BROTHERS & SISTERS - READ THE BROCHURE!

by The Searcher 63 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  The Searcher

  Jesus always used illustrations to help people reason on the import of what he was saying. Here is an illustration followed by a reality;

  Imagine that your heart went out to all those poor people who suffered when Fukushima blew up, so much so, that when an internationally renowned charity asked for donations to help those in need, you donated $5000 to the cause. How would you feel months later if you discovered that your worthy donation had been loaned to those needing it (albeit, tax-free), not given to them? The charity was eventually getting it all back for themselves!! The word "incensed" would probably initiate your revulsion at such a deceptive rip-off.

  Here is a real-life situation being repeated year-in, year-out, as described in our new brochure, "Who Are Doing Jehovah's Will Today?".

  Lesson 25 p. 28 Kingdom Halls—Why and How Are They Built?

  "They are built with donations made to a central fund. In every Kingdom Hall, there is another contribution box for Kingdom Hall Construction Worldwide. These donations are sent to the branch office so that money can be made available interest-free to congregations needing to build or remodel a Kingdom Hall."

  QUESTION: When you give a gift of money for someone's benefit, do you expect the person delivering the money to lend it to the intended recipient?

  Needless to say, my conscience does not permit me to donate 1 cent to the Kingdom Hall Construction box!

  Take from the needy, then lend to the needy.
• 

  cantleave

  This is standard practice for this cult. Even when they help to rebuild people's homes after a natural disaster they ask that the recipient of the help make any Insurance cheques out to them.

  IMO faders should never give anything to these bastards.
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  I can personally attest to what cantleave said.

  I volunteered to help in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina hit the region and Watchtower begged for volunteers to go help. After we would complete the work on a JW's home, the work crew captain would take the JW homeowner aside and show them what the charges would be if the work was done by a secular company. He then would tell them, in so many words, "when you get your insurance check, this amount would be an appropriate donation to make to the WT Society".

  There are many problems with this. One, the WT isn't donating or helping with anything- they are charging for "disaster relief". Second, all the labor and materials were donated. In fact, "worldly" companies outright donated much of the supplies and materials we used, so it cost WT NOTHING !! And all the JWs who volunteered to help paid their own way to get there AND donated money during their work period. And, JWs worldwide donated money to WT for this very purpose. None of this cost WT a penny.

  Yet, WT turns around and has the audacity to not only charge for the free labor and materials they received out of the generosity of JWs and non-JWs hearts, but they guilt trip the homeowner into donating their insurance check at premuim market rates!

  Quite the scam. I'm sure WT made a lot of many on that disaster.
• 

  Room 215

  " Second, all the labor and materials were donated." Understood that JWs would do the work on a volunteer basis; are you saying that ALL the materials for the reconstruction of these properties was donated?
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  Room 215: are you saying that ALL the materials for the reconstruction of these properties was donated?

  ADCMS: Think about it: The WT, if they are purchasing any materials, are doing it with donated funds. When a disaster strikes, the WT asks for more money in addition to what they've already collected. They did this after Hurricane Katrina- JWs were being reminded to donate more toward the relief efforts.

  I heard many accounts when I was there of various secular corporations donating building materials, supplies, food, etc. to the Watchtower. Some JW "heavy hitters" who have connections in the business world would go out and solicit for donations of cash or materials. These experiences were coming from brothers in authority, so they were not mere rumours. Additionally, there were donation boxes placed prominently in the "Hub", the facility that served as the base of operations. So, the JWs that already paid their own way to get there, taking time off work, etc. would donate more money.

  So, in reality, these "disaster relief" efforts cost WT nothing. Worse, if what I personally saw is typical, WT probably comes out way ahead financially. Regardless, WT operates on donated funds, so it costs them nothing. To present what basically amounts to a bill to a JW homeowner is completely dishonest- the WT is making money off free labor and donated supplies.
• 

  Fernando

  At one of my last Circuit Assemblies I had a blast from instead giving my intended donation to a kind sister who was in need and being treated rather badly by the hounders.

  I don't recall ever donating again after the penny dropped back then.

  BTW the scam referred to in the OP is even worse when you consider the WBTS also takes ownership of the property.
• 

  Slavenomore

  Adcms,

  Ivolunteered for the relief effort in december after Katrina and Rita hit. And you are correct, the insured homes were the first on the list to be "repaired". It was all roofing. One roof had 2 or 3 shingles blown off. I was in charge of the tear off crew, since i had a large truck and tools, I called the brother in charge and said this roof does not need anything other than a minor repair. His words to me we're "we have been given instructions to replace the roof, the home is insured and that the check will be used to help other homes uninsured, so tear it off." when I reported back to th group of about 40, this there was absolute amazement. Some brothers were visibly upset as I was. We tore it off, the second of the day. Just think what could have happened? 40 mostly unskilled volunteers tearing off a roof and then another 40-50 putting it down. Thankfully no one got hurt. But what a waste and for what? Money. We did 14 roofs in a week. At $10000 a roof(give or take) $140000. So much for your donations. The WTB$ got money and labor from us dim dubs and then got a healthy insurance payout. What a racket!?
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  slavenomore said: But what a waste and for what? Money. We did 14 roofs in a week. At $10000 a roof(give or take) $140000. So much for your donations. The WTB$ got money and labor from us dim dubs and then got a healthy insurance payout. What a racket!?

