Are They Cynically Shutting Down The Organization?

by metatron 112 Replies latest jw friends

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  Vidiot

  metatron - "One more thing to think about (that nobody brings up): the specific rumors about the Annual Meeting that got changed when 9/11 happened in NYC. There were stories emerging at the time that the Society was going to change pretty much everything - holidays and much more were to be made matters of individual judgement. And that never happened. They went all reactionary ("Armageddon!" "Soon!"). So, what became of the beliefs within the leadership? The doubts? The change of opinion? Was there a second string of insiders who have come to run the Society? who think differently? and are discreet?"

  Barb Anderson posted a story on this at Freeminds...

  From what I gathered, Jaracz muscled them out, and the end result was the final nail hammered home on the "authoritarian high-control group" lid.

  9-11 was practically a godsend to that guy (which god, I can't say).
• 

  metatron

  This thread is interesting to me because it has wandered into an area I really hadn't considered: a sort of gap or contrast between the self exalted glory of the Governing Body - and the continuing fact of cut, cut, cut.....

  Perhaps one thing is a reaction against the other. Or perhaps there is another explanation as Flipper suggests.

  metatron
• 

  frankiespeakin

  Met,

  I think the Governing Body liquidating assets is a sign that they are shutting down they are making business decisions that have to be made because selling books full of thier propaganda isn't very profitable any more do to the internet, the internet information age has hurt them in so many ways they will never be able to get back to those good old days of growth and prosperity and deep down they must know at least that.

  So the sell off means they know something about an eventual shutting the whole thing down but that depends on how much denial they are in and how deep the delusion of God's mouthpiece goes.
• 

  designs

  frankie- I wonder what the ratio of donations to money from publications was pre 1990. This is an interesting time for the Wt.. ATMs in Assembly Halls and going after people's inheritance, and the Headquarters in the countryside. How many off-shore accounts does Gerry Simonis have the money hidden in.
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  Chaserious

  I think that their demise of the WTS as we know it in the U.S. is still about about 10-20 years off, when they start making religions pay property taxes. There have been proponents of this all throughout American history, going back to James Madison, and it's already becoming the norm in Europe:

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9598148/Italian-church-to-be-stripped-of-tax-exemption-from-2013.html

  As the U.S. grows more secular, I think it's only a matter of time before they want to either collect taxes on the vast landholdings of religion, or put that property to productive use by someone who will pay taxes. They will probably give exemptions for the charitable arms of religions, such as those that run soup kitchens, hospitals, shelters, and the like - but of course that wouldn't help the WTS. This kind of development would be the tipping point - I would have to imagine that the congregations that could even afford to stay afloat would be able to send much less $$$ along to the WWW, not to mention the taxes on HQ. I wouldn't be shocked if anticipation of this is one of the factors driving them out of Brooklyn. One year of property taxes on the Brooklyn buildings at the height of their Brooklyn presence would make the Candace Conti verdict look like pocket change.
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  Vidiot

  metatron - "This thread is interesting to me because it has wandered into an area I really hadn't considered: a sort of gap or contrast between the self exalted glory of the Governing Body - and the continuing fact of cut, cut, cut..... Perhaps one thing is a reaction against the other."

  Cognitive dissonance manifesting itself in the WTS's physical actions, maybe?

  Even the GB has to experience cog-dis sometimes...

  ...right?
• 

  moshe

  the first rule of power is, those that have it will do anything to keep it

  Hmm, and that goes for the elders here.

  It seems like a tragic religious social experiment in order to find out how much change, flip flops, back-pedalling and lies the JWs will take and still keep coming to the KH. The only sure way to get JWs to quit is to hit them in their wallet- have the GB insitute mandatory tithing like the Mormons and you would see the greatest exodus to escape, since the Jews left Egypt.
• 

  metatron

  If it's all like a rubber band being stretched, when does it break? Horrifying to think about- how far from reality will Jehovah's Witnesses become?

  I always took 'KoolAid' remarks as a joke but who knows? When does rationality ever prevail?

  Maybe when the money runs out.......

  metatron
• 

  grumblecakes

  yeah, ive been wondering if they will result to tithing, or something like it.

  the society has mandated the sale of our kingdom hall recently, so its now on the market. as a result a new property will have to be purchased and new hall built. so they asked all the publishers in the affected congs to fill out a form saying how much money they think they can donate towards this when the time comes. tThey said none of us are bound toward the donation, like if when the time comes and you just cant, you dont have to. i didnt fill out a form (like hell im filling out a form! i think the sale is BS!) i only saw it from a far, but this was the first time i heard of them asking for something like this.

  ps they are saying the reason they are forcing the sale is because the property is worth so much, they can build soooo many 3rd world kingdom halls with that money!
• 

  Balaamsass

  Long term bethelites have no job skills and are terrified of the "outside world". They have always been cheap, so I suspect they will use the free internet more, and do whatever is "profitable" to keep warm and dry. Some sources of revenue:

  Conventions in Cities that PAY them $$ to come. Hotels that PAY a travel agent fee to be on the list.

  Any Real Estate that can be rezoned, re-modeled or flipped in the future for profit.

  Printed items that JWs will actually PAY for.

  Offshore Hedge funds that MAKE $$$ with insider information.

  Kindom Hall Re-Models that create manditory contributions for inflated (donated) carpet, chairs, and wall coverings.

  "Gifting" schemes to bilk old JWs out of lifes savings during moments of weakness or religious ferver.

  With seven million followers you only need a few bucks profit per year, if you keep overhead down and get a good return on your capital (and keep it away from the courts).

  AND Disfellowship ANYONE who endagers the money train as an "apostate" .