from the congregation fund $2,500.00 for the World Wide Work.
Clever of them? The Society still got their money. I wonder how many congregations got that letter? Of course only the body of elders knew the truth for sure, the rest of the friends were left to believe we were so loving and generous by supporting the Society with such a big donation. Mind you no mention of the excess literature order was made.
How can they sleep at nights? It was situations like these that opened my mind to the true nature of the Society. They are a publishing house...we are their salesmen...what was that the Judge said "Advertise, Advertise, Advertise..." Nothing has changed!
In His Name!
Rolando Rodriguez
the address of the congregation:
Jersey City West Congregation
582 Bramhall Avenue
Jersey City,NJ 07304
Awesome informative stuff, Randy. Thanks!
Dogpatch wrote:
And if the magazine and book counter doesn’t send in enough money to cover the “free” literature, the congregation is cut off from receiving more until their
“bill” is paid. They literally send them an bill!
Is there a chart of the current prices per item that the Society uses to figure the bill? If not, how do they determine how much the cong owes?