  ADCMS:

  I won't specify which crew I worked on (for my own protection), but when we completed work on a JW's home, and our group "captain" gave his "sales presentation" to the couple telling them how much the WT expected to receive for the work, I asked him how much a secular firm would have charged for the same work? He replied, "$30,000.". This brother would know because he's in the business! I asked if that was the figure he quoted to the JW homeowner, and he answered "yes".

  There was plenty of guilt laid on the homeowner along with the figures. They were basically told if they did not donate whatever their insurance company paid on the claim, that it was 'stealing from Jehovah'.

  Now, mind you, the crew of 10 JW volunteers were not being paid anything for that job, the supplies we used were minimal and we were already told that a "worldly" company had donated the particular supplies we were using for our work. We worked on that house for 6 hours. It cost Watchtower nothing to send volunteers to that home. So quoting the couple a figure of $30,000 was out of line. I have no doubt this couple would've donated something to the WT disaster relief once they got their check, because they were very appreciative, but the way the WT goes about it really amounts to blackmail. Expecting full retail repayment with zero outlay on Watchtower's part is unconscionable.

  This same scenerio was repeated at every home we worked at. I have no doubt WT made a killng on it.
• 

  Slavenomore

  The searcher

  Your OP is right on the money! Pun intended. Thankfully I never donated more than a few hundred dollars to the Borg but that was more than they deserve. I figured they are very wealthy own Brooklyn. But the dollar amount on all my driving, tools and time...priceless. I would recommend to anyone to stop working on the RBC and stop donating immediately. I'll never forget when I was given hospitality at a Chinese restaurant in Ithaca, NY and a man who I recognized from the hall was eating alone at another table. I asked him to join us, to the obvious pain of my righteous host. He was the one who enlightened me about the RBC scam with the constant churning of remodels and new builds that happened every month! I thought...interesting, it's only after I left that I put two and two together. I thank that man for trying to get me to think about the lie. My friend who is still in the org but fading, met a bro out in napa valley. He had a wine cellar that was larger than most houses. Quite a spread. His job... As a realtor....selling off assembly halls and buying land for new ones...all over the globe. He saw the racket and got his piece of the pie...apparently it was quite a slice.

  ADCMS

  two words...insurance fraud...hopefully you are not volunteering anymore? It would be one thing if the Borg gave willingly to orphans and widows but since they have no underwriters they are S O O L. Book of James...we don't need no stinking James...
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  to slavenomore-hopefully you are not volunteering anymore?

  Nope, I faded quite a while ago. Actually, my "I can't take it anymore" moment regarding donating to WT came at our first assembly at the new assembly hall ( or, as I now call them, "Ass Halls").

  When they announced that the "cost" for the two-day assembly was $14,000 my immediate reaction was- WTF? So, we're using a paid-for assembly hall and it costs $7,000 a day to rent our own building? Really? We were renting high school auditoriums for $3,000 a weekend...and the school was able to make money on that after all expenses were paid by the brothers. Now, we're to believe we can't meet at our own building that has no mortgage for less than seven or eight grand a day? I saw at the moment the whole thing is a scam...and I did not donate a penny to anything after that.

  The Menlo Park, Ca. cong. is a classic example of the remodel "churning" scam you alluded to. Remember the old days when KH's didn't get remodeled for 20 or 30 years? Now it's every 2-3 years, and no remodel is ever simple or cheap anymore. And, when a KH or Ass Hall gets sold, all the money goes back to Brooklyn, and the local publishers start paying again for a new building. It's a total scam.

  Your advice to quit volunteering for RBC is right. Why should any JW volunteer their time as slave labor for nothing more than helping the Watchtower build its real estate empire?

  Searcher:

  Lesson 25 p. 28 Kingdom Halls—Why and How Are They Built?

  "They are built with donations made to a central fund. In every Kingdom Hall, there is another contribution box for Kingdom Hall Construction Worldwide. These donations are sent to the branch office so that money can be made available interest-free to congregations needing to build or remodel a Kingdom Hall."

  the WT used to charge interest on Kingdom Hall loans. They stopped only when the governments started to take a close look at religions who charged interest on loans, otherwise WT would still be doing it. Now think about that- WT receives donations from a cong. that needs a new Kindom Hall. That same congregation receives a loan from WT and PAYS INTEREST ON IT! In reality they are paying interest on their own money!! And WT sees no problem with this. And, once the KH is paid off, it then becomes the property of the WT Society, and the JWs who paid for it have no legal entitlement or say in what happens to the property.