COC - Glad you approve. I've been working on my writing style!
00DAD
FDS says - "No need to check our work. Besides, it will only make God angry."
by Crisis of Conscience 87 Replies latest watchtower bible
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designs
One of the disconcerting things that occurs when you write to the Writing Department is the blowback- you get a terse response which is expected but letters also go out to the BOE, CO, DO, and City Overseer. You are almost immediatley put on a watch list and your priviledges are removed. For me it went in rapid order- No Public talks, no Instruction talks, No Service Meeting talks or parts, No Watchtower Reading, No praying at Meetings, then overlooked for commenting. During the last stages the backroom meetings begin to get you to confess and be humble, Watchtower articles are presented on the subject of Obedience and toeing the line.
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designs
00DAD- I wrote Letters over the years on various subjects, some were procedural (which as an Elder was a red flag for them), others dealt with interpretations- the use of Esther as a messiah figure and her night with the King, the New Covenant, Christology, better Training for Elders and MS in areas of Counseling (we were told to strictly Not use psychology); Contributions at Assemblies and mis-leading the friends on the use of those funds (that one actually got me in the most hot water strangely enough).
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00DAD
designs: I wrote Letters over the years on various subjects, ... Contributions at Assemblies and mis-leading the friends on the use of those funds (that one actually got me in the most hot water strangely enough).
Well actually that does NOT surprise me and just further proves that a lot of their "cover" is to hide that it's really all about the money!
Still, with the number of letters you wrote it's obvious you are a trouble maker. They only like good little soldiers that obediently and un-questioningly follow orders.
How dare you have an independent thought or a question!!!
Out of curiosity, what was it about the use of the contributions that you thought was being misrepresented to the friends?
00DAD
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designs
00DAD- Remember how at Circuit Assemblies they would always tell us we were in the hole financially. That was totally manipulated they were sending money to the Society that would intentionally put the accounts in the hole. I really hated that they guilt tripped the friends over this.
My suggestion was to tell everyone way in advance what the operating budget is for the Assembly Hall so that everyone could budget for it like you do anything else. Nope, they wouldn't do it, they wanted to keep everyone in the dark and use tactics to get more and more money out of everyone.
The Letters I got back from the Society and the City Overseer almost self ignited they were so pissed, but it did change how they reported the financial statement to the Assemblies, they stopped the intentional overspending allocations to the Society.
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00DAD
Designs - Ok, now I gotcha! Although I am a music teacher, my background is in business and accounting. So I guess when they made the announcements regarding contributions received and expenses incurred I assumed everybody was aware of the timing difference and understood that.
But now that you mention it, I do remember a few other brothers commenting about it in an upset way, apparently when it suddenly dawned on them that they were hearing Expenses already incurred or at least committed to through the END OF THE ASSEMBLY versus contributions actually received and counted AT THE BEGINNING or perhaps the MID-POINT OF THE ASSEMBLY. To me it was obvious that they, they Accounting Department, were anticipating additional receipts.
What wasn't obvious, but is now, is that this was deliberately manipulative because it gives the average R&F JW the impression that the program was "Seriously in the hole" and that they "Better dig deep" and contribute more when in fact, at least at every assembly I was privy to know the details (probably 40 or 50), there were ALWAYS enough excess funds to make a generous contribution to the "World Wide Work" ... whatever THAT means!?!
Which leads to my next point ...
What really gets me now is the complete lack of transparency and accountability regarding what the GB does with all those contributions! Every congregation on the planet makes a PUBLIC REPORT to the congregation of the accounts activity for the month. Yet neither the WTBTS or even the branches make such a public disclosure on any periodic basis!!!
What hypocrites.
I know they make public PR type announcements of "Disaster Aid" or subsidies to "Special Pioneers" or whatever, but that is so far removed from complete disclosure that it's completely irresponsible.
What hypocrites ... oh, I already said that. It's ok, it bears repeating.
They make the Pharisees of Jesus' day look like a bunch of bleedin' wankers!
00DAD
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Crisis of Conscience
designs and 00DAD - Thanks for bringing up the contribution thing. It's pretty disgusting how even asking about such a thing upsets the die hards.
I only reached the rank of ministerial servant, but I heard this talked about by an elder personally and then also read it here.
As 00DAD said, it is indeed a double standard in comparison to what is expected of the congregations.
But if you don't obey, you just make the slave's work more difficult, and also anger God!
CoC
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DesirousOfChange
It's pretty disgusting how even asking about such a thing upsets the die hards.
While I was still serving as an elder and working in auditing at Cir Assm, many "die hards", faithful bros & sisters, were comfortable enough to approach me and ask WHY the "use of the Assm Hall facilities" was so high when we had paid the damn thing off many years ago. Just HOW could a Cir Assm cost $10s of thou$and$ for the weekend "rent". It's all about sending funds to the WTS. And then you could be assured that every Elders' Business Meeting would approve sending an additional contribution. I suppose in affluent circuits it was no big deal, but in economically distressed areas, it had to be a hardship. It would have clearly been cheaper and more convenient to rent a private local facility than to travel 2 or 3 or 4 hours to the nearest Assm Hall, pay for hotel rooms, buy meals in restaurants, but then, the rent would have been paid to the rental facility instead of to the WT Real Estate Empire.
DOC
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awaken2004
Another reason they don't want the dubs to learn critical thinking skills. Thank you lucky stars I'm no longer a Stepford JW.