by leonbus23 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Fun, I posted this news under the name Ozner 7 years ago, when the assembly halls in The Netherlands got Creditcard machines. They are now totaly accepted by JW's in the Netherlands (As you know, Dutch JW's don't donate to the WTS, no cash, no creditcards, so we lost the big TV screens at assembly's because of lack of money).
Gorby
you know at this point if the Credit Card machines or ATM's don't wake them up, well let them screw themselves. I want people to see the truth about the truth but if it gets to that point, I don't see them as victims anymore
Nah, I just don't believe this ATM, credit card donation arrangement at assembly halls. This must be some kind of joke, right?? Truly, this can't be serious. This just doesn't seem kingdom hall/assembly hall like, is it?
I thought Jesus threw out the money dispensers in the temple. I wonder what local elders would do to Jesus if he walked in and did that to their dispensers?
The Watchtower has shame-facedly painted itself into a corner on this one, given how it has condemned other religions for using electronic means for obtaining donations. Damn, don't you hate it when you're caught out doing what you've condemned others for doing!?
Encouraging DEBT??? Isn't debt usually reviled in their assembly demos? Sure, it will also take debit cards, but now, the cash-strapped familes of 6 with $20 in their checking account will no longer have an excuse after driving 100 miles on $4/gal gas and paying for 3 nights in a hotel. Dave Ramsey needs to see this link--he WILL discuss it on his show, guaranteed!
"Debt is dumb, cash is king!"
"Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE. Like no one else!"
Nah, I just don't believe this ATM, credit card donation arrangement at assembly halls. This must be some kind of joke, right?? Truly, this can't be serious. This just doesn't seem kingdom hall/assembly hall like, is it?
Believe it. Our CA hall about a year ago started with the handheld cordless debit/credit card contraptions in order to take R & F donations. No Joke! I was shocked at how bold and brassy they had set up the card tables in the lobby alongside the usual cardboard collection boxes. No doubt Jesus would feel out of place. Can you imagine Jesus visiting a local Circuil Assembly Hall and feeling the need to pay his dues he says to you "Show me a denarius your Visa.........." (Luke 20:24) How much liberty do you think Jesus would take with your debit/credit card in order to donate to his 'earthly organization'? The thought makes me laugh!
Here is a suggestion. Bear in mind that the circuit has to pay a per-donation fee. There is also a nice stiff fee if people call the credit card company from home to cancel transactions.
What you do is make as many tiny donations as possible--say, a penny at a time. That will run up big bills with fees--they will lose between 35 and 65 cents per transaction, minus the penny you donate. The kicker is, once you get home, call the bank or credit card company and cancel each and every one of the transactions. The Washtowel Slaveholdery will now be hit with some nice big fat fees for such transactions. And, if anyone asks you for advice to cancel a transaction because they made a mistake, advise them that they will have to call their bank or credit card company to cancel the transaction.
The result: It will cost them more in fees to keep those machines in place than they are making in donations. It might not seem like much, but if enough penny donation transactions get cancelled at home, they could be in the hole for hundreds or thousands of toilet papers. Multiply this by only 10 people, and they could lose as much as they take in from the whole a$$embly. The more of these machines they rig up, the easier it will be to put in 80 or 90 of these penny donations (which get cancelled from home) without the hounders catching you.
What I do not advocate is tampering with the machines--you will get caught, and it is illegal (you will get sued, possibly enriching them and defeating the purpose). Putting in tiny donations and then canceling them all is not illegal--but it will be very costly to the Washtowel Slaveholdery.
Their justification will be that this is yet another loving provision from the Governing Body in their efforts to simplify things for Jehovah's people in this difficult time of the end. By lovingly providing these credit donation machines, the brothers in the accounts departments at these assemby halls can now have a lot more time to sit with their families and enjoy the program... They're so predictable...
But what they're really doing here is targeting the JW population that tends to carry little or no cash (due to the abundance of ATMs around the nation)... It's no secret that a lot less people carry significant cash in their pockets than, say, 20 years ago... It just dawned on the WT that they need to tap into the funds of those who have gone cashless because of technology...
Putting in tiny donations and then canceling them all is not illegal--but it will be very costly to the Washtowel Slaveholdery.
Before doing this read closely the terms and conditions of your card provider. For example, Visa (New Zealand) will reverse a payment if you can establish that the "merchant" has inappropriately, illegally or mistakenly obtained your card details and charged you for goods or services you did not consent to. Only under rare circumstances will it reverse a payment because you the cardholder have changed your mind. I would not want a record on my credit card of volitional payments - small or large it doesn't matter - followed by cancellations.
