Materialism in your congregation?
by chukky 594 17 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
sabastious
An elder who studied with me owned a 3500 square foot house with a grand piano in his living room. He owned a construction company and made a fortune. He was a respected elder in the congregation and I think he played the "wealthy witness" role with class.
-Sab
-
LongHairGal
SABASTIOUS:
I don't have a problem with people being rich. They can be dripping with diamonds and everything else. What I have a problem with is if they are hypocritically preaching poverty from the podium. Who is this poverty for? Not them, obviously.
Do they have a business and are they trying to get JWs to work for them at a discount? Maybe this is part of the reason the religion likes to preach 'poverty'. Are they are hoping all these desperate, down on their luck JWs will work for these brothers at pathetically low wages??
If so, then these 'wealthy' brothers are to be severely criticized and I have no use for them.
-
sabastious
I don't have a problem with people being rich. They can be dripping with diamonds and everything else. What I have a problem with is if they are hypocritically preaching poverty from the podium. Who is this poverty for? Not them, obviously.
They don't preach poverty they preach "simplicity" which poverty is a natrual byproduct of. They have their bases often well covered.
-Sab
-
sabastious
Who is this poverty for?
The Watchtower values total servitude from the Rank and File above all else. Their indoctrination system is very specific and requires the subject's isolation from the outside world. As we know, money doesn't grow on trees, so the Witnesses don't like their subjects getting to "high paying" jobs that will take up time for meetings, personal study and field service (ie the indoctrination process).
Employers are potential compitition for the Watchtower. All they want is the rank and file's time. Because if they have that they can then not only go through their pockets, but they can also order them to build kingdom halls and "educational centers" around the world. Just like the Egyptian's did with the hebrews and their building projects.
-Sab
-
saltyoldlady
Many long years ago I was in a congregation that was extremely wealthy - unusual for WTS groups - but this one had over a half dozen multi-millionaires - owner of a fishing fleet, one made his money in the insurance business, several were sharp shooters at investing, one was a medical doctor, professor and researcher with enough money just from his medical equipment patents alone to afford three exquisite homes - one in town, one in the country with a small stable for horses, plus a ranch in Montana for special vacations, his own airplane, and yacht - but the congregation was quite small - about 60 publishers on the average. Yes they had a few down and out - some who came temporarily to attach themselves to see if they could work the money but these people were tight with their money - didn't just hand it out - so those would circulate out in short order and new ones would show up.
But the thing that really got to me was when they decided the hall needed renovation - it was a small hall - can't remember how many it officially sat but about 100 bodies would fill it up tight. The hall needed $15,000 to do the job they wanted to do - put in new carpets, some fresh paint, replacement of a couple windows, clean mold out of the heating ducts, replace some moldy plasterboard in the entry, and put in an air conditioner in an area that only gets about two hot days per year (defined as making it all the way up to high 80's or low 90's )etc. Anyone of these elders could have footed the $15,000 out of their own pocket with ease, between the six that were super wealthy they could have each forked over $2,500 with no pain - they all traveled on spectacular cruises yearly, took regular trips to exotic far off lands, the PO lived on a cruise ship about half of the year because that was the only time his wife felt good, etc. - they drove luxury cars, most lived in luxury homes, quess what they did - apply for a loan from the WTS - a low interest loan to be paid back over many many years span - I could hardly believe it. Guess it's called good business sense? LOL,
-
LongHairGal
SABASTIOUS:
My questions were sarcastic. I know perfectly well that the religion values total servitude and considers a 'worldly' employer as competition for the rank and file JWs time and labor, which they covet.
What I am referring to is what I see as a double standard inside the actual congregations. There are those JWs who are well-off and have businesses and are looking for cheap labor. They try to enlist the services of JWs. I know some rather stupid JWs who were almost like indentured servants working for these people, even if it was only in a capacity of cleaning these people's house (houses). When I heard stories of how badly my friends were treated and how nervy their JW employers were, I was seething with anger.
-
sabastious
What I am referring to is what I see as a double standard inside the actual congregations. There are those JWs who are well-off and have businesses and are looking for cheap labor. They try to enlist the services of JWs. I know some rather stupid JWs who were almost like indentured servants working for these people, even if it was only in a capacity of cleaning these people's house (houses). When I heard stories of how badly my friends were treated and how nervy their JW employers were, I was seething with anger.
Ah, sorry for misunderstanding.
My grandfather did just that, but he employed his Witness sons only.
-Sab
-
LongHairGal
SABASTIOUS:
Hey, no problem.
What I can only imagine is: what would this religion resemble if it were geographically isolated from the rest of society for a couple of decades??? The thought is actually scary.
-
JamesThomas
Desire for a perfect body, which lives in a perfect paradise within a perfect house on a perfect hill, etc...at the cost of billions of lives. What is more insanely materialistic than this?